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Mindful Moment

Did you know that April is National Stress Awareness Month? See the graphic below for helpful strategies to manage stress & anxiety. April is a great time to do some "spring cleaning" for your mental health!

Career Tech Spotlight!

Last month, 7 SRTC students competed in the SkillsUSA Competition! SRTC earned 29 medals overall, including Dan Verrill who won a GOLD MEDAL in the Collision Repair Tool ID. This earns him an opportunity to compete at the National competition this June!

Congrats to all our students who competed at SkillsUSA!

• Jaclyn Arnold - Health Knowledge Bowl

• Anyea Edelman - Medical Terminology

• Riley Smith - Photography

• Aiden Stockwell - Carpentry

• Dan Verrill - Collision Repair Tool ID

• Mason Wilder - Precision Machining

See the slideshow below for photos, and you can watch the SkillsUSA Awards Ceremony at this link! 

Dual Enrollment Information

The summer semester for community college classes and UMaine system classes are now available for registration in OnCourse. Please be aware that any students besides rising seniors (class of 2026) will be part of the group that only has 18 free lifetime credits (rather than the 12 per year students have been receiving). Also note, if you withdraw late or fail a class, this will count against your credit limit. So even though you can take classes as an underclassmen, be sure you are ready for them before signing up.

If you have any questions, please reach out to your school counselor, and see the document below for step-by-step instructions on how to register for a dual enrollment course.

Summer Opportunity - UNE Health Careers Exploration Camp!

Every year, UNE hosts a free Health Career Explorations Camp for high school students to participate in hands-on activities to learn about various careers in health care. In addition, you will learn about the college admissions process. The camp will take place Saturday, June 28th to Monday, June 30th, 2025.

This camp is an overnight camp, designed to replicate some of the college experience. Students stay in dorms on the University's Biddeford Campus and receive meals at the campus dining hall. Students who live locally have the option of attending the day camp activities only. Throughout the camp experience, students will participate in fun, hands-on activities while learning about careers including but not limited to: Dental Medicine, Neuroscience, Nursing, Nutrition, Occupation Therapy, Osteopathic Medicine, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, Physician Assistant.

Please note that this camp is completely free of charge, and students must apply and be accepted to participate.

If you are interested in attending camp this summer, please click on this link to fill out the application. The deadline for applications is April 15, 2025!

SMCC/USM College Visit - Tuesday, March 18

Last month, school counselors took a group of sophomores and juniors to tour Southern Maine Community College and University of Southern Maine. Students asked great questions, received detailed tours of both schools, and got to eat in the dining hall at USM!

Seniors

Attending SMCC Next Year? Important Steps to Remember:

• Let SMCC know you are planning on attending! Fill out this form.

• Monday, April 14th: class registration opens at SMCC for new students. Your academic advisor will reach out to you beforehand to encourage you to schedule a New Student Advising Session - click this link to schedule a session

• Tuesday, April 22nd: housing application opens! In order to qualify for housing, you must be registered for at least 12 credits AND upload your immunization records. Housing slots fill up quickly, so it's important to get these steps done well in advance to reserve your spot.

Questions? Reach out to SMCC Admissions at (207) 741-5800 or email smccadmissions@mainecc.edu.

Maine State Grant Deadline - May 1st!

The Maine State Grant deadline of May 1 is quickly approaching. To be considered for a Maine State Grant, students must submit their FAFSA by May 1. Please submit your FAFSA as soon as possible if you have not already done so! If students need assistance, please reach out to FAME to schedule a virtual appointment, email your questions, or call them at 1-800-228-3734.

It's Financial Aid Letter Season! Information from FAME

Understanding and comparing financial aid offers are two of the most important steps in the financial aid process. However, because every financial aid offer looks different and schools don't provide all the same information, this process can be challenging. FAME can help! 

• Understanding and Comparing Financial Aid Offers - Online Help Sessions

Before selecting a school and paying the deposit, it’s important to understand the true cost of each school being considered. Too often this step gets missed, and families are shocked when the first bill arrives in July. During these Zoom sessions, we’ll help interpret offers, discuss key items, and share a tool that will provide an apples-to-apples comparison. We’ll also discuss options if the aid offered isn’t enough. We’d love to have you join us for one of these upcoming sessions:

• Thursday, April 3 at 6:00 PM - Register me

• Comparing Costs & Financial Aid Offers Worksheet

This worksheet can help calculate costs and get that critical apples-to-apples cost comparison of all schools still under consideration. Click here to download the worksheet!

