CELEBRATING THE CLASS OF 2026

• Senior Slideshow // Deadline to Submit April 26
• Senior Awards Ceremony // May 18 // 5:00p
• Senior Wrap-Up Meetings // May 13 & 14 (during English classes)
• Graduation Requirement - FAFSA
• Final Exam Schedule for Seniors
• Senior Walk Schedule (date dependent on elementary school you attended)
• May 28 is a Busy Day! // Senior Sunrise // Breakfast // Panoramic Pic // Rehearsal
• Graduation Day // May 29
• Scholarships

When COVID forced the cancellation of in-person celebrations in 2020, the VHS Counselors decided to put together a senior slideshow to celebrate ALL seniors. It was such a wonderful tribute that we decided to keep doing it. We are now on our 7th year of this tradition.

***Please note, this is DIFFERENT from the photos being collected for the Senior Video.***

We are excited to celebrate all 500+ seniors by creating a Class of 2026 Senior Slideshow Album. In addition to sharing their future plans, students will be able to share any outstanding academic, service, and military honors. Here's what we need from our seniors:

Create a single GOOGLE Slide. We have pulled a few EXAMPLES from previous albums to provide you with some inspiration, or feel free to start from scratch and put your own creative stamp on it. Include absolutely anything you feel great about!

Information to be included on the slide:

• First and Last Name

• Celebrations & Accomplishments - Examples include acts of service, contributions to your community, leadership positions, holding a part-time job, etc.

• Awards/scholarships received - Examples include National Merit Scholar, National Reserve Officer Training Corps Scholarship, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Scholarship

• What’s Next For Me? - A short statement about what’s on the horizon for you. Examples include joining the workforce in the field of…; attending X university to major in…; enlisting in X branch of the military

• Photo (optional)

• Make sure your slide is formatted in 16:9 widescreen ratio (this should be the default setting for Google Slides)

Save your GOOGLE Slide using the following format: Last Name_First Name_Senior Slide

Submit your saved GOOGLE Slide to the form below by Sunday, April 26th at 11:59 PM.

PARENTS/GUARDIANS - HOW CAN YOU HELP?

History has told us that parents love to be a part of the slide creation. If you are helping with your senior's slide, please make sure that you are working in Google Slides and not another format - your senior can help you with this, as they are very accustomed to using Google Slides. Also, please make sure you are collaborating with your senior and submitting a single slide - duplicate submissions result in unhappy seniors when their preferred slide is inadvertantly left out : (

WHERE CAN I VIEW THE SLIDESHOW?

• link will be emailed to all seniors & parents/guardians the last week of school
• slideshow will be featured on both the VHS Counseling Website & the VHS Main Page for a time
• slideshow will run on the big screen at the HEB Center prior to graduation beginning

In accordance with Texas Education Code (TEC), §28.0256, each student must do one of the following in order to graduate:

• Complete and submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
• Complete and submit a Texas Application for State Financial Aid (TASFA) (for Texas residents who are not eligible to apply for federal financial aid - usually includes students who are non-citizens or non-permanent residents of the United States)
• Submit a signed opt-out form ENGLISH, SPANISH

*Reminder: this is only one graduation requirement component. Counselors and Administrators will continue working with Seniors on ensuring graduation requirements are met.

ACTION REQUIRED

Seniors: To complete this graduation requirement, submit your documentation to this linked form.

***Reminder: this is only one graduation requirement component. Counselors and Administrators will continue working with Seniors on ensuring graduation requirements are met.***

Please see the screenshot below for an example of what should be submitted.

The Senior Awards Ceremony will recognize seniors who have received outstanding academic, service, and military honors and/or awards. The ceremony will take place Monday, May 18 at 5pm in the Vandegrift High School Performing Arts Center. Seniors receiving awards and recognition will receive invitations the week of April 27th to attend the Senior Awards ceremony, however, all are welcome to join the celebration.

This is a formal celebration - we encourage students to dress up (i.e. slacks, button-ups, dresses).

We know you're looking ahead to a bright future, but we have some things that require wrapping up here at the high school before graduation! So save the date: on May 13 & 14 we'll be meeting with seniors during their English 4 class periods, or PIT/ACC Off Campus periods for those of you who took ACC English. Again, this is a REQUIRED meeting. Full details will be posted on the Senior Information page and in the Class of 2026 Google Classroom as the dates approach.

Many senior activities will be taking place on May 28. See below:

• Senior Sunrise & Breakfast // 6:15a // hosted by Student Council
• Panoramic Picture to follow Senior Breakfast/Sunrise (approximately 8am)
• Graduation Rehearsal & Cap & Gown Distribution // 9a

**Reminder - graduation rehearsal is MANDATORY for all students who will be participating in the Class of 2026 graduation ceremony.

