Post Grad News

Some students know what they want to do after high school from an early age; others aren't sure yet—and that's okay. At Legend High School, the Post Grad Center is your hub for planning your future after graduation. Conveniently located off the main hallway, we're here to help students prepare for whatever comes next.

Follow us on Instagram @lhs_postgrad

The Post Grad Center webpage is your go-to resource for all things post-grad! You can find it on the Legend website under the Post Grad Center dropdown, where you’ll find information and resources to help you navigate your plans after high school.

Some of this month’s info may look familiar to last month's newsletter — certain things are just too important to mention only once! 😉 Be sure to keep reading each month because new opportunities, deadlines, events, and helpful info will continue to be added throughout the year!

I'm thrilled to introduce myself as Legend's new Post-Secondary Counselor! I'll be your go-to person for everything related to Titans taking the leap into college and careers.

A Little About Me

Born and raised in Colorado and started my career as a math and science teacher. I earned a Master's in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Denver and a Master's in Counseling and Career Development from Colorado State University — both of which continue to shape how I support students today. Along the way, I realized what I truly wanted was a deeper connection with students and a chance to make a lasting impact on their futures — so I made the change from teaching into school counseling.

As your Post-Secondary Counselor, there are so many ways I can support you as you build your plan for the future. Wherever you are in the process, I hope you'll reach out and connect with me. Here are just a few of the ways to use me as a resource:

• College applications — including navigating Common App

• Naviance tasks — completing required school and graduation requirements

• College essays — tips, guidance, and feedback

• Financial aid — understanding and applying for FAFSA and scholarships

• Career exploration — figuring out a pathway if you're still unsure what's next

• Beyond four-year colleges — resources on technical colleges, vocational programs, and military pathways

How to Reach Me

• Email: emurphy@dcsdk12.org

• Phone: 303-387-4527

• Book an appointment: LINK

As seniors work through the Common App and other college applications, we’ve been getting a few of the same questions.

• What is the senior class size? Class of 2027 has 535 students.
• What is my class rank? Legend does Not provide class rank. Select, "School doesn't provide class rank" on the application.

Have more questions or want to talk through opportunities?

We are happy to help! Reach out to Ms. Murphy or Ms. Cannode.

Juniors, Seniors & Parents please join us for the Annual College Fair. You will have a chance to speak with college representatives, attend sessions on essay writing, learn how to find scholarships, and gain an understanding about how financial aid applies to you. Technical schools and military representatives will also be present. Over 50 colleges are planned to be in attendance! Check the regularly updated list of attending colleges HERE.

📍 Location: Legend High School

📅 Date: Tuesday, September 15, 2026

🕕 Time: 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM

Can't Make to to the Legend High School College Fair?

No problem - There are other college fairs you can attend; Fairs are normally free.

• CCSD Performing Arts College Night: Tuesday, September 8, 2026, at 6:00 PM at the CCSD Instructional Support Facility (5416 Riviera Way) focused on music, theater, and dance.
• NACAC Virtual College Fair: Online options are scheduled for September 20, 2026, October 18, 2026, and November 8, 2026, from 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM MDT.
• NACAC Denver National College Fair: October 17, 2026, from 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM at the ⁠Colorado Convention Center. Featuring two-year, four-year, trade, STEM, nursing and visual/performing arts programs.
• Greater Denver College Fairs
• Monarch High School college fair Wednesday, September 30th, 5:30pm until 7:30pm
• Denver South High School college fair Thursday, October 1st, 5:30pm until 7:30pm

• Mountain Vista college fair Saturday, October 3rd from 10:00am until Noon

College visits are posted on the calendar, TV outside Post Grad, and morning announcements. No pass will be issued—your Naviance confirmation email is your pass!

PLEASE SIGN UP FOR COLLEGE VISITS IN NAVIANCE

Add colleges to your “Colleges I’m Thinking About” tab in Naviance; then you will receive email notifications when those colleges are visiting. If you would like to attend a visit, you need to sign up in Naviance under the “Colleges Home” tab and you will see the college visits on the lower right hand portion of the page. Visits are held in the Post Grad Office. Attendance is taken at the visits and you will be excused from class while you are at the college visit.

The different branches of the military set up a table in the commons during both lunches certain times of the month (holidays excluded). Below is a list when they are scheduled; no registration necessary. Visits start the month of September on scheduled school days.

