Counseling Corner
Brighton High School Counseling Office
Welcome to our weekly update! April 3, 2020
Dear Families,
It's crazy to think that we're wrapping up our third week of this new normal. Things really have changed in a very short time. Many of us may have had plans to travel next week or take a mental vacation from school. We may not have a traditional Spring Break next week, but what a great time to "tour" the US through virtual college experiences! We've been forced to really think outside the box in every aspect of our lives, so we hope you will try to take advantage of the new and ever changing ways to connect to one another and the world.
One thing that stays constant is our support - we continue to be here for you and will be throughout this journey. Juniors- check out our newest seminar presentation below! Thanks to Mrs Crowley & Mr. Donohue who condensed our last seminars that we missed into one "live" presentation. Great information to keep you going on your post-secondary search.
Wishing you all peace and wellness.
Sincerely,
The BHS Counseling Department
Updates for BHS Students
Virtual College Experiences
SAVE THE DATE - Strive for College Knowledge Virtual College Exploration Week
Monday, April 20 - Wednesday, April 22, 2020
Sponsored by StriveScan in partnership with Associations of College Admissions Counselors across the US, including NYSACAC:
- Open to students nationwide
- 3 days of virtual, panel presentations from +100 college reps
- Extensive range of topics targeted towards juniors and underclassmen
- Variety of timeslots throughout the day: both day and evening options
- Free to both students and colleges
More information to come! https://www.strivescan.com/virtual/#faqs
More ways to get "on campus"
Although you can't physically get on campus right now, this is a great time to take a virtual trip! Check out these resources:- Individual college websites
- Naviance (many of the colleges have videos and interactive information posted there)
- www.campusreel.org - over 15,000 real videos, tours and experiences from 300+ college campuses, created by current students
- Thanks to an incredible colleague in a College Admissions Counselor group who put together this working excel file. Including demographic data from College Board, she lists colleges in the US and Canada who offer virtual tours, youtube channels, etc. UK coming soon! https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1sO7pVos0EvK0BvXoMbnyg00K6r7hXbOQE0HNXF4N4eM/htmlview
AP EXAMS- NEW UPDATES TO BE RELEASED TODAY, FRIDAY APRIL 3
https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/about-ap/news-changes/coronavirus-update
We encourage you to check in with your BHS AP course teacher to see how this impacts your class directly.
Work Permits Are Still Available!
Senior Class of 2020
Jonathan B. Angelone Award for Excellence - DUE APRIL 30
This $1,000 award is made available to Brighton High School seniors in memory of Jonathan Angelone. Students must demonstrate accomplishments in at least four of the five areas listed below:
- Academic- Top 20% of class (transcript required)
- Arts
- Athletics
- Community Service
- Leadership
Applicants must include:
- Resume demonstrating accomplishments in above areas
- 500 word essay on how you plan to "Make a Difference in Our World."
- Two letters of recommendation from adults who have worked directly with you in your academic, artistic, athletic, service or leadership pursuits.
APPLICATION: https://www.bcsd.org/Page/2087
*Please email completed applications to Mrs. Hellman (sandy_hellman@bcsd.org)
Kiwanis Club of Brighton- Vance Scholarship Application- DUE APRIL 30
This scholarship recipient is chosen by the Kiwanis Club of Brighton and is a service based award.
- Attach a resume of your community volunteering for the last 4 years, detailing the organizations with which you worked, the time period that you worked with them and the total hours during that time period.
- Attach a letter of recommendation from a member of the school administration or a teacher telling why you deserve to be recognized for your volunteerism.
- Attach an essay of approximately 500 words explaining why you should receive the award.
APPLICATION: https://www.bcsd.org/Page/2087
*Please email completed applications to Mrs. Hellman (sandy_hellman@bcsd.org)
Speaking of Scholarships...
Searching for scholarships can be time consuming...and since you may have some time on your hands, this is a great opportunity to look for FREE money! Check out Naviance and our BHS Website for a list of scholarship search websites: https://www.bcsd.org/Page/2087
At this time, all MCC related activities scheduled at BHS are cancelled. We will be in touch with students as soon as we get more information from MCC directly.
Application Updates
We are still able to electronically process all supporting documents needed for college and scholarship applications if needed. Please contact your School Counselor directly.
