SAT initiative comes to town
By Jen Samuel, Managing Editor
HIGHTSTOWN — Way Cao and Nicholas Pascullo spent four years preparing for college as locals living in the borough.
They also happened to be students at the Peddie School.
Now, more than a year since both Mr. Cao and Mr. Pascullo graduated from their prestigious alma mater, they are back in the Hightstown community with a mission.
”We really wanted to give something back to the community,” Mr. Cao said.
They are offering local students from Hightstown High School and Peddie School the chance to sign up for an intensive SAT course in the borough this summer.
Bringing the program to Hightstown was part of Mr. Cao’s response to a Facebook hate group created more than a year ago against Peddie students, he said, which caused misunderstanding at the time.
”What Nick and I are hoping is that these classes help foster more (student communication) and more friendships across the two schools.”
Additionally, Mr. Cao said he hopes this will propel “more interaction between the two schools rather that means doing community service or just hanging out.”
On June 18, Mr. Cao and Mr. Pascullo will host a free SAT exam session for area students at the Hickory Corner Library at 138 Hickory Corner Road in East Windsor. The exam begins at 9 a.m. and will last until around 1 p.m.
It’s all part of Revolutionary Prep’s Ivy Scholars Initiative program which features several financial options including scholarship opportunities and possible discounted rates to students who meet certain financial aid requirements.
Mr. Cao and Mr. Pascullo applied to become branch managers of their hometown areas at Revolutionary Prep back earlier this year. Since then, they’ve custom-built the SAT courses now being offered in town this summer.
The type of courses the Peddie alumni are offering include private tutoring, standard group tutoring, or a hybrid tutoring course with standard group lessons as well as four hours of individual tutoring.
On Saturday, lcoal parents are also invited to arrive at the library at 11:30 p.m. for a free College 101 discussion presented by Mr. Cao and Mr. Pascullo.
”We’ll sit with them and share our stories,” said Mr. Cao.
In addition to bringing Peddie and HHS students together, the course is also about bringing essential knowledge about the SAT to students who may otherwise not study as intensively.
”The average students spends 10 hours on the SAT,” said Mr. Cao.
Mr. Pascullo concurs.
”SAT doesn’t measure intelligence, it measures your knowledge of the test,” said Mr. Pascullo.
Typically, the SAT exam holds a 30 percent weight during a student’s application process into college.
”It’s huge,” Mr. Cao said.
While both young men expressed the importance of practicing for the exam at length, their program also aims to bring Revolutionary Prep’s elite SAT study course to students seeking financial assistance.
Mr. Pascullo, who will begin his sophomore year at Carnegie Mellon University in the fall, will teach his own SAT group course beginning July 3.
Mr. Cao, who just completed his freshman year at the University of Pennsylvania, will teach a SAT group course in Hightstown from 9 a.m. until noon beginning July 30. Slated to occur in one of three borough churches, the final location is still pending.
As of Thursday morning, 13 students have signed up to take the practice exam on Saturday at the Hickory Corner Library.
The “meeting of an organization at any of the facilities of the Mercer County Library System in no way implies endorsement of its programs,” according to an official statement from MCL. Jennifer Worringer, of the Hickory Corner Library, explained that is a common statement used with all non-library endorsed events that occur at one of its public facilities.
Students taking the exam Saturday will also be able to participate in a raffle drawing for 50 percent off the SAT group or hybrid course. The winner will be announced via Facebook, Mr. Cao said.
After the June 18, Mr. Cao and Mr. Pascullo will create a database and produce a score report for each student.
Then, “Nick and I will call each and every student” to go over their exam results, Mr. Cao said.
To help get the message out about the program, Hightstown High School sophomore Aakash Jagdale has been busy handing out flyers. He’s working as a high school campus leader for the Ivy Insiders SAT program, and will receive a discounted rate for the course as a direct result of his efforts.
”I feel like Ivy Insiders benefits me in ways other SAT classes can’t,” said Aakash. “Mainly, being taught by college students that just went through the process and succeeded makes me feel like the teacher can relate to my situation, which is very important to me.”
”What I’m hoping is that slowly we can build up a tradition,” Mr. Cao said. “Maybe in the future it can be a Peddie and HHS students teaching the course.”
Prices for the SAT study program begin at $599 for the group course. The normal cost is $899 for the hybrid course, which is the standard group course plus four hours of private tutoring.
Applications for the program are available at www.revolutionprep.com.
To learn more about Mr. Way and Mr. Pascullo, visit www.revolutionprep.com/ivy/way—c or www.revolutionprep.com/ivy/nicholas—p.