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Transitions to College: School Life, Academics, & Healthy Relationships
When we say our college counseling program is “comprehensive in nature and highly personalized,” we’re not kidding! Getting our students “college ready” starts with conditioning in the earliest of grades, and culminates in the Upper School with three dedicated college counselors who work closely with each student to find their best college match. In addition, beginning in 2018 Upper School administration went one-step further with new programming for seniors dubbed Transitions to College: School Life, Academics, and Healthy Relationships— focusing on the things we all wish we’d known before we left for college, but no one ever told us.
The programming kicked off with an alumni panel, followed by self-defense classes with Ashley Bickerstaff and Terence Brister from Unified Self Defense, and ending with relationship boundaries workshops with Dr. Melisa Holmes, former CCES parent, M.D., and Girlology/Guyology co-founder. Seniors gave a mere hour of their time of their time for the sessions, an investment that will pay them back in spades.
The first presentation on school life kicked off with four CCES alumni in a virtual forum. Moderated by Lindsey Waters, Associate Director of College Counseling, the panelists were asked questions including:
- What is your favorite part of college?
- What do you wish you had known before entering college?
- How have you found opportunities to get involved?
- Have your study skills changed from high school?
- What do you miss most about CCES?
Panelists, which included Camp Williams '19, Abby Rogers '19, Cecilia Harber '20, Jack Sanford '20, and Cindy Xu '20, discussed the stressors, anxieties, joys and experiences they have had their first year in college.
Outside in the Prom tent, Ashley Bickerstaff and Terence Brister educated students in simple and effective self-defense techniques that they could easily retain. Ashley is a home invasion survivor and a huge advocate of self-defense classes. Terence is the owner and a State Certified Law Enforcement Officer with 12 years of experience in the military, law enforcement, and personal protection services.
As these students are mature enough for a discussion on sexuality, Dr. Holmes’ session focused on topics ranging from consent, intimacy, harassment, and abuse, to birth control, STDs, and the effects of the choices students will make surrounding drugs, alcohol, and sex, on their college career path. She spoke to students about the idea of affirmative consent emphasizing, “the person with the tightest boundaries always wins.”
This programming is always well planned by Upper School administration and College Counseling, well executed by our guest speakers, and thoroughly enjoyed by our seniors. These students will soon graduate with not only a college-prep curriculum behind them and a clear path forward, but also a step closer to being college-ready in a much greater sense of the term.
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Christ Church Episcopal School (“CCES”) admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at CCES. CCES does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, national or ethnic origin, creed, religion, or sexual orientation in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, financial aid, scholarship or other programs, or athletic or other school-administered programs and activities.