• Air Force: First Tuesday of every month
• Navy: Second Tuesday of every month
• Army: Third Tuesday of every month
• Army National Guard: Third Thursday of every month
• Marines: Fourth Tuesday of every month

1. CREATE ACADEMIC PLAN (ICAP)

• Individual Career and Academic Plan (ICAP) and/or Individualized Education Program (IEP) to be completed in Naviance during second semester of your senior year.
• Must complete the ICAP Survey prior to graduation. Within the survey, click on the Send Final Transcript button for your final institution. This is how we will know where to send your transcript after graduation.

2. EARN 24 SCHOOL CREDITS

3. 20 HOURS OF COMMUNITY SERVICE

• Document 20 hours of service activity within the Helper Helper app or online at helperhelper.com. Hours are to be accumulated over 4 years at Legend.

4. MATH AND ENGLISH COMPETENCIES

• Students must demonstrate college and career readiness in both Math and English through one of twelve different methods prior to graduation. For menu of options; click here.

From Tuesday, Oct. 20th through Thursday, Oct. 22nd, 2026, many public colleges and universities in Colorado and several private institutions will waive their application fees, making it free for Colorado residents to submit an application. By waiving application fees—a common barrier to higher education—Colorado Free Application Days aims to improve access to further education and training. Visit the Colorado Dept of Higher Education website to find the code for your specific college.

2025 Free Application Days Results:

• 71,504 applications were submitted during October 7 - October 9, 2025
• More than $2.4 million saved by applicants in waived application fees

When you are applying to college directly or through Common App there are many steps that need to be completed. I have listed these steps for you on our Legend website. Please click here to see what is required to fill out Naviance, request a Letter of Recommendation (LOR), and request a transcript.

Requesting Transcripts

Transcripts must be requested through Naviance once you have moved the applicable colleges to “Colleges I’m Applying To.” Once your application has been submitted and payment has been made through MySchoolBucks ($3 per transcript), I will upload your transcript to the requested school.

Pay attention to the College Admission Deadlines. Once I have received a transcript request there are items that need to be completed on my end. It can take up to three weeks before I am able to send your information. For example if you have a college deadline of 10/20/26 your transcript request should be sent to me no later than 09/28/26, sooner if possible.

No transcripts will be sent over fall break as our office is closed (Oct 10th-18th).

Letters of Recommendation:

When requesting a LOR please speak with the teacher in person before requesting it through Naviance. You are responsible for ensuring these get completed timely; please follow up with your teachers to ensure deadlines are met.

Transcripts for Scholarships:

No need to purchase transcripts to be sent for scholarship applications. First step is to add the scholarship opportunity in Naviance; this can be done on the "Favorite Scholarships" tab. After adding to Naviance, email Amy Cannode (acannode@dcsdk12.org) with details of where the transcripts should be sent.

I will email your school email if I need clarification or further support from you before sending your transcript. I will not send your transcript until I hear from you.

Students should also check their college email and portal regularly, as colleges use these to share important updates, requirements, and communicate with you if any issues arise.

Early Decision plans are binding: A student accepted as an Early Decision applicant Must attend the college.

Early Action plans are nonbinding: Students receive an early response to their application but do not have to commit to the college until the normal application deadline of May 1st.

Waiver Fee: A fee waiver may be granted to students who demonstrate financial need, allowing them to have certain school-related or college application fees reduced or waived.

Students who are 16 years of age or older are invited to take the ASVAB test on Monday, September 21st, 2026, at Legend High School beginning at 8:00am. No advance registration is required. We encourage you to arrive early, bring a pencil, and come ready with a forward-looking attitude for this exciting opportunity to explore future pathways.

I’ve come across a few SAT prep courses that families may find helpful. These resources are not affiliated with or endorsed by the school, but I wanted to share them as options for those looking for additional test preparation.

Khan Academy (Free!) - Maximize your score with free Official Digital SAT® Prep; start by linking your College Board account to your Khan Academy account.

https://www.khanacademy.org/digital-sat

https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/practice/khan-academy

Applerouth (Free!) - Attend Workshops with proven strategies for exam success; Achieve higher AP scores with 2-hour sessions designed to help students earn 4s and 5s. See below link for webinars and practice tests; paid test prep programs are also available through Applerouth. Choose a Free 90minute SAT or ACT Strategy Session between August 4th and August 20th by clicking the link below.

https://www.applerouth.com/#test-prep

Campus Prep via online or onsite at DU (Cost $195) - This is a 27-hour comprehensive course, including 3 proctored practice exams to help students increase their scores. Course is hosted at the University of Denver and taught by a Harvard graduate. A live online option is also available; families may choose between the in-person and virtual formats.

