News
Irish Eyes
Friday, March 14, 2014
Volunteering in community provides rewarding experience Angeliki Kleamenakis Staff Writer
One of the greatest benefits people receive by volunteering is the sense of accomplishment. Volunteering can promote personal growth, achievement and overall health. There are a variety of clubs that volunteer at places such as East Jefferson Hospital, Children’s Hospital and the American Heart Association. National Honor Society (NHS) annually contributes to the Ronald McDonald House. The Ronald McDonald House is a charitable organization that provides for sick children and their families. The organization provides food and shelter along with toys and basic necessities. There are over 300 houses worldwide. The New Orleans location opened in 1983. The house is a 15 bedroom house, with a large kitchen to accommodate. NHS plans to start an athletic equipment drive for the Ronald McDonald House this month. “I think it’s vital for students to learn and experience what our community has to offer,” said President of NHS, senior Hala Raslan. 4-H Helping Hands is a national service organization that has over 1.5 million members nationwide. Their main focus is the environment. 4-H has taken the time to cultivate herbs and vegetables. “I like how everyone is so interested in taking care of the garden,” sophomore Peng Dai said. This year, 4-H organized a school wide blanket drive for the homeless.
These blankets were sent to numerous homeless shelters. Key Club is involved in community service projects such as UNICEF. UNICEF is an organization whose purpose is to help underprivileged children with support through basic education and child protection. Key Club members have participated in the Trick-or-Treating for UNICEF. The
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donations go to maternal and neonatal tetanus and AIDS programs in Kenya and Swaziland. “If you helped raise funds for an organization and you are told that the work you did helped with making someone else’s day better or saved a life, you are bound to feel joyous,” said President of Key Club, junior Jack Vega.
Bianca Shrestha
Junior Sammy Simpson and freshman Cassidy Liechtenstein help plant a tomato garden after school for 4-H Helping Hands. The club also organizes recylcing drives around the school.
Colleges emphasize early start on completing financial aid information Taiyiana Robinson Staff Writer
College tuition has been on the rise for many years, but recent trends show a decrease in growth. Whether or not these trends continue financial aid can help afford a college education with minimal debt. Financial aid is money that college students can receive from federal funding as loans or grants, institutional scholarships, work-study programs and other sources such as outside scholarships. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) ensures federal aid; it is open to the public Jan. 1 every year. It calculates the EFC or estimated family contribution from students and parents’ financial information which dictates the amount colleges are willing to offer applicants. This form is used by all colleges and should be filed as early as possible because funding does run out. Students must also be aware of a college’s deadline date for the FAFSA. Some colleges also use the CSS/Financial Profile which opens Oct. 1. There are two main types of financial aid an applicant can receive from federal funding: a grant and a loan. A grant is money that does not have to be paid back. A loan is money that must be paid back, often with interest. There are three main types of colleges
that one can apply to: a public four year university such the University of New Orleans, a private four year university, such as Tulane University, or a community college such as Delgado.
Public universities have lower tuition because they receive federal funding. Although these colleges have reduced tuition, they often have higher enrollments and lower endowments. An endowment
Financial aid process
Piktochart made by Taiyiana Robison
is money received from donations or the federal government to universities. This can lead to a decrease in the amount of aid one can receive. This is not always the case as some students feel that their college provides them adequate funds. “The amount of aid I receive is definitely sufficient as it should be because, for the most part, it does depend on your parents and your own income,” freshman at University of New Orleans Alex Korominas said. Private colleges often have large endowments. Tulane University has an estimated amount of $1 billion, which can be beneficial to a qualified student. Contrarily, Loyola University recently had a decrease in admission which led to problems with financial aid. “We have a huge deficit due to the lack of incoming students last year,” sophomore at Loyola University Lily Wang said. “Many students are over $10,000 in debt.” There are many online sources for other scholarships such as Fastweb.com which contains thousands of scholarships. Louisiana students also benefit from the TOPS program. Many options for registration are available for students. According to college admissions, it is highly encouraged to start early by maintaining a high GPA and being involved in extra-curricular activities to ensure that colleges see a well-rounded applicant.