Making Post-Secondary Decisions in a COVID-19 World
Trying to make decisions about your post-secondary plans can be a stressful time, and now more so than ever. WE ARE STILL HERE FOR YOU! Please reach out to us for any support and guidance.
We will try to keep you updated with any information we get from colleges and other programs. In the mean time, this is a great article on ways to continue to explore your options and make an informed decision: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brennanbarnard/2020/03/17/the-covid-college-choice-how-to-pick-a-college-during-a-global-pandemic/
Junior Class of 2021
Junior Seminars 5-7 "LIVE" with Mrs. Crowley & Mr. Donohue
In order to help keep you guys on track for planning your life after high school, we've condensed Junior Seminars 5-7 into one presentation. Please take the time to watch this seminar and reach out to your counselor with ANY questions.
https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/eea26cd3-30ae-4fdf-b37e-504d7f217823
All seminar packets can still be found here: https://www.bcsd.org/Page/2068
JOIN BHS COUNSELORS For Junior Office Hours Thursday April 9th!
WE WANT TO SEE YOU! Join us for some ZOOM office hours JUST for Juniors. After you've watched our seminar video, drop in for a minute to ask questions, talk things through, or just catch up! Two of your BHS Counselors will be available during each of the following times:
10am-12pm
12pm-2pm
2pm-4pm
We will send ZOOM links to all Juniors on Thursday morning.
Sign Up For The Summer College Essay Writing Course!
Multiple one-week sessions offered, beginning the week of July 13th, Monday – Friday!
AM Session: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
PM Session: 12:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Location: Brighton High School, 1150 Winton Road S.
Fee: $89 (financial assistance is available! Just let your counselor know!)
This summer enrichment class is designed to help students write the college essay, generate ideas for short answer questions and provide an overview of how to address the entire college application. Students will read and critique model essays, be provided with written feedback on work, have one to one conference time with the instructor and complete at least one full essay in five days.
Sign up at https://brightonschools.revtrak.net
Questions may be directed to Brighton Community Education at ce@bcsd.org or 585-242-5200 ext.5595.
FREE Online Proctored SAT & ACT Exams
Our friends at Chariot Learning will be running free online practice tests every Saturday until we can go back to in-person testing. All the details will be on their calendar: https://chariotlearning.com/events/
ACT has rescheduled it's April 4 national test date to June 13. Please check out www.act.org for more information
College Board is canceling the May 2, 2020 SAT and SAT Subject Test administration. Please check out www.collegeboard.org for more information.
We'll be sure to post any updates we get regarding standardized testing.
Sophomore Class of 2022
Seminar
Just because Sophomore Seminar is over, doesn't mean you can't continue to work on your self and career exploration. Log into Naviance (use CLEVER), take some of the assessments, explore careers and update your resume. If you are missing your packets, they can be found on our BHS Counseling website here: https://www.bcsd.org/Page/2068
Freshmen Class of 2023
We are so sorry we didn't get a chance to finish seminar in person! Please check out the BHS Counseling Website (https://www.bcsd.org/Page/2068) for all of the seminar packets and feel free to continue your self and career exploration in Naviance!
Health and Wellness
Take care of yourself!
If you or someone you know is in need of additional support, here are some counselors in the community who are accepting new clients:
Tree of Hope Counseling
www.treeofhopecounselingrochester.com
Now offering telehealth counseling sessions.
Please fill out their screening form so they can make an appropriate match for support: https://goo.gl/forms/6jkBGucGdLIvy6T83
Quiet Minds Therapy Services
https://quietmindtherapyservices.com/
Currently has 4 therapists taking new clients for Teletherapy only.
Erin Sweeney and Stephen Haramis, teens and adults (private pay or Aetna). Natalie Neil, adults (BCBS and Aetna) and Lori Teller McDonald, Adults (Aetna and private pay).
To make an appointment call: (585) 207-0432 or email newclient@quietmindtherapyservices.com
NYS Mental Health Hotline: 1-844-863-9314
Offering free support, consultation and referrals to those dealing with coronavirus-related stress or anxiety.
Here is a great article with tips to provide peace of mind in these overwhelming times:
Brighton High School Counseling Department
Email: courtney_stern@bcsd.org
Website: https://www.bcsd.org/Page/2063
Location: 1150 South Winton Road, Rochester, NY, USA
Phone: (585) 242-5000