128 students participated in the online event, which included representatives from 18 colleges.
By Gary Weckselblatt
One hundred twenty-eight Quakertown Community High School students virtually visited with 18 colleges on April 22, an event that replaced the traditional College Fair held in the gymnasium.
“This was definitely new territory but the technology held up and the students presented themselves very well,” said counselor Eric Gozzard, who has coordinated the event for six years.
The format for the 45-minute meetings had a college representative present information about their school for 15 minutes. That was followed by a 15-minute student Q&A. The last 15 minutes allowed students to view other presentations during the same time slot and jump around to other presentations.
A QCHS counselor was in each session to set the tone for each visit, and the high school administrative team and Superintendent Dr. Bill Harner joined in on some of the Google Meets.
“Eric did a phenomenal job,” Principal Matt Van’t Hoenderdaal said. “To go from a traditional format and change it to a virtual setting, I’ve got to give him a ton of credit. Everything went great.”
Mr. V said that with all of the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, it was important for students to hear from experts. “I think they had a lot of their questions answered and it eased some of their worries. They got to hear from a college representative directly, and it’s good for the colleges to hear from them, too.”
Mr. Gozzard said he “brainstormed” with Mr. V and assistant principal Jennifer Carolla “and tested out different scenarios and everything went well.” He thanked the Guidance Department counselors and administrative assistants Chrissy Breyer and Judi Devlin for their efforts in making the event a success.
“Everybody executed their jobs perfectly,” he said. “The college reps were open to it. They’re looking for ways to connect with kids now.”
Mr. Gozzard said that QCHS students have a history of displaying their professionalism at similar events, and the virtual College Fair was no exception. “Representatives always tell us how polite our kids are, year after year. I’m very happy with how the students presented themselves. They were polite, waited their turn to speak, and asked good questions. The counselors set the tone to begin the meetings and the students responded positively.”
Gary Weckselblatt, QCSD Director of Communications, writes about the people and the programs that impact the Quakertown Community School District. He can be reached at 215-529-2028 or [email protected].