RUMFORD — The seniors in the Class 2014 at Mountain Valley High School got to see four presenters. They provided information about college and new attractions that might start popping up in their hometown. The same day, the sophomores and juniors took PSAT and the freshmen visited Region 9 to learn of the courses they provide.

The first presenter the senior class saw was Jim Rinaldo, who is an active supporter of the program Envision Rumford, a group that would like to restore Rumford back to its heyday. Envision Rumford’s main goal is to bring businesses to Rumford and to create attractions to draw people in to Rumford.

MVHS student Nathan Fitzpatrick asked Rinaldo, “Where would you like to see Rumford in the next 10 years?”

Rinaldo responded, “I want Rumford to be an outdoor location where people can come and enjoy themselves and stay the weekend, keeping businesses busy.”

The goal of this program is to bring businesses to Rumford and make it a better place for everyone around the area.

Ryan Hawes, a presenter from the Central Maine Community College admissions office, helped provide insight to the seniors about the admission process and how to obtain financial aid. He also explained to the students that classes that you take at one UMaine system school could be transferred to another UMaine system school.

Hawes said, “The difference between a grant and a scholarship is that a scholarship is provided by a private institution while grants are not.”

Roy Burdin, the assistant director of finical aid at University of Maine Farmington, showed how to navigate around the common app website. Students can use the common app website to look at colleges and do a universal application to send to colleges though common app.

Burdin also explained how college deadlines worked and what a student could do to get ready for doing papers like applications, FASFA and scholarships.

Sandi, a senior, and Kyle, a junior at University of Maine Farmington, explained how to obtain finical aid. They also explained that on Jan. 1, the FASFA becomes available and should be filled out a soon as possible. The students also stressed how to manage money while in college and not to spend money on things outside the campus while there are loads to do on campus.

Sandi said, “Take advantage of the on-campus entertainment and activities for free.”

The seniors of MVHS could take a lot out of all these presentations, from what they could do for finical aid and all way to things they could do to change their community. All four presentations really helped bring home that this time next year the seniors of 2014 will not be attending MVHS but the college they should be picking soon.

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