Celebrating Washington's Birthday

Today we celebrate George Washington’s 280^th birthday. And for those of us located a few short steps from Mount Vernon and our nation’s capital, the date holds a special place on the calendar.

Along with Lincoln’s birthday on February 12th, February 22nd used to be a federal holiday and a day off from school. Until the creation of a more generic “Presidents’ Day” in 1971, the shortest month of the year was distinguished by having two full vacation days honoring presidents.

In the past, DC celebrated Washington’s Birthday with the best sales of the year. Long lines formed early in the morning at Hecht’s and Woodward & Lothrop, where you could pick-up an appliance, a rug, or last season’s fashions for a song.

School children prepared for the holiday by cutting out presidential silhouettes and reading stories extolling Washington’s honesty and heroism. And area bakeries featured cherry pies in honor of Washington’s famous encounter with a cherry tree.

Unfortunately, little remains of the original celebrations except in one corner of the city where Washington is celebrated as both namesake and mascot.

In 1904, the Columbian University became what is now known as The George Washington University. School colors were changed from orange and blue to buff and blue to honor the uniform George Washington wore when he resigned as Commander-In-Chief of the Continental Army on December 23, 1783.

Tonight (weather permitting), the students at George Washington University will mark Washington’s birthday and 100 years in Foggy Bottom with a bonfire in GW’s University Yard. The event will feature colonial-era music, “Cakelove” cupcakes, an opportunity to roast marshmallows for s’mores, and GW’s annual cherry pie eating contest.

But in an ironic twist of history, American University probably owes more to George Washington than GW. According to Kenneth Davis, author of Don’t Know Much about George Washington, our first president never attended college and regretted it his entire life. As a result, one of his pet projects was to establish a university in the capital that would be open to all American citizens, so that none would be denied a college education as he had been. Although Washington never lived to see his dream come true, American University was founded as a direct result of his efforts.

So as you reach for a second slice of cherry pie, remember that two local universities have reason to celebrate Washington’s Birthday—one owing its founding and the other its name to our first president.

High School Students are Hearing the Call to Volunteer

Of all the descriptors used to characterize this generation of college applicants, “involved” is one of the most attractive.

High school students are increasingly drawn to community service and are volunteering in greater numbers than ever. According to UCLA’s latest survey of this year’s college freshman, nearly 90 percent performed volunteer work “frequently” or “occasionally” during the past year. Over half regularly spent at least one hour per week volunteering, while nearly 13 percent volunteered 6 or more hours each week.

More than a quarter of the students demonstrated for a cause, and 61.3 percent helped raise money for a cause or campaign. Over half tutored another student, and 57.4 percent frequently performed community service as part of a class.

These are just a couple of the freshman facts collected by the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) in the nation’s longest-running survey of American college survey.

Here are a few more:

1. While many students live close enough to visit for the weekend, only 14 percent of freshmen attend college 500 or more miles away.
2. Getting into college isn’t as challenging as it appears, as 76 percent of freshmen were admitted into their first choice college.
3. But paying for college is another matter, as fewer incoming students received grants or scholarships (69.5 percent vs. 73.4 percent in 2010) and only 26.8 percent received $10,000 or more in scholarships as compared with 29.2 percent in 2010.
4. Yet over 38 percent expect to contribute nothing from their own resources including savings from work, work-study, or other income, while over two-thirds expressed some or major concern about their ability to finance their college education.
5. About half of the freshmen earned GPA’s no worse than A- in high school.
6. Fifty-five percent of students took at least one AP class, and 21.7 percent took at least five.
7. Although there are more liberal freshmen (27.6) than conservative (20.7 percent), the majority of students describe themselves as “middle of the road.”
8. While most students are undecided about probable career occupation (14.2 percent), the most frequently cited career goals included engineer (9.6 percent) and physician (7.4 percent).
9. Defying the law of averages, 71 percent rated themselves as being in the top 10 percent of students or “above-average” in academic ability.
10. While nearly 30 percent spent no time reading for pleasure during the past year, over 13 percent spent 11 or more hours per week social networking.
11. Less than 40 percent reported they studied at least six hours per week as high school seniors, while 52 percent at least occasionally failed to complete homework on time.
12. Not surprisingly, a quarter of college freshmen said they would need math tutoring.
13. On the other hand, 46 percent rated their writing ability as among the highest 10 percent or above average.
14. And in their senior year, 46.5 percent of the students admitted they frequently or occasionally fell asleep in class.
15. More than 28 percent said they frequently felt overwhelmed by all they do.

President's Day in Minnesota

“I’m president of Macalester. Life is good.”

And so begins President’s Day at Macalester College—a video tribute to Macalester starring college president Brian Rosenberg.

“Being president of Macalester isn’t just a job; it’s a lifestyle,” says Rosenberg. “But this is the best job in the world.”

