• The results are in for the Class of 2025! Your flower is Peonies with baby's breath. Your song is Vienna by Billy Joel. Your motto is, "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." ~Dr. Seuss. The quote for the main hall is, "If you focus on what you left behind, you will never be able to see what lies ahead." ~ Chef Gusteau (Ratatouille)
• Now it's time to vote for your Graduation Faculty Speaker! Log in to Naviance and complete the survey "Graduation Faculty Speaker Vote" under Important Tasks and To-Dos.
• It's 2025-- your graduation year! With that, we wanted to provide the most recent dates and information surrounding graduation. Please note that this information is subject to change if necessary. Our website is also a great place to seek updates and stay informed. We cannot wait to share this special time with you all.
• Senior graduation speeches and entertainment tryouts are on the horizon! Speeches are due March 24th. Time limit is 2 minutes. Remember, you will be auditioning for one of four speakers (one from each academy). Leave your classmates with an inspirational message. You will upload your video to your google drive (or other linkable source) and then share the link in this form.
• Entertainment auditions are February 25th during advisement. Sign-ups are available HERE. As with speeches, your choice of entertainment has to be graduation appropriate and anyone involved in the audition must be a senior. The accompaniment should be of high quality, whether live or using a track.

• If you need a reminder on how to request transcripts, it's on the Post Grad website: How to Request Transcripts and Letters of Recommendation. To pay for transcripts, go through this direct link or login to MySchoolBucks and search "transcripts" to find and add CVHS TRANSCRIPTS. Students, don't forget to see me to let me know where and what you want sent!
• Please allow up to 2 weeks for processing application materials. Colleges may continue to send emails that materials are missing during that 2-week window, but don't panic.
• If you need to send your transcripts from Arapahoe Community College, you send them through the ACC website.
• Test scores are not on the transcript. You'll need to send them directly from ACT or SAT.
• Use your resources. Counselors, teachers and Ms. Gentry are here to help you with this process. Make your future a priority and ask for help if you need it. College applications can feel complex and they change constantly. We are also here to help you find your pathway even if it isn’t college. Our goal is to make sure you find your “right” path.
• Have you heard back from a college? Let me know the college decision so that I can update your application status in Naviance.
• If you have had someone write you a letter of recommendation, please make sure to THANK them. That's not a requirement of their job and it takes a lot of work. Thank you cards are a nice memento!
• We have a few college reps visiting Castle View this spring. Reps visit to help students learn more about the college/university, but they are also usually the rep who reads your application and helps you with all steps of the application process. If you list a college in “college I’m applying to” or “colleges I’m thinking about” in Naviance, you will receive an e-mail notification about the visit as soon as it’s scheduled. If you don’t have colleges updated in Naviance, you will have to frequently visit Naviance or the College Visit calendar to check upcoming visits. You must register for each visit in Naviance and pick up your pass the morning of the visit.
• Northern Arizona University - Tuesday, February 11th at 8:30 AM
• University of Calgary - Thursday, March 6th at 10:30 AM
• Colorado State University is hosting three upcoming events:
• Webinar: Being First Gen at CSU on January 28th. During this webinar, attendees will learn about Key Communities, Summer Bridge, and the First Generation Scholarship award. This webinar will be from 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM and students can register here: https://connect.colostate.edu/register/?id=4124f7d0-e968-486b-9b5c-a6d41a0d704c
• Event: FAFSA/CASFA Completion Night on January 29th. We have reserved space at CSU Spur for students to come complete their FASFA or their CASFA. Light snacks will be provided and we will have bilingual Spanish speaking staff on sight to assist. We ask that students create their FSAID before they attend this event. This event will be from 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM. You can register for the event here: https://connect.colostate.edu/register/?id=f02ac082-721d-4351-a509-fc82022e4ccc
• Event: Admissions Presentation and Tour - all in Spanish! on February 8th. On Saturday, February 8th, we will be offering a tour and presentation about CSU all in Spanish. Guests will have the opportunity to learn about CSU and hear directly from CSU students. This event will be from 12:00 PM – 2:30 PM. You can register for the event here: https://connect.colostate.edu/register/?id=a564b8b4-4841-42cf-a4e2-6c109afe4c9f
• Class 101 is offering upcoming college nights. Admissions representatives from the following colleges will be at Class 101 Douglas County, CO throughout the month of January. RSVP - seating is limited!
• Thursday, January 16:
• 6:00pm: Hastings College with Jon Mires
• 6:30pm: The University of Wyoming with Adrienne Loveland
• 7:00pm: The University of Colorado – Denver with Emily Outhier
• 7:30pm: The University of Alabama with Beth Hodge
• Wednesday, January 22:
• 6:00pm: The University of Colorado – Boulder with Aliena Pitts (se habla español)
• 6:30pm: Northern Michigan University with Bianca Simboli
• Thursday, January 30:
• 6:00pm: Western Colorado University with Josh Acuña
• 6:30pm: Arizona State University with Meg Gray
• 7:00pm: The University of Arizona with Kelsey Livingston
• 7:30pm: The University of Colorado – Colorado Springs with Katie Goodall
• South Dakota Mines is excited to announce that our 2025 summer camps are now open for registration. We'll be hosting STEM day camps for current 8th-12th grade students. Our faculty-led camps give students an immersive pre-college experience in subjects like Biomedical Engineering, programming, robotics, geology, and more.

