Counselor's Corner

“As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.”

— Henry David Thoreau

I received this quote from someone and I would like to thank them for sending it my way. I LOVE it...this is exactly why we do what we do, to create those mental/emotional paths to help our students succeed. I find myself repeating many things over again, but just as the quote says we must do things over and over in order to create paths. Therefore, I repeat things worth dominating the lives of those career/college-bound, which is our whole student body.

Next week, on Thursday, we will hold the 9/10th Grader Parent guidance night, and I hope to see you there. I highly encourage you to join me to learn about all that you need to about THS, credits, college pathways, etc.

Our Club Rush was very exciting and engaging this week. Thank you to all those representing a club, and thank you ASB for hosting it.

I have created a Google Classroom with resources and announcements...ask your students if they have joined yet. The join code is: 4bav26u

39 graduating students still need their community service hours!!!

I am very easy to get ahold of and respond pretty quickly. If you ever need anything, please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions, clarification, or concerns.

Please continue to reach out to me if any support is needed by any family or student. I am here for you ALL through email, phone, visits, Google Chats, Google Meets whichever is your preference.

See below for friendly reminders: Important Dates, Mental Health Tips/Resources, SRJC information, Scholarship opportunities, and volunteer opportunities.

Check out the link to find out the different days for Fall Previews of different California State Campuses:
https://www.calstate.edu/apply/choosing-a-campus/Pages/campus-events.aspx

I only have 11 students and no completed applications, so here is the sign up to get more, so I don't have to cancel: https://forms.gle/NKCsFGBVQR6YuAo7A

The Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC) has their application ready to be filled out for Spring 2027 as well as Summer/Fall 2027 (graduates fill it out please).

I will need all the graduates to send me their SRJC ID, so I can communicate with our liaison about applications, orientations, etc.

Oscar, the liaison from the SRJC, will be here to help all graduates sign up for Fall 2027 on October 21, 2026 in the Student Center from 10 am - 12 pm.

We are sure there are brilliant minds here that would love to take on this challenge:

https://www.grants.nih.gov/news-events/calendar-of-events/6a99d243da093ca04f0fa542?fbclid=Iwb21leAUT9idjbGNrBRP1KXBkb2YFZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMzUwNjg1NTMxNzI4AAEeCXjxBfof-PVTBr21vmlmefgCdMbpqhGhDCatlwyjIM4V-4nC6qecd_O5X1A_aem_sFBV1K_nin7jHWm5ThnI7Q

More details on the actual project

https://www.nih.gov/challenges/nourish-autoimmunity-digital-health-challenge

Check out the videos on the different Camp College Workshops to help you and your student prepare for college applications.

This comes from a THS Alumni and I would like to continue to share it as a college preparedness tool. There are 22 CSU's (California State Universities), 9 UC's (University of California), many private schools, a wonderful junior college, as well as tons more nationwide. Here is just a sample of what another student shared with me...copy it and make it your own with the schools of your choice.

College List Template

Please find the internship application for Path to Purpose for Sonoma County:
https://ctesonomacounty.org/investments/pathtopurpose-students-parents/

Applying to College?

1. Make sure you create accounts for CSU Apply, UC Apply, and/or Common App using your personal emails only!

2. Write essays for Common App as well as 4 out of the 8 PIQ (Personal Insight Questions)...have final drafts done by October 1st

3. List your activities: sports, volunteering, clubs, extracurriculars

4. Fill out brag sheet: https://forms.gle/wGVpjSsPazYuHmmw9 for teachers to write recommendations. Remember UC's and CSU's don't want/need rec letters. Remember to ask the teacher first if they mind writing one for you.

5. Apply for FAFSA on or after October 1st and possibly a CSS on Collegeboard if the college requires it.

Interested in College?

1. Start making a college list

2. Make list of activities with dates and a quick description of each

3. Think about majors you want to study for the career path you want

4. Look for internships and summer camps to apply to before February

1) Play two seasons of sports here at THS. *If it's tennis you must be one of the competitive players* (50% of our students do this)

2) Take TWO PE Classes at the JC, they must be fitness classes, not lecture classes.

3) If you are a Junior or Senior and have done 1 year of PE and are 16 years or older then you will just need to fill out a Google Form to be exempt. *Juniors will fill it out when they register for classes for their Senior year.* (The other 50% do this)

If you take two JC Fitness classes, please send us your final grades (unofficial transcript) from the JC!

Community Service Hours

Turn those in so we aren't running around trying to get them done when it's your senior year and trying to graduate. The sooner you get them done and turned in, the better.

You need 40 total to graduate (average of 10 hours per high school year)

College Courses

Turn in transcripts or snapshots of your final grades for any class you are taking outside of Technology High School and want credit for. Turn them in by the end of the year, please!

