Cover Letter Sample High School Student: Fill & Download for Free

From a teacher’s perspective, the state generally sets the curriculum frameworks, which are standards that a teacher must get their students to achieve those established standards. However, there are also additional national standards that are set by various entities. For example, national music standards are set by the National Association for Music Education (NAfME). Common Core State Standards (CCSS) is an additional set of standards that came from an act at the state level even though there was some federal influence (Source: http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/09/16/feds-admit-u-s-education-department-forced-states-accept-common-core-start/). Common Core has not worked in my classroom based on my data.Knowing this information, the various levels establish the standards of what is to be taught in public schools. So, we are taught useless things in public schools because of the control that the state, national, and the federal level has on our public education system. In this top-down approach, the higher levels set the standards, teachers teach the standards to our students, and students try to achieve those standards. If the state and higher levels were to recommend standards that would be of greater importance (e.g., real life skills, etc.), then we would see that coming from the top for teachers to teach to our students. For those dissenters, real life skills are those skills that are not currently taught in schools but are essential to survive in our society. I would suggest these skills to be taught at the high school level, which this is just a sample list:1. How to buy a car2. How to buy a house3. How to balance a checkbook4. How to fill out and pay your taxes (both EZ and long form)5. How to sign your name in cursive for signatures (schools used to teach this en masse, but has diminished over the years)6. How to properly take care of yourself7. How to succeed in job interviews (colleges provide this service, but does not teach it in classrooms—my college did not teach it)8. How to write a successful resume and cover letter (colleges also provide this service, but does not teach it in classrooms)9. How to be able to search for careers if one does not work, and to receive the proper training to succeed10. How to budget money and plan accordingly (the military taught me this skill)11. How to cook (Home Economics used to be a norm in schools)12. How to be able to detect fraud, waste, and abuse13. How to detect scams, spoof e-mail, and how to report it14. How to have proper character and professionalism through character training (this would need to be taught throughout the school years)15. How to have proper ethical character and integrity16. How to fix and troubleshoot things

The Most Effective Ways to Write a Perfect Cover Letter [with Examples]Plato once said that the beginning is the most important part of the work. He didn’t say that in the midst of a job search, but he was right. Speaking of your cover letter, starting in a modest manner doesn’t pay off. Making a mighty entrance with designed career documents is what makes recruiters listen up (and call you back, eventually).The process of scanning applications has never been faster. Whether it’s your cover letter or your resume, either of them has just a few seconds to impress. And that’s the reason behind the introductory paragraph being the single most important part of your cover letter.Our cover letter guide will teach you how to transform its introduction into a captivating story that will help you land an interview. And we’ll not only tell you how it’s done, but we will also show you how to make it work in reality.While writing a cover letter, it is important to:1. Address your cover letter2. Target company needs3. Mention your mutual connection4. Show your passion5. Use humor and creativity1. To whom should I address my cover letter to?If you want to get to know someone, the first thing you need to know is their name. The same goes for the hiring process. Starting your cover letter with generic “Hello” or “To Whom it May Concern” is nothing extraordinary. But taking the time to look up the hiring manager’s name and starting with ”Dear Susan”? Pure gold.Personalize your cover letter and get closer to the person you’re talking to. Look in the job posting, on the company website or LinkedIn. Once you know the recruiter’s full name, start with ‘Dear Susan’ or ‘Dear Mr/Mrs/Ms Camarena’. However, don’t use “Miss” or “Mrs” unless you know what’s the recruiter’s preference. “Ms” will work just fine and won’t comment on marital status.On the other hand, academic titles like “Dr” or “Professor” are definitely something to include.Still, there’s a chance your name search will for some reason fail. Don’t worry, then. You can either ditch the salutation altogether and start with the first line of the letter or use any of the following:Dear Software Team Hiring ManagerDear Hiring ManagerTo Whom