Postsecondary Counseling Newsletter

January 9th, 2024

10th Graders and Families,

Happy New Year! As we begin the second semester of sophomore year, I want to encourage all of you to take advantage of the opportunity for a fresh start academically. Grades in 10th grade matter a lot - don't wait until Junior year to start taking your academics seriously. I encourage you to do some reflection on first semester:

• What went well? Did I earn the grades I set out to earn at the beginning of the school year?
• Where are my areas for improvement? Grades are not really a reflection of our intelligence or ability, but more a reflection of our choices and habits.

Here are some places to focus:

• Self management- Prioritizing your time and getting school work done first, prioritizing sleep so you can show up to school focused and ready to learn, using an organizational system to keep track of your obligations, choosing to come to school every day when healthy
• Interdependence - asking for help from teachers, working together with your peers on challenging school work (2, 3, 4 minds can be better than one!), using study groups to prepare for tests and quizzes, reaching out to others in your network - caring adults in your life for support
• Personal Responsibility - resist the urge to play the 'blame game' - remind yourself that while you don't have control over others or what happens to you, you do have control over yourself and how you react to events and circumstances in your life. When school feels really hard, instead of giving up or blaming your teachers, think about choices you can make that will lead you closer to the outcomes you want: which behaviors you can change or shift (see Interdependence and Self-management for ideas...)

Remember, when we're not feeling reslient in one area, it is often connected to another area. For example, when I am struggling with Self-Motivation, it is unlikely that I am magically going to become motivated again on my own. It might be that I need to engage in Interdependence and seek help from others through talking, sharing my struggles, problem solving, and idea generating in order to regain the motivation that I am not able to find on my own.

Parents & Caregivers: Volunteer to be a guest at the 9th Grade Career Fair!

Would you like to be a guest at our 9th grade Career Fair? We would love to have you come table at our career fair and share what you do with our 9th graders on February 7th. We are looking for people from all types of careers. The time commitment is about 1.5 hours total. You will give a 2-sentence introduction of yourself to the entire 9th grade, followed by tabling for 1 hour as students rotate through and chat informally with you. No presentation required! Sign up HERE.

Upcoming College and Career Events

1/17: College Outreach summer Opportunities virtual Seminar (9th-11th)

1/23: FAFSA night (seniors only)

2/7: 9th Grade career fair

2/2: CAUSE internship info session @ AHS 12:00-12:45 (10th & 11th)

3/13: Spring Junior Postsecondary night @ AHS 5:30-7:00pm

4/3: 9th Grade Career site visit field trips

4/13: Admissions Case Study @ AHS 9:00am-12:00pm (9th-12th)

4/17: PSAT/SAT testing day (9th-11th)

4/25-5/1: Sophomore Inspire Week (10th only)

5/1-5/21: LINK (Juniors only)

College & Career Events Calendar

Summer planning

This Wednesday during Advisory we will discuss the importance of doing something with your summer and what that can look like. You can also register for this free webinar from College Outreach below:

Financial Aid, Scholarships & paying for college

This podcast episode from the College Essay Guy on the basics of paying for college is an excellent introduction - give it a listen!

Also check out these other two episodes on colleges that are most generous with financial aid:

• 121: Which Schools Are the Most Generous With Financial Aid? (US Version) – Jeff Levy, financial aid expert
• 122: Which Schools Are the Most Generous With Financial Aid? (International Version) – Jennie Kent, international financial aid expert

Resources

January resources for 10th-graders:

• 80 Extracurricular Activity Examples: Wondering what other students listed on their applications? These examples may inspire you.
• Activity Log: Remember to update your log so you don’t forget what you’ve done. And this is a great time to inventory your extracurricular activities. Where do you want to deepen your involvement? And what do you want to let go?
• 5 ways to Spend Your High School Summer: Think about your summer in the context of how your choices can help you to lead a happier life (really!).

Second semester of 10th grade is a prime time to be gathering information and storing it away about colleges. It will be helpful when it comes time to begin the college search process in earnest next year. One low-key way to check out colleges is to watch some episodes of The College Tour!

Second smester of 10th grade is a prime time to be gathering information and storing it away about colleges. It will be helpful when it comes time to seriously begin the college search in next year. One low-key way to check out colleges is to watch some episodes of The College Tour!

The wait is over! The much-anticipated Season 9 of The College Tour is now available on Amazon Prime Video. This season celebrates diversity and inclusivity, showcasing students with unique backgrounds and goals.

The viewers will explore majors like Business Administration, Life Science, Civil Engineering, Literature, and more, all while taking campus tours of outstanding colleges and universities across America and hearing students share their authentic stories and the impact that higher education had on them.

Join our host, Alex Boylan, on this exciting journey through the vibrant world of modern college life.

The College Tour

Opportunities

Travel to Panama with DHS students through Squads Abroad!

In June 2024, a dedicated team of 12 students from Durango High School (and hopefully Animas) will embark on a mission of compassion to Panama, led by Squads Abroad. Our mission is to enhance access to healthcare services in underserved communities in Panama. During our time there, we will actively participate in a mobile medical clinic for 3-4 days, where we will shadow medical professionals and assist in triage duties, such as taking vital signs and patient check-ins.

