Counselor Newsletter
Sept. 17th
The School Year is Picking Up!
Announcements:
2. 2022 National Merit Semifinalists. Congratulations to four SHHS students being named semifinalists for the National Merit Scholarship Program for the 67th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. The program is designed to identify and honor the top high school students in the United States and represents less than one percent of the U.S. high school seniors. The four SH students include Sophia Cross (daughter of Ping and Robert Cross), Yeleeya Li (daughter of Zhiwu Li and Yong Liu), Leon S. Sarkodie (son of Olga and Oduro Sarkodie) and Kyler D. Sood (son of Dhiraj and Sarika Sood). For the full press release, please click here.
2. College App Week is Sept 21st-24th, designed to encourage college applications and to get additional help in the application process. Monday: College T-Shirt Day; Wednesday: Mini college fair during all lunches in the cafeteria. The colleges present on Wednesday: Maryville College, Milligan University, Carson Newman, Tusculum, ETSU, Northeast State Community College, TN Tech, and TCAT Elizabethton. SENIORS: You will have a changes to sign up for a time slot for additional college application help on Wednesday afternoon, from 1-3 pm in the cafe. You must sign up prior to Wednesday on the sheets located outside of The Locker. Every senior who applies to at least one school signs a banner and enters a prize drawing (multiple winners).
3. The Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships at East Tennessee State University would like to cordially invite your high school seniors and their parents to Tri-Cities Financial Aid Night.
The event is from 5 – 8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 7, on the third floor of the D.P. Culp Student Center. Staff will be on hand to provide one-on-one assistance filing the 2022-2023 FAFSA, as well as answer other financial aid and scholarship questions. Representatives from other departments, including Admissions, will also be present to interact with students.
For additional information, please visit our event web page. This is not just for ETSU students everyone is welcome! Please feel welcome to reach out with any questions you have.
4. Student/ Parent Webinars-- if you are interested in a Paying for College webinar series, please take a look into the the following webinars. This webinar is a traditional presentation where we discuss all things HOPE, Promise, and FAFSA for parents and students to learn what you should be doing during your senior year. Free to sign up and watch. (1) Paying for College, Wednesday - Sept 22, 7:00 pm ET. | (2) Paying for College, Wednesday - Sept 29, 7:00 pm ET.
5. The Topper Tutoring Schedule for the fall semester is out! If you would like to see it click here! Note* you do NOT have to sign up; you just have to show up!
6. MTSU is waiving the $25 application fee for students who apply the week of September 20-26! Again we have a list of college codes that you may use as a wavier here. As we get more codes we will update the list so check back frequently!
7. AP Exam Info: Any student who wishes to take an AP exam for a course in which they are not enrolled needs to stop by the main office or a counselor's office to pick up an "Exam Only" registration form. The form and exam fee of $96 must be turned in at the Main Office no later than October 15, 2021. If you have any questions, please see your counselor or Dr. Bryant in room 410.
8. The 20 under 20 awards programs applications are open now through December 31st at 11:59pm. The 20 selected recipients will be honored at a ceremony and dinner that will be held in the spring of 2022 at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, TN. For more details, please visit our website here. If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to reach out!
9. It is time to start looking at scholarships! Please visit our scholarship page here.
10. SENIOR PARENTS—Yearbook recognition ads are now available to purchase. Visit [jostensyearbooks.com]jostensyearbooks.com, select SHHS, and scroll to “Recognition Ads”
11. UTC is free this week through the 24th if they use the code APPLY4FREE
Students:
*Seniors.....The LAST and FINAL date for senior picture retakes are Monday, October 4th. See Mrs. Rado in room 516 to make an appointment. There will be no other dates, and you must have an appointment.
*Seniors: As of 9/15/21 your ACT/SAT scores will not be included on the transcript in parchment anymore. If you want your test scores sent to colleges you will need to order transcripts AND test scores from your Parchment account. If you have not created a Parchment account, please create an account at parchment.com.
ALL STUDENTS—Order your SHHS yearbook at [jostensyearbooks.com]jostensyearbooks.com, select SHHS, and scroll to “Yearbook”
ACT Prep:
1. The SH counselors have some resources (Practice ACT Booklets) in our offices. If you would like to get one, just drop by your counselors office and pick one up!
