• Oakland Community College - Next Steps - Coming to WBHS (seniors)
• College Essay Workshop with Kim Bryant - U of M Admissions at WBHS (juniors)
• Oakland University Tour - Field Trip for Juniors
• Honors Assembly - Seniors - Tell us about your scholarships in order to be recognized
• Seniors - FAFSA is now OPEN - Fill it out!
• Detroit River Youth Career Expo
• Jr. Leadership Oakland
• Journalism Camp at Wayne State
• Summer Job Opportunities - Summer Camps, Bubble Z, Pine Lake Marina, Lifeguards, Goldfish Swim School, Fox Run
• FAFSA Help Document by Mrs. Essig
• Test-Optional and what it means when taking an SAT or ACT
• Fee Waivers for College Applications and ACT/SAT
• Michigan Achievement Scholarship and Community College Guarantee
• Scholarship Club for Seniors
• Scholarship List

Tuesday April 22, 2025 at 9:30 AM Oakland Community College - Next Steps 12th grade in College & Career Center

Tuesday May 20, 2025 9:00 AM College Essay Workshop with Kim Bryant - U of M Admssions Rep 11th grade students in iCenter

Wednesday May 21, 2025 8:00 AM Oakland University - Campus Tour Field Trip - 11th grade students Juniors must have a 2.5 GPA or higher and be passing all current classes.

Get a Head Start on Your College Application Essay!

Many colleges require a Common Application essay as part of the admissions process. Starting your essay early can make your fall semester significantly less stressful.

Join us on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, for a special workshop with Mrs. Kim Bryant, Associate Director of Admissions at the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor. Mrs. Bryant will guide students through the essential components of a strong Common App essay and share examples of effective submissions.

Space is limited to the first 100 juniors. A waitlist will be created once capacity is reached.

Click on this link to register: College Essay Workshop Registration Link

If you have any questions, please reach out to Noelle Essig at noelle.essig@wbsd.org. Thank you.

Class of 2025 – Scholarships & Awards Submission – Deadline: May 10

Dear Seniors & Parents,

We are preparing for the Senior Honors Ceremony on Thursday, May 22, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. During this event, we will recognize scholarships and awards that students have received from colleges, universities, and organizations.

Since we are not automatically notified about these scholarships, we rely on you to share them with us. Please take the time to report all scholarships and awards you have received so that we can acknowledge your achievements properly.

Important Notes:

• While all seniors are welcome to attend the honors ceremony, only students who will be recognized will receive an invitation.

Submission Instructions:

1. Submit one Google Form per scholarship/award received.

2. Upload supporting documentation (such as a photo of the certificate or a screenshot of an official email).

3. Incomplete entries without verification will be deleted.

4. Only students can submit this form using their school email account.

5. The deadline for submission is May 10, 2025.

6. Submit your scholarships here: Google Form Link

If you have any questions, please contact:
Karen Brody – karen.brody@wbsd.org
Noelle Essig – noelle.essig@wbsd.org

We look forward to celebrating your achievements!

Join us for a field trip to tour Oakland University. We will listen to an admissions presentation, tour campus and eat lunch in the cafeteria. Space is limited to juniors and once the bus is full we will create a wait list.

Wednesday, May 21, 2025 Depart WBHS at 8:30 AM. We will meet in the College and Career Center. Click here for the parent permission slip. Return the signed permission slip to the Counseling Office. Space is limited!

Oakland University - Parent Permission Slip for Field Trip Campus Tour

After you fill out the FAFSA, don't forget to create your MiSSG account at www.michigan.gov/missg. This is how you can find out if you are eligible for any of the State of Michigan scholarships/grants. You will need to know your social security number in order to create this account. If you haven't filled out the FAFSA, yet, there is still time! Do it this weekend!

For those of you who have already created your MiSSG account, please note that they are requiring students to change and update their passwords. Please take a minute to login and create a new password. More details can be seen below:

This will fill up quickly!

Are you taking the SAT or ACT? We encourage you to wait to send your scores before sending them blindly to colleges. In this test-optional world, you want to see them first!

Juniors - As you start the pre-registration process for taking an SAT or ACT exam, the instructions will prompt you to list up to four colleges to send your scores. However, since many colleges are now "test optional," we recommend waiting to send your scores. You should first review your scores to decide if they strengthen your college application. Once a score is sent, a college may not be able to "unsee" it, so we suggest keeping control over your score reporting.

If you have any questions please see your counselor or Mrs. Essig.

