12th Grade Updates September 2024

You've made it! You are a senior! Likely you have many questions, worries, concerns, and hopes right now and the counselors at CHS are excited to help you navigate this school year. This newsletter will focus heavily on college prep, however, future newsletters will give more information about post-secondary options that do not involve college plans.

At the end of September, CHS will host 4 universities for Express Admission Days! Each of these Universities will send admissions representatives to CHS to meet with students in-person. In some cases, you will get an admissions decision on the spot! If PNW, IUN, Calumet College, and/or Ivy Tech are on your list of schools, come check it out! You can sign up for one or more of these Express Admit Days by visiting this link. If you have any questions, please reach out to Mrs. Blue mblue@duneland.k12.in.us

Recently some of the staff of the CHS Counseling Office got to ride along with the Army Golden Knights when they were in town for the Gary Air Show! Mr. James Moore, Mrs. Amy Snyder, and Mrs. Miranda Blue visited with the Golden Knights and learned more about their program. Mrs. Blue, our College and Career Assistant, worked with the Army Recruiter to set up this amazing experience and we also got to meet Major Andrew Keithley (bio below), who is a CHS grad, and works with the Army Golden Knights.

Mr. Moore went for his visit on Saturday, August 17th. During his flight all of the Golden Knights were able to jump from the plane, down to the beach at the Gary Air Show! Mrs. Snyder went up with the team on Sunday August 18th and one of the Golden Knights was able to jump from the plane before the cloud cover because too heavy and the plane had to return to the airport. Unfortunately when Mrs. Blue went for her trip, the weather did not cooperate and she was not able to go up with the Golden Knights. The team was extremely hospitable to us and we are grateful for the opportunity to see them in action!

You can learn more about the Army Golden Knights, and see their performance schedule, by visiting https://www.goarmy.com/golden-knights

In October, the School Counseling Office will host a College Fair and a Career Pathways Fair. These events will be held during the school day on Thursday October 3rd (Career Fair) and Wednesday October 9th (College Fair).

We will send out more information soon!

Welcome back to school from the Exceptional Learning Department! By now your students should be settling into their classes and routines. IEP notes and accommodations have been sent to teaching teams. Teachers of Record have caught up with returning students and are getting to know their incoming freshmen.

We are excited to announce three new Exceptional Learning teachers that have joined us this year making a total of 15 teachers on the team here at CHS! Mrs. Crum, in the English department, comes to us from LaPorte with 12 years of teaching experience. Mr. Richardson, the special education teacher at RISE Alternative school, has a background in nontraditional learning environments. Jolie Dickinson has joined the Applied Skills team after teaching at Bailly last year.

Both our Speech and Counseling services are finishing up scheduling and starting with their students the first week in September. Additionally, our new Opportunity Enterprises Student Career Advisor will be settling in next week as well.

Remind your students they can ask anyone for help, from their general education teachers to their Teacher of Record (who is your main contact person as a family), or other Exceptional Learning teachers they may have for Direct and Supported classes who are all valuable resources, whether with specific accommodations, test-taking, small group instruction, or review.

We’re all looking forward to a great year supporting your students in achieving success!!!

Construction and Skilled Trades Field Trip (Grades 10-12)

The Construction and Skilled Trades Day will be held on September 4th at the Porter County Expo Center. The School Counseling office will be taking students in grades 10-12 to the event. We have limited spots available, so please sign up soon! Email Mrs. Blue with questions. mblue@duneland.k12.in.us

If you plays sports, please familiarize yourself with the NCAA and NAIA athletic recruiting requirements.

If you were unable to attend the Senior Parent Informational meeting on August 15th, or you would like to review the information shared at that meeting, please click on this link. You will find information about college applications, common myths and misconceptions surround the college application process, careers in the trades, military information, and more!

This is a good time to check in with your recommenders to make sure they know your deadlines. And if you haven't already, read this guide and then ask your teacher(s) if they’ll write a letter on your behalf.

You will request letters of recommendation through Naviance. Go to https://student.naviance.com/chestertonshs and choose "Sign in With Clever".