2. In May, the TN Department of Edu, in partnership with the University of Tennessee at Martin (UT Martin), that all Tennessee high school students and teachers have access to workshops that help prepare students to succeed on the ACT. The ACT Success Tactics Workshops and Mastery Classes and Virtual Office Hours are available to rising 11th and 12th graders in Tennessee. During these free virtual workshops, we will share resources and tools that will teach students effective test-taking strategies, as well as provide them content practice in specific subject areas. Interested students can learn more about and register for the workshops, classes, and office hours here.
3. ACT Prep Club is offered for any student at Science Hill High School that would like any additional help for the ACT. Contact Becky Mazoff or Mitziann Stiltner for more information.
Mental Health Resources:
September is Suicide Awareness month. Teen suicide is currently the second leading cause of death in adolescents. Here are some of the realities of suicide for students:
Talking about suicide, wanting to die, or disappear are warning signs
You can only be sure by asking and this shows that you care
Previous attempts are a risk factor for actually completing suicide
This may be the single worst thing anyone can do, never say “go ahead and do it,”
Most suicidal crises are limited in terms of time, and will pass if help is provided.
It is important to remember to take any suicide threat very seriously. Do say that you are there to help. Don’t let the individual be alone or go off alone. Do be caring and don’t be judgmental. If you or someone you know is struggling, talk with your school counselor or call the crisis hotline 1-800-273-8255. Getting professional help is important, and connecting to support of various kinds makes a difference in getting through these difficult times.
Know that it is OK to have suicidal thoughts, but it’s not OK to keep your thoughts secret. Don’t be afraid to reach out or ask for help. Help is available and more options for getting help exist than ever before.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 OR Text SIGNS to 741741 for 24/7, anonymous, free crisis counseling. You can always reach out to your school counselor or a Frontier Health Therapist for support.
September - Begin completing college/TCAT admission applications
September/October - Take/Retake the ACT/SAT
September 28 & Feb 8 - ASVAB offered at SHHS at 8am in Library
October 1 - 2022-2023 FAFSA opens (use 2020 tax info) - submit ASAP!!
October - Complete scholarship applications, if needed (usually due Nov/Dec of Senior year)
October 5 - Free ACT for Seniors (Free ACT for Juniors to be offered in Spring 2022)
November - Search for scholarships on fastweb.com, collegeboard.org, or salliemae.com
November 1 - Deadline to apply for TN Promise
December - Scholarship deadline – most public TN 4 yr. universities
January, 2022 - Request mid-year transcript for Common Application, if needed
January - Check for departmental scholarship opportunities at college
February 1 - 2022 FAFSA filing deadline for TN Promise
February - Check out Local Scholarship opportunities
March 5 - Deadline to notify counseling office of graduation recognitions/awards
May - Remember to request that your FINAL transcript be sent through Parchment
May 28, 2022 - Graduation
July 1 - Community Service deadline for those using TN Promise in Fall 2022
Counselor Breakdown
We want to share a little bit about what we do! We work with your children with more than just their schedules. We can provide information on resources for children and family, social and emotional support, access to food and clothing when needed, career exploration, and so much more! Feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions.
Kim Thompson: Last Names Cj-Gi
Holly English: Last Names Gj-Ki
Ryan Goines: Last Names Kj-M
Suzanne Reaves: Last Name N-Sh
Josh Jarnigan: Last Name Si-Z
Additional Support Staff for your child that works closely with our Counseling Department:
Anthony Jones - Graduation Coach (11th and 12th)
Jenn Delahoussaye - Family Success Interventionist (9th and 10th)
Cody Ewing - Truancy
Niswonger Rep:
Frontier Health Therapists:
Kayla-Rayne Withrow, MSW - SHHS Main Campus
Sammi Nelson, MA, NCC - SHHS Main Campus
Lurelle Maxey, LPC-MHSP, NCC - Topper Academy
Website: https://www.jcschools.org/1/department/counselors
Phone: 423-232-2190
Twitter: @counseling_shhs