Funded by a TRiO grant from

the US Dept. of Education in

the amount of $257,769.00.

PO44A121116

TRiO Educational

Talent Search J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 6

Nicci Wiltse,

Director

nwiltse@neosho.edu

(620) 432-0421

Lona Reeves, PhD

Academic Advisor

lreeves@neosho.edu

(620) 432-0308

Michael Rose

Academic Advisor

michaelr@coffeyville.edu

(620) 252-7126

Rhonda Thomas

Administrative Assistant

rthomas@neosho.edu

(620) 432-0412

Seniors, we are as excit-

ed as you are that you

have almost made it to

graduation. We would

like to remind you that

we will be going on a senior trip again this

year with a limited amount of students. To

be among the chosen participants you must

have the following done:

Submit your FAFSA

Apply for admission to at least one

college.

Take or schedule a date to take the

ACT/Compass test.

Apply for scholarships.

Be an active participant of Talent

Search.

We can help you with any of these tasks.

Contact us by phone, email, or Facebook.

Some of the services we provide to you as

a Senior are:

Opportunity to go to two campus visits

per semester.

Provide up to two college admission

fee waivers.

Provide ACT fee waiver.

Contact your Talent Search advisor if you

are planning on attending a school in Kan-

sas, Missouri, or Oklahoma that we have

not visited to arrange a visit for you. We

can also help you get information you need

about the college of your choice.

Your Academic Advisor will be coming to

your school for a special breakfast or lunch

with you this semester.

Your child needs you to be interested and involved in his/her academic progress. Us-

ing these tips will help your child succeed in school.

Show Interest: Attend all open houses and parent conferences. Know when grading

period ends. Talk about their grades encourage and compliment as needed.

Discuss Classes and Goals: Sit down with your child at the beginning of each grading

period and help him/her set realistic goals. Check milestones along the way

Listen: Talk to your child about what is happening in school and be a good listener .

Be Available to Help: Be available to help with homework, but don’t give more help

than is wanted.

Encourage School Involvement: Studies show that students who are involved in

school-related activities have greater academic success and they enjoy school more.

NCCC - CCC Trio

Educational Talent

Search

In Bonner Springs 66 Talent Search

students took a step back in time to

the Renaissance Era September 12

when we headed to the Renaissance

Festival.

Many students learned how leather is

made, how to dye wool with flowers

among other things. Students discovered that games

were played differently in the 16th century except

Chess, which was played the same as it is today.

They were informed that life was ruled by the King

and Queen, what woo tax was and how brutal pun-

ishments were. As one student said

“...they didn’t care as much about

lives back then.” The Gypsy life-

style was very common and many

things revolved around magic and

mystical things. One student was

excited to learn to talk and live like a troll. Some stu-

dents even tried some traditional foods such as tur-

key legs.

Students were also shocked to discover how they did

not use technology and everything was handmade.

September 13, eleven high school

juniors and seniors headed to Tul-

sa, Oklahoma to the annual Col-

lege Connections where they were

able to talk to lots of technical

schools, community colleges and

four year universities. They were

able to learn more of what each

school had to offer for scholar-

ships, specialty degrees, what was

needed to apply, and just what

makes each school stand out. Stu-

dents took advantage of a perfect

opportunity to visit schools they

are thinking of applying to and

some they may not have even real-

ized existed.

Each student who participated

agreed that it was very helpful and

more should take advantage of this

opportunity to research local and

out of area schools in one area.

The only person you

should try to be better

than is the person you

were yesterday.

One sunny October day 33

middle school students

learned more about the endan-

gered animals and the degree

a person would need to work

with them at the Safari Zoo-

logical Park. We held a snake,

and a hedgehog, pet a kanga-

roo, watched a grizzly bear do

tricks and fed animal crackers

to the primates.

After the zoo we headed over

to the Independence Pumpkin

Patch and Corn Maze where

we tested our critical thinking

skills to get out of the corn

maze. We also learned team

work helps along with trivia

facts about corn. Did you

know one ear of corn can pro-

duce 850 kernels.

Emeka Nnaka told his sto-

ry of overcoming adversity

after his life changing acci-

dent on the football field to

73 students during Survi-

vor Day at Neosho County

Community

College No-

vember 7. The

students en-

joyed fun

games with

Paradigm Shift

before breaking

into sessions for team

building and critical

thinking exercises. Sen-

iors and juniors were

given the opportunity to partake in the ACT prep

workshop to help them be more prepared. At the end

of the day the student’s listened

to Ralph Edward’s entertaining

speech on how to succeed in life

even when it isn’t going perfect-

ly. When asked what their favor-

ite part of the day was a few stu-

dents said they could not choose

because they “liked it all.”

Bill Blagg Live dazzled

12 high school students

with magic at the KU

Lied Center October 16th.

He intrigued us with his

fan illusion, being able to

shrink himself, disappear-

ing from a plexiglas box

and reappearing in the

audience and of course,

the hover board from

Back to The Future mov-

ies. Before the show stu-

dents toured the Neosho

County Community Col-

lege-Ottawa campus

where they discovered an

awesome place with a lot

to offer in many fields of

study.

November 14th, nine

Talent Search Ambassa-

dors experienced the

David Sandy show.

They learned that the

acronym for M.A.G.I.C.

is Motivation, Attitude,

Goals, Initiative, and

Commitment. Mr.

Sandy also encouraged

the students to work for

what they truly want.

Followed by a work-

shop on mentoring.

March 4, 2016

May 6, 2016

We are heading back to Sky Ranch in Quapaw, OK

for another fun filled weekend of skeet shooting, zip

lining, horse back riding, s’mores around the bonfire ,

educational workshops, and other enjoyable activities.

There is something for everyone to enjoy.

Come join other area TRiO pro-

grams during the Annual TRiO

Day’s celebration. There will be

guest speakers, interesting break

out sessions, and lots of networking

with other students. Seniors and

their parents will have an oppor-

tunity to complete the FASFA.

There will be a special presentation

for parents of participants.

ATTENTION H.S. STUDENTS! Talent Search will be going to the PSU Great Gorilla Games

again April 7th and we need your help. We are looking for

participants for this great opportunity. The Great Gorilla

Games is designed to promote STEM-oriented curriculum,

teamwork, and the practical application of STEM concepts in

“real world” scenarios and problems. If you are looking at a

career in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math this is

something you should participate in.

Come explore the Kansas State University

Campus and all it has to offer during their

carnival-like open house. Not only will

you get to explore the campus, but you

will also be able to learn more of all KSU

has to offer their prospective students.

It’s a tale as old as time for our Ambassadors. To

show our appreciation for all the hard work you do

through out the school year to promote Talent

Search, we are taking you to the Broadway musical,

Beauty and the Beast, at the KU LIED Center in

Lawrence.

We will also be touring the KU campus.

Middle school students come explore 3

floors of exciting historical facts and finds.

Everything from a T-Rex to Egyptian mum-

mies and lots of military artifacts. There is

something for everyone at the Museum of

World Treasures in Wichita. We will be having an Ambassador training session

on January 30. If you are an ambassador please plan

to attend as we need your input on upcoming events.