By Mrs. Patti Rubenzer

Think back to when you were a child. Do you remember all the little and big things you needed help with? Someone who loves you very much ensures you are fed, clothed, safe, and happy.  As you get older, more and more of those daily tasks are transferred to you to take care of.   With age, we also get increased freedom to carve out our own path in life. Carving that road to drive our educational journey is no different. Nobody should care more about your education than you, right?

Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” You would not go into a battle unprepared, so why would you want to sail through your high school years without the knowledge and tools needed to ensure you come out with the best possible outcome?  The important thing is that you are the driver of your educational journey.  Just like you need keys to drive a vehicle, you need to follow these “keys” to set your future in motion. 

Key #1 - “Regularly Scheduled Maintenance”  Meet with your School Counselor yearly to check your progress and plan for the future. At Odyssey Online Learning, our students meet with their School Counselor annually to create an Individualized Graduation Plan (IGP). This is a great time to meet with your School Counselor to review where you are in completing your required high school courses and make sure you are on track to graduate. It is a good idea to have your parent(s) or guardian attend the meeting with you. Don’t be shy…. Ask as many questions as you want. The more you inquire about, the more your counselor gets to know you and the things you are interested in. That may help them make recommendations for any non-academic opportunities you are eligible for as well. Examples of these may be career shadowing, clubs, or travel opportunities. You may be asked to take an assessment that will show where your interests lie. This could open the door to filling your elective requirement with courses built on topics you truly enjoy.

Key #2 - “Seek a Professional if Something Doesn’t Look Right”  Review your transcript each term, look at your class rank, and GPA. Don’t forget to examine things like your complete name, address, and date of birth. Mistakes happen and most are easily fixable while you are still a student. At Odyssey Online, you can view your transcript by logging into your Parchment account.  Parchment is a website that makes reviewing and sending transcripts a breeze. You can get started with Parchment by clicking the link on our website under the “Request a Transcript” link. If you need help, please reach out to your Guidance Counselor.  Pay close attention to your class rank and grade point average (GPA). These two things tell you not only how well you are doing academically, but also give you a look into how you are performing amongst other students in the same grade at Odyssey. 

Why is this important you may ask? If you look at college entrance requirements you will notice that most schools will publicly post statistics such as acceptance rate, average SAT/ACT score, class rank, and GPA. When making a list of schools you may want to attend, it is helpful to know where you stand in making your list from dream school to safety school. Many employers will also request your GPA as part of their job application. Some even contract with an educational verification company to confirm the information you have provided about your school history.

Key #3 - “Upgrade With All of the Bells and Whistles” Did you know that students who attend Odyssey Online Learning can complete courses that offer a higher GPA weighting?  Examples of a higher weighted course would be honors, AP, IB, or Dual Enrollment courses. OOL students can participate in Honors, AP and Dual Enrollment courses.  South Carolina public schools, to include Odyssey Online Learning, follow a 10 point scale. This means that when taking a college prep course,  you get 4.0 GPA points for a final grade of 90, 4.1 for a 91, and so on. Keep this in mind when you are working hard to finish those classes strong. Finishing with a 96 will give you more GPA points in your cumulative GPA than, say, finishing with a 92. 

Pushing yourself to finish with the highest grade you can get is important. Plus, if you take the honors equivalent course, you earn a half point higher for the same grade. For example, a 92 in US History will give you 4.2 GPA points, but a 92 in an honors weighted US History can give you 4.7 GPA points. Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and Dual Enrollment can give a point higher than the standard college prep course. The moral of this key is not to wait until you are a senior to realize you should have “leveled up” to give you an advantage. Your teachers can talk with you about the increased rigor of an honors class and your school counselor can work to schedule those classes if you and your parent(s)/guardian decide that is the right opportunity for you.

Key #4 - “Plan Your Journey Ahead of Time” What would you say if I told you to drop what you are doing right now, hop in your car, and drive to San Francisco, California?  You may panic initially. After that, you would start to feel your mind racing with all the things you would need to plan a trip like, what roads are you traveling down, what are you taking with you and do you have enough gas just to name a few. Just as you wouldn’t hop in the car and drive clear across the country without planning, you also should not travel through your high school years without a road map to success. Open communication with your family, school staff, and even people you know who have landed in the same direction you would like to head is a great place to start.  Maybe you have always wanted to own your own business. Talk with other entrepreneurs, ask what they did to succeed, and what they would have done differently. The same goes for a major or program at a particular college or university. Once you know what to expect and what courses and experiences you should consider, you can plan your high school years with the end in mind. 

As I close, I want to remind you that these 4 keys are just the beginning of achieving your success as a high school student and the pathway to your future. Whether you attend a brick-and-mortar school or learn virtually through an online program, you are in control of so much. Don’t wait for the years to pass you by because graduation and pictures with your cap and gown will be here before you know it.