AP Exams
Mark your calendars! Please note these are national test dates. All students enrolled in an AP course are required to take the exam.
Afternoon exams extend past the school day so please plan accordingly with coaches and workplaces.
National AP Exam Schedule - May 2025
REMINDER: If you have not yet paid the College Board exam fee, please do so ASAP in the Main Office with Mrs. Flanagan.
Plymouth High Schools' Local Scholarship Application
All seniors wishing to be considered to receive a local scholarship should complete and submit one application (including an essay) by January 31st at 2 pm.
The application will open on December 1st and can be found and submitted through students' Naviance account (College Tab, 'Scholarships & Money,' and 'Scholarship Search.')
Important Notes
Please follow the instructions and complete the application in its entirety.
Student Essay is required: cannot be handwritten. (Please return to the Guidance Office by 1/31/2024 at 2:00)
After filing the FAFSA, please remember to submit to the Guidance Office a copy of the FSS (FAFSA Submission Summary) which contains the SAI (Student Aid Index).
The Local Scholarship Application also requires that you submit financial aid awards from all colleges.
Transcripts are provided by the Guidance Department.
Please submit completed applications through the Google Form link and submit supporting documentation to Guidance by the deadline dates listed above.
No late applications are accepted, but supporting documents for the Local Scholarship Application (such as financial aid award letters that are not available by the deadline) may be submitted through Friday, March 21, 2024.
Regular Decision Deadlines:
For seniors who have upcoming deadlines who haven’t previously submitted transcript request cards, we wanted to give you the following reminder:
- Teacher recommendations should be requested through Naviance after a face to face conversation. Please allow three weeks notice.
- You must submit transcript request cards, along with the $3.00 for each application by: November 18th for a December 1st deadline and December 9th for a January 1st deadline to guarantee that your counselor has enough time to send out your materials before the holiday breaks. Senior Brag Sheets should also be completed in Naviance before you submit your transcript request cards.
If you have any questions on "how to" or looking for additional information, please check out the various tutorials available on our Guidance page under the "Post-Secondary Resources" tab.
Community College is FREE!
No matter your age or income: if you live in Massachusetts and don’t have a Bachelor’s degree, you can attend 4Cs (or any MA public community college) for free thanks to the MassReconnect and MassEducate programs. No tuition. No fees. Every degree and certificate 4Cs offers is eligible.
Have prior credits from another college? Returning to 4Cs after some time away? Starting fresh as a first-time college student? We’ve got your back to start your chapter off right!
Mass Transfer
What if you could get everything you want out of college but keep cost—and therefore debt—to a minimum?
Beginning your college career at a community college is a smart choice. If you're from Massachusetts, attending a state university is already one of your most affordable options, but your tuition and fees can cost half as much during any time you spend at a Community College!
To help you leverage those savings toward completion of a state university bachelor's degree, Massachusetts’ public college and universities have joined together to offer a variety of cost-saving transfer pathways to reduce the sticker price of a State U or UMass bachelor’s degree.
These pathways vary in requirements and total expected savings, so be sure to explore your options and choose the best pathway for you.
Visit https://www.mass.edu/masstransfer/about/home.asp for more information.
Trade Schools
Entering a trade offers personal fulfillment, high salary potential, and job stability. Trade schools generally cost less and take less time than four-year college degrees. Trades are in high demand, but continuing education is essential to stay competitive.
Trade schools teach hands-on skills for specific careers. Traditional trades are symbolized by professionals like electricians, auto mechanics, carpenters, and plumbers, but the list of skilled trades is long and even includes high-tech specialists like avionics technicians and wind turbine installers.
If you are interested in searching trade schools in Massachusetts, please visit the links below!
PSAT/NMSQT Score Release
PSAT/NMSQT scores from October's PSAT School Day were released to students. Scores can be accessed online via your College Board account. Visit College Board for more information and a helpful video to explain scoring and next steps.
Sophomore Workshops
Click here to view the presentation.
Freshmen Workshops
This fall, Mrs. Nickerson has been busy visiting all freshmen classes to present information and activities on how to be a successful high school student, various ways to become engaged, and promoting class unity. Students have set academic and personal goals, logging them into their individual Naviance accounts. Next quarter, students will complete a Career Interest Profiler to research possible careers based on their interests.
