Counselor's Corner

"Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today."

~Thich Nhat Hanh

Wow! What a week. Many of us are having difficult times right now: within ourselves, familially, locally, and worldy! Some things we can control and others we cannot. Those things we cannot control, all we have is hope. We can hope things turn out better, we can hope that we get accepted into colleges, we can hope certain people will be our friends, we can hope tomorrow will bring us good news, we can hope for a lot of things. It is hope that gets us through the trying times we are facing. Reach out and talk to someone today about what some of your hopes are. Say them out loud, it helps!

Seniors will need to not have any failing grades and have ALL of their community service hours done to be eligible for Disney Grad Night.

On Site Therapists

We have two therapists on site. Artemis with Team Success provided by CPI on Monday and Tuesdays, and then Paige our school's Social Worker on Thursdays and Fridays. If you feel like you would like to speak to one of them let me know and I can refer you. It's a great resource to help heal our Mental Health.

38 graduates are left for FAFSA. This needs to be submitted for graduating students as soon as possible. There are Cash 4 College nights held virtually and in person all over the county if you need assistance. This is the only way you will get any type of financial aid in college and this is the only way you will get to go to the JC for free. Please fill it out as soon as possible, so you can find out how much money you will earn and if you get the Cal Grant or other scholarships.

I will finish up my "Group Graduate Spring Meets" during advisory on Feb 11th to go over 2nd semester reminders. Then I will begin my "Spring Freshmen Group Meets" on the 18th.

I have also created a Google Classroom with resources and announcements...ask your students if they have joined yet.

My newsletters are to inform parents mostly, but there will also be information for students. Some information carries over each week, but always look for the new stuff.

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.

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

Free Peer Tutoring brought to you by our National Honor Society students. Please get the help you need in any subject on the following "office hour" days/times in the student center in our Tutoring Corner.

Join us as we celebrate our Class of 2026 on Basketball's Senior Night – February 3 at the Tech Middle Gym

We’re honoring the dedication, leadership, and heart of our Titan Seniors and all they have brought to Tech athletics over the years.

Girls Game: 6:00 PM
Senior Recognition in between Girls and Boys Game
Boys Game: 7:30 PM

Come out, cheer loud, and help us celebrate our Seniors!

Please continue to post and forward the following information to your student body. Our 16th Annual Sonoma County Student Film Festival is now open for student film submissions!

Getting into a film festival is a great way to boost your resume and/or college applications! Watch this short video about our festival and program at SRJC to learn more.

There are no fees to apply (you don’t find that in many film festivals!) and accepted films are also considered to screen at the prestigious and competitive Film Fest Petaluma at the Mystic Theater in May.

Films submitted must have been made within the last two years, be less than 15 minutes in length and have a Sonoma County student involved in the production. Anyone in the production may submit the film (not just the director) and both fiction and non-fiction works are eligible. The window for submission for the Sonoma County Student Film Festival closes on March 3rd.

Film submission will be made via Film Freeway: filmfreeway.com/SCSFF

The Sonoma County Student Film Festival will be held on Friday April 5th at Ellis Auditorium on the SRJC Petaluma Campus and will include a mixer before the event – mark your calendars! General admission to the festival is a suggested $5 donation, but filmmakers and their crew in attendance get in for free.

Rising Stars Program is now accepting applications for class of 2027. They support and empower low-income, first-generation college students to obtain a post-secondary education and secure career-ladder jobs, fueling a diverse and inclusive workforce and thriving economy.

SRA’s Rising Stars program offers five to six years of a full continuum of comprehensive, individualized college and career support. These services include college access and success advising, healthcare navigation, socioemotional support, financial capability training, career guidance and readiness, and professional development and mentorship.

https://studentsrisingabove.org/programs/#programs_sra

These two wonderful pre-collegiate programs are coming to our campus on February 18th during advisory, please be sure to stop their table outside the student center that day.

Hello Titans!