Please register within 30 days of turning 18 with the Selective Service System

Did you know?

I am not just an academic counselor, but I also assist with Social Emotional. Maybe the word hasn't spread, but I am here for YOU for ANYTHING! Come talk to me about anything, I will talk you through things, listen, come up with strategies to deal with anxiety, etc, and show you some love!

Has something been bothering you? Let it all out…on paper. Writing about upsetting experiences can reduce symptoms of depression.

Resource: https://www.mhanational.org/31-tips-boost-your-mental-health

September:

18th - Reed College Visit at Lunch

24th - Guidance Night 9th/10th Graders and Families 5 - 6 pm

28th - Univ. of San Francisco Visit at Lunch

29th - Photo retakes for all/Senior Portraits

October

1st - ACT 8:30 - 1 pm

8th - SAT from 8:30 - 12:30 pm

8th/9th - Signs of Suicide Presentations for 9th/11th Graders

14th - Prospective Family Night 5 - 6:30 pm

15th - PSAT 8:30-11:30 am and 12:30-3:30 pm

28th - Prospective Family Night 5 - 6:30 pm

1. Chick-Fil-A Community Scholarships
   https://learnmore.scholarsapply.org/cfacommunityscholars/
   

2. Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE)
   

   From their website:
   

   "The Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) is an agreement among WICHE’s 16 member states and territories, through which 160+ participating public colleges and universities provide steep nonresident tuition savings for Western students." Find out more answers to your questions: https://www.wiche.edu/tuition-savings/wue/wue-faq/

3. Collegeboard Scholarship Search https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/scholarship-search

4. https://www.unigo.com/scholarships/high-school-students
   
5. https://www.fastweb.com/college-scholarships/articles/humongous-high-school-scholarships
   
6. https://scholarships360.org/scholarships/top-scholarships-for-high-school-seniors/
7. https://bold.org/scholarships/scholarships-for-high-school-seniors-list/
   
8. https://www.scholarships.com/financial-aid/college-scholarships/scholarship-directory/school-year/high-school-senior
   
9. https://www.scholarships.com/financial-aid/college-scholarships/scholarships-by-state/california-scholarships/
   
10. https://www.bestcolleges.com/financial-aid/online-colleges/
    

1. We are reaching out to see if you could help us share a volunteer opportunity with your students for the upcoming Rohnert Park Founders Day on Saturday, September 26th, at the Rohnert Park Community Center.

   We are looking for student volunteers to help with a variety of activities throughout the event, including event setup, the Kids Area, assisting with activities, general event support, and cleanup.

   Students who volunteer will be able to receive community service hours for their time, and we thought this would be a fun way for them to get involved in a community event while earning their required hours.

   Rohnert Park Founders Day

   
   Saturday, September 26, 2026
   Rohnert Park Community Center
   Event hours: 10:30 AM–3:00 PM
   Volunteer shifts may include time before and after the event.

   If you could please share this opportunity with your students, we would really appreciate it. Students interested in volunteering can contact us at rpfoundersday@gmail.com for additional information and available volunteer times.

2. https://www.projectsweetpeas.com/volunteer
3. Redwood Empire Food Bank | https://refb.org/
4. My name is Phoebe with the Alzheimer's Association, and I'm reaching out to see if any of your students would be interested in volunteering at our upcoming Sonoma-Marin Walk to End Alzheimer's. Volunteer shifts are for set up Friday 4-6pm as well as for the actual walk on Saturday, October 3, 2026 at Sonoma State University
   
   We're looking for student volunteers to help with a variety of shifts and roles throughout the day.
   
   I've put together a Google Form with more details on available shifts, job descriptions, and timing: https://forms.gle/Nnstqx1oxb41M8UP9
5. https://russianriverkeeper.org/events/rrwcu/
6. I'm Kathleen Haynie, a member of the Oaks Spiritual Center, Church of the Oaks, in Cotati. The Center is in need of help with maintaining and updating our website, https://www.churchoftheoaks.org/home-1.html. We are an older group and have limited techie skills. We understand that your school offers students the opportunity to provide community service.

   We anticipate that the time required would be 3-4 hours per month. We are hoping that one individual, or two-three on a rotating basis, would be willing to help us out. It would be helpful to have our information updated, event flyers and announcements added, our community partnerships etc. added to the website regularly.

   Please contact me and let me know if this if this community service is one that your school student community would be interested in providing.

   In addition, our Minister, Patrick McCarty can be reached at 707-695-6289.

   Thank-you, with appreciation,

   Kathleen Haynie landline 707-665-9391

7. https://cvnl.org/teen-volunteers/

Email: kristina_juarez@crpusd.org
Website: https://ths.crpusd.org/
Location: Technology High School, Bonnie Avenue, Rohnert Park, CA, USA
Phone: 707-792-4825