WBHS Counselor Connection & News
News & Info for the WBHS Community May 13, 2020
In this issue:
- Senior Honor Recognition Procedure
- Congrats to Taylor Mane - NTHS
- Summer School - Credit Recovery
- Summer School - EReady Math
- Summer School - Online Courses
- WBHS Virtual Art Show
- OCC - College Now Series
- How to Reach Hillman - HBCU Information Session
- Junior Parent Financial Aid Presentation
- Juniors - Essay Writing Workshop
- AP Testing Update - NEW
- AP Testing Troubleshooting
- Message re "paying for" search services/honor societies/etc.
- SAT/ACT Updates
- Test Optional Colleges for Class of 2021
- 2020-2021 WBHS School Calendar
- College Board's Career Exploration Tool - Free until July!
- Mrs. Essig's Top Picks - Articles of Interest
Scholarships-
*American Indian Graduate Center Scholarships
* TIP Students
* May Scholarship list
Seniors - Important information for Honors Recognition!!
CLASS OF 2020
West Bloomfield High School wants to recognize and celebrate the awards received by the Class of 2020. In this most unusual year – we will find an unusual and special way to share and celebrate!
We are creating a video of Honors Recognition, and once this video is created you will be able to see and share it with others. As always, teachers, advisors and coaches are compiling their award lists.
A significant part of this event is a listing of any scholarships that you may have received from ANY college you applied to. The colleges do NOT notify the high school, so we count on YOU to notify us.
We need direct verification of the award you received, so in many cases this involves forwarding an email notification to us or attaching a photo of the award which can be emailed to us. We cannot acknowledge awards without verifying scholarship information from a direct email and/or picture submission.
IF YOU HAVE EARNED ANY SCHOLARSHIPS, PLEASE FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS AND SEND THE APPROPRIATE EMAIL NO LATER THAN FRIDAY, MAY 15TH.
1. Forward scholarship emails or attach a picture of the scholarship letter in an email and send to Mrs. Karen Brody (Karen.brody@wbsd.org).
2. Type your FULL NAME (in all caps) at the top of the email, scholarship title, and scholarship amount (total amount over 4 years)
3. The subject of the email should be your first and last name and the word HONORS (in all caps), for example: Karen Brody HONORS
We appreciate you taking the time to send your scholarship information, so that we can celebrate the great accomplishments of the Class of 2020!
THANK YOU!
Congrats!
Taylor Mane was inducted into the National Technical Honor Society as a 2nd year member through the Cosmetology program at OSTC-NE. Congratulations Taylor!
Important Summer School Information
If you missed the virtual meeting, you can click on the video links to see it!
Edgenuity - Math program for students entering grades 4-8 in the fall.Here is the link for
Michigan Virtual - Available to all high school students for credit advancement and health only for our current 8th grade students. Here is the link for Michigan Virtual: https://youtu.be/rBpRS-ViAws
Edgenuity - Available to current high school students only for grade improvement and credit recovery. Here is the link for Edgenuity: https://youtu.be/pqEC9KKaGLI
There will be zoom meetings for students on June 2nd because classes start June 8th.
Summer Math Program
Summer School for Credit Recovery
WBHS Online Summer School Classes
Art Show - Click on picture to register!
OCC: College Now Series
College Now is a new webinar series with up to the minute “need-to-knows” and opportunities to ask Oakland Community College experts your questions.
THIS WEEK'S TOPIC / Making the Decision to Stay Home: The Ease and the Payoffs of Getting a Quality Education Locally before Transferring
Watch live on Wednesday, May 20 from 12:30-1 p.m. Click to Register.
Email your questions in advance to Admissions@oaklandcc.edu with the subject line “College Now Questions” at least 24 hours in advance.
College Now: Minutes That Save You Hours
It is that time of year again.... Are you being asked to pay money for scholarship search services, honor societies, and expensive summer opportunities?
