by Andy Ortiz

Counselors from St. John Bosco and St. Joseph’s High Schools came together last Monday to offer information on the fundamentals of high school to the middle school students from St. Dominic Savio.

Bosco counselor, Mr. Basil Totah, and St. Joseph’s counselor, Mr. Joey Albert, presented at St. Dominic Savio’s first High School Seminar in the Savio Parish Hall. The event was organized by Mr. Armando Gonzalez. 

“We’re doing this to prepare these middle schoolers for high school,” said Mr. Gonzalez. “It’s unfortunately pretty normal for middle schoolers to not be told about basic things like honors and AP (Advanced Placement), so that’s what we want to accomplish.”

Mr. Gonzalez explained how he felt that he wasn’t prepared for high school back when he enrolled, so he wanted to help clear up all the confusion for the incoming freshmen.

“We want to let these young boys and girls know that they have plenty of tools for success for high school, so they’ll feel less nervous for what tomorrow holds for them academically,” said Mr. Albert of St. Joseph’s.

Once the seminar began, Mr. Totah from St. John Bosco explained one of the most important things to keep in mind when in to high school.

“It all boils down to reading everyday and practicing your math everyday,” said Mr. Totah. “Those are the most important foundations to learning as a whole, there’s really no other way around it,” said Mr. Totah.

The main discussion throughout the entirety of the seminar was primarily about different programs, namely what it takes to shoulder the load of honors and AP classes as well as a little bit about college admissions. 

One of the main questions that parents asked during the informational meeting was regarding what colleges want to see you do throughout your high school career.

“While they really like a good GPA and good grades, overall colleges want to see you take on a lot of extracurricular activities that you commit yourself to,” said Mr. Albert.

Many of the questions revolved around the various Academic Pathways that Bosco offers, with many of the students expressing huge interest in classes in the Engineering and Film and Media Pathways, respectively. Mr. Gonzalez provided some really good advice regarding deciding what you’re capable of doing.

“You will find out very easily how difficult Pathways can be, and once you take one, you might find out that you might not like it,” said Mr. Gonzalez. “Nothing has to be final; you can find out what you like and switch to it.”

Besides the discussion regarding what Pathways are about, the seminar also centered around how you can use them to look attractive to colleges. 

One sixth grader who attended expressed concerns about what he needed to do to be prepared for higher-level classes.

“My idea is [that] I want to take all the hardest classes and do all the extracurriculars to impress colleges,” the sixth grader said.

Many parents voiced their concerns about how complex and heavy their children’s schedules would be later in their high school careers. Mr. Totah made it very clear that while it’s important to take on hard classes for colleges, above all it’s important to know your limits and to avoid tasks that might be overwhelming for you.

“The worst thing that could happen to you is that you’re stuck with a bunch of high-level classes that you can’t do, and you end up with a very stressful and depressing sophomore year. You don’t want that,” said Mr. Totah.

The biggest takeaway that Mr. Totah wanted to leave with the Savio students was to know the importance of balance. He stressed the importance of balancing out your hard classes so that you still have enough time to take care of yourself along with your academics and extracurriculars.

As the seminar ended and everyone was getting up to leave, the same 6th grader that shared his plan for high school came back to share how his thought process changed as a result of the information he received from the counselors.

“I thought that I had to be moving fast, but I think I’m wrong,” said the sixth grader. “I should take this a lot slower. Now, I know how to challenge myself the right way for the best results.”