Local Scholarship List Released

The counselors met with the senior class this morning to present all of the local scholarships available to the students for the 2022-23 school year. All scholarship applications will be due on April 11th. No late applications will be accepted.

Any student who was not in attendance is encouraged to take a look at the presentation by clicking here and stopping by the counseling office to chat with the counselors about any other tips that may have come up during the presentation.

All scholarships must be accessed through Naviance. Students can log in to Naviance using Clever.  The list of scholarships can be found by clicking here or the link in the Local Scholarships Section to the right.

Truitt Scholarship Workshop

The Helen Jordan Truitt Scholarship was established in 1987. Since its inception, the Truitt Foundation has awarded scholarships totaling more than $2.3 million. Last year $40,000 was awarded.

Students are invited to apply for a Truitt Scholarship. The criteria for eligibility was established by the Truitt Foundation, not IVC High School.

Invitation to Apply

GPA after 6 semesters - 3.0

7th semester GPA - 3.5

Attention Seniors - Local Scholarship Dates Announced

Each year, over $100,000 is given out in local scholarships. These scholarships range from $250 to $40,000.  Last year, there were 60 different scholarships awarded to graduating seniors.  With the growing cost of college, every penny helps.

Here is a breakdown of the upcoming dates...

Wednesday, March 8th  - Local Scholarship Meeting - Extended HR

Students will see a presentation on all of the available scholarships. They will also receive a handout which lists each scholarship.  That sheet will be posted on this blog on the 8th for all students and parents to view. All scholarships will be available through Naviance on the 8th.

Click below for the rest of the dates.

A How-to Guide For Incoming Freshmen Registration

 Planning a schedule for freshman year can be quite an intimidating process. Hopefully this blog post will help students and parents through the process. The red registration sheets are due by Friday, Feb 17th to the student's grade school main office. Class selection should also be inputted into TeacherEase before returning the sheets (for those students with access to TeacherEase.) 

The front side of the registration sheet is the demographic portion. It is important that it be filled out completely since the information will be entered into the computer system.

Please click below for further instructions...

2023 Rural Health Careers Camp

2023 Rural Health Careers Camp


Registration is now available for the 2023 Rural Health Careers Camp. The Rural Health Careers Camp is a three-day, overnight educational program for high school students interested in the healthcare field. Students will participate in hands-on learning activities and labs that represent different healthcare careers and stay at an overnight facility to experience living on a college campus. Some of the healthcare careers already scheduled are: medicine, nursing, social work, dentistry, physical therapy, occupational therapy, medical lab sciences, and many more!

The 2023 camp will be in-person at the Bishop Lane Retreat Center, 7708 E McGregor Rd, Rockford, IL 61102 from Monday, June 26 through Wednesday, June 28, 2023.

Check-in will be at 9:00 am on Monday and check-out is scheduled for 7:00 pm on Wednesday.


The cost to attend the camp is $100 and scholarships are available.


If you have high school students who are interested in learning about all the different healthcare careers available, our camp is a great opportunity for them to explore many different healthcare careers! For more information and for the application to apply, please visit this webpage: https://ncrhp.uic.edu/programs/experiences/rural-health-careers-camp/.

Registration Meetings for 2023-24 School Year

The counseling staff met with the freshmen, sophomores, and juniors about registration for next school
year. There are links to all registration presentations on the right hand side of the blog. Hopefully all students have taken the opportunity to input their selections into TeacherEase. If not, please get it done asap. Registration is still open until January 31st.  A timetable of registration dates is below.

January 24-26 - Registration meetings
January 31st - Registration closes
February 1st - Counselors begin meeting with students on individual basis about selections.  We will begin with juniors, then sophomores, then freshmen.

Counselors will meet with incoming freshmen in February.  Their deadline is different than current students.

Great opportunities for Students

We will be meeting with students regarding registration starting next week. One of the GREAT opportunities for interested students is Work Based Learning.  Spend half the day in one of these programs, spend the other half at IVC.  The three programs available are:

• Health Career Occupations (Application due February 1st)
• EMS (Emergency Medical Services) and Fire Science  (Application due Feb 1st)
• Construction Trades  (Application due March 1st)

Click on the program above for more info

Materials Engineering Camp This Summer

Fantastic opportunity for students interested in engineering! And it is FREE!


What is a Materials Engineer? Materials engineers work with metals, ceramics, and plastics to create new materials. Materials engineers develop, process, and test materials used to create a range of products, from computer chips and aircraft wings to golf clubs and biomedical devices. Basically, materials engineer create and study materials at the atomic level.

Click here for more information

Click here for application

Scholarship Listing UPDATED

If you want some money, you are going to have to do some work!!

Seniors should be checking out the 2022-23 scholarship listing. There is a huge range of scholarships with due dates ranging from January to March.  The scholarship page has been updated to include over 20 scholarships. Most listed are Peoria area scholarships with a few national scholarships included.

