Letters of recommendation from your counselors, teachers, and others (coaches, club advisors, employers, etc.) are an important part of applications for colleges and universities, scholarships, jobs, and internships. We want to tell the world how good of a student you are, but there are some guidelines...
Letters should not be from someone related to you (ever!)
Make a face-to-face request at least 3 weeks before the recommendation due date. It is in your best interest to give recommenders the time necessary to write a good letter.
Provide recommenders with a Brag Sheet. A brag sheet is similar to a student resume; it highlights your accomplishments, experiences, and employment during high school. It is intended to give the recommender something to draw from while writing your letter of recommendation, although it is also a good tool for you to use as you start writing personal statements and scholarship essays. Read more about what a brag sheet is and why it's important.
Paper copies available in the College & Career Center
If you are expecting to need letters of recommendation for multiple institutions (more than one college, scholarship, internship, etc.) it may be better to ask for a more general letter of recommendation that you can use in all situations.
However, there are some cases where institutions will ask that your letters of recommendation include specific information. In this case make sure to provide recommenders with a copy of the request or paperwork from the university, scholarship, etc. so the recommender knows which direction their letter should take.
A handwritten thank you note to your recommenders is entirely appropriate and much appreciated!