In an effort to help seniors prepare for life after high school, Principal Paul Barker has proposed a series of three breakfast seminars that will enable students to ask questions regarding three topics: law, personal finance, and health.
Barker explained in an email to the senior class that the school spends so much time focusing on academics, college applications, and sports that “we have not always done as much as we would like in helping you [the seniors] be prepared for some of the practical, day-to-day matters.”
“We have evidence that people have a difficult time after high school because they’ve never had a degree of freedom,” Barker said in an interview. Barker said he hopes the meetings will provide seniors with knowledge to help them later in life.
Senior Brandi Loga agrees with the ideas behind the seminars. “Since we are going to college next year, we need to know how to survive without the help of our parents. I think the meetings will help the seniors get an idea of what is coming in the future,” she said.
During three separate meetings scheduled throughout the coming year, a panel of speakers from outside the school knowledgeable about each topic will share stories and information, after which seniors will have the opportunity to ask questions.
Barker also plans for a “more interactive” segment to take place afterward, during which the panel will respond to specific scenarios and give advice. Students will have the opportunity to provide their own input on what is discussed.
The seminars will be “very student-oriented,” said Barker, with seniors running the introductions and moderating of the events.
The first meeting, which will take place on February 25, will be directed about law and legal matters.
Barker has arranged for two speakers for the first seminar: Criminal Defense Attorney Augustus Brown—“the best DA in Harford County, if not the state,” according to Barker—along with Bel Air Police Chief Leo Matrangola.
Barker also mentioned the possibility of having Mark O’Brien, class of ’01, speak. According to Barker’s email, O’Brien had a “personal entanglement with the law” that landed him in prison.
Barker wants the students to be able to walk away from the seminars feeling more comfortable with situations they may encounter in the future.
He said, “If we don’t connect with what the students really need, we’re missing the boat.”
Jenny Hottle can be reached for comment at [email protected].