Spring has arrived at MHS, and there’s excitement for what’s ahead. Reflecting on the past six months, the department has achieved a lot, including starting junior conferences in December to help students begin post-secondary planning early. With a new graduation requirement for seniors to complete the FAFSA or NJ Alternative Application, the guidance department hosted FAFSA processing events in December and January, with a final event scheduled for March 19th. Last month, students selected courses for the 2025-2026 school year, and attended a mini college fair. Now, students are preparing for upcoming tests, while enjoying longer days and pleasant weather. Looking ahead, there are several exciting events: a Mock Admissions Event, a Vocational Career/Summer Job Fair in April, classroom visits for underclassmen, and celebrations for senior achievements. The department is focused on continuing to build positive relationships with students. The future looks promising, and there's a lot to look forward to this spring!
Mrs. Kenny, Director of Guidance and Program Development
Over 65 colleges participated in the last college fair of the year on Friday, March 7th. Juniors and sophomores had an opportunity to meet with college representatives to learn more about the offerings at these colleges. Our students were engaged with the college reps. and we had a wide variety of colleges attending the fair. The two fall college fairs are geared towards juniors and seniors. Juniors and seniors will also be able to register on Naviance to attend individual college visits in the fall.
Members of the MEF Scholarship Committee, Caroline Godfrey, Chrissie Wetherbee, and Emily Wolper, met with about 40 seniors on February 27th to review their 27+ scholarships and about $300,000 available to seniors. The deadline to apply for most of the scholarships is April 7th; please check their website for detailed information: www.morrisedfoundation.org/what-we-do/scholarships/
Congratulations to Alpha Oduro on his acceptance to Boston University and a full-ride scholarship through the QuestBridge application. The QuestBridge application offers high-achieving students with financial need full-tuition for four years. For more information, please check their website: https://www.questbridge.org/.
Congratulations to Liam McDonald on being selected as a 2025 Carson Scholar!
As a Carson Scholar, Liam was recognized and awarded a scholarship based on his outstanding academic achievements, strong character, and commitment to serving his community. For more information about the award, please see the website: carsonscholars.org/
The Office of Admissions at Ramapo College of New Jersey recently named the recipient of the Nancy Jaeger Award for Excellence in Counseling, Karen Wolf. Mrs. Wolf's impressive knowledge, expertise, and partnering with local colleges made her application stand out among the dozen nominations.
Mrs. Wolf has served as a College & Career Counselor at Morristown High School for the past eight years which adds to a total of twenty years of experience. As a member of five professional organizations, Mrs. Wolf is a model of a lifelong learner by continually attending workshops, visiting colleges, and collaborating with colleagues. Scheduling over 180 college visits, coordinating lunch workshops, volunteering with Be the First, as well as organizing the Instant Decision Day.
What are you doing this summer? How do I create a college list? What is the first thing I do when thinking about my college essay?
The MHS Counseling Department has been offering lunchtime workshops this school year on a wide variety of topics from Writing Effective College Essays to Discover Summer Programs to Transitioning to College.
The workshops are publicized on the MHS Bulletin Board, through Canvas, and with School Counselors reaching out to their students.
by Mrs. Wolf
Mr. Stan Kasiski, the Post 59 Boys State Chairman, met with junior boys on January 28th to talk about Boys State, a prestigious national American Legion program. Students spend a week in June at Rider University for leadership training and to learn about how the U.S. government works. They work with other delegates from New Jersey and meet local leaders. We are pleased to announce that all ten of our students who applied were accepted as delegates. MHS students who will serve as delegates are: Tyler Bermudez, John Cardinali, Mark Figueroa, Garrett Gregor, Justice Kirk, Saehan Lee, Marlon Malo, Liam McDonald, Gavin Raiz, and Rudy Reyes. Congratulations to our delegates and we hope they enjoy this wonderful experience!
by Mrs. Wolf
A select group of freshmen students were invited to an information session on February 3rd about the Massenberg STEM Institute, a free 2-week summer STEM program at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Program coordinator Erika Dawson-Head gave an enthusiastic presentation about the benefits of the program; they were joined by former MHS students who participated in the program last summer and talked to the prospective students about their experiences.
