Financial aid helps pay for college and can be in the form of loans, grants, work study, scholarships, books, and more. Money can be placed in various college accounts from a student's infancy throughout all postsecondary routes. All students planning on attending a community college, trade school, or university complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) starting in or after October of their senior year for those who will start college in the Fall of the following year. This year, the FAFSA will be late. You can read more about that in a later section. The purpose of completing the FAFSA is to determine federal loan, grant, and scholarship eligibility based on income.

Students can earn scholarships based on their academic achievement, service to the community, and various contests.

Financial aid encompasses subsidized and unsubsidized loans, grants, and scholarships. Not all grants are need-based. Need-based grants take your family's income into consideration. Grants are money for school that you DO NOT have to pay back. Student loans must be paid back.

The biggest question I get from students is, "How do I apply for scholarships," and "How do I find scholarships." To get started with the scholarship process, there are four things students can do: 1. Use the SHS Scholarship Portal, 2. Watch a video I made to introduce the topic, 3. Sign up using Going Merry 4. Attend the next Scholarship 101 class that will be hosted in the College and Career Center.

Institutional Grants and Scholarships (35%)

Here is how the award process often works. A student applies to a school and the admission office decides whether to accept the applicant. If the school gives merit scholarships, the decision typically will be made during the acceptance process, usually based on the student’s grades and test scores.

This often is done before the school knows if a teenager would qualify for need-based aid. When the financial aid form is reviewed, the admission staff decides whether a child still needs assistance, even after taking merit scholarships into consideration.

If the school is willing to give additional assistance, it would award a need-based grant on top of the scholarship. The most highly ranked research universities and liberal arts schools give no merit scholarships.

Their aid is exclusively in the form of need-based grants. Consequently, if you don’t qualify for need-based aid, you will pay full price at these institutions. Because of the wide variety of assistance that you can encounter, it’s important to use a net price calculator when evaluating the generosity of any school.

If you aren’t eligible for federal grants, you can turn to federal loans.

• The Direct Loan is for those who file the FAFSA and are attending school at least half time. During a five-year period, students can borrow a maximum of $31,000.

• The PLUS Loan is designed for parents of undergraduate students, as well as graduate and professional students. Parents can borrow the difference between the cost of the school and what their child received in financial aid.

Who can take the PSAT?

At Sparkman High School, students in grades 10 & 11 are eligible for this test on a first-come, first-served basis.

Seating is limited.

When & Where

October 11, 2023, at Sparkman High School. Students will report between 8:10-8:15 a.m. More information is forthcoming.

Registration and Fees

Fee: $25.00* payable through myschoolfees on the SHS website. Deadline: August 18, 2023

Test Prep

https://www.collegeboard.org/

POC: Assistant Principal J. Gray jgray@mcssk12.org

You're in the home stretch! Congratulations on making it through to this point successfully. That's right: If you're well enough to read these words, then you have overcome countless battles. Let's buckle up and get ready for an exciting school year!

Things you need to know right away if you are already thinking about applying to colleges:

1. Some students apply as soon as most colleges open their applications on August 1st for the 2024-2025 School Year. Students either apply using individual applications for each school. Students apply for one or more colleges individually, but there are other options:

2. Some students apply to multiple colleges at once using portals such as the Common Application. Students can go to www.commonapp.com or download the App -Common App Mobile

3. Students who want to attend an HBCU (Historical Black Colleges and Universities) have the option of applying through the Black College Application. Although Hampton, Tuskegee, Howard, etc. have their own application portals, students can use the Black College Application to apply for over 66 HBCUs.

4. Other students use the Coalition Application to apply for a specialized group of colleges like John Hopkins University, Duke, Harvard, Indiana University, NC State University, etc.

A. If you are using a Common App, do NOT list your grade level counselor. Instead, list Dedra Muhammad as your counselor. Do not list me as anything other than “Counselor.” The other counselors do not process college applications. I hope you are reading this! If you list another counselor it can cause serious delays.

B. YOU are responsible for submitting your transcripts to individual schools, but I will send them if you use a Common Application.

C. You are responsible for sending your ACT scores. If you don’t remember your ACT username/password, you will need to reset your account with ACT. Sparkman does not have access to your username and password

D. Our school code is 012-648

E. Your counselor is Dedra Muhammad (for collegiate purposes, you MUST list me as your counselor)

F. dmuhammd@mcssk12.org

G. Sparkman High School 2616 Jeff Road, Harvest, AL 35749

H. We are a non-ranking school. So, when prompted to answer questions about your class standing, you must tell them we do not rank (except for the Top 10% at the end of high school.

I. Until further notice, our enrollment for the Class of 2024 is 550.

Hat's off to you and Happy Summer!

Overview

This annual program (6 total program days) is designed for emerging leaders in our high schools. Challenge exposes students to leadership and mentorship opportunities across our community and provides the students with the tools necessary to develop individual leadership skills. Each jam-packed program day will cover different topics in personal, community and business leadership.

Participation & Selection

Challenge recruits emerging leaders from every high school in Madison County. Class members are selected by a combined committee of Challenge graduates, local leaders, and Leadership Greater Huntsville Board Members.

Selection is based on personal integrity, desire to increase community and school involvement, motivation to learn, and the commitment of necessary time and effort to complete the program. A long list of current extracurriculars or achievements is NOT necessary for selection to Challenge Class 23.

Find out more details about the program here: www.leadershiphsv.org/challenge.

This program is free to attend and will take place from September 2023 - March 2024 on the below dates. By applying, you agree to attend each day in its entirety (8:30AM-2:30PM).

September 12, 2023

October 10, 2023

November 7, 2023

January 9, 2024

February 6, 2024

March 5, 2024 - Graduation

Apply now by completing the form below. Applications close April 28th!

You will have the ability to save your progress and return to your application. Please take your time and answer each question thouroughly.

Questions? Email Kayla Clark, kclark@leadershiphsv.org.

Apply Here

Email: dmuhammad@mcssk12.org
Website: www.smore.com
Phone: 256-837-0331
Twitter: @smorenewsletter