Scholarship listing may be accessed by clicking on the button on the right column or by clicking here. 

AMT Earn While You Learn Program

AMT has started an “Earn While You Learn” Program that pays students while they go through a six-week course to become an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Basic. The applications are now open for the third class. Attached is the job posting you can pass along to any students, past or present, that might be interested. It is a Monday through Friday, 8am – 5pm course and the student must be 18 years old by 4/1/23. See the link at the bottom of the posting for more information.

There will also be 2 informational sessions students can attend for more information if they are unsure if this career path is right for them. The first is Tuesday, November 29 at 5:00pm and the second is Thursday, December 1 at 10:00am. Both are located at Advanced Medical Transport, 1718 N Sterling Ave in Peoria.

Join Team AMT!

Time to Look for Some Money

We have added a list of over 20 area (and national) scholarships. There is a wide variety of criteria. Employer scholarships include HyVee, Mediacom, and McDonald's. There are scholarships for a number of different intended majors including: teaching, agriculture, engineering, nursing, technical schools, and more.  We will update the scholarships as they come across our desk. Many deadlines are approaching soon so check out the list. The list can be accessed with the link on the right side of this blog or by clicking here.

Note: This is not a list of the Local Scholarships that will be distributed to IVC students. That list will be released at the end of February. 

Lutheran Hillside Village is Hiring

Lutheran Hillside Village, a Life Plan Community for Seniors located here in Peoria, is looking for part time evening dining servers and dishwashers, which are great jobs for high school students because shifts start at 4pm and end no later than 8pm each night.

They will be hosting Open Interviews twice in the month of November: Wednesday, November 2nd and Wednesday, November 16th. They will be welcoming Walk-In Interviews for Part Time Evening Dining Associates between the hours of 10am-4pm. If students are not able to attend either event or would like to get started on the process sooner, they may apply at the website, www.lssworking.org, and schedule a phone screen..

Anyone with questions can contact Coartney Foster at 309-857-6060.

ICC EMS and CNA Applications Released

 Applications are available for the 2023-24 school year.  

• EMS and Fire Safety Program - Open to Seniors - Click here for more info
• CNA Program - Open to Juniors and Seniors - Click here for more info

Illinois Commitment

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign offers need-based financial aid through their
Illinois Commitment program. Illinois Commitment covers tuition and fees for up to four years for Illinois residents whose family income is $67,100 or less. For more detailed information about the program and to learn whether you may qualify, check out their FAQ page.

Connecting Common App and Naviance

If you are a senior using the Common App, you will need to link your account to Naviance for us to send all Counselor Documents as well as Teacher Recommendations. Below are the steps to link the two:

1. Log onto your Naviance account. If you do not know the password, you can log in using Clever.
2. Click on COLLEGES I'M APPLYING TO.
3. Click on MATCH ACCOUNTS.
4. Enter your Common App Email address and click on MATCH ACCOUNTS.
5. You are done :)

Check out the video below for help if you are having any issues or stop by the Guidance office.

Questions to Ask on a College Visit

One of the best ways to learn more about a college is to visit their campus. When you're visiting, it is to your advantage to slow down and ask several questions. While it is helpful to talk to the admission staff (individuals who are paid to talk up a school), it also very insightful to talk to students about what they like and don't like about their school (individuals who will give their honest opinion).


Here is a list of questions to ask while on a campus visit:

Academic

• What high school courses are required for admission?
• Is there an honors program? What are the qualifications for entry?
• What academic supports are available if a student is struggling?
• Is credit offered for college level classes taken in high school?
• Does the school provide a freshman experience / freshman faculty adviser?

Financial

• What does a typical aid package for a freshman look like?
• How many on-campus jobs are available for students?
• What is the average college debt that students leave with?
• What work-study opportunities are available?

Student Life

• What student activities, clubs, and intramurals are offered?
• What are the on-campus housing opportunities
• What percentage of your students study abroad?
• What makes this school stand out from the rest?
• What is one thing you would change about your school if you could?

Senior Retreat is around the corner

We are very excited about the upcoming senior retreat. The retreat will take place Nov. 2-5 at Eagle Crest Camp in Washburn.
Some info about the retreat...

-- The retreat is four days in length and nearly 100% led by a group of six seniors.

-- This is the 33rd retreat. Over 1,000 students have attended the retreat over the past seventeen years.

-- If a student would like to attend but cannot afford the retreat ($90), there are some partial and full scholarships available if the student comes to see one of the counselors.

Please see one of the counselors for a registration sheet. The sheets are due by October 21st. See any Mr. Kosinski with questions.

FAFSA Opens this Weekend - October 1st

 

The College Tour - Exploring Colleges

Here is a fun way to investigate colleges. The College Tour has video classes that walk you through the search process. And they take less than an hour!! The first College Tour class focuses on location, campus culture, college type, and intended major.

It is presented in a fun, interesting manner. Strongly recommended. And it's all free!

Click here to reach the free classes.

