JUST FORJUNIORS
MAY
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ACT: test of choice in the mid-west
SAT: test of choice on the East Coast and the West Coast and colleges with highly selective admissions policies
Register online at (ACT) or (SAT). You will have to pay by credit card if registering online. Registering online is the preferred method for both tests.
ACT TESTING DATES(BHS will host all testing dates except the July one!)
TEST DATE REGULAR DEADLINE LATE DEADLINE PHOTO DEADLINE
June 9, 2018 / THIS FRIDAY! / May 18, 2018 / June 1, 2018July 14, 2018 / June 15, 2018 / June 22, 2018 / July 6, 2018
ACT without writing — $46.00ACT with writing—$62.50
Register online at
LHS School Code: 171-710 WHS School Code: 173-090
See Mrs. Newton if you think you might qualify for a fee waiver or extended time testing!
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The best way to prepare is to study, study, study, and read, read, read! Keep studying in your English, math, science, and social studies courses, but don’t neglect the others! Do some prep work before taking the test. Doing something is better than doing nothing at all!
TEST PREP SITES:
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NEW ACT PREP SITE!!!
ACT now offers ACT ACADEMY, a free online resource to help students prepare for the ACT! Check it out at
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Preparing for the ACT, a booklet that contains a full-length ACT test along with answer sheet and test-taking strategies is available for download at Scroll down to the “free resources” section. It is available in the BHS Guidance Office as well!
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Requesting a Copy of Your ACT Test Questions and Answers
If you order and pay for aTest Information Release (TIR) form and test at a national test center on a national test date that offers this service, you will receive a list of your answers, a copy of the multiple-choice test questions used to determine your score, the answer key, and scoring instructions. (If you took the Writing Test, you will also receive a copy of the writing prompt, the scoring rubric, and the scores assigned to your essay by two readers.) Information about ordering a photocopy of your answer document (including your essay if you took the Writing Test) for an additional fee will be included with your materials. This service is available for the June test date! The TIR form is available at
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MONTHLY PLANNER . . . for the Rest of Your High School Life
By Dr. Randall Hanson,
MAY
* Firm up your summer plans, including visits to colleges on your list
* Push yourself to end the year with solid grades
JUNE
* Continue contemplating various careers and colleges
* Be sure to get the most out of your summer vacation . . .
* Visit colleges
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ACC PAYMENT PLAN FOR FALL 2018
Are you taking ACC classes next fall and need to set up a payment plan? If you set up the plan by June 16th, you will pay no money down and make 5 monthly payments, June – October.The last date to set up a payment plan is August 26th,but you have to pay 50% down. Details are available at click on “Paying for College” on the left hand side, click on the “Payment Plan” link. You can also set up the payment plan in your ACC account. Log in, then click on the FINANCES tab and then click on E-CASHIER PAYMENT PLAN. There is a $35 fee to sign up.
Payment plan available on April 2, 2018. Full payments may be made through August 26,2018.
Last Day to Enroll Online / Required Down Payment / Number of Payments / Months of PaymentsJune 16 / none / 5 / June - Oct
July 11 / 20% / 4 / July - Oct
Aug 9 / 35% / 3 / Aug - Oct
Aug 26 / 50% / 2 / Sep & Oct
If you have questions about the payment plan, please contact Melissa Johnson, ACC Bookkeeper, at 785/654-2416, ext 205.
If you qualify for a scholarship, I will send your transcript to ACC shortly after the school year ends. Scholarships won’t be posted until they get your transcript! Check your account over the summer to see if it has been posted!
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WENDY’S HIGH SCHOOL HEISMAN AWARD
AMOUNT: $1,000 - $10,000
CRITERIA:
* must participate in one of the listed athletic sports, which includes cheerleading
* must have a minimum GPA of 3.0
* You have to name a reviewer; please name Mrs. Bolen because she has access to the information needed and
so she can keep track of all of the applicants!
Details and the online application are available at
The first 1,000 applicants will receive a $10 Wendy’s gift card!
DEADLINE: Phase One must be completed by OCTOBER 3, 2018
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Are you a “HORSE CRAZY” student? Check out Meredith Manor International Equestrian Centre! You can earn a degree for a career in the following areas: teaching, riding, training, management, farrier, equine massage, or breeding! Learn more at This school is located in Waverly, West Virginia.
