Senior Newsletter
Young men must register for the Selective Service within 30 days of their 18th birthday. Go to http://www.sss.gov Come to guidance to learn about all the benefits once you are registered.
SENIORS,
Welcome Back Class of 2026!! You will notice that we have some new faces this year. Let's welcome Mr. Andrew Hipple as Principal and Mrs. Fallon Grindstead as Assistant Principal/Athletic Director. We also want to welcome Mrs. Tanya Kirk to the NHS business department, Marcus Orta Choir instructor and Cameron Robison as Band instructor!!
Please remember to check your school email daily or at least weekly for important Senior announcements!
Come by the guidance office and check out our scholarship board. Make sure you pay attention to deadlines. Scholarships turned into Guidance office past the due date will not be submitted.
***IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES TO REMEMBER***
September 10, 2025- College/Career Night @ OPES (Oak Point Elementary School) in Marion from 5-7 pm. We encourage all seniors or juniors to come out and get information about the colleges and what they can offer you!!
Senior Trip Non-refundable Deposits are due no later than September 12
Virginia Highlands Community College - Transcript Request
Virginia Highlands Community College has changed to parchment for requesting your transcript. To request your transcript from Virginia Highlands Community College you will need to go to www.vhcc.edu. In the green box at the top of the page, scroll over I WANT TO...click on Request a Transcript. Click on the blue box that says Order my Transcript and set up your account. You have to have a debit or credit card to pay for your transcript. Digital transcripts are $3.00. Paper transcripts are $5.50.
HOW TO MAKE YOUR SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION STAND OUT!
Here are 5 Pro Tips to Getting Your Scholarship Entry NOTICED
1. Greetings & Introduction Matter
As I’ve noted before, reviewing scholarships can become dull (and even daunting) after a while. As with any other tasks, it can feel robotic to read essays after essays after essays.
Pro Tip: Write a short intro and greet the person reviewing your scholarship entry. You’d be surprised to see how a simple greeting can make a huge difference in perception and reception. (See: Email Etiquettes #2 and #3).
2. Use a Proper & Professional Email Address
This one is obvious, if you want the judges to take you seriously.
Pro Tip: If possible, use your school (.edu) email address, and make sure to actually check your email in case the judges need to contact you!
3. Don’t write a thesis paper – tell a story.
According to Monica Matthews, “judges look for solid students who have helped others and write their scholarship essays from the heart.” I agree. Reading scholarship essays shouldn’t be like reading a textbook. If you’re just listing facts, you’re doing what the majority of the applicants are doing, and that’s not going to make yours stand out.
Pro Tip: Get personal! Be creative! Don’t be afraid to share your story.
4. Make sure you send the correct links…
I get it – you didn’t mean to send the link to your friend’s Facebook page or your online homework platform. But you can’t blame anyone but yourself… By sending the wrong links, your chance of winning the scholarship just dropped to zero! :s
Pro Tip: Triple check that you copy pasted the correct link (and that the link is not broken)!
5. Cross the t’s and dot the i’s!
To reiterate and sum up everything I’ve said in 4 words, be meticulous and thorough!
Pro Tip: After you’ve made your final edits, take a 24-hour break, then look through the whole application one last time before clicking that ‘send’ button!
Conclusion
Instructions are meant to be followed, and guidelines are meant to help you!
If you want your scholarship application to be taken seriously, you seriously have to follow the rules & make your application stand out from the rest!
Please make sure you are keeping up with your senior accounts. Make sure you are getting credit for your fundraising. Also note that your senior funds can help toward paying for graduation supplies like cap and gown, diploma cover, and anything else you wish to purchase.