HIGHLAND HIGH SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Trimester 2, 2023-24 School Year
Dear Highland Parent, Student, and Ram Supporter,
CALENDARS
These calendars are continually updated and provide all the important academic and athletic/activities dates for the school year. Please look at them regularly for questions about calendar items.
Highland Academic Calendar:
Highland Sports/Activities Calendar:
https://highlandrams.org/main/calendar?
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WINTER BREAK
Reminder that this is the last week before winter break. Students will be on break from Saturday 12/16 through Monday 1/1/24. Students will be back in school on Tuesday 1/2/24. Please stay safe and we hope everyone has an enjoyable break.
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- The Winter Band Concert is tonight, 12/11 at 7pm at Century High School.
- The Winter Choir Concert is tonight, 12/11 at 7:30pm at Calvary Chapel.
- The Winter Orchestra Concert is tomorrow 12/12 at 7pm at Century High School.
- Senior Choir and Chamber Choir are headed to Salt Lake City to perform Thursday 12/14-Saturday 12/16/23.
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GRADUATING CLASS OF 2024
Order your cap and gown early for a discount. You can order from the Herff Jones website at: https://highschool.herffjones.com/secom/school/ID/HIGHLAND%2BHIGH%2BSCHOOL/11000290000/0432/home?gradYear=2024
12/18/23-1/1/24: Winter Break No School
Important Dates/Information Class of 2024
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1am68biO7NYd22Xk1FxyI81fp1zuy2uw4tHBzVPDJIdA/edit?usp=sharing
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TRIO
TRIO ETS applicants and TRIO students who refer their friends can earn raffle tickets for prizes! Get Domino’s pizza, Costa Vida gift cards, movie tickets, and more! The raffle ends on February 15th so hurry and get those tickets! TRIO brings students on college tours, helps with academic tutoring, and helps them gain scholarships, all at no cost to students! Come down to the counseling center to pick up an application or to talk with your TRIO advisors. Join and become a TRIO Scholar, because TRIO works. Contact Nick Grunig with any questions at email nickgrunig@isu.edu.
YEARBOOKS
It is not too late to order a yearbook. Cost is currently $70. As soon as January hits the cost goes up to $75. February 2nd is the last date you can preorder a yearbook. After that it is first come first serve of the yearbooks that are extras.
COLLEGE CAREER ADVISORS
Dear Highland Students & Families,
It sure looks like a winter / holiday land out there, but before you head out to ski, hike, snowshoe, build a snowperson, we want to ask that you put some information and reminders top of mind. Here goes.
FSA ID – Get it Done!
Did you or your guardian / contributor miss our FSA ID Night last week? If so, we want to very very very strongly urge you get your FSA ID created before the holiday break. Both the student and the guardian / contributor need an FSA ID to complete the FAFSA.
The process of FSA ID is fairly easy. You will need to know your Social Security number, have an email address for which you have open access and lots of storage, a laptop, and a charged cellphone that receives texts. Follow the URL below and then click on the blue “Get Started” button.
https://studentaid.gov/fsa-id/create-account/launch
Once the FSA ID creation webpage / tool opens up, you will see that it is 7 pages. At the end, you will get a confirmation / account creation message. Well done.
It is important to write every item down as a record of your log-in credentials: the email you used, the username you created, the password you set, and at the very end, a 12-digit Backup Code. Put that paper in a safe place that you will remember.
Every year that a student is in training or college, he or she will need to resubmit the FAFSA, so you do not want to lose your log-in credentials. You might want to have them on a sheet of paper (in a safe place) and in your cellphone.
The New FAFSA
Your FSA ID is needed to create and submit a FAFSA (the Free Application of Federal Student Aid), which is being revised and simplified for students heading to training or college in the fall of 2024. There will be fewer questions (good) and we are hopeful that many more students will be eligible for Pell Grants (super good).
The new FAFSA is due to be released on December 31st, and then it will be critical that students get their FAFSA completed and submitted in January or February. The state of Idaho scholarships are very generous, and they have a hard deadline by which the FAFSA needs to be completed for students to be eligible for the Idaho Opportunity Scholarship and the Governors Cup Scholarship.
