Admissions

Programs

North Point High School for Science, Technology and Industry offers seventeen programs that begin in ninth grade. Students interested in one of the seventeen programs apply in eighth grade. Half of each grade at North Point will be composed of students from all over the county who have applied and been accepted into one of the programs. The other half of each grade contains students who live in the North Point zone who follow a traditional high school course of study.

The seventeen science, technology and industry programs offered at North Point are listed below. They are described in detail in The Guide to Career Majors.

Application

Students who are residents of Charles County apply in the eighth grade to the programs. If you are new to Charles County and did not have the opportunity to apply to North Point as an eighth grader, you may apply. However, most programs have very long waiting lists and the chances of an opening occurring are unfortunately remote. If you still wish to apply to be placed at the end of the wait list, you may pick up an application at North Point's main office during school hours (7:40am to 3:30pm). Mrs. Higdon will process your application and contact you for an interview if an opening occurs.

Tours

Mrs. Higdon conducts tours of North Point once a month throughout the school year from 3:15 to 3:45 pm for interested community members. Tours for the 2009 - 2010 school year will be held June 15th August 11th, September 8th, October 13th, November 10th, December 8th of this year and in 2010 January 12th, May 11th and June 8th. You must reserve a tour spot. Call Mrs. Higdon at 301-753-1759.

Admissions Calendar

The following is a tentative schedule for the 2009-2010 school year.

Answers to Questions Applicants Frequently Ask About Admissions

1. Who may attend one of the 17 science, technology and industry programs at North Point? Students interested in one of North Point’s 17 programs apply in 8th grade.  Applicants and their parents must be residents of Charles County in order to apply. The applicant submits a completed application and middle school end of year report cards that include attendance and citizenship, and provides the names of three eighth grade teachers whom they wish to fill out teacher  recommendation forms.  Writing sessions, in which applicants will answer questions about their interest in the program which they listed as their first choice, will be held at their middle schools.  Interviews with each applicant will also be held at their schools.    
2. I am in tenth grade and want to attend one of the STI programs at North Point.  May I apply?  Application is done in eighth grade.  All slots are filled from the applicants who apply in eighth grade and begin their high school careers and program course work at North Point in ninth grade. Hence, no openings are available for students who apply after eighth grade.  Because we have so many applicants each year, out of fairness to current residents, we cannot hold open spots in case someone moves to Charles County and wishes to apply.
3. I am in a program similar to one of the STI programs in another school system and will be moving to Charles County.  May I be included in North Point’s program?  We have no reciprocity agreements with other school systems, or they with us.  All of our programs are unique to Charles County. Because we have so many applicants each year, out of fairness to current residents, we cannot hold open spots in case someone moves to Charles County and wishes to apply.
4. Are all students at North Point in a STI program?  No.  Half the students live in the North Point zone and take a traditional high school curriculum.  The other half are students from all over Charles County, including those living in the zone, who applied to and where accepted into one of the 17 science, technology and industry programs.
5. What if I can’t decide on a program? Students should think seriously about their interests and where they see themselves in 10 years.  They should do research on the various careers they think they might want to pursue in the future.  Then they should see if any of the 17 programs offered at North Point fit their interests and possible future careers.  Many eighth grade students have no idea where they are headed; therefore, attending a program at North Point would not be useful to them.  On the other hand, many students have strong interests and feel they will pursue a career in one of the science, technology and industry courses offered here. Students with strong interests should apply.  
6. How many students are admitted each year to the science, technology and industry programs? We are allowed to take 280 students from across Charles County each year into our programs.  We may take 45 – 50 students from each high school zone.  Each of the 17 programs has a size limit for safety and other reasons. 
7. What is the process for application and admission? The following is a tentative schedule for the 2009-2010 school year.

