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Counselor Corner

From the Indian Hill High School Counseling Department

CounselorCornerFrom the Indian Hill High School CounselingDepartment

November is Native American Heritage Month: Click here to find ways to celebrate November is Native American Heritage Month: Click here to find ways to celebrate

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Carson Scholars Nomination

The purpose of the Carson Scholars Program is to recognize and reward outstanding students in the United States who exemplify academic excellence and humanitarian qualities. The goal of the Carson Scholars Program goes beyond instilling an interest in college early on and assisting with the costs of college.

Eligibility requirements - current 9th - 11th grader; 3.75 GPA; display strong humanitarian qualities by participating in community service above and beyond what is required. These hours must be logged in X2Vol and Verified by Friday, November 21st.


This form is the initial step in being nominated by Indian Hill HS. Information that you submit will be used to decide our nominee. Once nominated, you will move forward as the nominee from Indian Hill High School. The Carson Scholars Committee will then make their decision on who becomes a Carson Scholar among the many nominations submitted by schools across the nation. The nomination form can be found on your Canvas page under "Announcements". The final deadline for submission is Thursday, November 20, 2025.

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Paying for College Night Recording
On Monday, October 6th the Counseling office presented Paying for College Night. Click the link above to access the recording.
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PreACT for Grades 9 and 10

On Friday, November 21st, students in grades 9 and 10 will take the online PreACT 8/9 or the online PreACT respectively. PreACT assessments are multiple-choice and provide 9th and 10th grade students an early measure of College and Career Readiness while serving as a practice opportunity for the ACT test. It is never too early to help students get comfortable with the ACT and one of the best ways for students to prepare is with PreACT. The PreACT helps students practice for the ACT, discover new opportunities, and start planning for the future. Learn more at act.org/preact. Students should arrive to Indian Hill High School no later than 8:00am for testing and bring your calculator and several #2 pencils. Once testing ends, students will be dismissed from school if they have made transportation arrangements. Buses will run their regular pick up schedule at 2:45pm. Room assignments will be posted on your Canvas page. There is no makeup opportunity for this exam.
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Juniors will take a Practice ACT

On Friday, November 21st, all juniors will take a practice ACT exam. This is a great chance to get started on your testing plan, or if you have already started, it will provide additional practice. Juniors must bring your calculator and several #2 pencils. Once testing is complete, you will be dismissed from school if they have arranged transportation home and buses will be available at 2:45pm.


Time: 8:00 AM - 11:30 AM EST

Where: Indian Hill High School (Check Canvas for room assignments)

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Click here for the full college planning timeline for juniors Click here for the full college planning timeline for juniors

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Freshmen! Schedule your individual meeting with your counselor

Hi Freshmen! We want to schedule a time to meet with YOU to learn more about your transition to high school! Please click the below link and schedule a freshman meeting with your school counselor. You will get an email reminder, just show it to your teacher as a "pass"!

Mr. Grzegorzewski - A-E Mrs. Cottrell - F-La Ms. Kearns - Lb-R Mrs. Jackson - S-Z

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9th Graders have begun the YouScience Assessments

YouScience is a platform that provides aptitude assessments to help students discover their natural talents and interests to guide them toward matching career paths and college majors. YouScience results reveal aptitudes, how students approach tasks, and teamwork. This will lead to exploring career matches, salary expectations and job openings. During the month of October, all 9th graders began the YouScience assessments and should finalize those assessments in November. After that, we encourage students to view their results and explore the platform. Parents are encouraged to discuss the results along with their child (there is no parent access).

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Juniors! Register for the SAT or ACT

Now is the time to begin planning to take the SAT or ACT. To register, you must go to the respective testing site and register. Remember juniors, you will all be given the opportunity to take the School Day SAT exam at Indian Hill High School on March 4th (no registration required). Plan time to study by accessing free opportunities to prepare. Click here for ACT prep and/or click here for SAT prep information.

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Grades 9 - 11 - PSAT Results are available now!