HONOR SOCIETIES - The National Honor Society at WBHS is legit. It has great opportunities for students and is an actual club to put down on your college applications. Proceed with caution when you get the fancy embossed invitation to other "honor" societies. The easiest way to learn, is to do a Google search of the name of the organization and learn more. Many times, these honor societies are "for-profit" and do not pad your college application with anything of merit. Learn more by reading these articles.
https://kappanonline.org/protecting-students-honor-society-nhs-golden-key-nshss-predators-vissing/
https://blog.collegevine.com/nhs-vs-nshss-whats-the-difference/
SCHOLARSHIP SEARCHES - You should be able to access all of the information you need to look for scholarships without paying. Proceed with caution when being asked to pay money for a scholarship search and really know what you are getting. I heard of a student who payed $500 to a search service because they "guaranteed" the student would get at least that back in scholarship money. The student went to a college that gave them automatic merit money and the organization counted that as a scholarship they received. The search service did nothing to help the student earn that automatic scholarship. Be cautious. Learn more here:
https://studentaid.gov/resources/scams
https://www.cappex.com/articles/money/beware-of-scholarship-scams
EXPENSIVE COLLEGE SUMMER PROGRAMS - Students may receive fancy invitations in the mail to "exclusive" summer programs on a college campus. While these programs are definitely an opportunity to learn more about a certain career field, they can be extremely expensive. These "pay to play" type experiences may not guarantee "prestige" in the eyes of an admissions committee. Click on these articles to learn more:
https://blog.collegevine.com/how-to-decide-if-a-summer-program-is-worth-it/
When in doubt, do an internet search or reach out to your counselor or Mrs. Essig to ask more questions. We are here to help!
-Noelle Essig
How to Reach Hillman - HBCU Information Session
Message from presenter Tiffany Brockington -
How to Reach Hillman is an interactive, online workshop for students, parents, educators, and community members. The COVID-19 Pandemic has drastically affected our daily schedule, work schedules/attendance, and the academic calendar (classes, extracurricular).
How to Reach Hillman was created to address the void that the COVID-19 pandemic caused. For middle school through junior high school students, this is a crucial time to explore higher education options and experience HBCU campus visits and tours— that won’t happen for the foreseeable future. As an aside, I chose Howard University in the 4th grade—I worked hard to make that a reality (I earned my Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 2017).
How to Reach Hillman is a supplemental resource and opportunity for students to explore HBCUs & program offerings; it’s an opportunity for parents, educators, and community members to learn how to best assist their children, students, and youth in exploring HBCU higher education.
I invite you to participate in How to Reach Hillman ahead of your students; and if the content resonates with you, please consider sharing How to Reach Hillman with your student body & other peers in education. There is a nominal cost of How to Reach Hillman ($9.99). After the Live workshop, the content will be available for streaming, in case you’re unable to attend the live recording.
Please register here.
Junior Parent Financial Aid Presentation - Virtual
Junior Parent Virtual Financial Aid Presentation - If you missed the Virtual WBHS Financial Aid Presentation held in April, you can click here for other sessions:
Juniors- Essay Writing Workshop - Sign Up Now!
Essay Writing Workshop - Via College Essay Guy - FREE Opportunity for WBHS Students (Parents can listen in.) Register here: https://www.collegeessayguy.com/sub-ceg-for-schools-students. NOTE TIME DIFFERENCE!
Monday, June 1st (10:00-11:30AM OR 4:00-5:30PM PACIFIC TIME)
Wednesday, June 3rd (10:00-11:30AM OR 4:00-5:30PM PACIFIC TIME)
Friday, June 5th (10:00-11:30AM OR 4:00-5:30PM PACIFIC TIME)
AP Testing Update from College Board
Additional information is now available to help guide students through the exam day experience.
New Resources
•2020 AP Testing Guide (.pdf/10.9 MB): The guide, designed for educators to walk their students through test day, provides information about:
◦The AP Exam e-ticket
◦Five steps to take before test day
◦Understanding the test day experience
◦Exam scores, credit, and placement
•2020 AP Exam Day Checklist (.pdf/526 KB): Teachers should have their students complete this checklist for each exam they take and keep it next to them while testing.
•Explainer Videos: New videos are available to give students quick, easily accessible information about their test day experience, what they need to do to prepare, exam security, and more. Explore the playlist.
Other Reminders
•AP Exam Demo (available May 4): AP students should use the clickable exam demo to practice the different ways to submit their exam responses. The demo will help students confirm that their testing device will be able to access and run the online exam. If they can’t access the demo, the final slide of the Testing Guide can help them troubleshoot. The sample content in the demo will be the same for all users and isn't a practice exam. We’ll send educators and students an email to remind them when the demo is available. Please encourage your students to take this important preparation step.