CASFA, the Colorado Application for State Financial Aid, is the state financial aid application for undocumented, Colorado ASSET students.

The purpose of CASFA is to determine the need for financial aid awards for students historically excluded from receiving state and federal financial aid. CASFA positively supports families and is a logical next step in efforts to erase equity gaps and put college in reach for the families who benefit most from a postsecondary education.

Start or Complete the CASFA

Cornell College FAFSA Tips (not specific to Cornell)

We've compiled some FAFSA tips for you and created a playlist to keep you going while you fill out the FAFSA.

FAFSA instructions

• You'll complete your FAFSA on the Federal Student Aid website. You'll need to create a FSA ID if you haven't already. (Watch a video that explains more about the FSA ID.) Make sure to keep your user ID and password handy when filing your FAFSA because you will use that information as your "electronic signature".
• You will use prior, prior year tax information when filing the FAFSA. For example: use 2022 tax information for the 2024-2025 FAFSA for students entering college in Fall 2024.
• Add your schools to your FAFSA before you submit it.
• Complete your FAFSA before March 1 to avoid any delays in your financial assistance award.
• You'll receive your FAFSA Submission Summary, which outlines your family contribution. If there are any errors, correct them on the Federal Student Aid website.
• If you have any special circumstances not reflected in your FAFSA that you'd like your college to consider, tell them about them by emailing by calling the college's financial aide department.
• Get help with common questions people have when filing their FAFSA.
• Watch a step-by-step demonstration that includes helpful tips on how to file your FAFSA.

Remember, if you haven't completed your applications yet, they cannot process your financial aid.

If you submitted your FAFSA form online, we’ll process your form within one to three days. If you submitted a paper FAFSA form, your form will be processed within 7 to 10 days.

Once your form is processed, you’ll receive a copy of your FAFSA Submission Summary, which summarizes the information you provided on your FAFSA form. Review your FAFSA Submission Summary and make sure all of the information is complete and accurate.

Your FAFSA Submission Summary will include your Student Aid Index (SAI). Schools use your SAI to determine your eligibility for a Federal Pell Grant and other federal and nonfederal student aid. Learn more about how your SAI is calculated.

You can check the status of an online FAFSA form at any time by logging in to StudentAid.gov and selecting your FAFSA submission from the "My Activity" section of your account Dashboard.

If there is any missing or incorrect information, complete or correct your FAFSA form as soon as possible.

Once your FAFSA form is processed, your Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR) is sent to the colleges or career schools you listed on your FAFSA form. Those colleges and career schools are responsible for creating your aid offer and disbursing your financial aid. However, listing a college or career school on your FAFSA form is generally not sufficient to receive aid at that school, as most schools don’t create aid packages for every applicant who lists the school on their FAFSA form.

Contact the financial aid office at the college or career school you plan to attend to find out if there are additional requirements for receiving financial aid and to learn more about the process of applying for aid at that school.