Are you interested in becoming a student writer for our local community newspaper? We are currently seeking a few additional student writers for 2026 and beyond. This is a wonderful opportunity to gain published writing experience and strengthen your resume and college applications. If you would like more information, please feel free to email me. I look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you!

Tracy Si

tracysi@thecommunityvoice.com

I’m excited to share that the North Bay Construction Corps 2026 application is now open! You can find the application here: https://ncbeonline.com/nbcc/

Please take your time with the short-answer questions and do your best to use correct spelling and grammar.

Both the Application and Recommendation Form (linked in the Application) are due by 5 p.m. on February 6th. After the deadline, I will contact all applicants to schedule an in-person interview. Members of the North Coast Builders Exchange and our Board of Directors will be conducting the interviews and will have a copy of the application you submitted.

Once interviews are complete, selected students will be notified, and the program will begin on March 14th.

The Oakland Space Academy is designed to build a strong foundation of space-sector knowledge and skills while bridging the disconnect between K-12, work, and post-secondary education. The depth and breadth of the program greatly increases the chances that all students will succeed in their career whether it begins right after high school or is built as part of a pathway through college.

The Oakland Space Academy begins in 10th grade with the high school Galaxy Explorers Program. Following 10th grade, a variety of Oakland Space Academy Career Intensives provide the opportunity for Galaxy Explorers, high school students, and adults to deepen high-demand STEM-related technical skills and update their space-related science knowledge. If you have any questions, please email galaxyexplorers@chabotspace.org.

https://chabotspace.org/education/oakland-space-academy/

I am reaching out to announce the launch of our 2025-26 Scholarship Program! Throughout the years, our section has distributed over $330,000 in scholarships to graduating female students from Bay Area high schools who plan to pursue degrees in engineering or computer science. Incoming or current community college students who plan to transfer to a 4-year accredited university are also considered for our scholarships awards.

To be eligible for a SWE GGS scholarship, applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Current high school senior or community college student planning to pursue a degree in engineering or computer science from an accredited university
• Identifies as a woman or other underrepresented gender including non-binary and gender non-conforming
• Lives or attends school in the boundaries of the Golden Gate Section

Scholarship applications are evaluated based on the following: academic achievement, references, extracurricular activities, and a personal essay. Quality of the application and student financial needs will also be considered. Applications will be judged by a committee of engineers from the Golden Gate Section who represent different fields of engineering. Additional information and the scholarship application can be found here: https://ggs.swe.org/scholarship-information/.

The deadline for students to submit their applications is April 3rd, 2026.

The scholarships will range in value from $1,000 - $2,000. Recipients of SWE GGS Scholarships will be notified soon after selection and will be featured on our section website. If you have any questions about the scholarship program, please reply to this email and I will be happy to help you.

For information about SWE scholarships at the Society level, visit https://swe.org/scholarships/.

Graduating Students and Families...attend a local or online Cash 4 Colleges Night to learn and get assistance with filling out FAFSA. Find out more here:
https://www.csac.ca.gov/cash-college

Here is a little video of the 10,000 Degree representatives talking about their scholarship program.

https://youtu.be/x_Yr26_ANvQ

One of our students, Ryken, set up a Tutoring Club, so that you can be a tutor or get a tutor in all subjects. Please feel free to fill this out to get the tutoring service:

Join Tutoring Club! - Google Form

Meet Your Tutors! - Google Sheet

And for extra support in math, Nicholas, of the Math Club, please feel free this out:
Get tutoring, be a tutor

Enjoy this fun night before you launch onto life after high school. ALL students have always had a blast at this all night party after graduation!

Want to go to the JC while attending high school to get more credits?

https://admissions.santarosa.edu/high-school-dual-enrollment-request-form

Vaccine Mandate - Students taking on-campus classes will receive email and text notifications from “SRJC Verify” with information and a link to access their unique Cleared4 profile. For this reason, this is a really good time to log in to your Student Portal and be sure you have entered current/accurate contact information.