My name is Angela Sousa, and I am a Staff Recruitment & Experience Manager for a company called KE Camps, which operates summer day camp programs at country clubs all across the United States. I found your contact information on the West Bloomfield High School website and wanted to reach out regarding summer job opportunities we have for your students!

Joining our team offers an engaging environment where students can thrive and build critical skills sought after by employers, such as creativity, problem solving, flexibility, collaboration, organization, planning, and communication.

This summer, we have several camps local to your school that may be of interest to your students!

We will be hosting camps at the following locations:

· Birmingham Country Club in Birmingham MI

· Edgewood Country Club in Commerce, MI

· Forest Lake Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, MI

· Detroit Yacht Club in Detroit, MI

· Lochmoor Club in Grosse Pointe Woods, MI

· Oakhurst Golf & Country Club in Village of Clarkston, MI

· Orchard Lake Country Club in Orchard Lake, MI

· Pine Lake Country Club in Orchard Lake, MI

· Walnut Creek Country Club in South Lyon, MI

· Plum Hollow Country Club in Southfield, MI

· Grosse Ile Golf & Country Club in Grosse Ile Township, MI

· Travis Pointe Country Club in Ann Arbor, MI

· Oak Pointe Country Club in Brighton, MI

Please note that all employees must be at least 18 years of age by the time that camp starts.

I have linked to the applications here for you to view. I can also send flyers for the opportunities if you would be interested! I would greatly appreciate it if you could share this information with your students or include it in any relevant communications.

If there are any specific protocols for sharing such opportunities with students, please let me know.

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions at all as you review and share this opportunity!

Best,

Angela Sousa

Staff Recruitment & Experience Manager

KE Camps

P: 877.671.2267 Ext. 850

F: 877.829.5556

angela@kecamps.com

www.kecamps.com

Check out this job!

Program Details:
Location: Goldfish Swim School – 6335-A Orchard Lake Rd, West Bloomfield, MI
Hours: 5-20 per week

Roles:
Swim Instructor: Teach children to swim using the Science of Swim Play, develop leadership and communication skills, and interact with parents.
Lifeguard: Monitor the pool, respond to emergencies, and receive free lifeguard certification—valuable for careers in healthcare, emergency response, and sports medicine.

Are you a high school student interested in expanding your writing, reporting and research skills? Do you have a special interest in the climate, health or environment in your community? Or do you simply enjoy storytelling and writing about issues you care about?

The Detroit Writing Room’s 2025 Summer Journalism Camp in partnership with Coaching Detroit Forward and Planet Detroit is for you!

The two-week day camp will be held this July at Wayne State University’s Journalism Institute for Media Diversity. Students will learn from over 30 Detroit Writing Room coaches and award-winning journalists who have worked at publications from The New York Times to The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press.

The camp provides an immersive experience that teaches high school students fundamental writing and reporting skills while focusing on issues impacting their neighborhoods. Most importantly, they’ll receive the tools and confidence to write about issues that matter to them and their communities. With access to some of the top editors, journalists and photographers in Detroit, students also gain mentors who can guide them to future internship and job opportunities.

This year’s camp is in partnership with Planet Detroit, a nonprofit news outlet that covers important stories about the environmental, public health and social justice in Detroit. Each day, students will learn from journalists covering these beats and participate in interactive workshops and real-world reporting exercises.

What Students Will Learn:

• Environmental reporting with Emilia Askari and Jena Brooker

• Public health reporting with Isabelle Tavares

• Opinion writing with Laura Berman

• Race and social justice reporting with Kat Stafford

• Food writing with Dorothy Hernandez

• Community reporting with Nargis Hakim Rahman

• Story structure with Walter Middlebrook

• Ledes with Anna Clark

• AP Style and nutgrafs with Krishnan Anantharaman

• Headline writing and SEO with Kate Abbey-Lambertz

• Publication design with Michelle Sheridan

• Video storytelling with SaMya Overall

• Photojournalism with Elaine Cromie

• Interviewing and journalism ethics with Stephanie Steinberg

Publication Opportunities:

Over the two weeks, students will report and write a story focused on an environmental, health or equity topic they choose. They will also be paired with an Editing Coach to receive feedback and one-on-one editing. On the last day, students will share their stories with the group.

Each student will have their article published online at planetdetroit.org and detroitwritingroom.com. Articles will also be printed in the sixth edition of Perspectives Magazine, an annual print publication produced by students in our journalism and photography camps. Local media outlets, including Chalkbeat Detroit, Bridge Magazine and El Central Hispanic News, may also republish the students’ stories. Student articles will also be entered for Society of Professional Journalist Detroit Awards.

