PARIS – The idea of going to college can seem an impossible dream to some students, says Maureen Howard, director of SAD 17’s Education Exchange.

She should know. When Howard decided to go to college, she was the first one in her family to do so. Neither of her parents could offer their experience in the admissions process, not to mention the challenge of finding financial assistance.

“I struggled with the process,” said Howard, who also serves on the district’s Aspire Higher School/Community Committee. Her daughters, she said, were able to benefit from her experience when it came their turn to pursue a higher education.

Howard said the Aspire Higher Committee wants that kind of one-on-one, hands-on help available to all kids who need it. She knows guidance counselors can’t do it all alone.

Sometimes, it takes a community.

To that end, the committee is hosting a brainstorming session from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jan. 27 at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School. Invitations have been sent to business and community leaders, including members of the Growth Council of Oxford Hills and the Oxford Hills Chamber of Commerce.

An announcement about the meeting is also included in the adult education booklet mailed recently to district residents.

Howard said 69 percent of the class of 2003 at OHCHS went on to pursue some kind of higher education, be it college, a trade school, or education in the military.

“That’s not bad at all, but we have a ways to go before we get to 80 percent,” the target set by SAD 17 Superintendent Mark Eastman, she said.

The Jan. 27 meeting will seek and explore ideas for raising community awareness of how students can gain access to post-secondary education.

One method Howard said she has found very helpful is college visits. If a student goes to a college campus, walks around and perhaps sits in a classroom, “they start to see themselves there,” Howard said.

Howard recently took two students from the Education Exchange’s internship program to Plymouth State University to check things out. “By the end of the day, they say I can do this,'” she said.

That’s just one idea of many that could help boost the percentage of students seeking higher education in the Oxford Hills, Howard said.

The Aspire Higher initiative, with its involvement in the annual Homecoming Parade and focus on raising money for scholarships, began in 2000, she said.

“We need to take some time to take this to the next level, not only with students but with adults,” Howard said. “Especially now that we have this new college center,” she said, referring to the Western Maine University and College Center next to the high school.

“We want to hear from anyone that’s interested.”