8. What is the Guide to Career Majors?  North Point’s Guide to Career Majors is a very important reference manual about all the programs offered at North Point.  It outlines what four years in each program looks like, which programs offer college credit, what courses are weighted, and much more. The information in it was compiled from many different sources – college professors, successful employees in the various program fields, the instructors.  Applicants should read it and refer to it as they fill out the application. It will be posted on the Admissions link as soon as it is in final form for the 2009-10 school year.
9. May I submit an application electronically? Unfortunately, at this time we do not have an electronic version. 
10. Who can help me with the application? Applicants are to complete the application entirely by themselves.  The writings completed during the writing session are done solely by the student.
11. May I apply for more than one program?  Applicants may list up to three programs in which they are interested.  However, if selected, they will be selected for only one program.  Students will be able to fit only one program into their high school schedules.  The Guide to Career Majors shows how only one program can fit into a student’s high school schedule.
12. What questions are asked in the interview? The interviewer uses a variety of general questions as well as questions submitted by the various STI instructors. Questions measure the applicant’s interest in their first choice program.
13. What is considered when deciding on who is offered a spot? Interest in the program(s) for which a student applies is the most important factor.  Interest is measured by the writings and the interview. Teacher recommendations are also important considerations, as are middle school attendance and citizenship scores. All three tell the Admissions Committee how committed an applicant is to learning.  Grades in subjects related to the program applied for help the Admissions Committee decide if a student will be successful in that program. For example, for the Criminal Justice program, we consider social studies, language arts and physical education grades from middle school, as those are the subjects related to the field of criminal justice.
14. When and where are applications available? Application packets are distributed to all 8th graders at all of the presentations in December. Extra packets are left with middle school guidance counselors for those who miss the presentation. And applications will be available on the Admissions link of North Point’s website the beginning of December – www.ccboe.com/northpoint - and will be left there until the due date.
15. What is the deadline for submitting an application? Applications and all the required parts must be at North Point no later than 3:00 pm Friday, January 11th.  No exceptions.
16. What does it mean to be placed on the wait list? The number of students we may take into our programs is limited to 280.  Any applicant not initially accepted is placed on a wait list for his/her zoned high school.  If a student initially accepted declines, then the Admissions Officer uses the wait list to fill that student’s spot.  For example, if a student who is zoned for Westlake is sent an acceptance letter into Culinary Arts but declines to accept, then the Admissions Officer uses Westlake’s Culinary Arts wait list to fill the spot. The wait list is good through the summer after ninth grade. 
17. How does an applicant get off the wait list? Students can only be taken off the wait list if a vacancy is created by a student leaving.  We are not allowed to go above the 280 students limit, or the 45 – 50 students from each high school zone.
18. What if I am accepted into one program but want to change to another?  Students are accepted into certain programs based on their strong interest in the program’s focus area.  The only way a student can change to another program is if a vacancy occurs because a student leaves and the program has an opening. If a student wishes to not continue in the program for which s/he is attending North Point, s/he would need to return to his or her zoned high school at the end of the school year.  Students may not leave to return to their zoned schools in the middle of a school year, as this would cause a loss in credits for the student.  At North Point, students take 8 courses/credits a year.  At all the other Charles County high schools, students take 7 courses/credits. 

19. If I am accepted, can my younger brothers and sisters automatically attend North Point? Siblings of non-zoned students may not attend North Point unless they apply for and are accepted into a STI program.  Parents therefore may have a high school student at North Point and one at another high school.
20. Why do some courses have a math prerequisite? Our instructors have found that students with certain math backgrounds are successful in their classes, while others without the math and thinking skills acquired in the prerequisite courses struggle.  Electrical Construction requires that students have at least Algebra 1, Part 1 in middle school in order to have the math background required for electrical work. Biotechnology, Electronics, Drafting and Cisco all require that a student have taken at least Algebra 1 by eighth grade in order to have acquired the thinking skills needed for those courses.  Engineering requires that students have taken at least Algebra 2 by eighth grade in order to be successful.