MANSFIELD — Mansfield Senior High School learned this week it was one of 23 schools across the country, and the only one in Ohio, honored by the American College Application Campaign (ACAC) as a 2022 School of Excellence award winner.
ACAC is a national effort to increase the number of first-generation college students and students from low-income families pursuing a college degree or other higher education credential.
ACAC stated its award winners are a group of exemplary schools across the nation that are helping students pursue postsecondary success.
For Mansfield City Schools, “3 To Get Ready, 4 To Go” is the college application campaign in Ohio that works under the American College Application Campaign umbrella.
“The 3 To Get Ready, 4 To Go Campaign has been a real difference maker in our school and in our community,” Mansfield City Schools supt. Stan Jefferson said. “They are creating a college-going culture and expectation to the Mansfield community and Mansfield City Schools.”
ACAC selected the 23 School of Excellence awardees based on their demonstrated commitment to student success and for serving as exemplary models for their state’s college application campaign. This is the fourth year that ACAC has recognized outstanding schools.
“We know that the college application process is challenging to navigate, especially for first-generation college-goers and students from low-income families,” ACT CEO Janet Godwin said. “The efforts from our American College Application Campaign collaborators and educators are making a substantial difference, helping high schoolers in communities across the country.
“Their efforts help inspire students to discover and fulfil their full potential.”
The 22 other winning schools across the country that were also selected with Mansfield Senior included:
— Booker T. Washington High School in Tuskegee, Alabama.
— Pocahontas High School in Pocahontas, Arkansas.
— Cypress Lake High School in Fort Myers, Florida.
— Sol C. Johnson High School in Savannah, Georgia.
— Flint Hills College Consortium, five combined communities in Kansas.
— East Carter High School in Grayson, Kentucky.
— Kent County High School in Worton, Maryland.
— St. Charles Community School in St. Charles, Michigan.
— Park Center High School in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.
— Nettleton High School in Nettleton, Mississippi.
— Gateway STEM High School in St. Louis, Missouri.
— Norfolk Catholic and Lutheran High Northeast in Norfolk, Nebraska.
— Littleton High School in Littleton, New Hampshire.
— Albuquerque School of Excellence in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
— Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
— Sam Barlow High School in Gresham, Oregon.
— Hemingway High School in Hemingway, South Carolina.
— Hume-Fogg High School in Nashville, Tennessee.
— Freedom High School in Woodbridge, Virginia.
— Ravenswood High School in Ravenswood, West Virginia.
— Milwaukee School of Languages in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Each of the schools listed above, including Mansfield Senior High School, were key contributors in helping ACAC reach the following national achievements in the 2022-23 school year, as reported by campaigns in 43 states:
A total of 5,150 high schools hosted a College Application Campaign event.
More than 290,000 seniors submitted at least one college application during events.
Approximately 959,200 applications were submitted — doubling the 2021 campaign’s total.
“There could not be a more critical time for us all to support students and educators, and the remarkable reach of this year’s application campaigns demonstrates the value and strength of these collaborations,” ACAC Director Lisa King said. “As students continue to recover from the effects of the pandemic, we must do all we can to remove the barriers they tell us they have to accessing the education opportunities that are right for them.
“We are extremely proud of this year’s School of Excellence awardees, as they are true examples of how communities can work together to help students succeed.”
Each year, ACAC works with designated coordinators in every state and the District of Columbia to host college application events and reach students in their schools and communities, encouraging and helping them to apply to college. Activities at the 2022 School of Excellence winners included one-on-one mentoring, guest speakers, parents’ nights, and support for pursuing financial aid.
Nationally, 4.2 million students have been served by ACAC and 7.3 million applications have been submitted since the Campaign began in 2005.
