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Holiday Resources

For those of you who are experiencing financial strain at this time, please see the letter below that was sent to all district families with local resources you can access this holiday.

Dual Enrollment Registration Information

Are you interested in taking a dual enrollment class through a community college or UMaine? Registration is now open! To make an OnCourse account to register for a dual enrollment class, use the link below. Schedule a meeting with your counselor if you have any questions about what course is right for you!

World Kindness Day

On Wednesday, November 13th, students and staff participated in a collaborative mural for World Kindness Day. Students and staff committed to performing one or more random act of kindness and added their names to the kindness tree to complete the pledge. See the photos below for a before and after!

Seniors

Senior Meetings

Seniors are encouraged to schedule their senior meeting with their school counselor at least one month before their earliest deadline. If you are a student with an earliest college deadline of January 1st, use your counselor's YouCanBookMe link or send them an email to schedule your senior meeting!

College & Career Connections Fair

On November 15th, a small group of seniors joined with students from around York County for the first ever "College and Career Connections Fair" at YCCC! Students first were welcomed by YCCC's Director of Enrollment Caitlin Grant, and PNSY Training Supervisor and MHS Alumnus Nate Brisson. They then participated in an hour-long fair-style experience of multiple different career opportunities (also referred to as "shops") available at PNSY. Students engaged with current PNSY employees who not only shared their specific job roles, but also their personal career paths and journey that led them to the position they are in today.

After this, students then engaged in four separate workshop opportunities: Resume Building, Interview Skills, Apprenticeship Opportunities, and a tour of YCCC's Wells Campus. During each of these workshops, students were able to work in small groups (sometimes even 1:1) with PNSY and YCCC industry professionals to get immediate feedback and invaluable real-world practice opportunities!

On-the-Spot Admissions Days!

What is an on-the spot application event? 

This is an opportunity to have an on-the-spot review of your college application with the admissions representative to discuss your application, hear insight into their review process, and ultimately be informed of your admissions decision at their school! Space is limited for each school so be sure to sign up in advance using the links below and submit your application by the appropriate deadline! Got questions? Reach out to your school counselor!

USM On-the-Spot Admissions Sign-Up - apply by Tuesday, December 3rd

SMCC On-the-Spot Admissions Sign-Up - no early application necessary

Upcoming Open Houses!

Financial Aid Information - The FAFSA is now available!

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the financial aid application used by all schools to award federal, state, and often institutional aid. The FAFSA for the 2025-2026 academic year is now available to students and families at https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa!

Below are some updates from FAME (Financial Authority of Maine) to help make the upcoming financial aid season as easy as possible!

1. Create a Federal Student Aid Account (FSA ID) ASAP!

Every student and at least one parent of a dependent student will need to create their own Federal Student Aid account (referred to as an FSA ID) before they can start the FAFSA. To create an account, go to StudentAid.gov and create one as soon as possible.
Unsure which parent needs an FSA ID? Use the parent wizard tool to find out!

We recommend waiting to start the FAFSA until the FSA ID has been matched with the Social Security Administration (SSA). This match allows federal income tax information to be transferred directly from the IRS into the FAFSA, making filing the FAFSA much easier. The match typically takes between one to three business days. Watch your email for confirmation of the SSA match and then you can start the FAFSA.  

2. Decide Who Will Start the FAFSA

The FAFSA is a roles-based form. Either the student or the parent (if parent information is required) can start the FAFSA. Whoever starts the FAFSA will log in with their FSA ID (username and password) and identify themselves by their role: student or parent. That individual will then “invite” the other person to complete the FAFSA by providing the other person’s legal name, date of birth (DOB), Social Security number (SSN), and email address. This invitation section is what links the student and parent sections of the FAFSA together. For this process to work, the name, DOB, and SSN entered must be an exact match the information the invitee used when creating their FSA ID.

3. Go to StudentAid.gov to file the FAFSA

The FAFSA is now available to all and ready to file! Most people can complete their section of the FAFSA in less than 15 minutes.

4. Ways to Get FSA ID and FAFSA Help

Help is available in a variety of ways!

• Use FAME's Online Help - Visit the Filing the FAFSA section of our website to learn how to get ready, what information you'll need to have available to file, tips to make filing easier, and more! 

• Find answers to Frequently Asked Questions.

• Attend a virtual FAFSA Help Session 

• Contact a FAME FAFSA Expert - Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM–4:30 PM, Phone: 1-800-228-3734; TTY 207-626-2717, Email: Education@FAMEmaine.com 

• Get help from Federal Student Aid - Phone: 1-800-433-3243, Monday – Friday: 8 AM–10:00 PM (ET), Saturday: 12:00 PM-5:00 PM (ET)

Scholarship Opportunities

It's never too early to start your scholarship search! 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. Please note that many of these scholarships have last year's deadlines - we will continue to update the site as this year's applications and deadlines become available!

Maine Community Foundation

Maine Community Foundation's online scholarship portal will be officially open to seniors on Tuesday, December 3rd! 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. Stay tuned for a scholarship workshop for seniors in February - more information to follow!

Juniors

Future Planning

In the new year, juniors will receive advisory presentations from school counselors and begin to schedule individual junior meetings. Here are a few things you can do right now to set you up for success!

• Stay committed to academics and extracurriculars

• Explore future pathways:

  • Enrollment: If you are hoping to enroll in a four-year, two-year, trade school, or apprenticeship program, there are many search tools and information available to help you explore options.

    • College search tools: Big Future, College Vine, Niche

    • Trade/apprenticeship offerings: YCCC certificate programs, GBCC certification programs, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (Workers Skills Progression & Trades Apprenticeship)

  • Enlistment: Compare military branches and look at different requirements. 

  • Employment:  Begin or update your resume - here is a link for resume templates for high school students!

    • Apply to jobs in areas of interest - see our Job Board for more information.

Sophomores

Sophomore Advisory Presentations: Career Exploration

School counselors will be presenting to sophomore advisories the week of December 2nd to the 7th about future pathways, Career Tech opportunities, and the Sanford/Dover CTE application processes. Stay tuned for more information!

MYL (Maine Youth Leadership) Conference!

Are you a sophomore hoping to develop your leadership skills? This year, the MYL seminar is scheduled to take place at St. Joseph’s College from May 15th to May 18th, 2025.  MHS will nominate one student to attend this seminar and one alternate.  All information about the application and details on this seminar were emailed to sophomores. Interested students must submit their application to their school counselor by Monday, December 16th. Please contact your school counselor with any questions! 

Freshmen

Freshmen Meetings

Mrs. Edson(9th grade counselor) is ALMOST done meeting with each 9th grader individually. Next month, she will be visiting English classes to present on the importance of transcripts, pathways for after high school, opportunities here at MHS and much more. 

BARR (Building Assets, Reducing Risks)

Our 9th grade team of teachers continues to meet weekly to discuss students and what, if any, support they may need to be successful. Overall, the class of 2028 is having an amazing transition to MHS. Great job everyone!

Information for All Grades

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

Mental Health Conversation with NAMI Maine - click here to register! 

DBT Workshops

The following teen DBT skills groups have openings! If you or your student are interested in any of the workshops below, please contact Emily Ostrow at emilyostrowlcswllc@gmail.com.

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!