1. Sophomore Success!
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit.” -Aristotle

2. Promotion To be promoted to the next grade level…
To be a Junior=13 credits
To be a Senior=19 credits
Athletic Eligibility/Driver’s License…
You must pass 3 out of 4 classes during the previous semester to play a sport and keep your driver’s license/permit

3. Grading Scale Alpha Grade Numeric Grade GPA A 90-100 4.0 B 80-89 3.0 C
70-79
2.0 D
60-69
1.0 F
0-59

4. Honors and AP Courses…. Honors= .5 additional quality point
Regular Civics – if you made an 88, you would get a 3.0
Honors Civics – if you made an 88, you would get a 3.5
AP= 1 additional quality point
AP US History – if you made an 88, you would get a 4.0

5. Transcripts
A transcript is a four-year report card that includes EVERY final course grade for EVERY class you take in high school
It also contains: transcript
Student Information
Credit History
Grade History
GPA (it is cumulative and is the average of quality points earned)
Class Rank (a number that tells you where you stand in
relation to your peers in your grade level)
EOC scores
Attendance

6. Career Clusters…
It is required that every student have a career cluster by the time they graduate
A career cluster has 4 classes in a specific area of interest
17 different career clusters:
Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources
Hospitality and Tourism
Arts, Audio/Video Tech and Communication
Business Management and Administration
Science, Tech, Engineering, and Mathematics
Health Sciences
Finance
Human Services
Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics
Architecture and Construction
Marketing
Fine Arts-Chorus, Drama, Visual Arts, Broadcasting, Band
World Languages

7. CFNC
CFNC is a great resource to use throughout high school and everyone should have an account. If you do not have an account, visit and click on “Create New Account”
This is the same account that you created in middle school. Just make sure you are now linked to Hickory Ridge High School
You can use CFNC to help you organize your activities as well as find a college/career that best matches your interests

8. SAT and ACT Fall of sophomore year:
PSAT (October 19th)-practice test for SAT for invited students (students invited to take this based on GPA) *Must bring back signed permission form
Pre-ACT (late October)-practice test for ACT for ALL sophomores
Colleges in this area accept BOTH the SAT and the ACT
You must register online to take either test on a Saturday during your junior year (ACT will be given at school to all juniors-no registration necessary)
Go to the test website (or CFNC) for practice tests: (SAT) (ACT)
You can test more than once on either test. Colleges will look at your highest scores when considering admission

9. Three Main Factors Colleges Use in Determining Acceptance:
GPA and class rank (2.5 minimum to go to a public 4-year university NC)
SAT/ACT Scores
Application/extracurricular activities

10. A glimpse of some colleges…
UNC Chapel Hill
12 of our seniors went to Carolina last year
Student
GPA
Class Rank
ACT Score 1
4.73
28 out of 360 26 2
4.97 .
13th out of 360 30 3
5.06
5th out of 360 29

11. Colleges (Continued) UNC Charlotte 67 of our seniors went to UNCC
Student
GPA
Class Rank
ACT Score 1
3.80
142 out of 360 23 2
4.28
77 out of 360 22 3
4.37
61 out of 360 25

12. Colleges (Continued) Western Carolina
9 of our seniors went to Western Carolina last year
Student
GPA
Class Rank
ACT Score 1
3.18
212 out of 360 21 2
3.92
108 out of 360 19 3
4.32
71 out of 360 20

13. Community College
Community colleges require an application and transcript to apply. You can choose a degree-seeking pathway or a college transfer pathway.
Some community colleges in our area include:
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College (RCCC)
Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC)
Stanly Community College (SCC)

14. What you can work on this year?
Refine study habits AND use your Bull Time wisely! (study for at least ½ an hour for each class every day, type or rewrite notes, flashcards, etc)
Improve time management (use agenda, break down assignments, etc)
Continue extracurricular activities (both in school and the community)
Find a summer job or participate in a summer program (will help you for college)
Academic achievement (sign up for appropriate courses for you and your goals)
Remember your teachers are here to help so make sure you ask!

15. Let’s go have a SUCCESSFUL sophomore year!