If you have any questions about FAFSA filing, follow-up, or financial aid offer comparisons, please contact us.

·        Call us at 1-800-228-3734 (8 AM to 4:30 PM)

·        Email us at Education@FAMEmaine.com

·        Visit our website at FAMEmaine.com

·        Schedule an individual Zoom appointment - schedule an appointment

Future Plans

As you hear back from colleges you have been accepted to, please let your school counselor know! If you have other plans for after high school, we would love to share those as well! Please use the form below let us know (note: you can fill this out more than once, so every time you get an acceptance- be sure to share it with us!)

MORE Scholarship Opportunities!

Click the link below to go to our Scholarship Website, which is full of national, state, and local scholarship opportunities that our students historically apply for. We will continue to update the site as this year's applications and deadlines become available!

Since scholarship deadlines are quickly approaching, we wanted to highlight some great scholarship foundations with upcoming deadlines!

WRBC Inc. Centennial Scholarship

WBRC Inc. is once again offering Maine high school graduating seniors a chance to compete for a $1,000 Centennial Scholarship Award. This award is for students entering a post-secondary architecture or engineering (civil, structural, mechanical, or electrical) program. A fillable PDF copy of our scholarship application can be downloaded here. 

Students will be able to fill out the application and email it directly to WBRC at info@wbrcinc.com. 

The completed application form must be received no later than May 1 of each school year. If you have any further questions, please contact Siobhan Baker at (207) 828-4511 or email siobhan.baker@wbrcinc.com

Martel-Roberge Post 47 American Legion Scholarship

The local American Legion post is offering 5 scholarships open to all South Berwick, Eliot, and Rollinsford seniors. Your family do not need to be members of the Legion to apply! See the application below (due May 25th, 2025) for more information - hard copies are in the School Counseling Hub (D207)

Maine Community Foundation Portal Information

Maine Community Foundation's online scholarship portal is officially open! All scholarships are updated on their website, with 2025 links to contacts and applications here:  https://www.mainecf.org/find-a-scholarship/. Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make an account and apply to MCF scholarships.

GAP YEAR OPPORTUNITY! The Landing School of Boatbuilding & Design - Arundel, ME

Juniors

Financial Aid Night - Wednesday, March 5th

During parent-teacher conferences last month, Jess Whittier from FAME presented to juniors and their families about the financial aid process. If you couldn't make it, see the presentation below!

Junior Meetings

School counselors are currently meeting with juniors to support them in course selection and postsecondary planning. Parents and guardians are welcome to attend! If you would like to attend your student's junior meeting, please discuss this with them and have your student schedule the appropriate appointment using their school counselor's YouCanBookMe link.

• Ms. Alaimo (last names A - E): https://alaimo-schoolcounselor.youcanbook.me

• Ms. Littlefield (last names F - M): https://angielittlefield.youcanbook.me

• Ms. Leboeuf (last names N - Z): https://leboeuf-schoolcounselor.youcanbook.me

• Mrs. Lontine (Career Tech Students): https://lontine-schoolcounselor.youcanbook.me

See the links below to access the junior advisory presentation and a full resource list for postsecondary planning.

Building College List Workshop

This week, junior advisories joined a workshop led by Ms. Alaimo and Ms. Littlefield all about building your college list. Students made accounts both in SCOIR and CollegeVine and learned about the types of "fit" important for postsecondary planning (academic, personal, financial, etc.). See the presentations below for more information! Students are encouraged to attend a drop-in session on Friday, April 11th for additional support with building your list!

NCAA Information

Are you thinking about playing a sport in college? We have a new tab on our website full of information, including timelines, specific divison requriements, and a course planner to keep track of your NCAA-approved courses. Click the link below for more information!

Junior Preview Days

As you begin to start building your college lists, Junior Preview Days are a great chance to meet one-on-one with college admissions counselors and get valuable insights into the college application process at their school. 