•Online AP Classes and Review Sessions prep week: The week before exams, online AP classes will focus on the exam day experience and sample exam questions.
•Student Outreach: If any of your students are having difficulty receiving College Board emails, walk them through the steps on the "Confirm your email address" page.
•Information for AP Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish Language and Culture Exams:
◦The above exams will be administered using a new dedicated app, the AP World Languages Exam App. Students taking these exams must use this app on smartphones or tablets. This free app will be available for download from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store the week of May 11. We’ll email students and their teachers to let them know when the app is available to download. Visit our site for more details.
◦A video walk-through of the test-taking experience will be available the week of May 4.
◦Details on accommodations for the above exams are also now available.
◦If your students are unsure about accessing the app, or if they don’t have a device, they can fill out this survey (or you can complete it on their behalf) as soon as possible so we can help support them (applicable to U.S. and U.S. territories).
•Information for AP Music Theory Exams:
◦Before exam day, students will need to print or hand copy the 2020 Music Theory Answer Sheet and gain access to an audio recording app or software before exam day. Please see more information on the website.
SAT/ACT UPDATES
SAT - College Board https://pages.collegeboard.org/sat-covid-19-updates?excmpid=SM48-ED-CB-tw
Test Optional Colleges
2020-2021 School Calendar
Free Career Exploration Tool until July 31st
Mrs. Essig's Top Picks
Common App Question Regarding COVID 19
SCHOLARSHIPS - Where to look
Please note that Ms. Essig posts all scholarship information on our Twitter account. You do not have to have a Twitter account to read the posts. We post opportunities in the newsletter twice and then remove them. Please follow the Twitter page for the most up-to-date opportunities!
https://twitter.com/WBHSCounseling
Look for #WBHSScholarships2020.
How do I find scholarships?
1. Apply for Financial Aid after October 1st. www.FAFSA.gov
2. Check with each college in which you are applying for merit based scholarships and deadlines.
3. Check for memorial and alumni scholarship opportunities at each college in which you may qualify.
4. Check with student’s/parent’s employer, banks/credit union, religious & civic affiliations, etc. for scholarships.
5. Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/WBHSCounseling Click on the hashtag #WBHSScholarships2020.
6. Read the Counselor Connection
7. Conduct a search by using a national search engine, such as www.fastweb.com, www.scholarships.com, www.myscholly.com, etc. Be sure to create an email address just for these searches as students will receive a lot of email. There is no need to pay money for these services! Watch for scams!
8. Check Careeronestop: https://www.careeronestop.org/toolkit/training/find-scholarships.aspx
9. Beginning Class of 2020,College Board Opportunity Scholarships. https://opportunity.collegeboard.org/
10. For more information: https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/types/grants-scholarships/finding-scholarships#how-find
11. Remember it takes work to receive most scholarships! You won't know if you don't try!''
*** Please a note that WBHS cannot endorse or properly "vet" the sheer number of scholarships that come our way. It is up to the student/family to determine.
American Indian Graduate Center Scholarships
TIP Eligible Seniors - Don't forget to fill out the form before it's too late!
Scholarships with May deadlines
MI Student Aid Scholarship Search Tool
Scholarship links
Calendars/Schedules
Important Contacts
WBHS Counseling Department
A-CU Kelly Casinelli
CV-HA Joanne Wegrzynowicz
HB-LO Karen Brody
LP-PO Felicia Neumann
PR-TE Lisa Thompkins
TF-Z John Hepper
College & Career Counselor Noelle Essig
Administrative Staff
Mr. Eric Pace, Principal
Ashleigh Larkin, Assistant Principal
Eric Pierce, Assistant Principal/Athletic Director
Jamie Glinz, Assistant Principal
Dr. Stephanie Griffin, Assistant Principal
Email: noelle.essig@wbsd.org
Website: https://www.wbsd.org/west-bloomfield-high-school/counseling-office
Location: 4925 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield Township, MI, USA
Phone: (248)865-6768
Twitter: @WBHSCounseling
OK2SAY
1-855-565-2729
Text - 652729
https://www.michigan.gov/ok2say
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
1-800-273-TALK (8255)
https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
Text - HELLO to 741741