• Runs once a week for 7 weeks (2.5 hours each night)
• Students who complete the course often increase their score by over 200 points.
• Taught by a 99th percentile-scoring SAT expert
• Program Director: Matt Cucharo; 877-805-2521

campusprep.org

https://www.eliteacademics.com/classes/

More information will be provided as dates get closer, but the testing weeks will be as follows:

• Fall PSAT / NMSQT testing will be held October 7th, 2026
• Spring CMAS/PSAT 9 & 10/SAT testing will be held April 12th - 16th, 2027

Visit College Board for registration; Please click here for test dates and registration deadlines.

Remaining 2026 testing dates through College Board:

Sept 12, 2026

Oct 3, 2026

Nov 7, 2026

Dec 5, 2026

2027 testing dates through College Board:

Mar 6, 2027

May 1, 2027

Jun 5, 2027

Scholarship Opportunities are listed on the LHS website and are updated as they come available. This list is not all encompassing and researching other opportunities is advised.

The college-specific scholarships shown in Naviance is a great resource as you can filter down to the ones you are eligible based on colleges you applied to as well as your specific GPA, SAT scores, ACT scores, etc. This can be found under the Colleges dropdown and "scholarships and money" section.

Several great resources for students and parents include:

DenverFoundation.org

Scholarships.com

AccessScholarships.com

Bigfuture.collegeboard.org

Spend a few minutes exploring the links above as well as researching further on your own.

There are countless opportunities waiting — you just have to take the first step.

COLORADO PROMISE

Introducing Colorado Promise – an income-qualified program that pays you back for up to 65 college credits to make higher education more affordable and more attainable for Colorado students and their families.

EmpowerEd

EmpowerEd is a state-funded program that provides financial assistance at in-state public higher education institutions for students, between age 17-27, who were deemed eligible for McKinney-Vento while enrolled in a Colorado high school. This program pays for the remaining balance of a qualifying student’s cost of attendance after scholarships, grants and other financial aid awards have been applied.

FosterEd

FosterEd pays for the total cost of attendance for qualifying students who attend public institutions of higher education within Colorado. This state-funded program pays for the remaining balance of the total cost of attendance after scholarships, grants and other financial aid awards have been applied. To qualify for this program, students must have been in foster care or in non-certified kinship care in Colorado on or after their 13th birthday.

FINANCIAL AID FOR STUDENTS

If you don’t qualify for the specific programs above, no worries! Check out these other programs, services, and resources that can help you out. To qualify for federal grants or loans you should complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). By completing a FAFSA, you will also be considered for State grants

• Maintain your grades during your junior year is especially important. College Admissions Counselors look for an upward trend in grades throughout the high school years.
• Be aware of the PSAT and SAT dates.
• Determine what it takes to position yourself most favorable for admission to the college(s) of your choice, in addition to GPA and test scores.
• Speak with your advisor during your junior meeting about your academic record and profile; determine that gaps or weakness there are and get suggestions on how to strengthen your candidacy for the schools you are interested in applying.
• Attend college rep visits at Legend HS and college fairs to gain an understanding on how colleges differ in culture, class size, etc.

Every student attending a Douglas County School is required to fulfill a 20-hour community service requirement to graduate. Hours must be documented within the Helper Helper App and contact information (email/cell phone) is required for your volunteer coordinator to approve your hours electronically.

Volunteer opportunities are emailed directly to you through Helper Helper as they become available. We also encourage you to seek out volunteer opportunities on your own that match your interests and passions.

How Many Hours do you need to Letter in Community Service?

• 1st Letter: Complete 100 hours and complete the required body of evidence.
• 2nd Letter: Complete 150 hours during the year and complete the body of evidence.
• 3rd Letter: Complete 250 hours during the year and complete the body of evidence.

Lettering in Community Service: Find the correct form for, first year, second year or third year for lettering requirements HERE. Complete and submit the appropriate form with the body of evidence required to Ms Foos. Lettering packets are due for all students by mid March 2027.

• Community Service lettering program at Legend is limited to the current school year of service and is not retroactive to previous school years. Community service hours must be completed between May 30, 2026 and Mid March 2027 to qualify for lettering this year.

• You must be a current, full-time student to letter.

• Lettering hours count towards graduation required community service of 20 hours.

Will be added as they come across my desk

Employment, Military, Trade school or College... your opportunities are Endless!

Let us be a part of YOUR Future!

Ellie Murphy; Post Graduate Counselor

emurphy@dcsdk12.org

303-387-4527

Amy Cannode; Post Graduate Admin Assistant

acannode@dcsdk12.org

303-387-4633