Third Quarterly Newsletter from the BK Counseling Office:
The end of the 3rd quarter ends on Thursday, March 28th. We use your third quarter score and average that with your fourth quarter score to determine the final grade in each course you take. High School students will earn credit on each semester course with a finishing average percentage of 60% and above.
Juniors and Seniors who are interested in a Paid internship in Insurance for summer, location is in DesMoines. See information at this link. https://iowajumpstart.org/2023/12/18/iowa-insurance-division-high-school-internships/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
Sophomores and Juniors - Are you interested in taking a summer course through NIACC? Register with Mr. Albertson in February.
Courses offered are:
HSC-173 Nurse Aid Theory/Clinical (this one is face to face and will require quite a bit of travel)
BIO-151 Nutrition (online)
HSC-150 Body Structure and Function (at NIACC campus)
HSC-120 Medical Terms I and II (online)
BUS-102 Intro to Business (online)
ACC-111 Intro to Accounting (online)
MGT-101 Principles of Management (online)
A Silver Cord can be earned by students for graduation day 2024 by accumulating community service this year. Hours must come from at least two different volunteer groups/opportunities, cannot be overseen by family, and cannot be for pay. Silver Cord forms can be obtained in the Library. If you would like to earn a Silver Cord or have further questions, see Mr. Albertson during your open period or before/after school.
Seniors - If you are attending NIACC for Skills Trades or Ag, they are hosting a Signing day at 10AM on Thursday, April 18th at the Muse Norris Conference Center. For more info e-mail laura.wood@niacc.edu
Also if you are interested in the Radiologic Technology Program through NIACC and MercyONE, Amy Edwards is holding virtual information sessions throughout the year. E-mail Amy edwardsa@mercyhealth.com at to learn about that program
MercyOne North Iowa School of Radiology Program Virtual Information Session
Choosing Classes for next year - Students, at any time of your choosing, you can research the next electives that you want to take. This hyperlink takes you to my BK Courses presentation - which shows you courses and the order in which you can take them. This hyperlink will take you to the BKHS Course Description Guide. If you go into your infinite campus student portal, click on Academic Plan on the left tab and in the electives box for next year, you can put courses that you are interested in taking. Make sure to hit "Save" in the top left corner before you leave your academic plan. Academic plans are always locked on April 1st and pulled into next year's infinite campus. Any changes after April 1st will need to be communicated to the counselor.
In-Coming Seniors interested in Graduating Early - If you have 22 credits or more at the end of this year and you want to graduate early, it will be important to meet with the counselor at the end of the year to make a plan of action so that you have all the requirements met by the end of first semester during senior year.
Junior Highers - If you are planning to make a change in your schedule next year regarding music, it will be helpful to notify the counseling office before the end of the school year so that your schedule is as accurate as possible next fall. :)
Iowa Future Ready Last Dollar Scholarship - This is a program that helps mitigate the cost and completion of programs that lead to high-need areas of skilled employment in the State of Iowa. Iowa high school graduates that enroll in an Iowa Community College and go into specific programs, tuition is covered by the state of Iowa determined through FAFSA completion. Although different 2 year colleges may have different lists of programs where tuition is covered under this scholarship, here is the list of programs available at NIACC. Click Here
I'm including this information in my newsletter because last year Iowa Legislation passed new eligibility requirements, and those can be viewed here. The good news is that even if you are not eligible for the Iowa Future Ready Last Dollar Scholarship, all BK students benefit from our scholarship program here. You will learn more about that during your senior year of high school.
SENIORS: FAFSA opened January 1st this year. If you are planning to go to college next year, you will need to create a FAFSA account at www.fafsa.gov so that you are eligible for Iowa Future Ready Last Dollar Scholarship (Iowa community colleges only), Pell grant and student loans.
9-12 Students - Belmond has a College and Career Transition Counselor. Kristy Molencamp spends Thursdays in the front office of the counseling area. Please e-mail her at kristy.molencamp@niacc.edu to set up a meeting to discuss anything college/career.
Each Semester, BKHS upperclassmen students register and take college level courses online through NIACC. In order to be eligible students need to be proficient in the most recent ISASP scores as well as have good attendance and be on pace to graduate high school. If you have never taken an online course but don't know where to start, here is the beginning. A list and description of courses is located as a link on the form. Registration opens March 30th and the Deadline to complete NIACC registration is Friday, May 31st.
A list of available courses is here SYP NIACC Courses
If you are planning to take Composition I and II next year for your English, it is required to get a 16 on the English section of the ACT.
Juniors - The National Testing Date for ACT is Saturday, April 13th. Testing locations include Hampton, Forest City and Mason City. Register on www.act.org. Create an account first if you do not have one. Register mid-February if you are taking the April test.
Students who have free/reduced lunch paperwork filed with the front office qualify for a fee-waiver. Talk to Mr. Albertson if you need a fee-waiver for the ACT test.
Many Colleges and Universities do not require the ACT for entrance into their institution, but if students can take the ACT, it can improve the possibility of obtaining an academic scholarship at the college level depending on final score.
BKHS Graduates Making the Dean's List - Fall 2023
- University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa: Addie Buseman (2021), Dylan Bock (2021), Jonah Christianson (2020), Jaydon Gansen (2020), Claudia Simonson (2023), Valeria Torres (2021), and Acelia Watts (2022)
- At University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa - Elizabeth Hinman (2023), Lauren Crawford (2022), and Emma Schroeder (2020)
- Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa - Zackry Brannen (2022), Dalton Clark (2022), Cohen Sifert (2022), Shea Sopher (2022), & Allison Wessels (2017)
- Waldorf University in Forest City, IA: Addison McMurray (2021) and Madison Roberts (2022)
- Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa - Jennah Meyer (2022)
- Luther College in Decorah, Iowa - Abby Bates (2021)
- Central College in Pella, Iowa - Kenedie Gabrielson (2021)
- NIACC in Mason City, IA - Victor Bobadilla (2021), Braxton Meints (2022)
- NIACC President's List - Lauryn Barkema (2022), Kaleb Carlson (2021), Andrew Lamfers-Hill (2023)
- Des Moines Area Community College - Kaitlin Alfaro (2022)
- Grandview University - Makenzie Brannen (2023)
*if I missed anyone who is a BK grad and made Dean's/President's List for Spring 2023 at their college/institution, feel free to forward me that info! I'd love to include them