October 1 – Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) & California Dream Act Application (CADAA) available for the current and next academic year

April 1st-ish- Summer/Fall '26 Schedule comes out

May 6th - High School Dual Enrollment Students able to register at 7am.

Talk about dual enrollment is increasing, if your student is interested in taking SRJC classes, please have them follow along the following tutorials to create their SRJC account.

Reminders: These are college classes and they do count for your future...earning an "F" or a "W" will affect your college admissions in the future, financial aid in the future, and college GPA. Please make sure to discuss with me the classes you plan on attending as I have to look at your Tech High GPA and previous SRJC grades.

Please make sure your student has registered their school email through californiacolleges.edu and then parents can be added to the account as well. For more resources for parents please go here: https://learnmore.cacollegeguidance.org/tools-for-parents/

Community Service Hours

40 hours required by the time you graduate.

15 more graduates need to turn in their 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.

College Courses

Take full screenshots of your unofficial transcripts for any class you are taking outside of Technology High School and want credit for. Upload them here: https://forms.gle/zfL8jXiJ5Z94B42K9

Limit 4 college courses are able to go on Tech High Transcript.

and are MALE....

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

Please let me know if I can improve it or add to it in any way 😁

24 Hour Emergency Mental Health Hotlines

❖ North Bay Suicide Prevention Hotline 855-587-6373

❖ California Youth Crisis Line (call or text) 800-843-5200

❖ Psychiatric Emergency Services 800-746-8181

❖ Sonoma County Suspected Child Abuse Hotline 800-870-7064

❖ Verity Sexual Assault Hotline 707-545-7273

❖ YWCA Domestic Violence Services 707-546-1234

Other Mental Health & Support Contacts

❖ National Alliance on Mental Illness SOCO 707-527-6655

❖ United Way local assistance: 211sonoma.org 211

❖ Crisis Textline ( crisistextline.org ) Text HOME to 741741

❖ Substance Abuse/Mental Health (SAMHSA) Referral 800-662-HELP (4357) ❖ Grief Share hosts free, in-person grief recovery support groups across the country.

Mental Health Tip

Write Down Ways to Relax: Relaxing is one of those things that's easy to say and harder to do. Unwinding and staying calm can take practice. Write down a list of ideas for positive ways that you can de-stress. Try them out, one step at a time. When something works, try it again. Just remember that you're going for wellness. Those short-term fixes (we're talking pills, alcohol, and other forms of substance abuse) aren't going to help in the long-run. So cross them off the list. Add a mental image or a photo of a beautiful place that you'll visit someday.

Resource: https://childadolescentpsych.cumc.columbia.edu/articles/11-tips-mental-health-well-being

February

2nd - 6th - Spirit Week and Rally

7th - Winter Formal 7-10pm

9th - Lincoln's Birthday - No School

16th - President's Day - No School

18th - ATS and Upward Bound here in front of the student center during advisory

March

2nd - 6th - Spirit Week and Rally

8th - Daylight Savings - Turn clocks an hour forward

13th - End of 3rd Quarter

16th - 20th - Spring Break - No School

1. The North Bay Association of REALTORS® Charity (NorBAR Charity) is pleased to announce our 2026 High School Scholarship Program. These scholarships are made possible through the generosity and volunteerism of our REALTOR® and affiliate members of our Association. We are confident these students will make a difference in their communities as they pursue their educational and career goals, and we are proud to support their success!

   
   

   We mailed hard copies of our application to your schools earlier this week, and wanted to send along this digital resource as well.

   
   

   Overview & Criteria

   Scholarships of $1000-$2500 will be awarded via the NorBAR Charity Scholarship, and five $2000 scholarships for Napa students (Shane Scholarships).

   • Eligibility:

   • NorBAR Charity Scholarship (regionwide): Graduating seniors residing in and attending high school in Sonoma, Napa, and Inland Mendocino County.

   • Please note that Coastal Mendocino is outside of NorBAR’s jurisdiction and not eligible.

