COUNSELING NEWSLETTER

Welcome Nighthawks!

Welcome to the August/September 2025 Counseling Newsletter! Hopefully students are settling into their trimester 1 classes.

We encourage you to scroll through the newsletter a few times each month as we will be adding information throughout August and September as information arrives to our department. Past events are not deleted and monthly newsletters are archived for reference on the Counseling Page .

Below are the names of our counselors along with their alpha breakdown. Caseloads are divided alphabetically by student’s last name. Please note we have six counselors this year and the alpha split as changed.

Counseling Support:

(A-Ch) Mrs. Susie Kihneman

(Ci-Hd) Mr. Tim Roty

(He-Lh) Mrs. Lauren Kennedy

(Li-Par) Mr. Jesse Luna

(Pas-St) Mrs. Brenda Stone

(Su-Z) Mrs. Kathy Marron

Mrs. Sue Reich, Academic & Career Guidance Technician

Mrs. Bethany Watson, Counseling Assistant

Student Support Services, coming soon

Mending Matters Therapist, Ms. Carinna Ambriz

Del Norte Student Services is in need of snack donations. We're reaching out to kindly ask for your support in donating healthy prepackaged snacks for our students in the Student Services Support Room (G118).

We would appreciate your help keeping Student Services stocked for our Nighthawks. Donations can be dropped off at the front desk. Thank you for your continued support!

If you need to request a schedule change, please complete a Schedule Change Request Form (linked HERE) and return it to the Nighthawk Center by August 26.

No changes will be made via email.

We cannot accept requests for a specific teacher, period, or trimester change.

AP/Seminar courses and required grade level courses cannot be dropped.

Please keep in mind all elective requests are not guaranteed and are limited due to full courses.

Test Date: Saturday, October 11th, 2025

Test Time: 8:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m.

Fee: $30.00 - Pay online (preferred method) by visiting our webstore (pusd.graystep.com)

Payment and registration is due by Monday, September 8th

Registration form linked here and on the PSAT page.

AP EXAMS

AP EXAMS AP® Exams are optional exams at Del Norte High School that correspond to AP® courses. Students choosing to sit for the AP® Exams must adhere to specific deadlines for 2025-2026 that are based on the course’s start date. The cost of each AP Exam is $110 each, aside from AP English Seminar which is $150 each. CLICK HERE for more registration information. Fall deadline is October 31, 2025.

Fall College Rep Visits continue in the Nighthawk Center! This is an opportunity for our Nighthawks to meet with different college and university representatives from around the country and world! Seniors can finalize their college application lists, juniors can start making their college interest list and sophomore and freshman can begin the college research journey – all grades are welcome!

Meetings will be held during Break & Office Hours with a few exceptions. We prefer students sign-up to attend the visit on Naviance so that we can get an idea of interest to allow for seating space. If you have questions about this process, please see Mrs. Reich in Counseling or email, sreich@powayusd.com

Below are the scheduled fall visits. These are subject to change so please refer to Naviance for a comprehensive list. Naviance

Nova Southeast University

Point Loma Nazarene University

Laguna College of Art and Design

Wellesley College

Soka University of America

Newschool of Architecture and Design

Simmons University

George Washington University

University of British Columbia

Stony Brook University

Gonzaga University

University of Florida

University of Redlands

Quinnipiac University

University of Wisconsin-Madison

University of the Pacific

Emory University

Western Washington University

Temple University Japan

Loyola University Chicago

Loyola University Maryland

University of Arizona

Boston University

Chaminade University of Honolulu

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Prescott

Mount Holyoke College

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Adelphi University

Southern Utah University

University of Michigan- Ann Arbor

University of Washington -Seattle Campus

Virginia Tech

Ohio University - Main Campus

University of Tennessee-Knoxville

University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign

Goucher College

Adelphi University

Grand Canyon University

University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus

Purdue University

University of Southern California

Hamilton College

Rochester Institute of Technology

Washington State University

University of Oregon

Boston University

Northern Arizona University

Purdue University-Main Campus

Baylor University

University of California-Irvine

Carnegie Mellon University (Virtual Visit)