Please see below for the classroom powerpoint.
American Legion Oratorical Contest
Since 1938, the American Legion Oratorical Contest has presented participants with an academic speaking challenge that teaches important leadership qualities, the history of our nation’s laws, the ability to think and speak clearly, and an understanding of the duties, responsibilities, rights and privileges of American citizenship.
High school students under age 20 are eligible. The competition begins at the post level and advances to a state competition, and ultimately the national level for the finalists.
Below are the department prizes:
1st - $1250
2nd - $800
3rd - $500
4th-6th - $300
The overall national contest winner gets a $25,000 scholarship. Second place takes home $22,500, and third gets $20,000. Each department (state) winner who is certified into and participates in the national contest’s first round receives a $2,000 scholarship. Those who advance past the first round receive an additional $2,000 scholarship. The scholarships can be used at any college or university in the United States.
PREPARED ORATION: All contestants shall be required to deliver a prepared oration, which must be the original effort of each contestant, and must require not less than eight (8) nor more than ten (10) minutes for delivery. The prepared oration must be based on some phase or phases of the Constitution of the United States which will give emphasis to the attendant duties and obligations of a citizen to our government. Failure to do this may result in disqualification. The same subject is to be used for the prepared oration throughout all contests. The contestant may choose their own subject, or they may select a title similar to topics which follow: An American Citizen’s Rights and Responsibilities under the Constitution Our Constitution – Worth Having, Worth Defending The Constitution in a Changing World The Constitution in Our Everyday Life The Bill of Rights – Reciprocal Rights and Duties The Constitution – Guardian of People’s Rights Contestants may have in their possession a copy of their prepared oration in the first holding room. The copy may be in electronic or paper form. They may consult the copy of their prepared oration, until they exit the holding room in order to begin the contest, at which time the copy of the prepared oration will be surrendered to the contest official who is monitoring the first holding room.
If this is something you are interested in learning more about or applying to, please click here. All application forms (last page of the document) are due to Guidance no later than December 19, 2024.
Book Review - The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt
The Anxious Generation by Social Psychologist Jonathan Haidt is a must read for all those who wish to understand how smart phones, social media, and helicopter parenting have led to a decline in adolescent mental health. Haidt offers actionable solutions to help kids become mature, emotionally stable adults.
According to Haidt, the “epidemic of mental illness” stems from adults “overprotecting children in the real world and underprotecting them online.” He claims that smart phones and “fearful parenting” are preventing children from having “a play-based childhood” that is required for healthy development.
Our connections to the “real world” share 4 distinct properties:
They rely on body language
They happen in sync with others
Communication happens in sequence with a few individuals max
They happen in communities with high barriers to entry
None of this happens online in a “phone based” childhood!
According to Haidt, our children’s mental health is endangered by 4 foundational harms:
Social deprivation - since 2012 the time adolescents spend with friends in face-to-face settings had dropped by 50%
Sleep deprivation - lack of sleep leads to “depression, anxiety, irritability, cognitive deficits, poor learning , and lower grades
Attention fragmentation - smartphones are constantly interrupting us, our ability to focus is severely impaired.
Addiction - many kids are using their phones as “dopamine slot machines” - always in search of the next hit. Big tech has designed apps to encourage this behavior.
Haidt shared his take on what governments, schools, and parents can do to provide healthy childhoods and to start to reverse the damage.
For more information, check out:
https://www.anxiousgeneration.com/book
https://jonathanhaidt.com/anxious-generation/
“Just as the immune system must be exposed to germs, and trees must be exposed to wind, children require exposure to setbacks, failures, shocks, and stumbles in order to develop strength and self-reliance.”
- Jonathan Haidt
Care Solace - Help is Available!
We are committed to the well-being of our students, staff, and families to create a safe and healthy learning environment. In support of our ongoing commitment, we partnered with Care Solace to provide an additional layer of care for our school community.
Care Solace helps individuals find mental health care providers and substance use treatment centers. Their Care Companion™ team is available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, and 365 days per year to quickly connect you to carefully verified providers in your community.
Students and staff as well as their families may access Care Solace FREE services in two ways: Call (888) 515-0595 at any time or visit CareSolace.com/plymouth. If you are interested in counseling-related services for your child, yourself, or another family member, please contact Care Solace for valuable assistance.