Check out stories written by students in our 2023, 2022, 2021 and 2020 camps.

Students Who Attend Will Receive:

• A welcome package with writing supplies, T-shirt, water bottle, press pass and “A Newshound’s Guide to Student Journalism”

• Daily lunch and snacks

• Daily parking pass or rideshare transportation stipend

• A certificate of completion

• Copies of Perspectives Magazine

• Invitations to a Perspectives Magazine Launch Party at Playground Detroit in November 2025

• Free tickets to select Detroit Writing Room workshops and events throughout the year

A Bonus for the College Bound:

Our coaches also help write letters of recommendation for college, scholarships, internships and more! We’re proud to share our former students have been accepted to the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Wayne State University, Northwestern University, Howard University, Texas A&M University, University of Florida, Indiana University and other schools to study journalism, communications, English and more.

Dates:

The camp is held weekdays Monday through Friday.

July 7-18, 2025

11 a.m. to 3 p.m. EST

Location:

Wayne State University’s Manoogian Hall

Requirements:

• Students must plan their own transportation to and from camp. Students driving themselves will receive a parking pass.

• Students will need a laptop each day. Coaching Detroit Forward laptops are available for Detroit students to borrow.

Cost:

$599 total for 2 weeks

*Add $15 for credit card payments

Scholarship Opportunities:

Detroit Students:

Students who live in the city of Detroit or attend a Detroit high school are eligible to apply for a scholarship to attend the journalism camp free of charge.

These scholarships are made possible by Coaching Detroit Forward donors, a Michigan Environmental Council award and several sponsors.

To Apply:

Fill out the application below. The deadline to apply is May 2, 2025. Students will be notified of acceptance by mid May.

College application fee waivers are available for students who qualify for free and reduced lunch. Your family needs to apply each year for free and reduced lunch. Please fill out the free and reduced lunch form by clicking here: https://www.wbsd.org/departments/nutriton-services

10th and 11th grade: If you qualify for free and reduced lunch, you can receive a code to waive your fees for the ACT and/or SAT. Please apply for free and reduced lunch first and confirm that you qualify then see your counselor or Mrs. Essig.

Students and families looking for help paying for college can attend an upcoming Virtual Financial Aid Presentation provided by MI Student Aid.

Participants will be able to gather information on the following financial aid topics:

• FAFSA application information
• Federal financial aid programs
• State financial aid programs
• Scholarship searching resources

April 16 at 6:30 p.m.

April 22 at 12:30 p.m.

Are you not able to attend one of our Financial Aid 101 webinars? You can view a recording of the presentation.

Additional Financial Aid Webinars

Michigan Achievement Scholarship Informational Sessions

• my Impact Challenge- 9th-12th grade - Due May 18, 2025
• American College Foundation Visionary Scholarship - All Grades- Apply by June 1, 2025
• Families of WWII Veterans - 3.0 GPA - Due May 31, 2025
• Detroit Section of the Society of Women Engineers College Scholarship - Female Seniors - Due May 30, 2025
• Cameron Impact Scholarship - Class of 2026 - students with 3.7 GPA and leadership - Due May 21, 2025 at noon PST
• My Impact Challenge- 9th-12th grade - Due May 18, 2025
• Credit Union One - William G. Coyne Memorial Scholarship- Member of Credit Union One, Seniors 30+ hours of community service, 3.0 GPA - Due May 12, 2025
• Golden Opportunity Scholarship - Pontiac seniors 2.0+ GPA- Must be received by May 8, 2025 5 p.m.
• Recreational Boating Industries Educational Foundation Scholarship - Due May 1st
• On a Dragonflies Wings - seniors interested in mental health fields - Due April 30, 2025
• Vetowich Family Foundation Scholarship - Due April 30, 2025
• Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund - McDonalds Black & Positively Golden Scholars - 2.7 GPA, Attending HBCU - Due April 25, 2025
• Organization for Autism Research’s Scholarship Program - Senior across the autism spectrum- April 21, 25
• Boomer Esiason Foundation Academic Scholarship - Person or family member with Cystic Fibrosis April 18, 2025
• 2025 Robert A. Schuele Scholarship - Senior - 2.3 + GPA - Monday, April 15th @ 9 p.m.
• SET SEG Foundation Skilled Trade Scholarship - Seniors - April 14, 2025

Please note that Ms. Essig posts all scholarship information in the College and Career Center Canvas page. Please follow the Canvas page for the most up-to-date opportunities!