Completing the FAFSA

This article can be found on ISAC.org along with a ton of other useful information.

Financial Aid Planning
Completing the FAFSA®

The first step in the financial aid process is to complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®). This application, which is available to complete online via desktop and laptop computers or mobile devices, such as phones and tablets, or in paper/PDF format, will use income, assets and other factors to determine the amount you and your family are expected to contribute to your college expenses. You must submit the FAFSA in order to be considered for all federal financial aid programs (including student loans), most programs through your college and most state programs, including the State of Illinois Monetary Award Program (MAP) grant. Most of the questions are demographic-related and the rest of the answers come from your tax forms and/or those of your parents (if you’re a dependent student) or your spouse (if you are married).

Coca Cola Scholarship Is Open

The Coca-Cola Scholars Program, the largest corporate-sponsored, achievement-based scholarship program in the country, is now accepting applications from high school seniors to become part of the 35th class of Coca-Cola Scholars and receive one of 150 college scholarships worth $20,000.

Students with at least a 3.0 GPA may apply at Cokeurl.com/Apply2022 through October 31, 2022, at 5 p.m. Eastern. Full eligibility requirements can be found at Cokeurl.com/Scholarships. Coke Scholars not only demonstrate excellence in academics, but also serve as leaders in their community and are dedicated to creating positive change.

Homecoming Activities Begin Friday!!

Theme: BIG Cities

Float Building/Hall Decs: Start Friday, Sept 23rd
Skit Night: Thursday, Oct 6th
Football Game: Friday, Oct 7th
Dance: Saturday, Oct 8th

Here is a float building schedule for each class...

Freshman Class
Sophomore Class
Junior Class
Senior Class 

A Guide to the ISAC Programs

This handy guide explains many of the available programs and grants available through ISAC (IL Student Assistance Commission). Explanation of the following programs includes:

• MAP Grant
• IL Veteran Grant
• IL National Guard Grant
• Minority Teacher Scholarship
• Special Ed. Tuition Waiver
• IL Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program
• Nurse Educator Loan Forgiveness Program
• ...and more.

Click here for more info

JUNIORS - PSAT Test Coming Soon - Sign up Now

What: PSAT/NMSQT Test
Who: Open to any junior
When: October 12th

The PSAT/NMSQT is a great way to preview and practice for the SAT. It will test the same skills and knowledge as the SAT. When you get your test results, connect your College Board and Khan Academy® accounts to get free personalized SAT study recommendations.

In addition, when you take the PSAT/NMSQT, you’re automatically screened for the National Merit® Scholarship Program, an academic competition for recognition and scholarships.

There are only 35 spots available. You can sign up with Mrs. Placher in the counseling office. The test will cost $17.00. Checks can be made out to IVC. Payment must be received before test day. We will test on October 12th, 2020 at 8:00 am.

State Universities - Do they have your major?

Does the school you are considering have the major in which you interested? At-A-Glance breaks down every major at every state university in Illinois.  You can see which university has the major or minor for you.   

12 Reasons To Stay in Illinois

The 12 Reasons PDF booklet is SUPER helpful if considering state schools in IL.  There is a breakdown of all necessary information for each state school.

-- Location

-- Size

-- Tuition

-- Admissions Info

-- Housing Info

-- Open House Dates

-- Scholarship Info

-- Contact Numbers and Addresses 

ISAC Financial Aid Presentation

If you were unable to attend Wednesday night's Financial Aid night, ISAC representative Jacob Harlan covered the differences between scholarships, loans, grants, and more. Though the 2022-23 presentation is unavailable to the public, here is the link to the 2021-22 presentation. The information is largely the same, though some of the dollar amounts have changed.

How to negotiate your financial aid package!

Great video from IVC graduate Micah Schultz '20 about how to get the most out of your financial aid package. Well done Micah!

$500 Up for Grabs to an IVC Student

One IVC student will walk away with $500 in this year's Voice of Democracy Contest sponsored by our local VFW. Students need to create a 3-5 minute oral essay. The competition is open to all IVC students. The winning submission from IVC will move on to the state competition. Last year's winner Reese Hankins finished 10th in State.

Topic: Why is the Veteran Important?
Grades: 9-12
Top Prize: $500
Second Prize: $200
Due Date: October 31st
For more details: Entry forms may be picked up from any counselor, English teacher or social studies teacher.

Basically students will need to write an essay and then turn it to an audio file. It is actually quite simple. The teachers at the high school use many different programs to save audio. Students should ask their English teacher if they are unsure what program to use. The counselors have thumb drives available if needed.

Link to Application 

UIUC Releases Application Deadlines

Fall 2023 Application Deadlines

UIUC will be offering two application periods, with early action and regular decision dates. Applying early does give students an advantage. For Fall 2022, students who applied by our priority deadline were 22% more likely to be admitted.

Early Action Deadline
• Deadline: November 1
• Notification: January 27

Regular Decision Deadline
• Deadline: January 5
• Notification: March 3