The Panama mobile clinic will encompass child health screenings, vision stations, dental care, and educational workshops focused on public health to combat infectious diseases.

HERE is the link to watch the recorded zoom from Squads!! This will cover all of the basic information you want to know. 

We have linked all of the resources for this trip below:

Please register! (It is FREE to register, and it shows us your potential interest and temporarily secures your spot.) Click  HERE for a step by step registration guide.

We need 12 kids (or more) to attend and currently have 9 from DHS medical club.

If you are interested please register on the link below so we can be in touch with you directly.  There is no fee to register.

Here is the direct registration link:  https:// fundraise.globalbrigades.org/ empowered/chapter/durango- high-school-global-health- squads/brigade/durango-high- school-global-medical-squad- june-2024-panama

You have to make an account on the website prior to registering (FREE). 

Three things to know:

1. Squads is a 5013c - so any payments from you, a grandparent, sponsor etc, are fully deductible as a charitable contribution.

2. We are planning to do a lot of fundraising from local companies and possibly apply for a matching grant as we know it might be a financial strain to come up with the funds. The money does not have to all be paid at once, and can be paid in installments as long as the trip is paid in full a few weeks prior to departure.

3. If you are interested in helping with the group fundraising collaboration (we would LOVE your help) please email Sarah Shaw @  sarah.shaw82@gmail.com

Here is the ultimate resource page and website that allows you to register and fundraise individually! 

If you have any questions you can reach out to Maddie Dubois at DHS who is the local team leader @ madeline.dubois08@durangoschools.org

Or for Squads directly with questions, you can email  erik@squads.org OR  Dulce. corea@globalbrigades.org

The estimated cost per person is $3200. The first deposit of $290 for the trip is due January 22nd. As we said, we are actively fundraising in the Durango community with the hopes of getting most of the trip covered.

Interested in Health Care?

Register for the Colorado AHEC HOPE program! Montly virtual education sessions that culminate in the opportunity to attend a free, week-long summer institute in Colorado Springs or Denver! You only have to attend 3 sessions total to qualify for the summer institute. Register HERE

Girls Lead the Way - STEM & Leadership Conference for High School Girls is designed for woman-identifying and nonbinary students in grades 9-12 who are interested in being a leader in STEM. Participants will engage in a day-long interactive, lab and classroom-based conference hosted by the Society of Women Engineers - Mines Collegiate Section.

Event Information

Date:

Saturday, January 27, 2024

Time: 

8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Mountain Time)

Location:

Colorado School of Mines

Green Center

924 16th St.

Golden, CO 80401

Cost:

$35 (non-refundable)

Registration closes on Saturday, January 6, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. unless capacity is met sooner.

Girls Lead the Way Registration

SUMMET program - apply now!

The Summer Multicultural Engineering Training (SUMMET) program is an engineering, science and technology program designed for rising juniors and seniors who are from underrepresented populations, including ethnic and racial minorities, women and first-generation prospective college students as well as students with demonstrated financial need.

SUMMET combines non-accredited coursework, hands-on projects, team building activities and social events. SUMMET provides exposure to the lifestyle, opportunities and challenges of college and is designed to help build skills and experiences for a smooth transition from high school to college. SUMMET is a one-week residential program, allowing participants to live on campus for the duration of the program, experience life as a college student and participate in STEM-related curriculum instruction.

This program is available at no cost to participants with the exception of a $50 confirmation fee for students accepted into the program. Transportation to and from the program is not included in the cost and is currently the responsibility of participants. For more information, check out the SUMMET website.

SUMMET Session Dates

June 2- June 7, 2024: Session I

June 9 – June 14, 2024: Session II

June 23 – June 28, 2024: Session III

On the application, please indicate which week you would like to attend.

Three Step Application Process

1. Click the application button below and submit an application by 11:59 P.M. MST on March 1, 2024.

2. Students must meet a minimum unweighted GPA of 3.3 and upload your current, unofficial high school transcript.

3. Provide answers to each of the short response questions on their application.

Apply Now

Your copy should address 3 key questions: Who am I writing for? (Audience) Why should they care? (Benefit) What do I want them to do here? (Call-to-Action)

Create a great offer by adding words like "free" "personalized" "complimentary" or "customized." A sense of urgency often helps readers take an action, so think about inserting phrases like "for a limited time only" or "only 7 remaining"!

Interested in playing sports in college?

Last month, the Eligibility Center hosted a series of webinars. Staff provided overviews of NCAA requirements for high school counselors and administrators and initial-eligibility requirements for student-athletes. Click below for the specific webinar you would like to watch or share.

• Recording.
• PowerPoint presentation.

Erin Cummins-Roper (she/her)

Dean of Career & College Counseling  

Animas High School |Tel: (970) 247-2474 | x2272 | Cell: 970-903-1617

www.animashighschool.com 

Schedule an appointment with me!

Office hours:

T/TH 1:00pm-3:00pm

Fridays: 9:00am-12:00pm

Financial aid and scholarship help every Friday 12:00pm-3:00pm