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Ready for College? Ready for Work? Ready for Life? Get on Track for College
Key Magazine, Spring Edition 2007
By now you’ve heard many times from your parents, teachers, and guidance counselor that grades are important. You may think that good grades just get you into a good college. But they do more than that.
Here are some points to consider:
Learning well all the way through school prepares you to take advanced classes later in high school.
Taking advanced classes prepares you to do well on the ACT, SAT, and in your college courses.
Being prepared to do college work eliminates the need to take remedial classes in college to catch up.
Being prepared to do college work also improves the chances that you will graduate from college.
Doing well in the core classes (English, Math, Science, Social Studies) gives you more choices for careers later on.
The more important consideration in preparing for college is not your admissions test score, your letters of recommendation, or your long list of extracurricular activities. It’s your high school coursework. Students who take the recommended core courses in high school are better prepared for college than those who don’t. ACT score results consistently show this.
What are the minimum recommended core courses?
4 years of English
3 years of Math (Algebra 1 and higher)
3 years of Science (the ideal is biology, chemistry, and physics)
3 years of Social Studies
Some colleges require other classes as prerequisites for admission, such as two or more years of the same foreign language, or courses in the visual arts, music, theater, drama, dance, computer science, etc. Check out the admissions requirements of your prospective colleges!
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Don’t Wait for an Amazing Discovery
Key Magazine, Spring Edition 2007
True story . . . a woman contacted ACT several years ago. She wrote, “I just had to pass this along. I’m still amazed.” Barbara Sullivan, a speech pathologist, had taken the ACT in 1982. Some years later, while visiting her mother’s house, she ran across a box of old papers, which included her ACT student profile report, the report with her test results and career planning information.
She wrote, “I glanced at the scores (not impressive) and set it aside. Later, when I was putting the items back into the box, I noticed the report’s grid of careers and the World of Work map. I was stunned. The closest career that reflected my interest was speech pathology!”
Sullivan said she wishes she would have paid more attention to the report as a high school student because it took her a while before she settled on her career direction.
“After high school, I made several attempts at college and failed. I didn’t know what I wanted to study. I sat out and worked for nearly 10 years before going back to school.”
It wasn't until she was in a pre-nursing program that she considered speech pathology, and then it was only because her sister just happened to mention it. From her first course in speech pathology, she loved it, eventually earning a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree.
“It took me 10 years to discover what the profile had already told me. I am still freaked out by it. When I was in high school, I assumed I knew it all and that tests were just junk,” she said. “I am amazed all these years later.”
Visit the career planning section of learn more about your Interest Inventory results after taking the ACT.
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Improving Your ACT Scores
Key Magazine, Spring Edition 2007
It’s no surprise that students want high ACT scores to submit when they apply to college or apply for scholarships. There are no secret tips to ensure high scores, but you can do a few things to improve your performance on the ACT.
Take more college prep core courses - Performance on the ACT mostly depends on the classes you take in high school. The ACT measures what you have learned in math, English, reading, and science. The more college prep, or core, classes you can take in these areas, the more likely you are to earn higher ACT scores. One ACT study showed that students who took Calculus scored an average of three points higher on the ACT Math Test and two points higher on the ACT Science Test. They also earned a composite score two points higher that the students who didn’t take Calculus.
Take practice tests - This is a simple and effective way to become with ACT format and content it to take practice tests. ACT offers a variety of inexpensive ways to take practice tests. Visit for test prep options.
Answer every question - There is no penalty for guessing on the ACT. Your correct answers are counted toward your score. So answer every question, even if you’re not sure of the answer. Eliminate the answers you think aren’t possible. After narrowing down your list of answers, try to make the best guess you can and move on.
Review additional test-taking strategies - These strategies include reading each question thoroughly and making sure that you’ve only marked one answer for each question. You can find more strategies at
Take the ACT again - If you aren’t satisfied with your performance on the ACT, you can take it again. This is a good idea, especially if you have taken additional college prep classes since you last took the ACT. Researchers at ACT have studied past performance of students who took the test more than once and found 55% earned a higher composite score, 23% had a lower score, and 22% stayed the same. Students who take it a second time increase their composite scores, on average, by one point. Some students may have bigger gains and some may score lower. If you plan to take the ACT again, look at your current test scores and identify weak areas for additional study and review.
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YOUR COLLEGE PLANNING TIMELINE
The Next Step Magazine
RIGHT NOW (Spring ‘18)
Visit any colleges in which you are interested. Starting now will give you the option to change your mind, should you decide on a different major or location.
