South Orangetown Central School District

More than 40 Tappan Zee High School juniors and seniors traveled to Manhattan College for a full-day visit today–the first of a series this school year.

“Our team has wanted to do this for some time because we have a lot of students for whom visiting colleges is not easy,” said TZHS School Counseling Team Leader Kelly Keane. “We noticed a significant gap this year with seniors who hadn’t done college visits, in part due to COVID, but also because it’s hard for working parents to take time off. We felt like we really needed to bridge that gap and get our students on campuses.”

Campus visits are open to all juniors and seniors and school counselors are working to ensure that students who will be the first in their families to attend college have opportunities to see first-hand what different institutions offer.

At Manhattan College, the itinerary included transportation on a Jaspers team bus, a campus tour, an admissions presentation and academic mini-lessons across a variety of disciplines, including business, communications, engineering and education. Students also met with TZHS alumni currently attending Manhattan College to learn about their experiences.

“The Counseling Department is working toward the goal of exposing more students to post-graduation opportunities. College visits are a big part of this. Students can see what being on a campus is like, learn about the various academic experiences available and get a sense of student life,” Principal Rudy Arietta observed. “This effort comes from the initiative of our school counselors, who are really invested in this work.”

A St. Thomas Aquinas College visit is scheduled for December 2 and planning is underway for spring trips to Pace University, Iona College and Rockland Community College.

TZHS students standing in front of Go Jaspers bus