Students can access their PSAT scores from the October 9th PSAT by logging into their College Board account. If you do not have a College Board account, you will be able to create one. DO NOT CREATE AN ADDITIONAL COLLEGE BOARD ACCOUNT. Counselors will assist you with accessing your account on November 17th during classroom visits. In January, the Counseling Department will meet with you to review your score reports for the PSAT and the PreACT. Also parents will have the opportunity to attend a Virtual Test Interpretation presentation on Wednesday, January 21st, where we will interpret your child's test scores. SAVE THE DATE!!!
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Counselors Present at National and State Conferences Counselors Present at National and State Conferences

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Our Counseling Team Was Selected to Present at National and State Conferences

We’re thrilled to share that our counseling team was selected to present at both the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) Conference in September and the Ohio School Counselor Conference in October!

This year, NACAC received more than 530 presentation proposals for only 130 slots. Submissions were reviewed by over 180 peer reviewers to ensure a dynamic and diverse lineup of sessions. We’re incredibly proud that our program was chosen to be part of this national platform.

Our presentation spotlighted, Application Bootcamp, a program designed to make the transition from high school to college less overwhelming for seniors. Held on the first Friday of the school year, this full-day event creates an equitable, structured, and supportive environment where students work directly with high school counselors and college admissions representatives. Through sessions on application logistics, a mock admissions review, and essay writing—followed by personalized 1:1 feedback—students leave with greater confidence and a clear plan for their college journey.

What participants have said:

  • “My favorite session of the conference! I left feeling inspired and energized to revamp our college prep programming.” (Participant, NACAC)

  • “The work you do with your students is inspiring, and I hope to build something similar at my school.” (Participant, OSCC)


We were honored to represent our school on both a national and state stage and to share the impact of Application Bootcamp with counselors and educators across the country!

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West Point Society of Cincinnati 2026 Leadership and Ethics Seminar

Interested in improving your leadership skills? If so, you may be interested in attending the West Point Society Leadership and Ethics Seminar on February 6th. This seminar will be taught by West Point (United States Military Academy) graduates with strong military & corporate leadership experience. Attendees will experience ethics training previously only available to West Point faculty and cadets. Attendees will also practice their leadership skills to the benefit of others and their organization.


If interested, please complete the survey application "West Point Society Leadership and Ethics Seminar", on Naviance by December 1st. Only 10th and 11th grade students may complete the application. All applications to attend must be submitted through the link on Naviance or they will be voided.

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Upcoming Events for the month of November and December

November

1 - 30 - Native American Heritage Month

1 - Popular College Application Deadline (OSU, Miami U, UC and others)

2 - Daylight Savings Time ends (set your clocks back 1 hour)

4 - Election Day

5 - Great Oaks Information sessions

5 - HOBY Interviews

8 - SAT exam @ IH

11 - Veteran's Day

13 - College 101

15 - Popular College Application Deadline

19 - Seniors submit all of your transcript requests in Naviance

20 - Seniors depart for Senior Trip

21 - PreACT for grades 9 and 10

21 - Practice ACT for grade 11

23 - Seniors return from Senior trip

24 - Thanksgiving break begins

27 - Happy Thanksgiving

December

1 - Deadline to submit West Point Society Leadership Application in Naviance

1 - 5 - End of Course exams (US Govt and Retakes/Makeups)

6 - SAT exam

13 - ACT exam

15 - 19 High School Exams

22 - Winter Break Begins

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Contact information and online calendar links can be found below. Please use these links to schedule a meeting.

Alex Grzegorzewski (A - E)

alex.grzegorzewski@ihsd.us

(513) 272-4565

Click here to access my Calendly page.


Nollis Cottrell (F - La)

Nollis.Cottrell@ihsd.us

(513) 272-4563

Click here to access my Calendly page


Lindsay Kearns (Lb - R)
Lindsay.Kearns@ihsd.us

(513) 272-4568

Click here to access my Calendly page


Donita Jackson (S - Z)

Donita.Jackson@ihsd.us

(513) 272-4506

Click here to access my Calendly page


Ester Hall (College/Career/Testing)

Ester.Hall@ihsd.us

(513) 272-4544

Click here to access my Calendly page


Amy Van Strien (School Psychologist)

Amy.Vanstrien@ihsd.us

(513) 272-4564


Coreen Bell (Registrar)

Coreen.Bell@ihsd.us

(513) 272-4566

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