San Diego State University

Washington University in St Louis

St. John's College

Chapman

Davidson

Oregon State

University of Wyoming

Case Western

Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Main Campus

University of California-Riverside

University of California - Davis

Pepperdine University

Hampden- Sydney College

Franklin and Marshall College

Indiana University - Bloomington

University of Colorado Boulder

University of Chicago

Wake Forest University

DePauw University

New York University

University of Connecticut

Bryant University

Occidental College

Tulane University

St. Mary's of California

University of Puget Sound

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Montana State University

University of Miami

University of Missouri-Columbia

Marist University

Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Providence College

Eckerd College

Hofstra University

Sarah Lawrence College

Smith College

University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

Kenyon College

Texas A&M

Northern Michigan University

University College Dublin

Hult International Business School

University of Glasgow

Our Clean Oceans (OCO), a registered nonprofit dedicated to protecting and preserving California’s waterways through education, advocacy, and action. Our mission is to ensure clean, safe, and accessible oceans, rivers, streams and other waterways for all Californians — while empowering students to take part in meaningful community leadership. We also channel the outcomes of our enforcement and advocacy work into collaborations with environmental initiatives at schools.

We are inviting students at Del Norte High School to join the OCO Campus/Local Ambassador Program, a completely free opportunity that combines personal growth with social contribution. The program helps students strengthen their leadership, civic engagement, and environmental awareness — qualities that also support college and scholarship applications.

Students who participate will receive:

· Official certificates and public recognition (OCO website and social media)

· Proof of volunteer service hours to meet school or graduation requirements

· Opportunities to request recommendation letters highlighting leadership and impact

· Achievement-based stipends ($100–$200) to recognize outstanding ambassadors

Beyond supporting individual students, OCO’s broader goal is to protect our ocean and water resources and to unite communities around clean water. By collaborating with high schools, we hope to empower the next generation to safeguard local environments while building stronger connections between students, schools, and their communities.

We will have 2 info sessions for students, parents, teachers, and administrators to attend to answer any questions about the EDGE program and the application.

Remote Info Sessions:

Info Session 1: Wednesday, September 10th, 2025 @ 7:00pm - 7:30pm

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us05web.zoom.us/j/7486410095?pwd=ncV4Bi6oQvXR4i9e1ka29QHmWCsPjX.1&omn=83943122792

Meeting ID: 748 641 0095

Info Session 2: Thursday, September 18th, 2025 @ 8:00pm - 8:30pm

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us05web.zoom.us/j/7486410095?pwd=ncV4Bi6oQvXR4i9e1ka29QHmWCsPjX.1&omn=88082356137

Meeting ID: 748 641 0095

If you have any questions about the EDGE program, please contact us at edge.ucsd@gmail.com or visit https://edgeucsd.wixsite.com/edge.

ARMED SERVICES VOCATIONAL APTITUDE BATTERY (ASVAB)

The ASVAB is a military entrance exam that measures developed abilities and helps predict future academic and occupational success. Rancho Bernardo High School is offering the ASVAB test to students in PUSD This year. If you want to offer the opportunity to take the ASVAB please use this link to sign-up on the Google form. Del Norte students will be responsible to notify attendance of their absence and have their own transportation. Students must be at least 16 years of age.

Event: 2025 Date Coming Soon

Test Time:

Location: RBHS Library Reference Room (LRR)

MEDICAL INTERNSHIP

The 2026 Palomar Health Pathmaker Internship provides hands-on experience to high school and college-level students interested in pursuing careers in all fields of the health care industry. The Pathmaker Internship provides interns with clinical experience and exposure to a variety of medical departments, such as the orthopedics department, ICU departments, and even surgery. To be eligible, applicants must be 16 years for our level I program, have a valid SSN, and be able to commit to volunteering a total of 240 hours needed to graduate from the program.

The application window will be open November 1, 2025. As a result, the application window may close sooner than the allotted 3 weeks. All interested students please apply as soon as they can via our webpage: https://www.palomarhealth.org/pathmaker-internship-program/apply

Volunteer hours are not a requirement to graduate from Poway Unified. Many clubs like National Honor Society may require volunteer service hours but it is not mandatory for graduation. There are still many great reasons to volunteer. Giving your time to different organizations builds community pride. The tasks you complete while volunteering can build skills and expand your resume. Colleges also like to see applicants with diversified experiences that reflect their passions as well. The last reason you may want to consider volunteering your time is that it just feels good!

Please use the new graphic below if you need to order your high school transcript.