   • Napa (Shane Scholarship): Graduating seniors living in and attending schools in Napa County will receive either a NorBAR Charity Scholarship or Napa Shane Scholarship (5 scholarships)

   
   

   Application Process & Requirements

   • Application Period Begins: 12:01am on February 2, 2026 (the application link will go live this Sunday night)

   • Application Period Ends: 11:59pm on March 1, 2026

   
   

   Complete the online application and upload all required documents at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BXBC7FF

   1. A signed, completed Scholarship Application Cover Sheet (pages 2-3 of this document).

   2. A 500-word essay/letter to the scholarship committee addressing your background, educational, extracurricular and work-related activities, volunteer/community involvement, financial need, career goals, and why you should be awarded a scholarship.

   3. Two letters of recommendation from persons of applicant’s choice, describing the applicant’s work ethic, motivation, goals for the future, and why the applicant should be awarded a scholarship.

   4. Copy of official high school transcript.

   All submissions must be received here, https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BXBC7FF.

   
   

   Process & Selection

   The NorBAR Charity and Napa Chapter Scholarships are guided by their own Scholarship Taskforces and will undertake their own individual review process. Awards for the NorBAR Charity Scholarship will be announced before May 4, 2026 at 5:00pm; (applicants will be contacted directly by email).

   
   

   Method of Selection/Criteria

   • Educational performance and achievements, leadership, and other school experience

   • Background, extracurricular, volunteer/community involvement and/or work experience

   • Goals: What you hope to achieve by continuing education

   • Letters of Recommendation: Who they are from and what they say.

2. The Dr. Frank Wells Scholarship supports graduating high school seniors entering college to study education, political science, history, or social science. Please complete all required fields and submit your application by 11:59pm PT February 15, 2026. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdiO4UxaQwJmwjVvsi9T46LBpIIrwHomUDiR9Y2GMbUus2nZQ/viewform

   Selection Process
   Applications will be reviewed by the CAAASA Scholarship Committee using a standardized, nondiscriminatory rubric to ensure equity and objectivity in decision-making. The selection criteria include:

   
   

   
   

   • Lived Experience Essay (heavily weighted)
   • GPA and Academic Growth
   • Community and School Involvement
   • Financial Need
   • Letter of Recommendation

3. NBLC Youth Leader Scholarship Nominations are open!

   We encourage self-nomination as well. So please let all young leaders know we would love to hear from them!

   
   

   You can also submit an application online here: https://www.northbayleadership.org/2026-youth-leader-contest-nominations-1

4. Redwood Empire Active 20-30 Scholarship

   This scholarship is directed towards female high school seniors residing in and going to school in Sonoma County.

   We are looking for recipients who have demonstrated a strong commitment to volunteerism in their community.

   Here is the link for submissions. The deadline for this scholarship is March 21,2026. Please let me know if you have any questions.

   
   

   https://redwoodempire1029.com/scholarships/

5. Merit Based Scholarship: https://levinescholars.charlotte.edu/

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

7. 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/

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

9. https://www.unigo.com/scholarships/high-school-students
   
10. https://www.fastweb.com/college-scholarships/articles/humongous-high-school-scholarships
    
11. https://scholarships360.org/scholarships/top-scholarships-for-high-school-seniors/
12. https://bold.org/scholarships/scholarships-for-high-school-seniors-list/
    
13. https://www.scholarships.com/financial-aid/college-scholarships/scholarship-directory/school-year/high-school-senior
    
14. https://www.scholarships.com/financial-aid/college-scholarships/scholarships-by-state/california-scholarships/
    
15. https://www.bestcolleges.com/financial-aid/online-colleges/
    

1. Sonoma County Regional Parks: https://parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov/play/calendar/volunteering

2. Redwood Empire Food Bank | https://refb.org/
3. https://www.volunteernow.org/teen-volunteers

If you have any concerns about your schedule please email me and/or use the Google Form provided in the button below. I will do my best to accommodate your needs. I am here to help you succeed in school, graduate, and attend college in order to have the career of your dreams.

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