flair! a publication ofthe hall of ancient egypt and the cullen hall of gems and minerals. all of...
TRANSCRIPT
UPCOMING
EVENTS:
Winter Break
December 21, 2015
January 3, 2016
Free Application for
Student Aid (F.A.F.S.A.) Hands-On Clinic
(For Seniors & Parents)
January 23, 2016
Money Matters Workshop For Students & Parents
February 27, 2016
(National TRiO Day)
Sam Houston State College Campus Visit
April 02, 2016
Educational Talent Search
Staff:
Brian R. Flores M.Ed.
Director
281-618-1168
Trey Bates
Program Coordinator
281-618-1112
Ceasar Hendricks
Program Coordinator
281-765-7909
Maria Gonzalez
Staff Assistant II
281-765-7852
Student Services Building
Room 204
2700 W.W. Thorne Dr.
Houston, TX. 77073
www.lonestar.edu/talentsearch
FLAIR! A publication of:
Volume , Issue WINTER 2015
**HAPPY HOLIDAYS**
Greetings Talent Search Family,
I am extremely blessed to have the opportunity to serve you
in the capacity as Director of this distinguished program. It
is very difficult for me to believe that we are already closing
another chapter in our educational journey as we wind
down our fall semester and begin our spring
semester in January. I am confident each of
you has had a terrific educational experience
this semester visiting with your Program Coor-
dinators. I would like to thank each of you who
made time to visit with your Program Coordinators during
the fall semester to complete your Individual Student Suc-
cess Plans (ISSP). Your ISSP is what guides us in deter-
mining what services you would like to receive. In addition, I
would like to thank each of you who came to our fall FAFSA
Clinic in November. We had over 50 students and parents
in attendance. For those of you who came to our FAFSA
Clinic we gave over 25 SAT/ACT fee waivers to you. The
field trip to the Houston Museum of Natural Science was a
huge success with over 45 of you who attended! Based on
your feedback, each of you learned a great deal and are
already asking when you can go back for a second visit. I
want to remind you that in January of 2016 we will hold our
second and final
FAFSA Clinic for
stu- dents and
parents. During this
work- shop, you and
your parents will
actually have the
oppor- tunity to begin
your FAFSA with
the assistance of trained professionals in one of our state of
the art computer labs. We had over 80 seniors last year
who not only attended one of our FAFSA clinics, but suc-
cessfully complete their FAFSA. In fact, collectively, our
2015 seniors managed to acquire over $750,000 in Pell
Grants and scholarships just by being active in our pro-
gram! Remember, we are here to help and assist you
navigate the college admissions process, financial aid
process, college application process and help you find the
college or university that best fits your style and needs! I
am very excited to announce that our annual performance
report that was submitted to the U.S. Department of Educa-
tion in November was quite impressive. Your hard work
and dedication to your personal educational journey paid off
in a HUGE way. For example,
100% of all ETS 7th-11th graders were promoted to
the next grade level
100% of all ETS seniors graduated in 4 years
98.82% of all ETS seniors graduated with a Distin-
guished or Recommended diploma by completing a
rigorous curriculum
97.64% of all ETS seniors who graduated from
high school enrolled in an institution of higher
learning
These percentages are well above the local, state and
national levels. In fact, these percentages are almost
unheard of….congratulations on your phenomenal
accomplishments! I am confident your parents are just as
proud of you as I am! Kudos
to all of our Talent Search
participants; all of your hard
work paid off! As we complete
our fall semester and ap-
proach our winter holiday
break; please have a safe and
enjoyable holiday season. Take some time to unwind, relax
and to spend some quality time with your family and friends.
When we return in January of 2016 we will only have five
short months to prepare you for college or your next school
year. Please check our website for important testing dates,
financial aid deadlines, important news and scholarship
information. Don’t forget to save the dates for our Summer Leader-
ship Academies. We will host a 7th, 8th & 9th grade
Academy June 21st—June 23rd. We will also host a
10th, 11th & 12th grade Academy July 12th-14th. These
Academies ALWAYS fill up quickly so keep your eye out
for our registration! We update our website regu-
larly. FYI: Our current grant expires August 31, 2016 and I
am in the process of rewriting our grant for another five
years. The new grant would start in
August of 2016. This is a very competi-
tive process through the United States
Department of Edu- cation. I will keep
each of you posted on our progress.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
A note from the Director: Mr. Brian R. Flores M.Ed.
Warmest Wishes,
Brian R. Flores M.Ed.
Director: Educational Talent Search
www.lonestar.edu/talentsearch
Flair! Page 2
The Houston Museum of Natural Science !!!
For Fall 2015’s cultural field trip,
Educational Talent Search took 47
of our students to The Houston Muse-
um of Natural Science. Once there,
we were able to take a private tour
through the entire Morian Hall of
Paleontology where they embarked
on a prehistoric safari while learn-
ing about all of the different beasts
and creatures that roamed the
earth before us. After the private
tour, the students were able to ex-
plore the permanent exhibits such as
the Hall of Ancient Egypt and the
Cullen Hall of Gems and Minerals.
All of the students as well as chap-
erones had a very enjoyable time
and were glad that they came out
even though the rain threatened to
cancel the trip earlier on.
I would also like to say that I was
VERY impressed at the way all of
our students from SEVEN different
schools were able to converse and
network amongst one another even
though they may have just met for
the first time. Being able to com-
municate comfortably with your
peers is such a great life skill to
already possess at their age.