• The required tasks for all seniors are:

• Create/Update a Resume. If you need to create one, use this website. Otherwise, update your resume, download as a PDF and upload to Naviance.
• Complete AchieveWorks® Learning & Productivity assessment from 9th grade
• Complete Career Interest Profiler from 10th grade
• Identify 3 favorite careers
• Add colleges to my list
• Complete AchieveWorks® Skills from 11th grade
• Senior Credit Check With Counselor
• Create a 12th Grade Post-Secondary Workforce Goal. What do you want to do after high school?

• Use the Naviance tool "SuperMatch college search" under the colleges tab. This tool allows students to search for specific interests and narrow down their college options. Students can then make a list of their appropriate choices.

• Have you received a scholarship? Please send Ms. Gentry the letter or a picture of the scholarship information for our records.

• Applying for scholarships? Check out some helpful tips on our Post Grad website under Financial Aid/Scholarships. Check college websites for school specific scholarships, or find a free scholarship search such as fastweb, Going Merry, or Raise.Me.

• College scholarship money is available to offspring of those working in the financial services industry. Each Gordon A. Rich scholarship is worth up to $50,000 (approx. $12,500 per year) awarded to bright, hardworking high school seniors who have a financial need. Please read the requirements and fill out an application form NOW. Application deadline is February 20th.

• The Dan and Vicky Hancock Scholarship for Mechanical Engineering Excellence provides financial support for students pursuing college degrees in mechanical engineering. Students must have a GPA of 3.5 or higher. Applications open February 1-28, 2025.

• The American Chemical Society Scholars Program awards renewable scholarships to underrepresented minority students majoring in undergraduate chemistry-related disciplines, and are also intending to pursue careers in chemistry-related fields. Selected recipients are awarded up to $5,000 per academic year. To date, over 3,500 students have received funding from the ACS Scholarship Program. Deadline to apply is March 1st.

• The American Legion Auxiliary sponsors the Children of Warriors National Presidents' Scholarship to support the children of our warriors. These scholarships are awarded to 15 students annually who excel in academics and volunteer in their communities. Scholarship deadline is March 1st.

• Since 1986, FEEA has given over 11,000 merit-based scholarships to federal public servants, their spouses, children, and grandchildren. An additional nearly 200 scholarships to surviving children whose federal employee parents died or were severely injured in the line of duty during terrorist attacks, such as those on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, the Pentagon on 9-11, and the US Embassies and Consulates in Kenya, Tanzania, and Libya. Deadline for the 2024 Scholarship Program is March 13, 2025.

• The Mountain Pine Woman's Club is a scholarship available to a graduating senior (male or female) with a GPA of 2.5+. Students planning on attending college or vocational school may apply. For a list of requirements and to apply, visit the website. Deadline to apply is March 14, 2025.

• The Scholarship for Journalism Diversity Honoring Julie Schoo consists of a $5,000 one-year scholarship. The purpose of the scholarship, named for the former executive director of the National Press Club Journalism institute, is to recruit promising future journalists who will bring diversity to American journalism. The award can be renewed up to three years, for a total of $20,000 toward educational expenses. To be eligible, applicants must have a 3.0 grade-point average or higher and plan to pursue a career in journalism. Deadline to apply is March 16, 2025.

• The Richard G. Zimmerman Scholarship is named for a long-time National Press Club member who died in 2008 and endowed a scholarship in aid of high school seniors who wish to pursue a career in journalism. Recipients receive a one-time scholarship of $5,000. To be eligible, applicants must have a 3.0 grade-point average or higher and plan to pursue a career in journalism. Deadline to apply is March 16, 2025.

• The Wes Vernon Broadcast Scholarship, established in 2021, supports diversity within the field of broadcast journalism while honoring longtime radio journalist Wes Vernon, a former National Press Club member The scholarship provides $5,000 annually to a student who demonstrates a commitment to a career in broadcast journalism. The award can be renewed up to three years, for a total of $20,000 toward educational expenses. Deadline to apply is March 16, 2025.

• College Covered has a few resources for scholarships available: Senior Year Prep Checklist, and a breakdown of the Student Aid Report (SAR).

• Need to send SAT scores to a college? Do that through your College Board account. Instructions are here.

• Need to send ACT scores to a college? Do that through your ACT account. Instructions are here.

• Students who need to complete/turn in graduation required community service hours: 263 or 59%

• Students who need to complete ICAP requirements: 164 or 36% - Check your Naviance > tasks

• Students who have completed their application to college: 56.4%