The time to start planning for life after high school is now.
For students interested in post-high school education, there’s help. CPS offers several resources to students interested in going to college, and also provides tips on how to pay for college.
Choose your future
Students can receive information on how to choose and apply for colleges, and even find out when it’s best to begin filling out scholarship applications. To learn more, visit the CPS Postsecondary web site 
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Essay competitions
From time-to-time, Chicago Public Schools, along with partner organizations, will sponsor essay competitions for high school students. These competitions include scholarship money and prizes.
2009 African American History Month Essay Competition
All ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth graders are invited to participate in the 2009 African American History Month Essay Competition.
The topic for the essay competition is: How has the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. influenced or inspired you or contemporary society? Students are eligible to win an array of prizes including a $5,000 savings bond which will be awarded to the student with the best grand prize essay.
Rules for the competition and an entry form are available at each high school or can be 
downloaded here. Completed essays should be submitted to the competition coordinator at each school no later than January 26, 2009. Essays will be judged on originality and creativity, cultural knowledge and research, organizational structure and clarity, as well as spelling and grammar.
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