it May ConcernDear [Company Name] Recruiter2. Target company needs.Remember that for virtually any job you’re going to compete with a bunch of other job seekers that are similarly qualified. One of the best ways to make your cover letter stand out is to highlight something about yourself that’s going to ring the bell with the recruiter.First of all, have a look at the job offer. It will be packed with company needs. Pick those that you can easily relate to. Then brainstorm an achievement that best fits the job description.Bring up a character trait, an accomplishment or a really impressive skill. Connect the dots between how your business value relates to the new job you’re hoping to score. Craft a captivating opening paragraph adorned with an impressive achievement.This will only make sense if you feature quantifiable results. Recruiters love seeing numbers so if you’re talking about “proven success”, don’t forget to provide numbers and stats to back it up.Company needs: Examples of how to start a cover letterDear Steve,I am so excited [Company XYZ] needs a marketing director skilled at storytelling and driving ROI for student travel. With my track record of boosting marketing ROI by 55% through storytelling and creative leadership, I think I’m a great fit.Over the past year as digital marketing manager at [Company XYZ] I’ve generated $50k+ in revenue, increased organic traffic to our blog by 18%, and almost tripled our social media ROI.Over the course of last year, I more than doubled [Company XYZ]’s Twitter followers and ran two successful Instagram ad campaigns that generated $35K+ in revenue. I’d love to bring my expertise in organically expanding the social reach and delivering ROI to the social media manager position at [Company XYZ].As a longtime fan of [Company XYZ]’s internal certifications, I was excited to see your project manager opening. With my experience cutting costs 65% for [Company XYZ] while dropping lead times 25% and boosting quality, I think I can help with [Company XYZ]’s current challenges as I continue to expand my skill set.2. Include company facts and news.Begin your cover letter with a little digging. To find some captivating cover letter openers, look for facts stemming from recent news about the company. Take time to browse their website and read news articles online. These sources can provide you with interesting facts that you can easily relate to. Who wouldn’t like to hire someone who already knows everything about their brand?Hiring managers treasure authentic enthusiasm because it tends to translate to motivated and highly successful employees. Kick-off your cover letter with a little (genuine) flattery. To avoid sounding insincere with your compliments, tell a story.Including the company news gives you a chance to sneak in your own values, too. Also, research shows that stories are up to 22 times more memorable than dry facts. Any specific event, fact, notable statistic or a recent award the company earned can be a good starting point of your narrative. Let’s say the company’s just won an award for its innovative solutions in the computer industry. Take advantage of it and follow up with how much you value forward-thinking methods in technology.Company facts and news: Examples of how to start a cover letterDear Nancy,The [Company XYZ]’s emphasis on employee development is why I’m so excited about this position. My 98% client satisfaction rate at [Company XYZ] owes a lot to my commitment to constant skills improvement. I’m excited to see where I could take your client KPIs within such a well-constructed system.When I saw that [Company XYZ] was featured in Fortune Magazine last month for its commitment to renewable energy and reducing waste in the workplace, I was truly inspired. With my track record of reducing costs by over 30% and promoting sustainable technologies, I’m excited about the opportunity to take on the account executive role to expand your company’s growth and work towards a greener future.Having grown up in Harlem, I understand firsthand why you’ve earned your reputation as one of the most visited burger places in New York. Since I was a teen, I’ve been hanging out at your restaurant every Friday. Now I want to impress your customers in the same way your staff has so graciously done for me.3. Highlight a mutual connection.You’ve managed to scramble a few decent accomplishments, but nothing groundbreaking. What else could you turn to? Use the strength of your professional network. Referrals can work their magic when it comes to getting an interview, so be sure to mention yours right away. Maybe you just happen to be friends with an ex-colleague that referred you to a position, company, or specific hiring manager. Make a strategic move and use the name right away in your cover letter.A valuable connection that can throw a positive light on your professional skills is worth its weight in gold. Name-dropping your mutual contact means there are professionals willing to back up your skills and