How do I find scholarships?

1. Seniors - The FAFSA will open for the Class of 2025 seniors after December 1st. Apply for Financial Aid after December 1st at this link: https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa

2. Check with each college in which you are applying for merit-based scholarships and deadlines.

3. Check for memorial and alumni scholarship opportunities at each college in which you may qualify.

4. Check with student’s/parent’s employer, banks/credit union, religious & civic affiliations, etc. for scholarships.

5. Check the College and Career Center Canvas pages frequently.

6. Read the Counselor Connection

7. Conduct a search by using a national search engine, such as www.fastweb.com, www.scholarships.com, www.myscholly.com, etc. Be sure to create an email address just for these searches as students will receive a lot of emails. There is no need to pay money for these services! Watch for scams!

8. Check Careeronestop: https://www.careeronestop.org/toolkit/training/find-scholarships.aspx

9. College Board Opportunity Scholarships. https://opportunity.collegeboard.org/

10. For more information: https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/types/grants-scholarships/finding-scholarships#how-find

11. Remember it takes work to receive most scholarships! You won't know if you don't try!

I am reaching out on behalf of the Society of Women Engineers Detroit Professional Section (SWE-D).

Our 2025 high school scholarship and award applications are now live! The deadline to apply is May 30, 2025. The website may not reflect this yet, but rest assured - there is still plenty of time to complete the applications.

Scholarships and Awards - Detroit

Scholarship applicants must be in their senior year of high school OR current community college student. Students must be enrolling in an ABET accredited 4-year university/college engineering or computer science program OR community college with the intention of transferring to a 4-year engineering degree for the Fall 2025 term.

Awards are available for high school freshmen, sophomore, juniors, and seniors. Students can apply directly for the SWE Detroit Advance, Aspire, Achieve Awards which recognize high school freshmen, sophomore, and junior students who inspire other girls to pursue STEM. High school counselors, teachers or administrators can nominate up to 1 senior woman for the Certificate of Merit award and 1 junior woman for the Madame Curie Award for Excellence per school.

Please visit our website for further details and the online applications or see the attached links below.

2025 SWE-D Scholarship Application:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSecrh60x8DJ-eWFOBZ2OFNkZ1dkMtw1MA-9WLHz3zoPvWcpeg/viewform?usp=preview

2025 SWE Detroit High School Advance, Aspire, Achieve Awards:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeNi3R6nwcD-PQucav-8jc-hyAuf4ShnJpTj9ONOxhGXCYFrQ/viewform?usp=dialog

2025 Society of Women Engineers Detroit High School Administrator Nominated Awards - Senior and Junior Women:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfX6jqqJ36mtqa9xJ6CPy1ealCd6DD6zdB_FmBurk-7Gq53Ew/viewform?usp=dialog

We would greatly appreciate it if you advertised these opportunities to your students and other faculty! Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any additional questions.

Thank you!

Mia Kahlig, Scholarships Chair and High School Awards Chair

Society of Women Engineers - Detroit

Mrs. Essig created this video series to assist seniors in the college application process. If you missed the emails or your senior missed the College App Boot Camp, these resources will be valuable to you! She will continue to add to this throughout the school year. Enjoy!

WBHS College Prep Series #2 - Using the Common Data Set Tool

WBHS College Prep Series #3 - Asking for Letters of Recommendation

WBHS College Prep Series #4 - Creating the College List

WBHS College Prep Series #5 - Types of College Application Deadlines and Fee Waivers

WBHS College Prep Series #6 - Introduction to the Common App & Inviting Recommenders

WBHS College Prep Series #7 - How to Fill Out the Activities Section of the Common App

It is important to do your research and created a balanced list of colleges. If you are applying to several reach schools, it is critical that your list includes likely and target schools. Please also keep in mind that your safety school might be your friend's reach school. Please be cautious of your words. Stay open-minded and chase merit scholarships at schools where your GPA is above their average.

Parchment: What you need to know before you start

Last week in advisory, we worked to help seniors create their Parchment accounts. If you were absent, please see the information and instructional video below.

• What is Parchment? Parchment is a transcript delivery service that we (and most high schools and many colleges use). This is how WBHS sends your high school transcript to colleges, employers, the military and so on. The account you create today will be the same account you will log in to years from now if you need to request a transcript to show proof of graduation

• Do I need a Parchment account if I’m not planning to go to college? Yes, everyone needs a Parchment account as many employers will need to see proof of graduation in order to hire you.

• What do I need to know before I create this account?

