The Hugh O’Brian Youth (HOBY) Leadership Seminar is a program for students who demonstrate or have potential leadership skills. This leadership program has been active for fifty years, focusing on enhancing and building an individual's capacity for leadership as a conscientious citizen. The candidate pool for HOBY was very competitive. Indian Hills Is proud to be represented by candidates Mark Havel and Joseph Tafuri Del Vecchio. Ramapo is proud to be represented by candidates Aubrey Kwon, Jackson Marder, Sabrina Moroz and Isabella Rutigliano.

The Governor’s School of New Jersey was established in 1983 as a tuition-free, residential program for high-achieving students who have an interest in STEM subjects. There are two programs: the Governor’s School in the Sciences at Drew University and the Governor’s School of Engineering & Technology at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. One nomination per program is permitted from the Class of 2026. Ramapo is proud to nominate Samantha Oring for the Governor's School in the Sciences and Jackson Rijo for the Governor's School in Engineering. Indian Hills is proud to nominate Nehali Reddy for the Governor’s School in Engineering and Matt Khanlian for Governor’s School in Science. Thank you to the RIH Science Superviors, STEM Supervisor and Math Supervisor for collaborating with Guidance to identify and nominate students!

The Martin Luther King. Jr. The Birthday Committee will be recognizing the 95th birthday observance of Dr. King on Monday, January 15. As part of this celebration,, there will be a distinguished guest speaker and other dignitaries. A highlight of the program is to recognize Senior high school students from Bergen County public and private high schools, whose academic achievement and community service exemplify the ideals of Dr. King. These students will be awarded Certificates of Merit from Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Committee and commendations from the NJ State Legislature and Bergen County officials. Ramapo is thrilled to recognize Arielle Gomberg and Indian Hills is delighted to recognize Brianna Petrella.

The RIH Guidance Offices hosted Instant Decision Day events throughout the fall. Instant Decision Days are offered by a limited number of colleges. IDDs require a student to apply to the college with all supporting documents for an application review prior to a face-to-face meeting in which the student is evaluated for admission. The meeting traditionally takes approximately 20 minutes and serves as an opportunity for the student to discuss their application as well as interest in the college. The student must meet specific requirements to participate in IDD. IDD is not binding nor is it restrictive towards applying to other colleges, so students offered admission as part of IDD can table the acceptance while awaiting admissions offers from other colleges.

At IHHS, there were twelve opportunities for students to participate in Instant Decision Days with Bergen Community College, Caldwell College, Drew University, East Stroudsburg University, Fairleigh Dickinson, Kean University, NJIT, Ramapo College, Sacred Heart University (interviews only), Quinnipiac University, William Paterson University. Of the students who participated in IDD, all were offered an acceptance to at least one college. Unfortunately, several IDDs were canceled due to lack of student participation.

At RHS, there were ten opportunities for students to participate in Instant Decision Days with

BCC, NJIT, Quinnipiac, Ramapo College, Sacred Heart University (interviews only) , Salve Regina, Seton Hall, Stockton University, and William Paterson. Of the students who participated in IDD, all were offered an acceptance to at least one college. The amount of merit aid shared upon the IDD ranged from $3,000 to $32,0000.

Special thank you to Ms. Piccinno (RHS), Mrs. Sherry (IHHS), and Mrs. Zakrzewski (IHHS) as the School Counselors organizing events in each respective school.

College conferences for the Class of 2026 are underway in the RIH Guidance Offices! School Counselors are working individually with students and their parents to discuss the college search process including identifying key aspects of the application process. The student transcript, academic performance, and scheduling course requests for senior year are reviewed to highlight how a college admissions office will evaluate these key pieces of information when considering an applicant. A standardized testing plan is established and the process of requesting letters of recommendation is outlined.

School Counselors provide another letter of recommendation. Students are asked to complete a Student Profile and parents a Parent Brag Sheet for the School Counselors to reflect upon when crafting the individual student letter. While the letters of recommendation are weighted differently by the colleges, the letters represent an opportunity for the reviewing Admissions Counselor to gain a sense of the person "behind" the transcript. In the late spring, students will be encouraged to request letters of recommendation from 2 teachers who can discuss the individual student in the context of the classroom environment. A student is expected to speak with the individual teacher in person.

