High School Awards

Since 2003, the MELMAC Education Foundation has worked with 69 (51%) of Maine high schools.  These 69 high schools work with approximately 52% of Maine high school students.  In addition, the Foundation has provided grants to the 6 career and technical centers.  These vocational/technical programs work with multiple Maine high schools, which may or may not receive MELMAC grants separately.

Click here for a listing (PDF file) of all MELMAC Education Foundation high schools and vocational centers reached through the Connect Aspirations to a Plan initiative. Connect Aspirations to a Plan grants cover the state (download PDF map of Maine high school districts with MELMAC grantees indicated)

Students at MELMAC high schools and vocational centers participate in a variety of college access activities designed to increase their college aspirations and to help them connect aspirations to a plan that will help them successfully enroll in college immediately following high school graduation. Learn more about those college access activities below.

Best Practices

College access helps students aspire to college and then support them as they complete the necessary steps to connect those aspirations to a plan to successfully enroll in college immediately following high school graduation.

There are ten required best practices for MELMAC Education Foundation high schools and vocational centers to implement as they work with Maine students:

• No carve-outs – all students need assistance
• Set college expectation early – explain to eighth graders that they need to take the necessary courses and complete other important steps in order to go to and succeed in college after high school
• Give PSAT/PLAN to all sophomores – all students are “college material”
• Schedule college visits – in-state and out-of-state, small and large campuses, 2-year and 4-year (ideally for all sophomores and juniors)
• Give PSAT and/or SAT/ACT to all juniors – all students taking steps necessary to apply to college
• Engage parents by hosting financial aid seminars, College 101 and other programs to help explain and support the college going process (throughout student’s high school experience)
• Provide high school senior to college freshmen transition program to help students with the logistics and realities of transitioning to college (spring of senior year)
• Conduct summer interviews to ensure students are still on path to go to college (July following graduation from high school)
• Survey graduates in October to verify college enrollment (fall after high school graduation)
• Provide grant coaches, paid by the Foundation outside the grant, to provide technical support and encouragement as well as promote accountability (throughout length of the grant)

For more about MELMAC high school awards, visit the Connect Aspirations to a Plan page.