GNHS College and Career Center News
September/October 2021
'Staying Connected'
There are SO MANY options for 'life after GNHS' and we'll do our best to offer ideas, tips and guidance on navigating it all! Ultimately, the choice is yours to FIND YOUR FIT! Isn't that awesome!?
Some options have much clearer processes than others do. For example, if you are, or plan to be, a college-bound senior, the steps will be much clearer than, say the military path. ALL options require you to research but some require more than others and will not have clear steps to follow.
This newsletter is designed for all grade levels although, at times, there may be specific information directed to a particular class. It's ok - read it all!
THINGS TO GET YOU STARTED
- SCHOOLOGY - each grade level has a Schoology 'CCRC of 20...' course listed under 'my courses'. And if you click on the 'materials' tab, on the left, you will see folders that contain A LOT of valuable information. ***Parents, did you realize that you also have access to Schoology and your students' courses? You would have received an email in mid to late August with your access codes! Be sure to login! If you don't have this information, please contact Rachel Burnette at rburnette@d127.org
- EMAIL - each student has a D127 email address that should be checked daily. The administration, teachers and clubs send important information for students but another reason for checking daily would be to instill these habits for your professional life in the future!
- NAVIANCE - All students have access to this great online tool to help align strengths and interests to post-secondary goals! Click HERE to sign in with the single sign on option. HERE is our Naviance brochure with great tips on where to go and what to do!
- COLLEGE AND CAREER CENTER WEBSITE - This has just as much, if not more information than Schoology. Click HERE to go to the main page.
COLLEGE-BOUND INFORMATION
Seniors
We will do our best to guide you through all of it, don't worry! Below are some things you should be doing as well as some helpful links:
- Make sure you are on track to graduate
- Beware of deadlines for your applications and also give your teachers/counselors plenty of time to complete a letter of recommendation (if needed)
- Begin preparations for the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), which opens on October 1st. Plan to create your FSA ID (Federal Student Aid Identification) early, as it can take anywhere from 1 - 3 days for the process to complete.
Some things to take note of:
- FAFSA, or an alternative application, is now a high school graduation requirement in Illinois.
- If you do your FAFSA early, you'll have a better chance at more federal financial aid or school/college financial aid.
- Some aid, such as Illinois MAP for low-income students is first-come, first-served. Which means the longer you wait, the better chance the grant funding could run out of money!
- The FSA ID is not required but is the fastest way to sign your FAFSA application and have it processed. It's also the only way to access or correct your information online, or to prefill an online FAFSA form with information from your previous year's form.
Following are some VERY important resources for college-bound seniors! Please be sure to take a look at these - they may answer questions you didn't even know you had:
- College-bound timeline infographic
- GNHS Senior Resources - website
- Senior College Planning Guide
- Financial Aid Packet
- In Case You Missed It - representative contact information
Juniors
The reps that come to the school are usually the people that read the submitted applications and actually make the decision to admit you. It would be great if you were able to put a face with the name and form rapport with them!
Helpful links:
In Case You Missed It - document with college representative contact information and links (those who have scheduled with GNHS). Always a work in progress so check often!
Things to also keep in mind:
- You should plan to visit your college choices in the spring and summer so you are able to be right on schedule for applying at the beginning of your senior year.
- Be sure you are on track by taking all of your necessary core classes and prepare for senior year.
FINDING YOUR FIT
As stated above, there are SO MANY options for 'life after GNHS' and it's nearly impossible to touch on all of them BUT we will certainly give you information on what we can! So please continue to read the newsletters when they come out as we try and feature some of the broader options!
OPTIONS, OPTIONS, AND MORE OPTIONS...
College
Yes, college is one of the many options! College is also the one that you might hear the most about because of the many stages to applying, financial aid/scholarships, being accepted, transcripts, etc...
People choose college for a variety of reasons, most important being that many career paths require a higher education. So by attending college, you will be able to build better knowledge in your area of interest, obtain better skills in writing, communicating, studying, and critical thinking, and pursue your path after college.
At any grade level, there are things you can be doing if you plan to pursue this option as a senior! Granted, each grade level will kind of go at a different pace with different things to take care of but if you follow the guidelines, you should be in a great place by your senior year!
Check out the information below and see what you can be doing right now:
- College Visit Calendar - Fall 2021 College reps schedule time in the CCRC to meet with students. They discuss their programs and answer any questions students may have.
- Junior Jumpstart - A guide for college-bound Juniors. What you should be doing now!
- Freshman-Sophomore Future Planning Guide - A guide for Freshman/Sophomores to begin thinking about the future.
Trades
There are a variety of reasons why this might be a good option for you, such as: gaining experience immediately, learning on the job, the 'price tag' is more reasonable, there is a huge need for tradespeople, gaining practical and useful skills, etc... You also have the choice to go through a union or a non-union company.
Would you like to explore a bit? Here are some great links to help you gather some information for your decision making:
- Explore the Trades - check out the At a Glance statistics, videos to help with your decision, and career roadmaps!
- CISCO - a local group with a lot to offer to help you become a union skilled craftsperson! They have an Education to Careers program to guide you along the way!
- Lake County Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee - current application for the 5 year electrical construction and the 4 year telecommunication apprenticeship.
If you have read this far, then maybe these are things that interest you! There are another route for you to consider - Tech Campus. Tech Campus is available to high school juniors and seniors and they provide an amazing educational environment for specific career training programs. See below for a couple of their programs that fit into the Trades option:
Those are just a couple of GREAT places to start your research!
ALWAYS HERE TO HELP!
We hope this has given you some sort of direction to think about! The next newsletter will be out in early November!
- Schoology
- CCRC Website
- Naviance (only students have a login)
**There are Naviance YouTube tutorials in Schoology and on the CCRC website!
--------------------------------------------------------------
Any questions, please don't hesitate to let us know!
Grayslake North Counseling Department
Mr. Patrick O'Connell, Department Chair,
- Caseload: A - O with IEPs, poconnell@d127.org
Ms. Veronica Lujano,
- Caseload: All Students with 504 Plans and P - Z with IEP's, vlujano@d127.org
Mr. Kevin Ball,
- Caseload: Last Names A -E, kball@d127.org
Ms. Jamie McKenna,
- Caseload: Last Names F - Lar, jmckenna@d127.org
Mr. Tim Sheehan,
- Caseload: Last Names Las - Q, tsheehan@d127.org
Ms. Megan Stenberg,
- Caseload: Last Names R - Z , mstenberg@d127.org
Ms. Linda Feeney
-Counseling Department Secretary, lfeeney@d127.org
Ms. Chrissy Applehans
-College & Career Resource Center Coordinator/Student Svs. Secretary, capplehans@d127.org
Have a great day!
Grayslake North High School College and Career Resource Center
Email: capplehans@d127.org
Website: https://www.d127.org/north/guidance/college-and-career-center
Location: 1925 North Route 83, Grayslake, IL, USA
Phone: 847-986-3100
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lifeafterGNHS