Q: How important is my student's summer reading assignment?
A: Make sure it has been completed by the first day of school. Students who haven’t done the summer work will be horribly behind academically from the beginning and will have a hard time catching up all year long. A summer help session is normally planned by the PTA in libraries throughout the city, and will be staffed by high school and college honors students to help our students with the summer assignment. The session dates and times will be announced on this Blog. The CAHS students staffing the reading session will be wearing CAHS honor roll T-shirts. No registration is necessary - just show up!
Q: What is the best way for a parent to find out about events at CAHS?
A: Find out about school events through the CAHS PTA, which meets the first Tuesday of every month at 7:00pm in Room 121. There are updates by the principal and vice principal at the meetings each month. You can also sign up for the CAHS bulletin. To do so, just send your email address or a friend's email address to Heather McMullen at hmcmullen9999@columbus.k12.oh.us.
Q: What extracurricular activities are available?
A: We recommend that you encourage your student to join at least 1 CAHS club. Major clubs are GSA, Youth-to-Youth, the CAHSmic Herald, Robotics Club, Chess Club, Drama Club, Teen Traffic Safety Club, Anime Club, Math Club, Foreign Language Clubs, and In the Know. If your son or daughter does not find a club that fits the bill, keep in mind that CAHS students are welcome to start their own clubs! There is a Club Day in the early fall when your students can learn more. Additionally, CAHS has very strong drama and vocal music departments. Opportunities are also available in instrumental music, and students can still participate in school sports at their home neighborhood high school.
Q: What if my student doesn't seem to have homework?
A: This is a sign that something is probably wrong because CAHS teachers do give homework every night. In particular, the Humanities teachers give out quite a bit of homework, and there are major projects assigned regularly. Teacher email addresses are posted on this site.
Q: How can I help my student improve his/her writing?
A: Writing is one of the most challenging and important skills students will learn which will carry through to college and beyond. Many good college-based websites have excellent directions for improving writing style, grammar, and argumentation. We recommend this site at University of Wisconsin-Madison http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/index.html. This site will point you to help on grammar and the structure of papers, as well as to the online version of the MLA style manual (an important tool in Humanities). David Dobos, an MIT admissions counselor, said that being able to write well is one of the most critical abilities for admission and success in college.
Q: What happens if my child can't complete the coursework at CAHS?
A: The workload is much more demanding than at many other high schools, and your student may find that his/her friends at other schools have less homework, or are getting better grades. Understand that the first few months at CAHS will take adjustment. Teachers understand this and will do everything possible to aid in this process. If you are concerned, it may be advisable to make an appointment with the teachers. If by January your student has not adjusted and is not performing well in the rigorous academic environment of CAHS, make an appointment with the guidance counselor to discuss how to improve the students' performance.
Q: What if my student and I have decided that they should no longer attend CAHS?
A: We're hoping that this is not the case. Although we do not recommend this, in order for your student to return to their neighborhood school, they must re-enter the lottery in January.
Q: What are internships?
A: One of the exciting opportunities at CAHS is the internship program which students begin in 10th grade. Students attend their internship every Wednesday throughout the school year instead of going to class. This is a practical "hands-on" way for students to learn more about a particular area of study. CAHS will try to place your student in an internship, but sometimes the best internships are those which you find yourself. Ninth graders participate in community service activities their first year rather than internships, and they have a couple "shadow day" opportunities which can be used to test the waters of potential internships.
Q: When can students take advanced or college-level courses?
A: Students who do very well in their courses are offered the opportunity to take Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate (more challenging, college-level) courses in many subject areas. They can also enter into the International Baccalaureate Program. The IB Program begins in the Junior year and will be introduced to all sophomores near the end of the school year. Additionally, for some students, college courses are available while they are CAHS students.
This FAQ was started so that incoming freshman students know what to expect from their next 4 years at CAHS. It has been written by CAHS parents and students to promote successful academic achievement.
