• Have you ever wondered about the value of your education in dollars and cents?
  
  A person who works from age 18 to 65 works for 47 years.  (47 X 12 months = 564 months in a working life.)
  
  A high School grad makes $607,428 in a working life.  (564 X $1077)
  
  A dropout makes only $277,488 in a lifetime.  (564 X $492)
  
  Therefore, a high school grad makes $329,940 more over a lifetime than a dropout. 
   

• Each week you spend 6 hours per day or 30 hours total in class.  Over a 36 week school year, you spend 1080 hours in class.  During your 4 years in high school, you spend 4320 hours in class.  Those 4320 hours of class work make you an average of $429,940!  Therefore, when you consider how each hour's work is rewarded, you get the following formula:
                 $329,940/4320 = $76.38
  In other words, on average, you get paid $76.38 per hour to go to school.
  
   How much is your present job paying these days?
  
  Education pays ...

  Unemployment rate in 2003 (Percent) Education attained Median weekly earnings in 2003 (Dollars) 2.1 Doctoral degree $1,349 1.7 Professional degree 1,307 2.9 Master's degree 1,064 3.3 Bachelor's degree 900 4.0 Associate degree 672 5.2 Some college, no degree 622 5.5 High-school graduate 554 8.8 Some high-school, no diploma 396 Source: Unemployment rate, 2003 annual average: Bureau of Labor Statistics; earnings, March 2003: Bureau of the Census.

High School is a time of change.  It offers great opportunities!  You'll have more choices, more independence, and more responsibilities.  You will grow physically, mentally, emotionally and socially.  Class work will be more challenging.  Teachers expect you to do home practice even if there is no assignment for the next day.  Your grades are more important! ( If you took a high school course at the middle school, it may be carried over to your high school transcript if you are pleased with your grade.  If you do not want that grade, however, you must take the course over.  For example, if you took Algebra I in the 8th grade and made a "B", you could take the course over at the high school and try again for an "A".  This is an important decision because once you have a "B" on your transcript, you will never have the opportunity of graduating with a 4.0 gpa.)  There will be new people and new pressures.  Get involved in the activities offered.  School becomes work if you don't have some activity which you can enjoy.

MAKE THE MOST OUT OF YOUR HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION.

TAKE THE TIME TO GET USED TO YOUR NEW SCHOOL, NEW TEACHERS, AND NEW FRIENDS.

HAVE HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS.

STAY HEALTHY AND SAFE.

DEAL WITH CONFLICTS PEACEFULLY.

DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR HELP--FACULTY MEMBERS, SECRETARIES, CUSTODIANS, BUS DRIVERS, THE LIBRARIAN, THE PRINCIPAL, AND THE COUNSELOR ARE THERE TO HELP!

THE HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELOR' S OFFICE

The counselor's office is on the north side of the high school building.  It is next to the girls' dressing room.  The counselor has an open-door policy.  "The door is closed to keep the air in--not the student out."

If the counselor is with another student, she will take time to ask your needs and arrange a time for you to return.

If the light is on, but the door is locked, it means that she is in conference, and the student should return.

If the light is on, the door is unlocked, and she is not in the office, just leave a note in the middle of the desk, and she will come to you as soon as possible or call you in the evening after school.

The Role of the High School Counselor

Counseling is a helping process in which the school counselor provides a safe, nurturing environment to foster a trusting relationship with students.  In this confidential relationship, students can explore their feelings and experiences in hopes of finding a meaningful positive solution to their personal issues.  Often the focus of the counseling sessions centers on problem solving, decision making, and goal setting as the student and counselor work together to support the development of the high school student.  Likewise, the counselor mediates conflicts between student and/or student and teachers.  Parents, teachers, and students can initiate a referral to the school counselor.

Counseling Tasks

• Student advocate

• Develop realistic interventions upon listening to the needs of students

• Provide short term personal and crisis counseling

• Report and/or refer a case when a person's welfare is in jeopardy

• Develop a network of community referral agencies to provide services to students

• Help high schoolers to understand social/emotional/academic pressures, set realistic goals, and become responsible young adults

Consultation is a cooperative process in which the counselor assists parents, teachers, students, and administrators in the evaluation of problems and helps establish possible solutions to the issue at hand.

Consultation Tasks

• Provide professional expertise to staff, parents, and the community

• Assist in the identification of problems that arise in school and to help provide recommendations that lead to solutions

• Develop educational strategies with school personnel and community mental health specialists to accommodate the needs of students who are experiencing difficulty

• Collaborate with special educators to aid in the development of plans that meet the needs of special education students

• Advocate for appropriate student placement

Role of Facilitator
Facilitation is a leadership process in which the school counselor organizes and manages counseling services and related programs.

• Design and teach a group guidance curriculum to freshman addressing the developmental and transitional needs of the incoming students

• Evaluate the effectiveness of counseling/guidance services to seek ways to improve them

• Assist in the facilitation of school meetings with parents, teachers, and students

• Organize standardized testing services

• Develop various parent information nights serving to educate parents on pertinent issues

• The counselor will be happy to go with you to visit with the principal, your teacher or meet with your parents.  Sometimes it is easier to talk with adults if you have someone there to support you.