Start familiarizing yourself with the information you need to gather. Over 1000 colleges and universities use The Common Application. Colleges and universities that are not on the The Common Application will have applications on their school's website.

FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The application opens up in December. This is a very important part of the college process, it will help colleges put together their financial aid packages. Families should work on the FAFSA together. The CHS Counseling Office will sponsor a Financial Aid Night in December, be on the lookout for more information soon!

Wondering how to get started on your college essays? This step-by-step guide and this video will walk you through the process. If you are Undocumented or a member of the LGBTQ+ Community and you’re wondering how much to disclose in your personal statement, these guides might help you map out your content.

The Counseling Office at CHS regularly hosts college admissions reps as well as recruiters from each branch of the military. Students can sign up to attend college rep visits by logging into Naviance. In Naviance choose Colleges-then in the drop down list and choose College Visits. You can see which schools are coming to CHS and register to attend. Don't forget to come to the counseling office to pick up a pass to attend the meetings.

EDIT: The Naviance Link is not working, use this link to sign up for these upcoming visits!

Some of the colleges who are visiting CHS in the coming weeks include:

• Hanover
• Miami University
• Butler
• Washington University
• Lee University
• Trine
• Grace College
• DePaul
• Bradley
• University of Alabama
• Wabash
• Loyola

The CHS Counseling Office updates a list of scholarships regularly. Check this website often and apply for as many scholarships as you can! Please be wary of any organizations that ask for money to give you lists of scholarships, these are scams!

Over 115 students participated in College App Camp this year during SRT! If students missed it, all seniors will have individual meetings with their counselors to go over post-secondary plans/questions in the coming weeks.

Young people really enjoy social media, however, it is important to remember that anything that is posted online can never truly be deleted. It isn't common, but colleges and universities have been known to rescind admissions offers if students have posted questionable or offensive material on their social media accounts. One good rule of thumb is that if you wouldn't want your grandmother to see it, don't post it!

Another thing to consider is how your social media use may be impacting your brain and your ability to concentrate. Parents all over the country (and educators as well) are noticing that young people are having a more difficult time concentrating. Do you notice your mind getting bored when you are asked to read for school or work on assignments? It might be that you are experiencing what is being called "Tik Tok Brain."

Tik Tok Brain isn't a diagnosable condition, but researchers are starting to see patterns in how our brains respond to short videos like those on Tik Tok. These videos can release dopamine into our brains, which makes it feel addicting to watch and can also have a negative effect on our ability to pay attention. You can read more about this phenomenon in these articles.

What is Tik Tok Brain and Is it Real?

Tik Tok Brain Explained: Why Some Kids Seem Hooked on Social Media Feeds

Tiktok Brain Explained: Endless Dopamine Rush From Short Videos Get Kids Hooked

Researchers are suggesting that we all unplug. Set limits on how much time you spend on social media, particularly Tik Tok. It can also be useful to put your phone in the other room when you are doing your homework, so that you can avoid distractions. Also, don't sleep with your phone in your room! You need a break from that overstimulation and constant influx of information!

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. This can be a difficult topic to discuss, but it is an important one. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for youth in the state of Indiana. Approximately one in five high school students have thoughts about suicide and nationwide one out of every eleven high school students have made a suicide attempt in the past twelve months.

To learn more, please visit the following websites.

National Suicide Prevention Hotline

Indiana Center for Prevention of Youth Abuse and Suicide

Get involved in a couple of clubs, sports or other extracurricular activities either at your school or in your local community. Keep track of your engagement over time on this simple spreadsheet.

Check out the many clubs and sports offered at CHS! If you can't find a club that you are interested in, consider starting one!

Suicide Prevention Hotline

1-800-273-8255

Crisis Text Line

Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor

Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

Dial 988

Email: jesmoker@duneland.k12.in.us
Website: https://www.duneland.k12.in.us/domain/145
Location: 2125 South 11th Street, Chesterton, IN, USA
Phone: 219-983-3730
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CHS.CounselingOffice
Twitter: @CHS_CCCoffice