**More information on all senior activities & graduation will be shared during Senior Wrap-Up Meetings.

It's almost here! Below are a few frequently asked questions we are commonly asked

How do students get to graduation?

Students report to VHS on May 29 at 11am. From there, seniors go to assigned locations by alpha and are then bussed to the HEB Center. Graduates join their families afterward and ride home with them.

How many guests is each senior allowed at graduation?

There is no limit to the number of guests at the HEB Center. Seating is first come/first served.

What about cords, stoles, and other regalia?

Graduation regalia identifying various honors are distributed in different ways as we near graduation. Please reference this document to understand these honors and who to contact if there are questions: Graduation Cords & Stoles

Leander ISD communicates information regarding scholarship opportunities through the Naviance platform. See this infographic for how to navigate Naviance scholarship information. We also post local scholarship opportunities in the Class of 2026 Google classroom (Classwork --> Scholarships). Though these applications can be time consuming, the payoff can be huge - FREE $$!

We want you looking calm and crisp on graduation day, so don't delay! All seniors are required to have a cap & gown to participate in graduation ceremonies.

Graduation regalia identifying various honors are distributed in different ways as we near graduation. A document will be posted in the spring regarding honors and contacts.

Bundled packages and additional Class of 2026 products can be found at the Josten's VHS store.

Seniors, there is a webpage devoted just to you! Please check the Senior Information Page regularly to keep track of upcoming senior events, end-of-year tasks, information about graduation, etc.

Austin Community College is a fantastic resource for all graduating seniors! You can...

• earn credits to transfer to other colleges/universities
• begin your college journey at ACC in a program that gives you direct transfer opportunities (e.g. Bats to Bobcats w/Texas State, Tech Teach for educators w/Texas Tech, A&M/Samsung Academy for engineering),
• earn a workforce certificate that helps w/employability (many certificates stack into an associate degree- meaning all classes in the certificate are transferable to the associate degree)
• explore various interests before committing to a particular pathway or just for fun
• work on an associate degree that could improve your earning potential or train for a particular career path, or even earn one of four bachelors degrees (Manufacturing Engineering Technology, Nursing, Software Development, & Cybersecurity).

ACC has a free tuition program for the Class of 2026- those who live in the ACC district- for 3 years after high school graduation starting fall of 2026. Enrollment & registration support is offered through the College & Career Center on April 16 & May 7 from 11:30-1:30 and by appointment.

The last day to order a yearbook to guarantee a copy is May 1. Click here to reserve your copy!

Google Account and Gmail

• Shortly after graduation (usually around July), your school Google account will be switched from the “k12.leanderisd.org” sub-domain to the “alum.leanderisd.org” sub-domain. The new username will be firstname.lastnameXX@alum.leanderisd.org (XX = last two digits of your student ID).

• The Password will be the same password you use when you graduate.

• Your Google account for alumni will remain active for one year upon graduation.

• The alum account allows you access files you created, but you will not be able to create new docs, slides, etc.

Google Drive

• All of your documents in Drive will be transferred to the alum.leanderisd.org sub-domain. This account will be active for one year. To retain copies of your district files follow the directions to download the data you want retained.

Google Sites

Google Sites do not allow ownership to be transferred outside of the leanderisd.org domain. However, students can make a copy to a personal gmail account if they wish.

• follow these steps:

• Add your personal Gmail account as an editor of the site

• From your personal account, open the site.

• Click the 3 dots and select Make a copy.

• Choose the name of the site and location (Drive folder).

• Click on OK.

If you have any questions, please reach out to the ITS Help Desk at (512) 570-0566.

Counselors and Asst. Principals are assigned alphabetically by STUDENT last name:

VHS Counselors

Kandice Detlefsen, Lead Counselor - A - B

Kylie Russell - C - Ga

Charity Escott - Ge - Kn

Tracy Noble - Ko - Ne

Shawna Powell - Ng - Si

Melissa Wells - Sk - Z

VHS Assistant Principals

Amanda Toon, Associate Principal - A - B

Becky Azard-Jackson - C - G

Parrish McEwen - H - Mao

Collin Fletcher - Map - Sam

David Barnes - San - Z

Additional Staff Contact Information

Katie Kendall - College and Career Transition Coordinator

Heidi Kalla - Dean of Instruction

Emily Rullan - Special Education Team Lead

Jennifer Taylor - 504 Coordinator

Alexandra Magness- IB Coordinator