High School Counseling

• Coordinate yearly course selections, course changes, and long term 4-year selection plan

• Review and maintain all records, counselor cards, progress reports and test scores

• Monitor student's progress throughout the four years

• Communicate with teachers, parents and students regarding academic status

• Conduct post-high school planning

• Write college recommendations

• Read and complete college applications

• Arrange and post all college representative visits

• Distribute scholarship information

• Make financial aid material available and guide parents and students through the process

• Organize PSAT, SAT I and II, ACT, PLAN, AP, ASVAB and OCCRT testing, reading tests for students who must show proof of 8th grade reading ability for a driver's license.

• Coordinate the following programs: College Fair, Financial Aid Night, College/Career Days

• Attend special education, administrative and departmental meetings

• Attend weekly faculty meetings

• Coordinate teacher/parent conferences when requested

• Provide orientation for students new to the high school before the beginning of the school year and as they enroll

• Coordinate military contacts through all branches of the service

• Act as liaison person between Home School and Career Technical School and the State

• Provide NCAA Clearing House information

Confidentiality
An important obligation of the school counselor is to maintain the confidentiality of her relationships with students.  Therefore, the confidentiality of information received and any written pupil records are safeguarded.  The counselor is obliged not to disclose information that a student has shared within the context of a counseling setting, unless such disclosures are necessary to protect the student from posing a serious threat to him or herself or others or others are a threat to him or her.

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Four Year Plan

COLLEGE COUNTDOWN

Here are some helpful tips for college bound students planning for college. These are from www.collegeplanning.nelnet.net.  The following tips can assist students in developing skills and strengths needed to prepare for college.  They are identified by grade level, although it's never too early to start planning for college!

eighth grade

• Take courses in math, English, science, social studies and a foreign language.

• Talk to your guidance counselor about college preparatory classes that fulfill college admissions requirements.

• Research careers that interest you on the Web or at the counselor's office.

• Get involved in activities such as student government, youth groups, sports, and clubs.

• Contact the counselor for information on the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program (OHLAP) if you have not already done so.  OHLAP awards scholarships to students whose families meet certain income requirements and who have demonstrated a commitment to academic preparation in high school.  If you meet the qualifications, you must sign up in the 8th, 9th, or 10th grade.  You may also contact the Oklahoma State Regents Office at 1.800.858.1840 or visit www.okhighered.org/ohlap/.
   

• Visit with your counselor to learn about the types of higher education institutions and college prep courses.

• Start to save for college.

• Improve study skills--this year's grades count toward your Grade Point Average (GPA).

• Participate in extracurricular activities and community service through volunteer work.  Keep signed documentation of volunteerism.

• Contact the counselor for information on OHLAP if you have not done so.

• Complete a four-year career plan and have on file in the counselor's office.
   

• Continue to be involved in extracurricular activities and community service.

• Determine the careers you're interested in and research them through the web, the library, or the counselor's office.

• In the fall take the PSAT and/or PLAN--practice tests for the SAT and ACT college admissions tests.

• Prepare for the PSAT test which you will take in October your junior year.  There are 1200 vocabulary words you can learn to boost your chances to be a semi-finalist for the National Merit Scholarship

• Contact the counselor for information on OHLAP.  Students must have applications returned to Oklahoma Higher Regents by June 30 of the sophomore year.
   

• Take the PSAT which is used to determine National Merit scholarships.  This test is always given on Tuesday at AHS in October. 

• Prepare for the ACT and SAT admissions tests; bookstores have some excellent study guides and online practice tests are available on the internet.

• Research scholarships.

• Attend college fairs and talk with college representatives visiting your school.

• In the spring, take the ACT and SAT tests.

• Get a summer job or do community volunteer work or take a concurrent class.

• Visit college campuses. 
   

• By fall, select and apply to at least three schools for admission--a dream school, a realistic school, and a school for which you can easily meet all the admission requirements. 

• If necessary, take the ACT and SAT again to improve your scores and your chances for scholarships.  If you are not happy with your ACT, see the counselor early in your senior year so that she can help you with options to retest.

• Apply for as many scholarships as you can.  Use free scholarship searches.

• After January 1st, complete your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at www.fafsa.ed.gov.  FAFSA assistance is FREE.  Never pay anyone to complete this for you under false pretenses.  You can do this yourself.

• Both you and your parent should apply for a PIN number.  This number needs to be kept in a safe place to be used over and over.

• Make your final college selection after you have been accepted by the institution. 

• If you qualify, take the CLEP or Advanced Placement exams in May to earn credit for certain college courses.

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Study Skills

School is a lot easier if you know how to:

• study

• take notes

• take tests

• write papers

Be your Best

• Overcome shyness--Learning to appreciate your good points can make it easier to approach others.

• Become more confident--Thinking about your past successes can build self-confidence.

• Resist peer pressure--Saying "no" to friends is hard, but it can be done with a little practice.  Your counselor can help you feel good about doing what's right for you!

• Deal with stress--Some students feel stress from school and outside pressures.  Your counselor can teach you ways to manage stress.

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