When we are certain of the new FAFSA’s release, we will announce a FAFSA Night in January and another one in February. Watch this blog, students watch the Senior Google Classroom, look for posters and flyers, and listen to morning announcements for exact days and times.
The CCAs stand ready to help any and all senior students get both the FSA ID and the FAFSA done.
Scholarship Season
As soon as we get back from the holiday break, we will be encouraging seniors to apply to scholarships like it is their job – which it is. January, February, and March are the key months for students intending to go to college or training in the Fall of 2024 to apply for institutional scholarships. That is the easy money. Colleges and programs want to entice students to attend by offering lots of scholarship money.
The CCAs will be ready to help any and all seniors with institutional scholarship applications, the state scholarships, and the other scholarship opportunities.
And let’s be clear: scholarships are not just for the brainy students. The Idaho Opportunity Scholarship, for example, is open to any student with a 2.7 GPA or higher. There is money out there. Do NOT leave it on the table.
Meet the Vandals
The University of Idaho was just here and dropped off information about their Meet the Vandals events. Highland seniors are fortunate to have a number of high-quality in-state colleges and universities. The University of Idaho is Idaho’s land-grant university and the oldest institution of higher learning in the state. But Moscow is a long way off, so the U of I is coming to its people. Mark your calendars:
Idaho Falls => Thursday, January 25 / 5:30 – 8:30 pm / U of I, Idaho Falls campus
Twin Falls => Wednesday, January 24 / 5:30 – 8:30 pm / Location coming soon.
Boise => Tuesday, January 23 / 5:30 – 8:30 pm / University of Idaho College of Law in Boise
Please register in advance at uidaho.edu/ui-mtv. At each event, one attendee will be eligible for a $1,000 scholarship. It’s a win win.
Dual Credit, College Entrance Exams, Plans, etc.
The CCAs are here to serve all of Highland’s students (and families). If you are taking dual credit, the CCAs want to be sure you are fully registered and that you have requested your state funds. If you are a sophomore or a junior and want to understandthe pros / cons / importance of college entrance exams, let us know. If you are wondering about life after high school graduation and have questions about career technical education, work experience, apprenticeships, and which high school classes might help you see a career path, just stop by and the CCAs will be happy to talk to you.
It will soon be 2024, remarkably. I think we’d all agree that 2023 was a challenge, but we are all stronger for it and it puts us in the best position to seize all the opportunities a new year brings. We wish you and yours peace, wellness, and all good things in 2024.
Your friendly neighborhood CCAs,
Alice Rowe
Sarah May Clarkson
Highland High School Administration (208)237-1300
-Dr. Brad Wallace-Principal (wallacbr@sd25.us) phone ext.103
-Travis Bell-Assistant Principal/Athletic and Activities Director (belltr@sd25.us) phone ext.105
-Ed.S. Jena Wilcox-Assistant Principal (wilcoxje@sd25.us) phone ext.104
-Dr. Steve Morton-Assistant Principal (mortonst@sd25.us) phone ext.107
Bursar
-Shelley Huelsman (huelsms1@sd25.us) phone ext.106
Registrar
-Elaine Whitehead (whitehel@sd25.us) phone ext.114
-Katie Schwartz (schwarka@sd25.us) phone ext.111
Attendance
-Mindy Murphy (murphymi@sd25.us) phone ext.115
Counseling Center (208)237-1300
-Tami Romriell=students with last name A-D (romrieta@sd25.us) phone ext.131
-Christa Santos-Smith=students with last name E-K (santosch@sd25.us) phone ext.109
-Cali Baker(Department Chair)=students with last name L-R (bakerc1@sd25.us) phone ext.110
-Tricia Harvala=students with last name S-Z (harvaltr@sd25.us) phone ext.116
-Sarah May Clarkson=College & Career Advisor (clarkssa@sd25.us) phone ext.123
-Alice Rowe=College & Career Advisor (roweal@sd25.us) phone ext.236
School Psychologist
-Amy Holloway hollowam@sd25.us
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