High School PMI Assignment

You are required to attend at least two high school open houses.  (People who attended the Advanced Program open house may include it as part of the assignment.)
 

For each open house, make a list of all of the good things you noticed about the school and its programs. ( Plus)

Make a second list of all of the poor or disappointing things you noticed about the school and its programs.   (Minus)                

Make a third list of anything you found interesting, but neither good nor bad. (Interesting)

You may supplement your lists with information you found from the school calendar or from other sources.  Be sure to consider academic, athletic, social and other aspects of school life.  Transportation also is important!

After you have compiled your point-form lists FOR EACH SCHOOL, write AT LEAST FIVE PARAGRAPHS FOR EACH SCHOOL, detailing your decision-making process and the reasons for making your ultimate choice of high schools.  (introduction; plus, minus and interesting comparisons; conclusion).  Hand in both your rough copy (charts) and the good copy (paragraphs) of your analysis.  (Please refer to the examples below.)

You must hand this assignment in on Monday, February 24, along with your completed and signed high school registration form.

High School X sample PMI Chart (rough copy)

PLUS
MINUS
INTERESTING
close to home
 stairways are poorly lit
 Japan exchange!
brother can drive me
 purple lockers!
 friendly staff
auto mechanics!
 small student parking area
 security cameras
small classes
 only one gym
 great drama production
new computers
 small cafeteria
 wide hallways
not crowded
 run-down equipment in gym
 my old coach is a gym teacher!
great wrestling team
 few electives in upper grades


High School X Sample PMI assignment (paragraphs)

(Imagine that this is the last part of a longer report that similarly analyzes the PMI points of two other schools' open houses.)

 ...I attended the High School X Open House on February 30.  When I first entered the foyer, I was amazed by the school spirit of the student greeters.  They even shook hands with my parents and welcomed them to the school!  They handed out really colourful brochures about the school, and escorted us into the gym for the presentation.  The presentation itself was excellent--very high-tech and it showed a lot about academic programs as well as sports and clubs.  The speeches were short and interesting.  The small-group tours were very well organized and there were no annoying bells telling us when to move on to the next location.  That's probably because School X doesn't have bells!  The two students who led our group were friendly and well-informed.  Best of all, you could actually hear them, and they were happy to answer all of our questions.  They obviously were very proud of their school.
    I knew before the open house that there were lots of good reasons to go to School X.  It's the closest school to my house, and if he gets his license this summer, my brother will be able to drive me until he graduates in 2005. The class sizes are quite small--less than 30 students per class--and there are good technology classes. They even have a small auto mechanics shop!  I was impressed that the computer lab was full of new equipment.  The hallways were wide enough so that big groups could pass each other without feeling really crowded.  Also, School X has a great wrestling team--they even have some provincial medal winners!  That's a sport I definitely want to get involved in!
    There were a few bad points, too.  Most of them have to do with the school's appearance.  I was glad to hear that they will be painting and doing some renovations over the summer.  The stairways are poorly lit, and some of the paint jobs are incredibly bad.  I mean, purple lockers??  School X is a pretty small school, so there is only one gym and a small cafeteria.  There is also very little space for student parking.  The gym equipment looked really worn out and run-down. My parents were worried because there are only a few electives in the higher grades.  I don't care, though, as long as there are lots of technology electives, and there are.
    There were some interesting things, too.  The staff and students were really friendly, and I knew quite a few people there.  My old hockey coach is one of the gym teachers!  Some people worry about past safety issues, but the new security cameras are supposed to have cut that problem down.  The school puts on a great drama production every year.  Also, there is a very popular Japan exchange.  I don't know for sure that I would be able to raise enough money to go, but it would be awesome to visit another country!
    This was the third open house we attended.  I guess we saved the best for last.  My parents and I were all quite excited about what the school has to offer, and School X will definitely be my first choice.  I can't wait!


Homework