There’s no rest for the weary in Rosenberg’s world. He sleeps in a Macalester club tie and wakes to bagpipes blaring through his alarm clock. Then he’s off to clear snow, make deliveries, and lead campus tours. He takes meals with students, poses for a studio art class, appears as the school mascot, and gamely participates in school fundraising.

And President Rosenberg is a master fundraiser. Last President’s Day, he called more than 18,000 alumni, parents, and friends—all at the same time—as part of a massive fundraising effort which ultimately brought in $156 million in gifts and pledges to the college.

A Charles Dickens scholar, Rosenberg began his career at The Cooper Union in New York and passed through Allegheny College and Lawrence University on his way to Macalester. But as the 16^th president of Macalester, Rosenberg has clearly found a home in Saint Paul.

Community Service Pays Off—In Scholarships

Although service to others should be its own reward, there’s no question that many colleges, organizations, foundations, and businesses are willing to acknowledge outstanding community service on the part of high school students by awarding some very generous scholarships.

These scholarships are targeted to those who have a true passion for service. While many local high schools and school districts require service as part of the regular curriculum, to qualify for a community service scholarship, you’ll need to go above and beyond basic hour requirements.

Scholarship committees will want to see proof of service, hear from references, and have an idea that you are committed to continuing service into the future. Typically winners of these awards began early in their high school careers and dedicate hours weekly throughout the year. We’re not talking about a one-time mission trip to the Caribbean. The kind of volunteerism that wins awards is sustained and heartfelt.

In addition to specific school-based scholarships you’ll need to find on individual college websites, here are a few of the bigger national scholarships available to high school students who are deeply involved in community service:

• Lowe’s Scholarship Program. Lowe’s typically awards 140 $2,500 scholarships to high school seniors who demonstrate a history of commitment to their community through leadership activities, community service and/or work experience. Applications for the 2012-12 program will be accepted until February 28, 2012. For more information and an online application form, visit the Lowe’s website.
  
  
• Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program in the largest US recognition program based exclusively on volunteer community service. Over the past 16 years, more than 310,000 students have participated in the program and nearly 100,000 of them have been officially recognized for their volunteer work. In the US, each program year begins in September and online applications must be completed by November 1. Note that programs are also conducted in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Ireland, and India, where Prudential has significant business operations.
  
  
• Do Something BRICK Awards. Since 1996, DoSomething.org has honored the nation’s best young adult “world changers.” This year, up to five finalists, each of whom will receive a $10,000 community grant, will be flown to New York and appear on Vh1. One will be selected as the Grand Prize winner and receive a total of $100,000 I community grants. Applications are due March 1, 2012.
  
  
• Gloria Barron Prize. The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes honors outstanding young leaders who have made “a significant positive difference to people and our planet.” Nominees, who may range in age from 8 to 18 years old, must have been the prime mover of a service activity to qualify for a $2,500 award. Nominations and completed nomination packet must be received by April 30.
  
  
• Kohl’s Cares Scholarship Program. This program recognizes and rewards young volunteers (ages 6-18) who help make their communities a better place to live. This year, more than 2,200 kids will be recognized with over $440,000 in scholarships and prizes. National winners will each be awarded $10,000 and Kohl’s will donate $1,000 to a nonprofit organization on each winner’s behalf. Nominations will be accepted until March 15, 2012.
  
  
• Coca-Cola Scholars Program. Each year, the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation awards over $3 million in achievement-based four-year college scholarships to 250 outstanding high school seniors. Applicants are evaluated on the basis of “demonstrated leadership in academics, school, community and civic activities, as well as personal character and the motivation to serve and succeed. Applications are accepted from August to October 31 of the senior year in high school.
  
  
• AXA Achievement Scholarship. Fifty-two winners (one from each state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico) are selected to receive one-time scholarship awards of $10,000 each. From this pool, ten national winners are selected to receive an additional one-time scholarship of $15,000. Some of the remarkable accomplishments of AXA Achievers include setting up a food bank, designing a curriculum to get kids interested in science, and founding a nonprofit for young people encouraging community service and civic involvement. To register for information, visit the AXA Achievement website. The 2013 program kicks off later in the fall of 2012.
  
  
• Buick Achievers Scholarship. This program rewards students who have succeeded both inside and outside the classroom—a leader in school, a volunteer, or a “community-minded individual.” Up to $25,000 per year for 100 first-time freshman or existing college students will be awarded to students entering qualified five-year engineering programs. One thousand additional students will receive $2,000 scholarships. Priority will be given to minority or first-generation students who show some financial need. Applications are due by February 29, 2012.
  
  
• Comcast Leaders and Achievers Program. Every year, Comcast and the Comcast Foundation ask high school principals and guidance counselors to identify students who demonstrate a strong commitment to community service and display leadership abilities in school activities or through work experience. Since 2001, the program has recognized more than 15,400 students and given more than $15.4 million in scholarships. Nominations must be received no later than December 7, 2012.