Southside High School Seniors

Senior Class Reminders

If you are a member of The National Honor Society you will need to take care of the following payments

Yearly Chapter Dues $20

NHS Graduation Materials $47

All Seniors

$100 Senior Payment

If you have not ordered or paid for your Cap and Gown, please get an order form from Mrs. Clark. That payment is $71.50. Checks made out to Herff Jones Gameday or Cash.

26-27 FAFSA

SENIOR PARENTS/GUARDIANS
FAFSA IS NOW OFFICIALLY OPEN!
You can now complete your FAFSA. Our Career Coach, Mrs. Prince will be on our campus October 22-23 to work on completing FAFSA's with our students. She has been in Government Classes last week and will be this week helping each Senior create their FAFSA ID.

We also will have a FAFSA Parent Night with Financial Aid Employees from Gadsden State on our campus to assist any student going to any college with the FAFSA.

FAFSA Checklist
(For students starting college Fall 2026 or Spring 2027)

Before FAFSA Opens (Prep Time)
Create or update your FSA ID (student + parent if dependent). Mrs. Prince will be working with our students on their FAFSA ID.
Use a personal email address. Don’t use your school e-mail address.
Gather Social Security Numbers for student and parent(s).
Collect 2024 federal tax returns, W-2s, and other income records.
Have bank statements and records of investments (if applicable).
List up to 10 colleges you want FAFSA to send info to.

FAFSA Opens - **FAFSA IS NOW OPEN EARLY!**
Log into FAFSA.gov.
Use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (if available) to auto-import tax info.
Carefully review before submitting—
mistakes = delays.
Submit your FAFSA as soon as possible!

Week After Submission
Check your email for confirmation from FAFSA.
Review your Student Aid Report (SAR) for errors.
Correct any mistakes immediately online.
Watch for emails from colleges about additional documents needed.

Ongoing (October–November)
Keep copies of your FAFSA confirmation & SAR.
Update FAFSA if family financial info changes.
Track scholarship deadlines (many use FAFSA info).
Remind college students: FAFSA must be completed every year.

FAFSA is a graduation requirement- let’s get this portion knocked out quickly! We also will have a waiver to sign if you intend not to complete the FAFSA to satisfy your High School Graduation Requirement.

*Pro Tip*
Even if you don’t think you’ll qualify for Pell Grants, always fill out the FAFSA. Colleges and states use your FAFSA to award other aid and scholarships!

Cap and Gown

The cost of a Cap and Gown is $71.50. Cash or Checks made payable to Herff Jones.

Dual Enrollment Spring 2026

Dual Enrollment Spring 2026 registration will open soon. Please check with colleges and universities for their specific information.

College Applications Opening

Many college applications are opening August 1st. Please take a look at the information from colleges you would like to attend. Speak with an advisor at those colleges to help answer your questions. Auburn University in particular is one that you will need to reach out to if your ACT is questionable on acceptance. I will also get more information from Auburn on acceptance and application deadlines.

University, National, and Local Scholarships

When you have been accepted to a University or College, the next step will be completing their college scholarship applications. Please check their website, and with your University Advisors for more information.

Below is a link of scholarship opportunities as they are sent to us

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1O1Z3yWcOzpbtaJbefgsyYO1vlP47yw4V91AwEpJoNaU/edit?usp=drive_link

DUAL ENROLLMENT COURSES

DUAL ENROLLMENT COURSES....PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU ARE LOGGING IN AND COMPLETING YOUR WORK.

Link To Order a Transcript

https://www.ecboe.org/en-US/online-transcript-request-a7ba3de3

National and Local Scholarship Opportunities

Check your Class of 2026 Schoology Group

Check the link below for updates, information, and deadlines for scholarships

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1O1Z3yWcOzpbtaJbefgsyYO1vlP47yw4V91AwEpJoNaU/edit?usp=sharing

ACT TEST AND REGISTRATION DEADLINES

ACT TEST AND REGISTRATION DEADLINES. You have to register on your myact.org account. If you think you are of free/reduced lunch status, please see a counselor for an ACT Fee Waiver. Auburn and Alabama ACT Score Deadlines for scholarship consideration is Dec. 1. You will need to take the Sept and/or October exam to have scores back to meet their scholarship deadline. Jax State and Community Colleges scholarship deadline is Feb. 1.

Devan Lowe Honor Roll

Seniors, You and your parents have received an email with the information on the Devan Lowe Honor Roll Car Giveaway. I am also attaching the PDF Flyer with the information. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ctCk85JRAP28V-Xvuqt3AlvSzFMhojY2?usp=drive_link

Jax State College Application

Information to apply for college at Jacksonville State University can be found here https://www.jsu.edu/admissions/freshmen/index.html

ECBOE School Email Addresses

Reminder: Your ECBOE School Email Address will be deleted after graduation. If you have emails that you will need, please fwd those to your personal email accounts. When setting up resumes, college applications, employment applications, ACT registration, etc.... USE A PERSONAL EMAIL ADDRESS, NOT SCHOOL EMAIL ADDRESS.

Senior Class of 2026 Payment

Please take care of paying your Senior Payment. You can pay online on My School Bucks or pay your panther period teacher.

Scholarships

Please check this page frequently as scholarships will be coming through.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1O1Z3yWcOzpbtaJbefgsyYO1vlP47yw4V91AwEpJoNaU/edit?usp=sharing

FAFSA

FAFSA: The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is a form completed by current and prospective college students in the United States to determine their eligibility for student financial aid. This is an opportunity for the student to receive supplemental aid to provide for college. Completion is required for most scholarships and is a graduation requirement.

The FAFSA will open this fall.

Highlights:

•Complete the 26-27 FAFSA or sign the waiver. Signing the waiver does not keep a student from completing it at a later date. Once the waiver is released it will be available for students.

•Students and parents will need separate FAFSA accounts. The account can be created at Studentaid.gov

• The only way a student does not have to have parent information is if we can show they are independent. We will go over dependent and independent in class.

• The top priority is assisting students with their portion before we can offer assistance to the parents. The parents are welcome to contact their child’s future financial aid office for one on one help.

ACT Score of 30 and Higher

Any Senior that has scored a 30 or higher, please let Mrs. Clark know and complete this form. https://forms.gle/sQkZfCrtLeWVfHGKA

Order Transcripts Online

Seniors, you must order your transcripts online through ecboe.org, online transcript request through Parchment the online transcript portal. Use a personal email to create an account, not school email. The link is below. Please do not go straight to parchment.com, go to ecboe.org first. Also, do NOT use the students school email address. Use a personal email address.

https://www.ecboe.org/en-US/online-transcript-request-a7ba3de3

Senior Payment

Senior Donation is $100. This fee can be paid online through my school bucks, cash or check made payable to Southside High School.

ACT Exams

Sign up and register to take the ACT test on myact.org