BRHS School Counseling Newsletter
April 2022
About our Department
The Broad Run School Counseling Department is a team of 15 dedicated individuals working collaboratively to meet the needs of 1,575 students, including teachers and parents. We have an open-door policy, but at times we are needed in meetings or have scheduled appointments with other students and parents. Broad Run counselors support the school in more ways than one. Aside from frequently attending many school events to support their students, other places you may see one of our counselors is coaching wrestling, basketball and baseball! Others sponsor many of our clubs, including We're All Human, LGBTQ+, Muslim Student Association and book club. We are a dedicated team committed to supporting the students in any way that we can.
Some Roles of Broad Run Counselors:
- Working with staff to address obstacles that interfere with students' learning and success.
- Focusing on skill development through a variety of ways, such as small group or individual counseling sessions, classroom guidance, and consultation and coordination with parents, administrators, and teachers.
- Helping students who are experiencing challenges. We do this by focusing on conflict resolution, transitions, study skills, test-taking skills, crisis intervention, bullying prevention, suicide prevention, as well as with the special needs of students.
- Preparing students with post-graduation planning with college visits, career days, internships, scholarships and jobs matching.
- Collaborating with all departments to assure that we are addressing the academic needs and requirements of our students.
BRHS School Counseling Hours
Jennie Kroll, Director of School Counseling
Leah Scholem, School Counselor (A-BRAN)
Chad Obzud, School Counselor (BRAO-ES)
Susan Ellis, School Counselor (ET-JI)
Kristi Morley, School Counselor (JJ-MCL)
Lily Sotoudeh, School Counselor (MCM-P)
Scott Valyear, School Counselor (Q-SO)
Taylor Kewer, School Counselor (SP-Z)
Dr. Arianna Scott, School Psychologist
Joaquin Perez, School Social Worker
Sara Sherrick, Student Assistant Specialist
Kevin Kozikowski, Testing Coordinator
Leona Days, Career Center Specialist
Laura Pendleton, School Counseling Registrar
Alexis Payne, School Counseling Administrative Assistant
Counseling Staff Spotlight
Ms. Lily Sotoudeh, School Counselor for Alpha MCM-P
Hi there, my name is Lily Sotoudeh (So-today) and I am the newest addition to the Broad Run Counseling Team!
A little bit about me: I am ethnically Persian. Both of my parents are immigrants from Iran. I was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up in Chicago. I attended Waubonsie Valley High School in Aurora, IL and graduated in 2002. When I was 20, I moved to Istanbul, Turkey to teach English. I then returned to the States to finish my education. I attended the College of DuPage (COD) where it took me five years to obtain my Associate’s Degree (lol). I then transferred into the University of IL at Chicago (UIC) and obtained my Bachelor’s in Business Marketing in 2011. I took a few years off and then returned to Northeastern IL University (NEIU) and earned my Master’s in School Counseling in 2016. I have been a school counselor now for 7 years and I love the role! I spent 4 years as a high school counselor in one of the roughest west-side neighborhoods in inner city Chicago. Then two years as a counselor at a PreK-8th grade elementary school on the west-side. Last July, I decided it was time to leave Chicago and move to Northern Virginia to be closer to my family.
Some of my favorite things: Traveling (which I need to do more of!), reading a good book, listening to music (rock, metal, punk rock, hip hop/rap, Persian/Turkish), lifting weights at the gym 5-6 days a week, photography, dancing and trying out new restaurants in the area. Exploring D.C. this spring/summer is also on my bucket-list since I am a city girl. <3
Upcoming Counseling Activites
What's Next Fair
To make this event even more fun, we will be having a participation raffle. For those students who visit with at least 8 companies, you will be entered into a raffle to win 1 of 2 $25 gift cards.
Senior's Corner
Seniors!
YOU ARE ALMOST THERE SENIORS, DO NOT GIVE UP!!! We are coming up on your last quarter of your High School Career. A few FUN reminders, please DO NOT FORGET to come into the Counseling Department and let Ms. Payne know which colleges you have been accepted to. Inside the Counseling Department we will have a wall “Oh the Places You’ll Go” and we want each and every one of you to come in, trace your hand on the wall and then write inside of it what you are planning to do after graduation! We want to hear from you!!!
Senior Survey
All Seniors will need to complete this survey. The survey will open May 1, 2022 in Naviance Student. Instructions will be provided by Ms. Days in the Career Center.
The survey will identify where a final transcripts will be sent. Admission is not final until the college / university receives this final transcript.
This survey must be completed prior to seniors participating in CAPSTONE
Please continue to provide Ms. Days with scholarship information
This will also be one of the questions on the survey.
You must report ALL scholarships OFFERED and ACCEPTED.