When you create your account, remember, you will be asked to provide an email address. It's crucial that you DO NOT USE YOUR WBHS EMAIL ADDRESS! Instead, use your personal email address. This is a proactive step to ensure that once you graduate, your Parchment account remains accessible, as your WBHS Email address will be deleted.

When creating your account, be sure to use your full legal name so that your account can be properly matched to your transcript.

Before you begin, remember that at some point in Parchment, they will ask your permission to share your personal information with colleges and universities. WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU SAY “NO” SO THAT YOU DO NOT GET SIGNIFICANT SPAM.

IF AT ANY POINT IN PARCHMENT it asks you to provide your GPA, and area of study, you are in the WRONG SPOT!!! Please click the Parchment icon and then the “DASHBOARD” link to return to the correct area.

THE RED LINE THAT SHOWS THE PERCENT COMPLETE RATE IS NOT IMPORTANT!

There are three steps to creating the account.

• First, you will create your account using your personal email address and password.

• Second, you will be sent a verification code to the email address that you used. Sometimes, this can take a few minutes.

• Lastly, once you enter the code, you must link West Bloomfield High School to your account. Look for the + sign at the center of the screen. If you don’t see it, click on the Parchment Icon at the top left of your screen and click on Dashboard to take you to the correct screen.

Before you begin, please watch this instructional video on how to create the Parchment account. Please watch the video and then work to create your account. - https://youtu.be/une5s-PGN40

If at any point you have difficulty creating your account, please fill out this Google Form and Mrs. Essig will make arrangements to assist you within the next few weeks. Do not panic, we are here to help!

If you are in 11th and 12th grade, be sure to "accept" the invitation to join the Virtual College and Career Center! Mrs. Essig has created a fantastic resource for you! After you have reviewed the information, you are welcome to set up an appointment with her if you have questions. Mrs. Essig kindly asks that juniors wait until after November 1st to make an appointment as seniors are her priority with November 1st college application deadlines. Check Canvas for more details and announcements.

Parents - You can view the information by being an "observer" of your student in Canvas.

Below are some helpful links for Canvas.

• Canvas Login Portal - Student/Staff
• Canvas Login Portal - Parent/Guardian
• Canvas Instructions for Parents and Students
• Canvas Parent Observer Instructions
• Canvas Sign-On Information
• https://www.wbsd.org/academics/classroom-to-cloud/canvas

Interested in an HBCU but not sure where to look? Check out this search tool that allows you to search by major. http://thehundred-seven.org/matchme.php

Every college provides data via the Common Data Set about their previous year's admitted students. This is a great way to understand your chances of admission along with helping you determine whether to send your SAT/ACT scores to a college that is test optional. Simply Google the name of the college + Common Data Set to find this information. Look in Section C. This data quickly helps students understand their chances of admission.

To get an estimate of your cost of attendance at a college or university, Google the name of the college with the term "Net Price Calculator." Each college has an estimator. This doesn't guarantee your cost of attendance but can be a useful tool.

WBHS Counseling Department

Alpha Splits

Kelly Casinelli - Students with last names A-Ch
Joanne Wegrzynowicz - Students with last names Ci-Gra
Karen Brody - Students with last names Grb-Kl
Kason Dickerson - Students with last names Km-M
Kyle Landon - Students with last names N-Sh
John Hepper - Students with last names Si-Z

Noelle Essig - College & Career Counselor

Carla Jones - Mental Health Specialist

Administrative Staff

Mr. Eric Pace, Principal

Eric.Pace@wbsd.org

Susie Aisner, Assistant Principal

Susan.Aisner@wbsd.org

Jamie Glinz, Assistant Principal

Jamie.Glinz@wbsd.org

Dr. Stephanie Clark, Assistant Principal

Stephanie.Clark@wbsd.org

Eric Pierce, Assistant Principal/Athletic Director

Eric.Pierce@wbsd.org

Newsletter Contact:

Email: noelle.essig@wbsd.org
Website: https://www.wbsd.org/west-bloomfield-high-school/counseling-office
Location: 4925 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield Township, MI, USA
Phone: (248)865-6768
Twitter: @WBHSCounseling

Appointment with Counselor

College Rep Virtual Visits

Counselor Connection - Prior Editions

Financial Aid and Scholarships

NCAA Eligibility Center - College Athletics

Parchment- Sending Transcripts

OK2SAY

1-855-565-2729

Text - 652729

https://www.michigan.gov/ok2say

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

1-800-273-TALK (8255)

https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

Text - HELLO to 741741