vouch for you. After reading your cover letter, recruiters will most likely want to learn why your referrer thought you’d be a good fit for the position.And what if you’ve got no name to drop? Go out and network. Contact and meet people that work for the company. It’s one of the best ways to get closer to the job you’re hoping to score.Name-Dropping: Examples of how to start a cover letterDear Robert,Brad Smith suggested I apply to this position because she knows that my software solutions achieved 97% performance-to-goals at [Company XYZ] and that you’re looking for a developer what works with speed and absolute precision.I was excited to learn of this job opportunity from my former colleague, Lucy May. We’ve worked closely together for several years, most recently on a complex data analysis project at [Company XYZ]. She advised me to apply as she thought I’d be a good match for this position on your team.Justin Rosewood suggested I contact you regarding the Customer Service Representative position at [Company XYZ]. I met Justin last year when we volunteered together at a local mobile food bank. Working closely together allowed him to see my ability to genuinely connect with others, which is why he’s referred me to this role on your team.4. Show passion for what you do.None of the previous openers worked for you? Well, maybe the shiniest fact about you is your passion.The employer wants to see you’ll stay dedicated to the role and company. A motivated employee that comes with a strong work ethic has a great value. If you enjoy your job, you’re more likely to stick around longer, help drive company growth and become an enthusiastic member of the team. So if you’re all hype about the company, don’t hesitate to infuse your cover letter with a couple of sentences demonstrating your excitement about what the job entails.Passion: Examples of how to start a cover letterDear Sharon,When faced with the CPA exam in school, I told my mentor, “I want to blow this test out of the water,” and I did. Beyond my 98 average score across all four sections, a passion for finance has always been the guiding factor in my life. That’s why I’m so excited at the chance to work for [Company XYZ].Graphic design for jewelry shows has always been a passion of mine. My panel talk on jewelry graphics at the AIGA Design Conference was put on YouTube and retweeted 2,300 times.When I was young, all I wanted to be was a musician busking the streets of Chicago. Unfortunately, my guitar skills have faded over the years, but I still love to work with a crowd and entertain the masses — passions that I hope qualify me to become your new community manager.5. Use humor and creativity.First of all, recruiters are humans too. Amidst a pile of boring resumes and repetitive cover letters, they may find a good joke, juicy pun or funny opening line as a nice refreshing break (plus maybe a reason to call you up for an interview). Gauging your recruiters is a matter of educated guesswork. Would they appreciate some sass or snark? If so, peppering your cover letter with an anecdote will be an appropriate way to make them smile. And if they don’t? Erm, who knows.Besides being a nice tool to ease things off a bit, humor can be a part of a powerful explanation for why you’re the right person for the job. Listen closely to the tone of the job posting. Then you’ll be able to say whether or not to take the creative route.Humor and creativity: How to start a cover letter examplesDear Marilyn,Before I flood you with all the reasons why I’m going to be your next writer, I would like to tell you a little about myself. I didn’t learn to hold a pencil until I was about six years old, which made everyone think I’d never open a single letter. And now here I am, bidding to become your next Shakespeare.Have you ever met a guy checking his social media accounts bazillion times a day? Yep, that’s me, nice to meet you. I’m here to offer my expertise and become your full-time social media manager. Fortunately, I offer more value than a procrastinating kid. Let me tell you more.Gosh! Thank you so much for offering me the position of marketing specialist at [Company XYZ]! Well, I know we’re not quite there yet. But if we were, let me tell you what I’d do for you once a member of your team.KEY TAKEAWAYSThis guide has shown you several powerful ways to start your cover letter. Choose whichever suits you the best and the one that you can feel comfortable with. The rest of your cover letter is important, too. Each and every word and sentence should be there for a reason. If you want to bring it to perfection, check out our ultimate guide to writing a perfect cover letter and also take out any worn-out phrases and clichés that no one really wants to see. Finally, close your cover letter the way you opened it — with a style. For some real-world examples, head over to our help center to see a packed library of 50+ real cover letter samples from job seekers who got hired by leading brands like Microsoft, IBM or IKEA.