College and Career Center Information
Looking for Employment
Stop by the Career Center and speak with Ms. Days for help. There are some job opportunities with... Ashby Ponds, Flagship Carwash, Autobell, SwimKids Aquatics Center and more.
Hey Seniors Click here for all your scholarship updates
https://sites.google.com/lcps.org/lcps-scholarship-site/home/list-of-scholarships
SAT/ACT Dates
If you would like your child to take either the SAT or the ACT at Broad Run this school year please register them soon. Broad Run is a popular testing location and tends to fill up quickly.
Upcoming test dates at Broad Run are as follows: ACT (April 2, 2022), SAT (May 7, 2022), SAT (June 4, 2022) ACT (June 11, 2022 and July 16, 2022). It is always recommended that students take a practice SAT and/or ACT to see what they are like. Please see https://www.collegeboard.org/ and https://act.org/ websites for more information and to register.
Need a Tutor? National Honor Society Is Here To Help!
Scholarship Information
Getting your FAFSA completed!
Need help understanding how to fill out your FAFSA? Everything you need to know is right here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TQrBQ6Vy9FIMDbJ8UYIcxtwvagO5LeTy/view
Financial Aid information is available on our BRHS website: https://sites.google.com/lcps.org/broadrunschoolcounseling/college-career/financial-aid
Transcripts
REMINDER: For scholarship transcript requests please use the following link:
Freshmen!
Happy Spring, Spartans! Congratulations on making it to the final quarter of your freshman year! We hope your first year as a Spartan has been memorable. As we enter home-stretch, don’t forget to practice some Self-Care. Here are some ideas...
- Listen to music
- Take a nap
- Draw
- Go on a walk
- Do Yoga
- Hang out with friends
- Drink a warm beverage
- Cook or bake
Sophomores!
Summer Jobs for High Schoolers: Tips for getting the Offer
1. Don’t Be Too Picky
Sure, it would be great to nab the “cool” job at the local coffeehouse, but the fact is that those jobs are few and far between. If your teenager really wants a paid job, then encourage them to be open to a range of possibilities.
2. Go Beyond The Classifieds
The classifieds are worth checking out, but so is knocking on doors and asking to fill out applications. Also encourage your teenager to work their network by letting friends and family know their open to all kinds of summer work.
3. Be Professional
Remind your teenager that first impressions matter. Dress appropriately for interviews—or even when stopping in to ask for applications—and be pleasant and polite. “Employers can train you to do what they want,” says career strategist Larry Goldsmith. “They can’t train you to be pleasant.”
4. Be Prepared
Help your teenager practice their interview skills. These include arriving on time, being prepared to answer (as well as ask) questions, being polite and respectful, making eye contact, no chewing gum, and turning off the phone and putting it away for the duration of the interview.
5. Understand It’s Not About You
An employer is not waiting to provide a terrific summer experience for a teenager. Rather, the employer is seeking an employee. Help your teenager brainstorm what they can offer the employer, rather than the other way around. “Employers hire to fix a need or a problem,” says Goldsmith. “Give the employer a reason to employ you.”
Juniors!
- Explore Colleges & Careers
- Use SuperMatch College Search (In Naviance, click the Colleges tab at the top and you will see the SuperMatch on the left)
- Add colleges to your “Colleges I’m Thinking About” list
- Check out statistics on BRHS students who were admitted to colleges in the past 5 years (Scattergrams)
- GET ORGANIZED!!
- Make a list of colleges you want to apply to
- Go to the college website and look for the Undergraduate Admissions requirements and the required components of the application packet
- Go on a tour or virtual tour of the college
- Email the teachers that know you best to request a letter of recommendation
- Spend time in the summer writing your college essay
- Create your resume
- Register on the NCAA Eligibility Center website if you plan on playing Division I or 2 sports
What’s Next?
Start thinking about what comes after high school – 4-year college? 2-year college? Trade school? Gap year? Employment?
Start your college and career search today using Naviance!
What to do now:
Mental Health & Wellness
Mental Health Resource
Parents are encouraged to check out the resource below, "A Psychologist's Guide to Winter Well-Being," which is a therapist-led video series from the Committee for Children to support parents' mental health. These videos offer evidence-based advice and weekly self-care activities. Explore this playlist with your children to improve social and emotional well-being for your whole family!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNJiZRTK9Gf_hLx6l10cI_aFvgkm6YEXb
Mental Health & Wellness Resources
Should you have a non-emergency mental health question or concern, you can email the school-based mental health professionals at Broad Run High School: BroadRunMentalHealth@lcpsorg.onmicrosoft.com.
Website: https://sites.google.com/lcps.org/broadrunschoolcounseling/home
Location: 21670 Ashburn Road, Ashburn, VA, USA
Phone: 571-252-2314
Twitter: @BroadRunHS