The Craig School

Director, College Counseling and Placement - CHS

Craig High School’s Director of College Counseling and Placement, Mrs. Dawn DeSimone, was asked by the Morris County Partnership for Transition and Employment to organize and moderate a panel of local college and vocational school representatives for their annual 2011 October Conference. The Partnership reached out to Mrs. DeSimone based on her extensive experience in post-secondary placements, her well respected reputation in the college placement community, and the ongoing success of the Craig High Annual College Fair held each March.

This conference attracted both families and educators from throughout Morris County and provided a variety of options for the post-secondary searches that all HS families must go through. All speakers on the panel were directly involved in the Disability Support Services offered at their respective programs. The Colleges represented included Ramapo University, Fairleigh Dickenson University, Centenary College, and County College of Morris. Vocational programs included Morris County Vocational Technical School and Lincoln Technical School. Opening and Keynote speakers were Mr. Larry Jacobs, Assistant Director of Career Services at Rutgers University and Mr. Lewis Benfatti, Jr., Principal of Hopatcong Middle School.

During the moderated presentation, both parents and students addressed questions to both Mrs. DeSimone and the panelists. Some of those questions and key discussions included:

• What are the procedures to follow for admission to the college and support programs?
• How do services differ from college to college or school to school?
• Are there fees associated with the support services?
• When does the student disclose their disability?
• What are the preferred documents to be submitted in order to receive services?

“Supports for students with learning disabilities change after high school and it is very important for students and parents to be aware of the differences between high school and college, what post-secondary resources are available to them, and requirements necessary to receive these resources” shared Mrs. DeSimone. “Knowing this information is an important key to every student’s success in their post-secondary careers”.

In addition to a variety of other colleges and post-secondary programs, the college representatives on the Morris County panel will also be presenting at Craig High School’s Annual College Fair to be held at Craig’s Lincoln Park campus on Wednesday, March 28, 2012. Craig’s college fair is one of the largest fairs of its kind in our area and is designed specifically for students with learning disabilities. It is open to the families of Craig as well as the general public. The fair is a component of the CHS College Prep curriculum and presents the perfect opportunity for students and families to explore the options available to our teens after high school graduation and to meet with representatives from schools that offer specific academic and learning supports that level the playing field for many of our students.

History - CHS

Jeff Jacobs, history teacher at Craig High School is combining his work as a teacher at Craig High with his work at the Apple Store in Short Hills to benefit teachers. Mr. Jacobs has been asked by Apple to train and mentor teachers who are a part of the TEACH FOR AMERICA program on the educational applications and classroom uses of the iPAD. TEACH FOR AMERICA recruits recent college graduates and professionals to teach for two years in urban and rural communities throughout the United States and requires members to attend an intensive five-­‐week summer institute to prepare for their commitment. They are then placed in schools in various urban areas including New York City and Houston, and rural areas such as North Carolina and the Mississippi Delta. For more information on Teach for America, please visit their website, www.teachforamerica.org. In order to support this important program, Apple is donating refurbished iPads to teachers in this program and they have chosen the Apple Store in Short Hills as a training site. Mr. Jacobs has been asked by Apple to lead this training site.