Generously sponsored by the Samuel Massenberg Foundation (founded by Dr. Mirian Graddick-Weir, daughter of Samuel Massenberg and Morristown resident, and her husband, Michael) and the UMass Amherst Colleges of Information and Computer sciences, Engineering, Natural Sciences, and Education, this unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity provides eligible students the chance to explore academic pathways and careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, while getting a feel for life on campus at one of the world’s leading research universities. In addition to group activities, each student will be individually supported and provided with professional guidance on their plans for finishing high school and entering college.
This year's program will run from July 27th - August 9th on the UMass-Amherst campus. We wish our students the best of luck with the application process. For more information, please go to their website: https://groups.cs.umass.edu/massenberg/
By Ms. Barrera
Ms. Barrera, Ms. Caruso, and Ms. Pichardo took a group of students to tour Universal Technical Institute (UTI) on March 10th. Universal Technical Institute is the premier hub for advanced training in Automotive, Diesel, HVAC and many other technical training. They offer multiple programs, ranging from 9-24 months long. For students interested in automotive training, they recommend their combined Auto and Diesel 18 month program. UTI also offers the FORD Fact which is a 15 week course after automotive program in which students will become certified Ford Techs.
The admissions advisor helps students from enrollment to financial aid. UTI also offers a Summer Ignite Program, which is a FREE three week program that starts on July 14th. The program is five days a week from 7-10:00 am and transportation is not included. Students who complete and pass Summer Ignite will receive course credit toward their program once enrolled in full time at UTI (equivalent to AP college credit).
Interested students should contact Mr. Bob Strelec at:
bstrelec@uti.edu or at 862-345-8766
MHS School Counselor visit colleges, vocational schools and other post-secondary options throughout the school year to share opportunities with our students. If you have questions about the colleges listed in this section, please reach out to the School Counselor.
Dr. Kristina Kenny, Mr. Michael Norton, and Mrs. Karen Wolf attended a workshop and luncheon sponsored by Long Island University (LIU). LIU has two campuses, one in Brooklyn, one in Long Island, and a global campus where students are traveling for most of their four years. LIU has 16,000 students in total and they have 38 Division 1 sports teams. The Brooklyn campus has the Roc Nation School of Music, Sports & Entertainment, and the Paramount Theatre is located on the campus. There is a new culinary arts major, and other unique majors include fashion merchandising, theatre programs, nursing, pharmacy, occupational therapy, and more. Check their website for more information: liu.edu/
Anderson Soriano Reyes, Class of 2024, is studying Mechanical Engineering at NJIT. Jenifer Escobar, Class of 2020, graduated from Rider University with a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education.
by Monica Tate-Melendez
On December 18th, Jenifer Escobar and Anderson Soriano Reyes returned to the hallways of MHS to share their personal experiences and insight to our Be the First students. The 2nd Annual BTF Alumni Luncheon had twenty attendees listen to words of wisdom as they encouraged students to stay on top of assignments as Professors in college will not reach out when work is missing. Both students use physical calendars to track assignments. Anderson who had a final exam that afternoon smiled, "I am ready for this test. I have been studying since last Wednesday."
Students asked questions about minors, why they those chose their colleges, benefits of commuting versus dorm life, and preparing the personal statement. Jenifer reminded students that English teachers will introduce the college essay but make sure to have your School Counselor review the essay.
Each week, students have the opportunity to enhance their knowledge and expand their skills. At Be the First students are empowered. To learn more about the programs that have taken place this year you can look at the Be the First page. If your child is the first one in the family to attend college, please email Monica.Tate@msdk12.net to be added to the Canvas classroom and receive invites for future activities.
Working papers are now online!
Thanks to a new law, the working papers process will be online and streamlined. Rather than going through local schools, younger workers will simply visit this site: https://myworkingpapers.nj.gov and be walked through a few easy steps.
Starting June 1, 2023, SCHOOLS ARE NO LONGER PROCESSING WORKING PAPERS.
Click here to get started!
Looking to expand your knowledge? You can take free courses for enrichment on Coursera in a variety of topics and sponsored by colleges or corporations. Certificates are also available for a fee. Check out https://www.coursera.org/ for more information.