IRISH WEEKLY

Counselor's Corner

Student STEM Opportunity

The Perry Outreach Program is a free, one-day, hands-on experience to encourage women to pursue careers in medicine and engineering. Students will hear from women leaders in these fields and try it for themselves by performing mock orthopaedic surgeries and biomechanics experiments. The Perry Iniatitive is currently seeking students who are in grades 10 and higher with a passion for science, medicine and/or engineering to participate in its program at Akron Children's Hospital in February. Although The Perry Initiative is focused on advancing women in engineering and medicine, all genders may apply to the program. Applicants should fill out the online application in advance of the EXTENDED January 21st, 2025 application deadline. More information can be found here. Applications can be found by clicking here.

2025-26 FAFSA Information

(Free Application for Federal Student Aid)

HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE 2025–26 FAFSA® FORM

NEW: The 2025-26 FAFSA (the FAFSA that current seniors should complete) is now available.

Parents/guardians should complete the 2025-26 FAFSA form as soon as possible. Here are some steps to take to be prepared:

Create a StudentAid.gov account (if you don’t already have one).
Learn about the documents you may need to fill out the FAFSA form.
Determine your dependency status and whether your parent(s) or spouse will be required to contribute information on your FAFSA form.
If you’re a dependent student, use the Who’s My FAFSA Parent? wizard to identify which parent(s) will be a required contributor on your form.

ACT/SAT Testing

ACT

Get a Registration Reminder! Be sure to sign up to be notified about registration deadlines to secure your spot! Keep in mind that all juniors will take the ACT at school during the spring of 2025. That date will be shared here as soon as we have it.

Upcoming Test Dates (National)

February 8, 2025

April 5, 2025

June 14, 2025

July 12, 2025

SAT

Upcoming tests for 2025 are: March 8, 2025, May 3, 2025 and June 7, 2025.

Testing locations, registration deadlines and registration details available in links below.

SAT

ACT

SCHOLARSHIP & Post-Graduation opportunities

The counselors have been forwarding scholarship and other post-graduation opportunities to the Class of 2025 via their school email. Students should check their email regularly for information, eligibility requirements and deadlines. Recent emails were sent about the following opportunities:

The Matrix Trade Institute has a five-month accelerated program and has placements/job opportunities in Auto Repair/Efficiency & Collision Repair & Refinish Efficiency.
Ignite My Future scholarship for those interested in attending college for FireFighting/Fire Science (deadline January 31, 2025).
The Breakfast Optimist and Noon Optimist Club of Akron Scholarship (deadline: January 31, 2025)
The Ohio JCI Senate Scholarships (deadline January 17, 2025)
The Yellow Tea Rose Foundation Scholarship (deadline March 31, 2025)

Please make sure that you are searching through your specific college websites/application portals (of colleges that you have specifically applied to) to find university and/or specific major/minor programs that offer scholarship opportunities since most of your scholarship monies will come from your specific colleges/universities (where you have already applied). Local scholarship opportunities will primarily come during the spring months.

StudentScholarships.Org is a great resource for external scholarships. Please click here for a list of scholarships currently accepting applications. Also, please click here to sign up for their newsletter.

Senior Information

Seniors should continue to visit Ms. Henry at her office during school hours for assistance with post-high school plans and for support with college applications. Parents may also reach Ms. Henry by emailing her at jhenry@stvm.com or calling (330) 253-9113 Ext. 136.

Seniors also should continue to check their school email for application information sent by the counselors. Please also check the scholarship section of Counselor's Corner as well as the application portals of the colleges to which they've applied or been accepted for valuable information.

Math Tutor

A math tutor is available at select times to assist students. Please see the LRC for details.

📝 🖊 writing TUTOR 🖊📝

The following email was sent to students from our English & Writing Tutor, Lauren Hill:

Dear Students,

You can sign up to visit the English & Writing tutor in room 238 by using this Google Form: https://forms.gle/5HvhGH2NsEEuSxWu5

This form will show available dates/times and must be completed prior to attending a session. *This form should be used to make a single request and may be submitted as many times as needed.

Tutoring may consist of help in any of the following areas:

Essay (outlining, graphic organizers, proofreading)
Content (re-teaching, grammar, assignments, notes, etc.)
Test/Quiz/Project (studying, practice tests, planning, etc.)

Save this email for your future English needs!

Meet The Counselors

Ms. Jessica Henry - College & Career Counselor

Ms. Henry has a Master of Arts Degree from the University of Akron and is a licensed School Counselor as well as a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor. She has worked at the high school level for her entire career in the education field and loves being able to help students navigate the college/career process and everything that comes after high school. Ways that Ms. Henry can help students includes, but is not limited to, the following:

Planning and pursuing post-high school plans, including college, job placement, armed forces or other opportunities.
Supporting the creation and management of Naviance and the Common Application accounts for college-bound students.
Reviewing transcripts and providing documentation necessary for college applications.
Notifying students about scholarship opportunities and providing support as necessary.
Notifying students of college visit opportunities and student programs.
Assisting students in identifying resources and meeting requirements needed to pursue post-secondary education, including ACT/SAT testing, essay development, letters of recommendation and other college requirements.
Assisting students in researching college options.
Guiding students through CCP (College Credit Plus) applications/guidelines/questions, etc.
Helping students with AP (Advanced Placement) information/guidance/questions, etc.
Helping student-athletes with NCAA Clearinghouse registration and questions.

Ms. Henry is extremely happy to be a part of the STVM Fighting Irish and has numerous family members that are alumni. Ms. Henry can be reached by email at jhenry@stvm.com or by phone at 330-253-9113 Ext. 136. Go Irish!

about The Health and Wellness Counselors

In our commitment to educating the whole person, the Health and Wellness Counselors at STVM support all students' social, emotional, and academic needs. They are available during the school day to meet with students individually or in groups and conduct classroom lessons.

Ways we can help include, but are not limited to:

Working with students to communicate with parents, teachers, and administrators.

Helping advocate for the individual needs of students and families and assist them in advocating for themselves.

Working with students to help assess abilities, interests, and achievements to help them make decisions about their future.

Providing professional assistance and support to a student or small group of students during times of transition, heightened stress, critical change, or other situations impeding student success.

Recognizing and responding to student mental health needs and assisting students and families seeking resources.

Sharing strategies that support student achievement with parents, teachers, other educators, and community organizations

Providing referrals for students and families to school or community resources for additional assistance and information.

Ms. Tara McCants (Serves families with last names A-L)

Tara has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Master of Arts in School Counseling, both from Walsh University. She has been working as a school counselor for 11 years, with the majority of that time being at a school in Washington, D.C. Tara is happy to be a part of the STVM family, and she is committed to creating a nurturing environment where every student feels valued and empowered. Tara can be reached by phone at 330-253-9113 ext 131 or by email at tmccants@stvm.com. Students fill out a request to meet with Ms. Tara using this link: Request to See Tara. She looks forward to a great year!

Mrs. Amy Gay (Serves families with last names M-Z)

Amy has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a Minor in Applied Conflict Management, a Master of Education in School Counseling, and an Educational Specialist Degree in Counseling, all from Kent State University. Amy has more than 12 years of experience working with youth and more than ten years of experience working in a school setting. Amy is very excited to start this journey at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School! She is passionate about her work to help students and their families and believes every student can become their best self. Amy strives to provide a calm, warm, and non-judgmental environment. If you have questions or need to contact Amy, you can call at (330) 253-9113. Ext. 182, email agay@stvm.com. Students can request to see Mrs. Gay by filling out this form: Request to see Amy (this is only for student use). Let's make it a wonderful year!