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School Counseling » 9th & 10th Grade

9th & 10th Grade

Keys to High School Success

In high school, you have a lot more freedom and independence.  With freedom and independence, however, comes responsibility. Follow these tips to be successful throughout your high school career.
 
  • Come to School
    • Attendance is essential to be successful in school. If you miss school too often, your grades will suffer. You can even fail your classes for attendance if you have more than 5 unexcused absences in a class.
  • Earn Good Grades 
    • Your freshman year begins your high school GPA. The higher your GPA is in high school, the more opportunities you will have after high school is over.
  • Get Involved
    • Being involved in clubs and organizations is not only a great way to enjoy your high school experience, it also helps you build a strong resume!
  • Make New Friends
    • Freshman year is a great time to meet new people and form strong friendships. Be intentional about introducing yourself to new students or students that you have not met before. 
  • Make "Good" Friends
    • It has been said that "you are the average of the five people that you spend the most time with." So choose friends that behave in ways that you want to resemble.
  • Check Your Grades in PowerSchool
    • It's important to know your grades at any point in time. 
  • Check Your School Email
    • You will receive important updates throughout the year, so check this often.
  • Start Researching Career Interests
    • We have some great resources on this website to help you explore careers that you are interested in. View online resources, research careers, talk to people that have these careers, do job shadowing, and continue to look for opportunities to learn about what careers you are interested in.
  • Meet with your School Counselor or our Career Specialist
    • There are a lot of people on our school campus that can help support you in achieving your goals over the next 4 years. Be sure to reach out to them and use them often!
Here are some tips to earn strong grades:
  • Turn in ALL of your assignments (No 0's).
  • Pay Attention and Use class-time wisely (Get your work done in class)
  • Get into the habit of completing unfinished work at home.
  • Start practicing strong study skills (don't just read through your notes... do practice problems, use flash cards, and find other ways to quiz yourself on the material.
  • Ask your teachers for help
  • Attend tutoring
 
 
BigFuture

Start planning your future by using the resources on BigFuture! You can complete a career interest quiz, begin researching colleges, and even search for scholarships. You can save your progress and use it throughout your high school career.

PSAT
Many of our Sophomore students will have an opportunity to take the PSAT. Certain awards and scholarships can even be earned through this exam. Use the videos below to familiarize yourself with some of these CollegeBoard resources.
 
Use this presentation to review important sophomore year information presented during IGP meetings.
 
Use this presentation to review important freshman year information presented during IGP meetings.