During your meeting, you'll receive:

• Personalized feedback on your transcript so far

• Advice on course selection for senior year

• Key application and campus information to help you plan your next steps

This is an invaluable opportunity to ask questions, get expert guidance, and make connections with college representatives. 

Participating Schools & Dates:

April 16 – Endicott College
Fun Fact: Endicott requires all students to complete internships, giving graduates a 90%+ job placement rate. Sign up for an Endicott appointment here

Spots are limited, so sign up today! If you have any questions, reach out to your school counselor.  

Save the Date: SAT Wednesday, April 16th!

The SAT will be administered at MHS to any interested junior on Wednesday, April 16th at 7:30 AM. See the information below for the setup of the test and resources to help you prepare. 

• The SAT is composed of two sections: (1) the Reading and Writing section, and (2) the Math section. You have 64 minutes to complete the Reading and Writing section and 70 minutes to complete the Math section for a total of 2 hours and 14 minutes.

• If you are wondering what types of questions will be on the SAT, here are some helpful links:
  Reading & Writing Section Overview
  Math Section Overview

• SAT practice exams/questions are provided by both CollegeBoard and Khan Academy. Here are the links to access them:
  CollegeBoard SAT Practice Tests & Answer Keys
  Khan Academy Reading & Writing Test Prep
  Khan Academy Math Test Prep

• Here are some tips from the CollegeBoard on how to create a study plan that works best for you: Build Your Study Plan

• The week before the exam during advisory, your advisor will ask you to log into your school-issued Chromebook and open Bluebook, the software you will use to take the SAT so Bluebook can update. If you don't have a school-issued device, no worries - there will be plenty of extra Chromebooks in your testing room for you to take the SAT with.

YCCC Open House - Wednesday, April 23rd

Empire Beauty School "Build Your Empire" Event - Wednesday, April 30th

Save the Date! Junior Prom - Friday, May 2nd

Sophomores

SRTC & Dover Decisions

Any student who applied to an SRTC program and completed their interview will receive their decision via email from SRTC on Friday, April 18th.

Any student who has applied to a Dover program should expect to hear back from Dover via email by the end of April.

Freshmen

Course Selection

Mrs. Edson has been busy meeting with freshman about course selection and their 4 year plans. Here are some helpful reminders:

• Your courses for next year should be based on YOUR goals/plans! Many of you are comparing yourself to others. DON'T - everyone has different interests, career plans, abilities etc.

• Be thoughtful in your conversations with your teachers about doubling up in subjects or requesting a different level change if you don't agree with their recommendation. In general- if you are getting a B to A- in your current level, you are at the correct level! Teachers know when to bump you and when to not. If you enroll in a higher level class and it doesn't go well, we may not be able to move you back down, which could result in you not passing the class or doing poorly... and we don't want that! 

She is here to help you through this process, so please schedule an appointment with her if you have any further concerns/questions!

Information for All Grades

Traip Academy's College & Career Fair - Thursday April 3rd, 5-7 pm

Job Opportunities! 

Academic Support & Tutoring

Are you struggling in a class? Do you need help getting organized? If you answered yes to either of these questions, meeting with a peer tutor is right for you! Peer tutors are current MHS upperclassmen that volunteer to tutor students struggling in specific subjects. If you are interested in meeting with a peer tutor, connect with your classroom teacher and they will start the referral process.

Jim Gray, an Ed Tech III at Great Works School, is available to tutor students 1-2 days a week after school. Jim has a degree in History and taught eighth grade English last year. He is available to help students with writing papers, understanding a topic, or general organizational skills. His rate is $50 per hour but he is price negotiable! If you are interested, reach out to Jim at james.gray@rsu35.org.

Community Service

Don't forget, 50 hours of community service is part of your graduation requirements. Your 50 hours need to be completed by May 1st of your senior year. Setting a goal of completing 10 to 15 hours each year of high school will help to set you up for achieving this requirement in no time! Community Service forms are located in the D-Pod Hub, or can be printed from our BRAND NEW community service website. This website is FULL of opportunities offered year-round and is regularly updated, so be sure to check back often!

Community Resources

Get Involved!

Did you know that there are over 48 Clubs and Activities to choose from at MHS? Take the opportunity to try something new and get involved! See the slideshow below to see what clubs and sports are being offered this year.

Contact Your Counselor!