Back when I was an eleven-year-old in the 6th grade, I lived in a poor mountain community in Northern California. Most of the townspeople relied on the lumber mill to provide for their meager income. There were a lot of people barely scraping by on what little money came in.Times were tough.A lot of times the mill shut down and families were forced to move out of town to find employment elsewhere.I lost a lot of friends that way.Kids went hungry. There were a lot of skinny children up in those mountains. A lot of those kids were wearing shoes with holes in them.In the snow.Desperate times.Judge Richard Eaton was an “old-timer” in Shasta County. A pioneer. He was an octogenarian with a kind heart and a flush bank account. He married my grandparents!He was an avid outdoorsman and angler. He enjoyed coming up to the mountains to fish. Sometimes, he would stop by our small classroom and give nature lectures.He would bring in a stuffed raccoon, or a taxidermied owl and set it up on a desk in front of the class and give his talks. We would sit wide-eyed, fascinated, listening to him describe how the animal hunted for food, or built a nest or comfortable burrow, warm enough to survive during the winter snows. He was a natural storyteller and had a way with words.We would raise our little hands and ask question after question, enthralled and intrigued with his wisdom. We were always thrilled to have Judge Eaton stop by. We hugged him goodbye when it was time for him to leave. I'd see his wrinkled face break into a big grin as tears welled up in his eyes, hard to break away.I could feel his pity for us skinny little waifs.One day, a letter was sent home to all the parents in my class.It said we had the opportunity to attend National Environmental Education Development (N.E.E.D) Camp for one week at no charge to the parents!This was an expensive gift to attend a weeklong camping adventure, what with meals, transportation, insurance and staff provided for an entire crop of school children!The generous gift of partial scholarship, provided by Judge Richard Eaton, in cooperation with the Shasta County Board of Education, made it a possibility for every single child to attend, no matter their financial circumstance!Exciting news!N.E.E.D Camp was a place where the kids learned about the environment; survival skills in the wilderness, wildlife, geology, ecology, plant identification, weaving fish traps and shelter building, as well as learning how to use a compass and reading topographical maps. It was all covered in the week-long school.Before we left for camp, we were given a three- day supply of “ImmunOak” in our daily orange juice. Poison oak didn't grow in the mountains, but was plentiful at N.E.E.D Camp. Back in those days, the FDA hadn't yet banned the magic elixir, so I drank down my disgusting anti-venin like a good girl, and to this day, thirty-something years later, I still am immune to poison oak!The day we departed, we were packed into a bus with all our gear, kids, teachers and high school counselors, and made the hour-and-a-half long journey to the camp. We arrived at camp, got our cabin assignments, and settled in for our first time away from home.Goodbye Mommy!It was great!We caught tadpoles and learned about their development. We hiked seven mile loops, through caves (filled with bats) and over waterfalls, collecting specimens to write our reports in the field, amidst trickling creeks and wildflowers. We took water samples from the natural watershed and observed fish in the streams as we tried our hand at catching some in our homemade traps.We didn't have any luck.We watched the deer feeding on the grass right outside our cabin, and learned to identify species of birds. We glassed bald eagles and spied on squirrels and raccoons.We were even dropped off, solo, without a light, on a pitch-black trail one dark night, and had to hike back, in the dark woods, alone, to find our way back to the rest of the group by ourselves. Frightening!I was proud of myself that I didn't cry.This is stuff “city kids” don't learn about in the classroom.This wasn't any regular classroom!Judge Eaton spoke at the camp. He gave a slideshow on bears. It scared me to know I was out in the dark with them. It also made me proud. I learned survival skills at a very young age from N.E.E.D Camp.Afterwards, while he was packing up his projector and the other kids had finally moved away from him, I got up the nerve to approach this gray-haired icon.I said hello and introduced myself. I told him my grandparents names and told him he had married them long ago. He pretended to remember. He smiled at me kindly.Judge Eaton -all images courtesy GoogleI thanked him for giving me a scholarship to attend N.E.E.D Camp. I told him I had learned so much and that I was very appreciative.His eyes got wide and he looked shocked. He pulled me into a hug and knelt before me, eye-level.