School Counts! Registration Process Changes

SCHOOL COUNTS! REGISTRATION PROCESS CHANGES

Effective with the 2013-2014 school year, the School Counts! program will implement an opt-out registration process for all freshman students enrolled at Dawson Springs High School, Hopkins County Central High School, and Madisonville North Hopkins High School. Each parent/guardian will be receiving a letter outlining the specifics of the program and offering an opt-out option should the parent/guardian choose not to have his/her student participate in the School Counts! program. The new process will give all freshman students the opportunity to participate in the program and will reduce the possibility of a student not being registered due to lack of information.

School Counts! is a work ethic/scholarship program; participants earn a work ethic certificate each year by successfully completing the program s criteria:
Obtain a minimum 2.50 GPA yearly
Achieve a minimum 95% attendance and punctuality record (includes all excused/ unexcused absences and tardies with the exception of school-related activities)
Complete high school in four consecutive years
Take more than the minimum number of credits required for graduation

The program is a community initiative partnering with Dawson Springs Independent Schools, Hopkins County Schools, Madisonville Community College, Madisonville-Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club, and area businesses. Implemented with the Class of 2008, students earning 4 work ethics certificates are eligible for a tuition scholarship for up to 12 credit hours each semester for 4 semesters upon enrollment at Madisonville Community College. Funds are applied after KEES, financial aid, and other scholarships have been awarded. Each semester, an average of 100 School Counts! scholarship recipients are enrolled at MCC; the average scholarship award is $1300 per year.

Hopkins County Schools Superintendent Linda Zellich shared, School Counts! is a very important program that helps our students achieve a college education. We appreciate this change to an opt-out registration process, because it ensures that students will not miss out on the opportunity to participate.

Throughout the high school years, School Counts! participants receive recognition at the annual reward breakfast and in congratulatory newspaper advertisements. Additionally, the Class of 2012 School Counts! graduates enrolled at Madisonville Community College (MCC) were presented NOOK Tablets during a student reception. MCC President Dr. Judy Rhoads is pleased to announce that the Class of 2013 School Counts! students at MCC will also be receiving NOOK Tablets at an event planned for late August.

For additional information about the School Counts! program, please contact your high school guidance counselor or Madisonville Community College at (270) 824.8581.

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