South High CCC Newsletter

Seniors will be joining Ms. Young in the auditorium on Wednesday, October 28th during 3rd hour to hear about plans for graduation, how to order your yearbook, and information about how to become a senior class officer.

This is a required meeting for seniors to attend as this is when you will be ordering your cap and gown. Other topics that will be covered are the positions for class officer and the materials needed to apply, my life plan graduation requirements, and important dates that seniors need to be aware of.

Please make sure to attend! Also, if you are looking for additional information about the graduation, check out Ms. Young's Senior Class webpage here.

Seniors who are hoping to apply for November 1st early action deadlines have about a week to complete their applications. Remember that colleges want all required materials in by the deadline which can include transcripts, letters of recommendation, test scores, and essays to be considered a complete application. Please make sure you are checking what your colleges require.

Seniors should also check if their college requires a counselor letter of recommendation. Ms. MacDonald is working with all 12th graders this year and needs as much time as possible to complete good letters of recommendation. Ms. MacDonald does reserve the right to say no if a student is asking with less than three weeks remaining before their deadline.

To find out if you need a counselor letter of recommendations, please watch this video. Once seniors identify if they need a counselor letter of recommendation, they need to complete the Survey for Counselor Letter of Recommendation in Xello and schedule an appointment with Ms. MacDonald to talk through that survey.

If you need help, please find Kelsey or Katie in the CCC and they are happy to help you find if you need a letter of recommendation from a counselor and find the survey.

Is your student ready to reach their full potential, prepare for college, and build lifelong friendships? The University of Minnesota TRIO Upward Bound program is now accepting applications for incoming 9th, 10th, and 11th-grade students!

TRIO Upward Bound is a 100% free college-access program offering comprehensive multi-year support, including:

• Academic Tutoring & ACT Prep: Free weekly tutoring and test preparation.
• Monthly Stipends: Earn financial stipends for active program participation.
• College Tours: Travel to explore college campuses across Minnesota and regionally.
• 6-Week Summer Residential Experience: Live in a residence hall on the UMN Twin Cities campus, take college-prep classes, and experience college life firsthand!

Who Can Apply? Students who are motivated to go to college and meet federal eligibility guidelines (first-generation college-bound students whose parents have not completed a 4-year degree, and/or students from families meeting federal low-income criteria) with a 2.5+ GPA.

Priority Application Deadline: October 31, 2026

Apply Online Today: z.umn.edu/trioub2026

Have questions or need help applying? Contact the UMN TRIO UB team at ubtrio@umn.edu.

Students can find all the scheduled Rep Visits on the CCC Calendar. Rep Visits can be added or changed throughout the fall, so we encourage students to check the calendar weekly. The rep visits are also listed under the "Events" tab in Xello. Lastly, Katie and Kelsey will also share the weekly calendar on the whiteboard outside the CCC (Room 150).

Please make sure you pick up a pass from the CCC to attend a Rep Visit! Students will not be allowed to stay for the visit without a signed pass.

Students who are looking for clubs, afterschool programs, and jobs can check out the link below for student opportunities! Katie and Kelsey will share different opportunities available to students on this page from volunteer opportunities, clubs, jobs and much more to stay involved and build your network.

To see what is available please click the link below.

Katie and Kelsey are currently in the process of moving all popular scholarships into Xello for students. If you are looking for scholarships to apply to please log into Xello, hover over "Explore" and then click on "Scholarships." From there students can find scholarships that Katie and Kelsey have added to Xello, as well as other scholarships that Xello has in their database. For upcoming scholarship deadlines, see below:

Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards due November 1 by 11:59pm

Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship due November 11 by 11:59pm

Elks Most Valuable Student due November 12 by 11:59pm

Early Auggie Scholarship apply to Augsburg by December 1

Ron Brown due December 1 by 11:59pm

October 26: MnACC College Fair, South Gym, 9:00am-10:30am

October 28: PSAT for 9th-11th grade, Media Center, 8:00am

October 28: Senior Class Meeting, In the Auditorium, 3rd Hour

October 28: Native Senior Day, In the CCC, 1st-6th Hour

November 1: Early Action Deadlines

November 3: Election Day, No School

November 4: My Life Plan 11, Junior Launch Part 1, Media Center, In Social Studies Classes

Katie and Kelsey are available Monday-Thursday at South from 8:30am-4:30pm in Room 150.

Students can stop by the CCC to make appointments to discuss anything regarding post-secondary planning and life after high school.