“Child, in all these years I've been providing this fund, you're the first young person to say those words. I appreciate hearing them, but I always want you to remember, that whenever you give a gift, you should never, ever expect to hear a word of thanks in return. Ever! Because the gift is in the giving, itself. Not in the praise we receive for giving it. Do not expect to be congratulated for it. Do you understand me?”I nodded my head and turned away, disappointed in the rebuff.What a weird, old guy!Of course, I didn't understand him, then.I was only a child.But I thought back to that moment over the years, and one day, I finally caught up to his wisdom.I understand perfectly what he means now.Beautiful.Those simple words changed me forever.When I give a gift, I don't expect to receive accolades or thanks. I don't expect the recipient to express gratitude or overwhelming graciousness; my heart already feels thankful for the beautiful blessing I've bestowed. And that's a gift in itself. A gift I've given to myself.By the time I had made it to high school, I had garnered such respect for N.E.E.D Camp, that I went back and volunteered as a camp counselor when I was seventeen.Somehow, I was assigned a cabin of little boys, instead of girls.Those little guys were a handful, but it was a great experience all over again.Today, it is part of the curriculum of most Shasta County schools for their students to attend the camp. It is a requirement as part of passing the grade level.Over 70,000 students have attended the camp over the years and have acquired basic outdoor skills other students in classrooms throughout the USA will never be required, nor even think are important to learn about!Because those students aren't mountain kids.They probably don't need to worry about being lost in any area bigger than a mall!Like we do.I'm thankful to both Judge Eaton and the Shasta County Board of Education for making a difference. N.E.E.D Camp quite possibly played a part in saving my life later on in life. And the experience changed me forever.The Record Searchlight (April 11, 2011)Since 1971, more than 70,000 students have increased their knowledge of environmental science after going through the weeklong camping experience at the Whiskeytown Environmental School in the Whiskeytown National Recreation Area. In celebration of its 40th anniversary, the school will host a free barbecue with live music and a history lecture Saturday.Sponsored by the school and the Shasta Historical Society, the lecture will cover topics of interest before the school arrived amid the environmental revolution in the beginning of the 1970s. Clinton Kane, park ranger, will be the main speaker.As a general campground in the mid-1900s, church youth groups seasonally used the area for a camp. Before this period, the land served as a stomping ground for the American Indian community. The history, Kane said, has yet to be fully recovered. "It's still a work in progress in terms of learning about the history and putting it together," he said. "I'd like to go as far back as to the mining use of the history, but it's kind of sparse."During the Gold Rush era, the area became a major transportation route for miners heading toward Weaverville from Redding. Inside the park, miners, along with farmers and ranchers, worked on the mining hot spots during the 1850s.The school, a National Environmental Education Development (N.E.E.D.) camp, specializes in improving environmental education for elementary and middle schoolchildren. "Facilities and institutions like the N.E.E.D. camp provide a special dimension to the youth of our community," said Pat Carr, Shasta Historical Society lecture series coordinator. "Oftentimes, they aren't going to get it in the classroom. This is an opportunity to take the classroom outdoors. And the fact that this has been going on for 40 years with 70,000 students makes us appreciate these extraordinary treasures that are in our mist."Fifth- and sixth-graders across several counties make reservations at the school for the overnight trips where students stay in cabins and enjoy campfires. During their stay, they build onto what they've learned of the environment in the classroom with hands-on activities with naturalists. This usually lasts a week. The school offers day camps for younger children starting at the kindergarten level.With generations of children and later their children heading to the camp, Kane said it has become somewhat of a tradition for north state students."It's kind of a tradition in Northern California," he said. "But, unfortunately, with the budget crisis happening on the state and federal level, we don't know if the school will continue as it did back in the day."A downward economy and budget cuts have decreased revenue for educational programs like this one. Whiskeytown may be one of the few N.E.E.D. camps left in the country, Kane said.