Not to be cliche, but time really flies. When I started in the counseling department over a decade ago, I wanted to contribute to my department by providing timely information to parents and students regarding the college process. At the time, newsletters were the gold standard for the purpose of disseminating information, although I now chuckle at the process. In the early 2000s, we were forced to print out each Beyond the Hill edition manually for every family in the high school, and then stuff the newsletters in envelopes to be delivered via snail mail. Nonetheless, it worked, and I fondly remember comments from parents saying that they appreciate my efforts on the publication.
Over time, Beyond the Hill went through upgrades, going from a paper-version to an electronic one only accessible through the counseling website, but nonetheless, it remained a staple of our department of which I was proud. Unfortunately, life takes over sometimes, putting me in a place in which I needed to take a hiatus from my writings; subsequently, my last publication was in the spring of 2015. Even though that was only two and a half years ago, technology has continued to spiral out of control, and social media now dominates most age populations, whereas several years ago it was mostly relegated to a younger demographic. We are constantly saturated with information and as a mom myself, I don't always know what I should pay attention to and what I can ignore.
As such, I now present Beyond the Hill blog-style. I'm hoping that parents who were here in the early 2000s will see that the publication is still rich with content, but is more streamlined and succinct. Like the current re-booted television shows from the 90's, my topics will echo themes previously visited in college admissions, yet updated to be fresh and relevant in the digital age. Whether you are a veteran parent or a newbie to our school, follow me and check it out for yourself. I'm so excited to be back!
