Here we are at the start of a brand new school year! I love the clean slate this time of year provides. My name is Christina Walker, and I am the Career & Academic Advisor at MCC High School. I’m so excited to be serving in this role again and am thankful for the opportunity to continue supporting our students. My priorities are preparing students for college and careers beyond high school and helping remove barriers to realizing their goals. Finalizing schedules, sharing scholarship information, coordinating district assessments and making connections with local partnerships are all part of my role.
In the counseling center, we are also lucky to have Greg Scheitel from SWWC Service Cooperative here again three days a week (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays) to meet with students for mental health support. We also have Chelsie Parrie here from Western Mental Health one and a half days a week, along with a substance abuse counselor available. We are grateful for our local connections to provide services for students as needed.
Before school started, we hosted New Student & 7th Grade Orientation, and we are so excited about all the new faces here at the high school! We hope the first few days of school have gone smoothly for all of you, and we are here to answer any questions you have!
Seniors have a busy start to their final year of high school. We will kick off our Rebel Sidekick program on Friday, September 25 with our Pass the Spirit event. It’s a great chance for seniors to impart their wisdom and encourage the next generation of MCC Rebels. In the next few weeks, I will be meeting with all seniors to talk about their class schedule, progress towards graduation, and plans for after high school. Parents are invited to attend these senior meetings if their schedules allow. MCC will also be hosting Financial Aid Night after Parent Teacher Conferences on Monday, October 5 at 7:00 in the MCC Library to review the process for applying for financial aid.
October is College Knowledge month. Both juniors and seniors are invited to attend the College Fair at SMSU on October 1. The sign-up is in the Counseling Center. There are also some great resources from the Minnesota Office of Higher Education about choosing a career path and paying for college available in the Counseling Center. It is a perfect time for seniors to start applying to colleges as most Minnesota schools waive application fees in October! If you have any questions about applying for college, please, stop by!
In other news - coming up in October and November, MCC will have the ASVAB and PSAT assessments for juniors. The PSAT is an optional assessment for juniors who want to prepare for the ACT this spring, and who may qualify for the National Merit Scholarship. Juniors can sign up in the Counseling Center. The ASVAB will be given to all juniors. The test is sponsored by the US Military but also provides good insight into areas of strength and possible career paths. Lastly, we have the Career Expo coming up at Minnesota West on Wednesday, September 23 for all students in Careers class.
There are so many great things happening at MCC, and I am excited to be a part of it! Thank you for your on-going support and the daily encouragement you provide for our students.
Christina Walker