Thank you students for filling out your
feedback surveys as well. The majority
of you shared that you strongly agreed
you learned something from the exhibits
and would go back again sometime.
We are glad to know you also really
enjoyed the tour guides.
A big “THANK YOU!” goes out to all of
our ETS parents as well!!!!
Visit the ETS Website at:
www.lonestar.edu/talentsearch
? The traditional three colors of
Christmas are green, red, and gold.
? That “Xmas” came from Greece.
The Greek “X” is a symbol for
Christ.
? The earliest known Christ-
mas tree decorations
were apples.
? Oklahoma was the last U.S.
state to declare Christmas a legal
? Each year more than 3 billion Christmas cards are sent in the
U.S. alone.
? All the gifts in the “Twelve Days of Christ-mas” song would equal 364
gifts.
? Alabama was the first state in the United States to offi-cially recognize Christmas in
1836.
William “Trey” Bates III, BBA
Program Coordinator I [email protected]
(281) 618-1112
**REMINDER: PLEASE CALL OR EMAIL US IF YOU ARE NOT RECEIVING THE ETS EVENT NOTIFICATIONS**
Flair! Page 3
Fall 2015 Scholarship & Financial Aid Clinic
Saturday, November 14th, ETS hosted its Fall 2015 Scholarship and Financial Aid Clinic at Lone Star Col-
lege-North Harris. ETS members and parents were provided an overview of the upcoming SAT changes,
general financial aid information, FAFSA updates and scholarships opportunities.
As we progressed through the day our parents had an opportunity to ask questions and work hands on with
their child in the computer lab. This event was only a snapshot for the parents to see the services we provide
to our ETS participants on a weekly basis.
Also, students were given a wealth of information and a variety of scholarships opportunities. These scholar-
ships included the GE-Reagan Foundation Scholarship, the Gates Millennium Scholarship, the Texas Student
Housing Scholarship and the AXA Achievement Scholarship.
The goal of ETS is to ensure that our participants obtain the additional resources needed to assist in paying
for their college education.
A special thank you to all of our parents for attending the Scholarship and Financial Aid clinic. We appreci-
ate your unwavering dedication and support of the ETS program.
Finally, I would like to send a huge thank you to our Lone Star College Financial Aid Team: Kristy Mills, Ana
Moros, Amber Moore and Juan Nicanor for doing an outstanding job presenting to our students and parents.
Scholarship Resource Highlight: Apply Today, Don’t Delay!
Ceasar Hendricks, M. Ed.
Program Coordinator
(281) 765-7909
Visit the following websites for the latest scholarship opportunities:
Healthcare Scholarship Program $500.00 (Due December 31, 2015)
www.medicalassistancedegrees.net/scholarship/
Dr. Juan Andrade Scholarship $1000.00 (Due December 31, 2015)
http://form.jotform.us/form/51946093356159?
GE-Reagan Foundation Scholarship Program up to $40,000
(Due January 7, 2016) www.reganfoundation.org/
Mission Statement The mission of Educational Talent Search is to prepare academically qualified, limited income, and first generation* Harris County youth to complete secondary school and enroll in
and complete a postsecondary education of their choice. Educational Talent Search will provide academic advising, career advising, college acceptance and application process advising, financial literacy and financial aid information.
*first generation: neither parent has graduated from a 4-year college.
Sign up for Talent Search Text
Messages Today!!!
Remind is a service that provides a safe way for Talent Search staff to text message students and parents with critical information
regarding upcoming events, registrations/application deadlines, etc.
Send text notification to 903-638-2132 with the following text:
for Klein Intermediate text @ETSKLEIN
for Wells Intermediate text @ETSWELLS
for Wunderlich Intermediate text @ETSWUN
for Klein Forest High School text @ETSKFHS
for Westfield High School text @ETSWHS
for Nimitz 9th & Nimitz High School text @ETSNIMITZ
Page 4 Flair!
Scan the QR code for direct access to ETS website or Facebook Page
Maria Gonzalez
Staff Assistant II
Educational Talent Search
Lone Star College-North Harris
2700 W.W. Thorne Drive (ETS-SSB-204)
Houston, TX 77073-3499
281.765.7852 office
281.765.7788 fax
Happy Holidays from ETS Staff!
Common missing information on the
ETS application
Student and/or parent/guardian signa-
tures
Student Social Security Number
Check box if student qualifies for free/
reduced lunch. Don’t leave blank or un-
checked
Parent/guardian initials on page 2 of
the agreement/acknowledgement state-
ments.
Student Pre-Needs Assessment
Parent Corner:
When completing the ETS application; use taxable income
NOT gross income
Taxable income may be taken from the IRS form 1040 line
43; 1040A line 27 or 1040EZ line 6
To speed up your child’s application process; ALWAYS
include a copy of your 1040.
Please place your signature on all required spaces
FREE tutorial services are available for ETS participants at
Lone Star College-NH. Students must contact one of the
program coordinator’s to register. Ceasar Hendricks at
281-765-7909 or Trey Bates at 281-618-1112.
FREE ACT/SAT fee waivers are available. Call the ETS
office at 281-765-7852 to request one.
Parents don’t miss out on valuable information given dur-
ing each workshop. Join us at our next 2 workshops:
- Saturday, 1/26/16 FAFSA Clinic for Seniors & Parents
- Saturday, 2/27/16 Money Matters Financial Literacy
Day for all ETS Students & Parents