Is a High School Diploma Worth It? 

Believe it or not, some students do not eagerly rush to school each day wanting to learn all they can to earn their high school diploma. 

Sometimes we need to be reminded about the importance of what we are trying to achieve, so what is a high school diploma worth? 

1. Those with a high school diploma earn more.  According to 2021 statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, individuals who do not have a high school diploma earn around $619 a week, and the unemployment rate among those without a high school diploma is 11.7%. Individuals with a high school diploma earn around $781 a week, and the unemployment for those with a high school diploma is 9%. 

2. It opens military and college opportunities. The military and colleges require that individuals have earned either a high school diploma or completed the HiSET/GED test. 

3. It makes job offering benefits more available. A high school diploma can help individuals get jobs with companies that offer additional benefits to their employees. 

*Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Daniel Boone Regional Library.  

NACAC Virtual College Fairs - These are free, virtual events open to students and parents. They contact students to a variety of colleges in order to help students pick their best fit! Visit this website for more information and to register: https://www.nacacattend.org/fairs. 

Bright Flight increase to include awards for 4th and 5th percentile for first time in program’s history!

2018-2022 seniors scoring 30 on their ACT may be eligible for award payments! 

The Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development will be issuing Bright Flight awards to potentially thousands of additional students after a funding increase made to the FY 2023 budget signed last week by Gov. Mike Parson. The Missouri Higher Education Academic Scholarship Program, known as Bright Flight, has historically awarded scholarships to students scoring in the top 3 percent of ACT test takers. Statutory provisions require those students must be fully funded at $3,000 per year, before any payments are made to the students scoring in the 4th and 5th percentiles. The FY 2023 budget increases the amount the department has to spend for this program by $3.5 million, enough that Class of 2022 seniors scoring a 30 on the ACT will be eligible for an award of up to $1,000 this year.

Any Class of 2018 to Class of 2021 seniors who also scored a 30 on their ACT, may be eligible as well. Bright Flight is a renewable scholarship for students who maintain eligibility for up to 10 semesters or until a student completes their bachelor’s degree, whichever occurs first. Students in the 4th and 5th percentiles who have maintained eligibility and are still enrolled at a Missouri college or university will be eligible for an award, also up to $1,000, this year.

“This type of funding increase is exciting,” Leroy Wade, interim commissioner of higher education said. “However, we need help from both our colleges and universities, and from these eligible students in order to make these payments happen.”

MDHEWD needs to know where these eligible students are currently enrolled in order to issue the scholarships to their student accounts. The best way to help the department understand this information is for all Class of 2018-2022 seniors who scored a 30 on their ACT to log on to the Missouri State Student Financial Aid Portal and to update their number one school choice to their current college or university. MDHEWD will also be reaching out to potentially eligible students as well as institutions to ask for their help in communicating with their students that fit these eligibility requirements.

Students can find the link to the Student Portal at journeytocollege.mo.gov or go directly to the site at https://web.dhewd.mo.gov/studentportal/. Students who have not logged on in recent months may be asked to reset their passwords. From the homepage of the portal, users can select the “My School Choices” from the top menu bar. They’ll need to select the academic year 2022-2023, and then select the school in which they’ll be enrolled this year from the dropdown selection, hitting “Add school” and then “Save” before navigating from that page. 

Funding for the 4th and 5th percentile test takers has never happened in the history of the program. Whether or not the increased funding will continue will be subject to appropriation next year.

Starting June 15, 2021 families that qualify for free or reduced price meals at school can once more apply for Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) benefits to help cover food costs they experienced while their student was not doing in-seat learning due to the pandemic. However, the P-EBT 2020-2021 program is very different from last year's program. Please review the P-EBT Letter to Families. Here are highlights of those changes:

  *   All families must apply to get the P-EBT benefit, regardless of whether or not they receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)/Food Stamp benefits.

  *   A child may be eligible for P-EBT only if the school was closed, not doing in-seat learning, or had reduced attendance or hours at least five school days in a row due to COVID-19 (in most cases, this includes hybrid modes of learning).

  *   P-EBT benefits are available for the months of September 2020 through May 2021.

  *   The P-EBT benefit is based on the school's report of how much of the month was not in-seat learning. If most of the school's month was not in-seat learning, the monthly P-EBT benefit amount is $129.58. If only some of the school's month was not in-seat learning, the monthly P-EBT benefit amount is $77.75.

  *   Families download the P-EBT application<https://dss.mo.gov/covid-19/pdf/P-EBT-Application%20-%20English.pdf> (aplicación en Español<https://dss.mo.gov/covid-19/pdf/P-EBT-Application%20-%20Spanish.pdf>)

·         Families must directly email or mail the P-EBT application to the Family Support Division address listed on the application by July 31, 2021.

  *   Families must not submit the application to the school district.

  *   Each eligible student will get an EBT card in his or her name with the lump sum P-EBT benefit amount for the 2020-2021 school year. Ineligible families will receive a denial letter.

The application can be found on the https://mydss.mo.gov/ website. Please read the P-EBT FAQs<https://mydss.mo.gov/covid-food-stamp-info>.

If you have questions on how to apply for the P-EBT benefit, contact DSS through the online chat feature at mydss.mo.gov<https://mydss.mo.gov/> or call 855-373-4636.

Hager Construction is looking for summer help. The job would be as a laborer apprentice carpenter. They are looking to hire two reliable, hardworking individuals. Starting pay is $16 an hour, and the daily hours are 7am-3:30pm. You must be 16 years or older and have reliable transportation. If you are interested in applying for this job, contact Paul Hager at 573-680-1472.   

Below is some information from the Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council about their apprentice and training programs. 

STEM Work Experience Opportunity - Programs are available for students to explore STEM careers by working with professionals in those fields. For more information and registration info, please follow this link: https://investin.org/pages/stem?mc_cid=f4796d18d7&mc_eid=2b52fa0a07.