Naviance is an essential tool in the college process. It is used to conduct a college search, allowing transparency on the accepted average GPA and ACT / SAT scores for respective colleges. The student, parent, and Counselor will collaborate on the development of a prospective college list. A priority in this process is identifying prospective colleges that "fit" the student's academic, personal-social, and professional goals.

During the conference, Counselors discuss the various college deadlines as well as the types of applications that student may use to apply to college. The predominant application format is the Common Application. One aspect of the online application is the college essay. Students are encouraged to begin working on the online applications during in August 2025 when the application becomes available.

It is an exciting time in Guidance to continue our work with students and parents on preparing for the transition beyond high school. Given the importance of this collaboration, please continue to encourage your student to foster a relationship with their assigned School Counselor. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your School Counselor directly. We are here to support you throughout this process!

The RIH Guidance Offices hosted Mr. KImber Decker from the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority to support small group FAFSA completion for Class of 2025 students and their parents/ guardians. Students and their parents met with Mr. Decker to confirm accurate information for the FAFSA ID and connection between student and parent/ guardian tax information. Workshops were held at Ramapo on Wednesday, December 4th and will be held at Indian HIlls on Wednesday, December 11th for registered families.

Why complete the FAFSA?

• Federal student aid: The U.S. Department of Education uses the FAFSA to determine a student's eligibility for federal student aid, which includes grants, scholarships, work-study funds, and loans.

• State and school aid: Many states and colleges use FAFSA information to award their own financial aid packages.

• Cost: The FAFSA is free to complete.

• Time: The average student takes less than an hour to fill out the FAFSA.

• Ease of use: The Department of Education has made the FAFSA easier to fill out, including the ability to import tax information directly from the IRS.

• Corrections: You can edit your submitted FAFSA until the corrections deadline.

The Class of 2025 is encouraged to complete the FAFSA for 2025-2026 to reflect their first year of college enrollment. Here is the direct link to the FAFSA: https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa

Dual Enrollment opportunities are offered through several different articulation agreements with area colleges. Students have the ability to earn college credits while simultaneously fulfilling high school requirements. Students experience an enhanced and challenging level of learning. College credits are generally transferable to most NJ colleges/universities (www.nitransfer.org) and many post-secondary institutions out-of-state. College courses are offered at a significantly reduced rate of tuition in a substantial financial savings towards college education.

Students enrolled in BCC specific courses have been emailed with materials regarding Dual Enrollment credits and the registration/ payment process. Students must adhere to the set timelines and follow the step-by-step instructions which are provided on the Dual Enrollment website www.bergen.edu/dualenrollment.

To receive college credits, students must:

• Complete the Dual Enrollment Application

• Submit the electronic registration form (with parent and counselor signatures)

• Make payment

Note: All grades will be recorded on their permanent college transcripts per the college. Students will request a transcript from BCC to then submit to the college of enrollment.

The Dual Enrollment application opened on November 18, 2024 and will close on February 28, 2025. Please note that BCC will not process applications or registration forms past the specified deadline. The tuition for the 2024-2025 academic year is set at $76.25 credit plus the $15.80 annual registration fee for a total of $92.05.

Students can check the status of their registration through the BCC student portal my.bergen.edu via the “My Schedule” or “Plan and Register” widgets. While credits from the Dual Enrollment Program are generally transferable to most colleges or universities, it is strongly encouraged that students and parents contact the prospective college regarding the transferability of dual credit courses.

Scholarship resources for members of the Class of 2025 will grow over the course of the spring. It is important to research scholarship options independently. Here are some resources to check out:

• Scholarship List in Naviance
• Raise.Me (Micro-scholarships, students must "connect" with the respective colleges)
• Big Future
• Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
• Unigo
• FastWeb
• Higher Education Student Assistance Association
• Going Merry