Open savings and checking accounts. Learn how to manage them.
Get a summer job! If you already know what you’d like to pursue in college, look for an internship in that field.
Call companies in the field to ask about internship opportunities. Don’t expect to get paid, but do expect to get valuable hands-on experience.
Take the SAT or ACT ASAP! This will give you enough time to retake the exams in the fall if you are not satisfied with your scores.
THIS SUMMER (Summer ‘18)
Save money! You will need every penny that you can save for college. Don’t forget that in another year, you’ll be responsible for paying for tuition, room, board, nights out, books, supplies, toiletries, etc.
Continue to review your financial aid options.
Use the summer to brush up on your math and vocabulary skills for when you retake the SAT and/or ACT in the beginning of your senior year.
Use the summer to visit potential colleges and to research scholarships. ( and are great places to start!)
IN THE FALL (Fall ‘18)
*Apply for a Federal Student Aid ID number; you will use it to complete the FAFSA. You can do so at
*Fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as soon as possible after October 1. Access an online application at
Once your FAFSA is processed, you’ll receive a Student Aid Report (SAR). The SAR is a confirmation of your FAFSA information. Correct any inaccuracies so you qualify for all the financial aid possible.
I will give you more details next fall, but the submission time for the FAFSA is now in October; you will use prior-prior year taxes to do the FAFSA! So, for the FAFSA for the 2019-2020 school year, you will use 2017 taxes!
*Finish researching the colleges you want to attend, and apply for scholarships.
*Take the SAT or ACT now if you haven't already, or take it again if you want to try for a higher score.
*Keep those grades as high as you can - your senior year grades do count in college admissions.
*Work with your parents to budget for college costs, and determine how much you’re willing to pay for a degree.
*Consider enrolling in a community college as a high school student to take classes that will count toward your high school and college diplomas.
*Attend college fairs to get an idea of the schools and majors available.
*When requesting letters of recommendation for applications, be sure to give your letter writers at least two weeks of notice. Give them pre-addressed stamped envelopes, and make sure they are clear on the deadlines and purpose of the letters.
*Keeps copies of everything you send to scholarship committees and admission offices.
*Note the admission deadlines of the colleges in which you’re interested. Colleges that have rolling admissions accept applications year round. You might consider an early decision (binding) or early action (nonbinding) program to lock in your college admission before the spring.
NEXT WINTER (January - March ‘19)
Keep applying for scholarships from organizations that are offering free money for which you’re eligible.
Request that your mid-year grades be sent to the colleges to which you applied.
Contact financial aid offices at the colleges in which you’re interested to request application materials.
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STOP, REST, and CONTINUE!
Take some time this summer to evaluate where you’re headed after high school
By Paul Vitale, NextSTEP Magazine
Your senior year will be here and gone before you can say “Homecoming.” With all of the excitement,you might discover just how difficult it is to focus on that all-important next step: life beyond highschool. Now is the time to stop, rest, and continue. Let me explain.
Quite often, exciting plans are being created, new goals are forming, fresh resolutions are beingestablished, and yet, somewhere along the way, what originally was set out to be accomplished issomehow lost in the shuffle.
That’s why it benefits you to STOP every now and then to rest and reflect.
During this important period of rejuvenation and planning, you are in a position to assess the next chapter of your life. Take this opportunity to look into the window of your core and recognize theexceptional traits you have to offer the world.
Possessing a strong work ethic, being willing to exchange ideas, practicing self-discipline, and showing respect to others are all valuable qualities worthy of mentioning!
As you walk through this incredibly important process, keep in mind that you are not alone. If you are searching for an answer to a question, don’t be too intimidated to raise your hand. Admitting that you can constantly learn from others is a gigantic step in the right direction.
Even though many thoughts and questions may continue to swirl around in your mind, REST longenough to get your bearings and focus on how you plan to blaze your own unique course.
How do you begin such an undertaking? It starts with seizing ownership of your future and beingconfident in the outcome. There is no doubt that it is tempting to get caught up in everyday activities and let life just “take care ofitself.” However, remember that once time has passed, it can never berecaptured. Take responsibility for your future and embrace it!
Recognize that there will be bumps along the way, many more than you have already experienced. Try not to sabotage yourself when this happens. Navigate those roadblocks by learning how to deal with the fear of failure. A good starting point is to drop self-limiting thoughts and maintain a sense of humility throughout these trying times.