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College and Career Counseling

Beth Anderson, College & Career Advisor

Be sure to watch for announcements with reminders about the various opportunities and deadlines mentioned below.

Career & College Advisor Notes

October 2021

Hello Students & Families,

Happy Fall! October promises to be a very busy month in the college & career advising realm. Below you’ll find a list of the field trips and opportunities for post-high school planning happening in the next 4+ weeks.

Recording of Paying for Post-HS Education Night Available Now
Thank you to all who attended the Zoom presentation by financial advisor David Aramaki! We were also able to hear a few words from community member Jim Pigott, who discussed the opportunity for MVSD grads to receive scholarship funding for trade and technical programs and college/university degree programs through the Methow Valley Education Foundation. For families of students in grades 7-12 who were not able to attend, I encourage you to watch the recording of the event. (You’ll be prompted to enter this passcode: A3+c278W)

Thanks y’all! Please stop by my office, send me an email, or leave a voicemail if you have any questions.

Be well,
Beth/Ms. Anderson

College and Career Advisor
Methow Valley School District
banderson@methow.org
(509) 996.2215, x4175

 

 

Upcoming Events

FAFSA Work Night • Wednesday, October 6, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Next Wednesday night in the LBHS library, Erika Spellman and Beth Anderson will be walking seniors and their families through the process of actually filling out the 2022-2023 FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Chromebooks will be available (or you can bring your own device), and a checklist of required tax documents is attached to this email. Hope to see you there, seniors!

Field trip to Western Washington University Preview Day • Friday, October 8
A busload of seniors will be headed to Bellingham to tour WWU next Friday. Seniors, if you have not turned in your permission form, please do so ASAP! Reminder…the bus will need to leave LBHS at 5:00am in order to get us there in time for the Preview Day events.

PSAT • Wednesday, October 13, 8:00 a.m.
All juniors are automatically registered for the PSAT, which will be given during the school day on October 13.

Field trip to Central Washington University • Monday, October 18
There will be a mix of seniors and students from Mrs. Darwood & Mr. Hinckley’s CLIMBS classes on this trip to Central—should be an awesome day in Ellensburg! 

Field trip to the University of Washington • Wednesday, October 20
Again, both seniors and CLIMBS students will be going on this tour of the UW’s main campus in Seattle. If you still need permission forms for Central or the UW, pick them up in Ms. Anderson’s office and return ASAP.

School Day SAT • Thursday, October 28, 8:00am
We’re excited to be offering the SAT at Liberty Bell during the school day again on October 28. Sign-ups are closed, but see Mrs. Spellman if you would like to test as there may be extra materials available. Students may also choose to register for Saturday SAT/ACT dates at other testing sites in our region. See Mrs. Spellman or Ms. Anderson to obtain a fee waiver for outside tests (all students who receive free/reduced lunch qualify for free testing!).

Virtual NCW Career Expo & Conference • Tuesday, November 2, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
In celebration of the 8th Annual NCW College & Career Expo, NCESD is excited to expand their programming to include live video presentations on a range of topics including financial aid, apprenticeship, resume building, interviewing tips, and more! Similar to previous years, there will be a virtual “exhibit hall” with over 150 regional business, educational institutions, training programs, and student support services. As always, this is a free opportunity for all high school students in Chelan, Douglas, Grant, and Okanogan counties to connect with a variety of businesses, educational institutions, training programs, and student support services. Students will be hearing more from their advisory teachers about how they can participate in the Virtual Career Expo during the school day on Tuesday, November 2.

Field trip to Bellingham Technical College • Friday, November 5
Seniors and CLIMBS students: save the date for this upcoming trip to Bellingham Tech! It’ll be another great opportunity to explore your options for post-HS education. Other interested LBHS & ILC students: please see Ms. Anderson to sign up for the trip! Permission forms will be available soon…

Palouse Pathways Virtual Events • Ongoing
Throughout the school year, the non-profit career and college planning organization called Palouse Pathways invites MVSD students and families to attend their virtual event series. See their website for a list of current offerings: https://www.palousepathways.org/events.

