12th Grade Newsletter
Summer 2025
Seniors, congratulations on reaching this very important milestone! Senior year can be a very busy and expensive year if you do not properly plan so it is important to begin early. In this newsletter I hope to provide you with information that will give you a good head start on your senior year so you can have a more enjoyable year. If you haven’t already, sign up for the senior Remind at https://www.remind.com/join/79e9ff
Below are some questions with information and links that can help you with the process.I am interested in graduating early, what do I need to do? Contact your school counselor if you haven’t already to confirm your eligibility for early graduation. Once eligibility is confirmed, you need to come to the counseling office to pick up an early graduation application to complete.
When can I start applying to college?
Most college applications typically are open by September 1st, but some private/independent schools allow you to apply before you even begin senior year. Most 4 year colleges are now using the Common Application. You may go ahead and begin the application process by creating a free Common Application account commonapp.org For all other schools in NC, you will apply using CFNC.org You can also create accounts with individual colleges which allow you to receive information about open houses, register for tours, etc. Examples are WolfPaws at NCSU, MyCarolina at Chapel Hill, and MyApp at ASU. For complete information on the college application process, join our canvas page, “Going to College”
How do I pay for college?
A college education is very important for upward mobility, so you should expect to invest a certain amount into your education. There are very few full-ride scholarships. The #1 source of college funding comes from the FAFSA (fafsa.ed.gov) (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Although you cannot complete the FAFSA until after December 1, begin gathering the necessary documents. Typically, you will need 1040 tax returns for the student (if applicable) and parent(s). You can also go ahead and create an FSA ID at fsaid.ed.gov/
What about scholarships?
The first rule of scholarships, you should never have to pay to apply for a scholarship, or to receive scholarship information. Scholarship season typically begins around February through early May, however, there are some applications that are available for you at https://sites.google.com/wilkes.k12.nc.us/wcsscholarshipsfinaid When searching this website, you can sort scholarships by month, and by school. If you see a description that says the scholarship was due May 1, 2017, note that this was last year’s scholarship application and not for the current 2018-19 school year. We update due dates as soon as we receive them each year from scholarship donors. You will also find some scholarships that do not have a year on their application. These are annual scholarships which you can go ahead and begin the application process. Also, there are websites such as schoolsoup.com, fastweb.com, CFNC.org , and studentaid.ed.gov that will have scholarship applications available. If you begin working on scholarships, please be sure to check your grammar, spelling, and to make your applications appear as neat as possible. The students that win the most scholarships are not necessarily the top 5 or 10 in their class. The scholarship winners are the ones who apply for every opportunity available and who do an excellent job on their essays and applications.
My ACT Score wasn’t that great, what do I do?
Due to COVID-19, most colleges are not requiring ACT scores from this year's students. You need to check the admission requirements for each school you are interested in to see if scores are required as some colleges are starting to require scores again.
The next ACT you can take is October 18th with the registration deadline being September 12nd. You should register for the ACT only, no writing, unless you have heard differently from a specific college. You will register for the ACT at actstudent.org Mr. Miller has ACT/SAT fee waivers available for low income students.
Also, some students do better on the SAT. To register for the SAT, visit sat.org/register One advantage to the SAT is they have a free online test prep at khanacademy.com Keep in mind that colleges look at you as more than a test score, students get in each year with scores lower than colleges advertise. With that being said, you do have to have at least a 17 to be eligible for college admission in NC(currently waived due to COVID19)
What if I want to play college athletics?
If you are wanting to play Division I or II athletics, you must register with the NCAA Eligibility Center. At eligibilitycenter.org Also, let your coach know your interest.
I am thinking about joining the military?
The military is a great way to earn a free college education using the GI Bill. If you are interested in joining the military, you should schedule an appointment to speak with a recruiter. The recruiters that serve North Wilkes High School are very helpful and would be glad to meet for a no obligation informational meeting. Current recruiter contact info is:
US Army, SFC Prather, cell phone 336-745-1409
US Marines, Sgt Haggard, cell phone 704-223-0735
National Guard, SSG Beddard,, cell, 336-480-6382
US Navy and US Air Force, visit their office at Valley Hills Mall in Hickory
Enlistment in the military requires ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) scores. North Wilkes High School will be administering the ASVAB to interested students in the Fall semester. Stay tuned to the announcements to sign up when the test date is announced.
DATES TO REMEMBER
Appalachian State Open House- November 8th Register HERE
Western Carolina Open House(s)- Oct 25th, Nov 22nd, Feb 28th, March 28th Register HERE
UNC Chapel Hill Early Decision Deadline: October 15
College Application Week- October 20-26
NC State, UNC Wilmington, UNC Charlotte, Duke, Davidson Early Decision Deadline: November 1
ASU/Wake Forest/UNC Asheville/WCU Early Decision Deadline: November 15
UNC Greensboro Early Decision Deadline: December 1
End of 1st semester/early graduate: January 15 (tentative)
Last Day of School: May 29 (tentative)
SUPPORT STAFF
Emily Styers
Career Development Coordinator (Typically at North on Thursdays)
Wilkes County Schools
Mrs. Styers places and supervises CTE internships. She is also available to talk with students about careers and which CTE courses could help you with your career goals.
Natalie Tribble
Career Coach Serving North Wilkes High School
Wilkes Community College
Office: C130 Media Center
Mrs Tribble is our Career Coach at North Wilkes. She is at North every day with the exception of being absent for meetings and trainings throughout the year. Her schedule will be posted on her office door. If you would like to schedule an appointment to discuss career options, information about programs of study and the Career and College Promise at Wilkes Community College, please email or leave a note in the box outside her office door if she is not available and she will contact you.
Susan Whittington
GEAR UP Coordinator (Typically at North on Mondays & Tuesdays)
Wilkes County Schools
Ms. Whittington is available to assist students with college applications, college searches and a wide range of college access activities. She will host Smart Block sessions weekly with different themes. Her office is located in the counseling office lobby.
To schedule an appointment with your school counselor, click the links below
Ms Mastrella(Students A-J)- APPOINTMENTS
Mr. Miller(Students K-Z)- APPOINTMENTS
Important Links
College Foundation of North Carolina College Vine(college list resource)
www.cfnc.org www.collegevine.org
Common Application Start.edu (college search)
www.commonapp.org www.start.edu
Wilkes Community College FAFSA