November 19^th Meeting Summary

    After an opening prayer and introductions, a thought provoking devotional on God’s omniscience was shared, reminding us that God knows everything without any effort, knows all possible choices in our lives, and chooses the best path for each of us who love and serve Him.

    Then students traded booklists (the assignment from the previous meeting), sharing suggestions on formatting, grammar, and genres to round out their reading records.  A booklist is important when applying for private colleges and some public college honors programs. 

    We then had the privilege of hearing from our guest speaker, Sam Sauter on “What Colleges Don’t Want You to Know.”  Mr. Sauter, LEED Architect/Contractor, spoke about avoiding college debt, the importance of choosing a profession that will meet your predetermined financial needs and identifying an education that will support your career goal.  Students filled out handouts on a real life budget.  Luke 14:28-30 warns not to begin an endeavor without counting the costs.  Don’t be tricked into buying an education that does not directly translate into your chosen living-wage objective.  Many supporting examples and suggestions were given on how to save money - work, CLEP, merit scholarships, contests, grants, etc.  Find a recent graduate and ask how they are handling their loans (if they have any) and how long it will take to pay them off.  Review your course schedules with at least two academic advisors- plan your education and work your plan. Graduate on time and below budget.

Mr. Sauter shared the following informational links:

    1. School loan calculator: http://cgi.money.cnn.com/tools/studentloan/studentloan.html

    2. http://qualityinfo.org/olmisj/OCX

    3. http://www.payscale.com/404.aspx?404;http://payscale.com:80/best-colleges/degrees.asp

    A leadership presentation was then given about humility.  Through the brief lesson, the student demonstrated the crucial characteristic of humility, which is an essential quality for truly great leadership.

    An announcement was made requesting students to bring two updated copies of their résumé to the next meeting (January 21^st).

    A report was given on the success of the October 21st community service day at the Ronald McDonald House.  Great feedback was received from the staff on how amazing the House looked. Great work, thank you so much to all who participated!

    After another prayer, students and parents were dismissed for a delicious dinner and time of fellowship, followed by the officers’ meeting and parents’ meeting.