Construction Career Days in Spokane postponed until March 2022
Due to COVID-related complications with the event, the organizers have decided to push Construction Career Days back to March 2022. Look forward to more information about specific dates and how to sign up next year.

 

Helpful Resources

Application Process

  • College Board
    The College Board website provides you with all the information you need for applying to college. It allows you to compare colleges. It provides you with GPA and SAT information to how you compare with other students. It provides financial information about the cost of schools and how they distribute their financial aid. This website also has a Expected Family Contribution and a Net Price Calculator available.
  • Common Application
    Start your Common Application.

Career Exploration

  • Naviance
    Career and college research tools available to all LBHS/ILC students. (*Coming soon* – sign in with your methow.org Google account!)
  • ReadyWA
    Career exploration & financial aid resources for students and families.
  • Find Your Grind
    Research careers based on your lifestyle assessment; free to all LBHS students.

Financial Aid & Scholarship Information

  • FAFSA Checklist & Financial Aid Timeline
    FAFSA checklist and timeline displayed in an easy to follow format.
  • FAFSA
    Official site for the 2022-23 FAFSA. Opens October 1, 2021.
  • Washington Student Achievement Council – financial aid resources for all Washington families, and the new home of the WASFA (Washington Application for State Financial Aid), which is the financial aid application for WA residents who do not qualify for federal aid due to immigration status
  • Fastweb
    “Leading online resource for finding scholarships to help you pay for school.”
  • Scholarship Training Guide – Washington Apple Education Foundation (WAEF)
    “Twenty-six years ago, members of Washington’s tree fruit industry formed the Washington Apple Education Foundation (WAEF) to develop, promote and manage the industry’s charitable works. The foundation has increased support for college-bound students annually. This year 310 students are on college campuses with help from $1 million in WAEF scholarships.”
  • The College Solution – “Guide for Finding the Right School at the Right Price” by Lynn O’Shaughnessy (website & Book)
  • Unigo/Scholarship Experts
    “Sign up to get matched to scholarships that are perfect for you.”
  • WashBoard
    “Looking for scholarships? We connect Washington students of all types with Washington scholarship providers….for FREE.”
  • Western Undergraduate Exchange Tuition Reduction
    List of all schools in the Western Undergraduate Exchange. Students who are residents of WUE states are eligible to apply for a reduced tuition rate of 150% of resident tuition at participating schools.

School Lists & Virtual Tours

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About the College and Career Counseling Program

The goal of our College and Career Counseling program is to provide students and their families with the information and resources necessary for them to make well-informed choices about their post-secondary education. Liberty Bell recognizes the diversity in our families and understands that what might be right for one student may not be a good fit for another.

Therefore, we work individually with students and their families to help them successfully develop and achieve their post-graduation goals – whether that is applying to a 4-year, 2-year or technical college, designing a productive Gap Year plan or entering the military or workforce. Some of the specific services that we offer include:

  • Educating students and parents about the post-secondary educational choices available to them.
  • Meeting individually with juniors, seniors and parents to help them with their college lists, the application process, college essays and financial aid needs, including the FAFSA, the Profile and College Bound Scholarship, as well as with SAT/ACT prep and registration.
  • Holding college information evenings for students and parents to make sure that they have all the resources and support they need to reach their goals.
  • Working with the guidance counselor to ensure that 9th and 10th graders take the necessary classes to be eligible for college admissions.

Applying to college should be a fun and exciting process; but at times it can be a bit overwhelming. If you find yourself feeling stuck, or if you have questions about any part of the application process, contact our office at (509) 996-2215.

We would like to thank the Public School Funding Alliance for their generous support of this program.

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Our Mission

To expect, encourage and facilitate the pursuit of excellence in our students, preparing them for a world in which life-long learning is critical to their success and happiness.

A Vision for Methow Valley Schools

Working in partnership with our families and community, we develop curious, creative, compassionate, competent, action-oriented citizens prepared to change the world.