Dear Eighth-Grade Parents,
Battle Creek Math and Science Center letters are speeding to your door. Depending on what’s inside, you may be happy, sad or confused.
If your child qualified, congratulations! If they didn’t, don’t worry. Our St. Philip High School staff has you covered.
What if your child didn’t qualify or didn’t take the test, but they still want to go the MSC?
If your child wants to go to the Center, they still can. St. Philip students have entered the Center as sophomores, juniors, even seniors.
“You get into the 9th grade by taking a test,” Luke Perry, STEM Director of the MSC, said. “However, if your student doesn’t qualify, there are other ways available to them and they all start with a conversation with me.”
Rest assured that conversation with Mr. Perry will be well supported by St. Philip staff – a staff that includes a shared-time MSC teacher. They will help your child prepare for the transition.
“We can mirror a schedule pretty near what freshmen and sophomores take at the Center,” Kyra Rabbitt, St. Philip counselor, said.
My family knows first-hand.
My son took AP Calculus BC at the Center his junior year. He not only did well, he took the AP exam and received college credit – all on the bedrock of his St. Philip math education.
My son’s story isn’t unique.
“St. Philip does an excellent job of preparing kids for success here,” Mr. Perry said.
What if your child qualified, but wants to delay attending?
There are advantages to waiting, as the Finnila Family discovered. Their oldest son entered the Center as a freshman. Their daughter waited until her junior year to attend. Joy Finnila felt her daughter had more time to acclimate to high school life and form deeper connections with her peers.
“I felt she was less stressed and more carefree,” Mrs. Finnila said. “I had my hesitations with her not going to the Center to start with, but after her first semester at St. Philip, I realized she was not lacking in her education. It enabled her to transition into the Center with little difficulty.”
As a result, the family’s youngest son decided to wait on the Center until his junior year.
What if your child doesn’t attend the MSC?
My oldest child wasn’t interested in the Center. She wouldn’t even take the test. Her 100% St. Philip education not only got her into the university of her choice but did so with scholarship money. Better still, she earned a 3.97 her first semester, which included an “A” in chemistry.
Long story short, St. Philip has you covered. No matter what that letter says, the math (and science!) still adds up.
