Continue to check our website at http://blackmancounselor.wix.com/counselorspage and follow the Counseling Department on Twitter @BlazeCounseling for important updates. Also, text @blackman to 81010 to get reminders and updates from the counseling department about scholarships, college, career, registration, deadlines, and more!

Counselors:

A-D, Mrs. DeGeorge degeorgea@rcschools.net

E-K, Ms. Bryan bryanc@rcschools.net

L-R, Mrs. Van Winkle vanwinkles@rcschools.net

S-Z, Mrs. Clawson clawsons@rcschools.net

Counseling Secretary, Mrs. Sadler sadlerm@rcschools.net

Summer school will be held at Riverdale High School this year. If your student needs to take a class in summer school, registration is May 25th from 3-7 and May 26th from 12-4. We highly recommend students going to summer school if they don't pass a class in order to not get behind on graduation requirements. Two courses may be taken in summer school. Summer school registration forms can be picked up in the Counseling Office. Click here for more information.

Honors

To graduate with honors students must meet the following ACT benchmarks:

English: 18

Math: 22

Reading: 22

Science: 23

Distinction

To graduate with distinction students must attain a 3.0 GPA and meet one of the following criteria:

• Participate in at least one Governor’s School
  
• Participate in one of the TN’s all State musical organizations
  
• Be selected as a National Merit Finalist or Semi-Finalist
  
• Attain a composite score of 31 or higher on the ACT
  
• Attain a score of 3 or higher on at least 2 Advanced Placement Exams
  
• Earn 12 or more semester hours of transcripted postsecondary credit
  
• Earn a nationally recognized industry certification

Rutherford Works Code Camps are educational, five day programs for middle and high school students that strive to create a fun, engaging, and immersive environment in which they are challenged to think about technology. The program teaches students to create with code. By giving students the resources needed for success, they can become leaders of the high-tech Tennessee workforce.

The week-long day camp will be conducted from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. At the end of the camp, the students will host parents for a “Demo Day” where they will exhibit the skills they have learned.

With over 1,000 tech jobs going unfilled in Middle Tennessee every year, your student can get a jump start toward a high wage, high demand career. Click here for more information.

• Elementary (Grades 3-5): June 12-16, Barfield Elementary
• Middle (Grades 6-8): June 12-16, Blackman High
• Middle/High (Grades 7-12): June 26-30, Stewarts Creek Middle School
• High (Grades 9-12): June 26 - 30, MTSU - KOM Building

Innovation J-Camp is a five-day workshop held at the Center for Innovation in Media in partnership with the College of Media and Entertainment at Middle Tennessee State University. Innovation J-Camp is perfect for high school students interested in telling stories for mobile, social, digital and video audiences. There are only 25 spots in this year’s camp. Cost is $150, which includes lunches and all materials. Camp runs from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. July 10-14, 2017. Register online at www.innovationjcamp.org.

You can now support Blackman High School when shopping for groceries!

Kroger: Log in to krogercommunityrewards.com and link your Kroger plus card to Blackman High School.

Publix: Pick up a BHS Publix partner keychain card in the BHS front office.

Did you know you can check your child's grades online through INow? Your child should have brought home a username and password at the beginning of the year. If you don't have access, stop by the attendance office for that information.

• Free tutoring is available by phone
  
• Monday - Thursday from 4 - 8 p.m.
  
• Call 615-298-6636 or 1-888-868-5777
  

Thanks to Rutherford County Schools, you now have access to Shmoop's premium resources. HERE'S HOW TO GET STARTED:

• Go to http://schools.shmoop.com/login/rutherford-county/
  
• Log in OR Create New Student Account
  
• Enter Magic Word: NAVIGATE (all caps)
• Choose either ACT Exam Prep (under the Test Prep section) or ACT Crash Course (under the Courses section)
  

Need help? Contact Holly Hunter hunterh@rcschools.net.

The state of Tennessee is offering two years of tuition-free community or technical college through the TN Promise. If your student applied by Nov. 1st, filed their FAFSA by Jan. 17th, and attended a second mandatory meeting, they need to complete their 8 hours of community service.

All seniors should have completed their FAFSA. If you still need to file, visit fafsa.gov. The FAFSA qualifies students for the HOPE Scholarship if they have a 3.0 GPA or 21 ACT score.

On January 1, 2017, Tennessee House Bill 10 with amendment 1 will go into effect. “House Bill 10 with amendment 1 requires a student, during the student's high school career, to take a United States civics test prepared by the Local Educational Association consisting of between 25 and 50 questions, taken from the civics test administered by the United States citizenship and immigration services. In contrast to the original bill, this amendment does not make passage of the test a requirement for graduation.

A student may take the test as many times as necessary to pass the test. A student who has an individualized education program under which the civics test is determined to be an inappropriate requirement for the student does not have to take the test. In order to pass the test, a student must answer 70 percent of the questions correctly, instead of 60 percent in the bill. If all students in a senior class required to take the test and receiving a regular diploma pass the test, the school will be recognized on the department of education's web site as a "United States civics all-star school" for that school year.

Rutherford County Schools have created a Civics test consisting of 30 questions, 25 multiple choice questions and 5 fill-in-the-blank questions, to meet the requirements of House Bill 10. This test was created by a group of 12 educators representing each of the high schools within the Rutherford County School district.

Each individual high school within the Rutherford County School district will determine the testing date for all graduating seniors in order to meet the new graduation requirements for Tennessee.

Information regarding the new graduation requirements along with answers to frequently asked questions has been added to both the student and parent page of the RCS website. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the graduation requirements or the test, please contact Lana Bellar at bellarl@rcschools.net or Dr. Andrea Anthony at Anthonya@rcschools.net.

Each month, seniors get a newsletter with scholarships and other helpful information. We gave the first one out in senior meetings, and students will receive the rest at the beginning of the month in their English class. If your student's newsletter doesn't make it home, they are always posted on our counseling website. Just click here.

Colleges and universities will ask that your senior send an official transcript when they apply. Seniors must also request that a final transcript be sent, which shows all senior year grades. This is the process they should follow:

• Go to the counseling office and fill out a Transcript Request Form located beside Mrs. Sadler’s desk.

• Pay $2.

• It will be mailed directly to the college or university after graduation.
  

If your student is planning to play sports at an NCAA Division I or II college, he/she must register with the NCAA Clearinghouse at www.ncaaclearinghouse.net. NCAA requires 16 core courses. Make sure your student has met those requirements by talking with their coach or counselor.

Click here to visit our scholarship section on our Counseling Website.

Jostens will be back on May 10th.

• BCA Tassel: $13
• Honor Cord: $9
• Distinction Stole: $13

Graduation is Saturday, May 20th at 2:30 p.m. at MTSU's Murphy Center.

Graduation rehearsal will be on Friday, May 19th beginning at 9:30 a.m. Participation in rehearsal is mandatory for those seniors participating in graduation. Failure to attend the full rehearsal will forfeit a senior’s opportunity to participate in graduation. Rehearsal usually lasts about two hours.

For more information, visit http://bhs.rcschools.net/apps/pages/graduation.