Frequently Asked Questions: This page contains answers to common questions of students and parents.
How can I make an appointment with Mr. Kochis?
I try my best to accommodate student and parent requests for meetings. Students, you may ask any teacher to provide you a pass to come to guidance, but teachers do retain the refusal rights, i.e. no using Guidance to skip vocabulary quizzes. Study hall is often a good time to come to see me so that you don't miss any instructional time. If I'm unavailable when you come, you may complete a 'request for appointment' form. I also welcome email requests. Parents, I encourage you to call or email me so that I can schedule an appropriate block of time.Back to Top
From our website we say the following: "The counselors work in collaboration with the faculty advisor program and teachers to meet the individual needs of each student. The fundamental goal of counseling is to help each student understand and accept his/her self, to better become more aware of alternatives, and to learn effective problem solving and decision-making skills leading to increased maturity, greater self-direction and assumption of responsibility. The counselors provide professional assistance to help the student attain academic success, learn to cope with personal problems, improve relationships and focus on career/college and life choices." I feel that this boils down to three areas: career/college planning, academic guidance, and personal growth. The base of our work is meeting with the students individually. To augment our time and ability we also run groups, teach guidance classes, host information nights, and consult with parents and teachers.Back to Top
First quarter is predominantly reserved for seniors and transfer students. We may see some freshmen. In the second quarter we focus more on freshmen but still have a steady influx of seniors. Third quarter we will begin to meet with juniors after their college workshop. Finally in the fourth quarter we will see sophomores in groups.Back to Top
What are in the guidance classes?
The sophomores get a two-day class that is meant to get them thinking about their long range plans. They take fun quizzes to assess their interests and get some ideas of what they might like to do in the future. The sophomores also receive an introduction to their Naviance account, which is our online college counseling tool. The juniors get a more in-depth workshop on the nuts & bolts of college admission. We cover the search process, trends in admission, testing information, letters of recommendation, essay writing, resume production, and some general college information.Back to Top
Naviance is the parent company that produces our online college counseling tools. The appropriate name for the program that students and parents use is Family Connection, but we got stuck on the name Naviance. The tools in Naviance store a student's academic profile (GPA and test scores) as well as our school's acceptance history with a number of colleges and universities. This allows students and parents to do an 'apples to apples' comparison of how their profile correlates to the admissions criteria of the schools they are looking at. Additional features include; college search engines, college visit schedules, maps, extended profiles, counselor comments, and various communication options.Back to Top
How do college representative visits work and who can attend?
Typically colleges send admissions representatives on the road in the fall to meet with interested students. We schedule the representatives to come in during instructional hours and advertise their visits. Students are required to request a pass from the Guidance office and have their teacher (whose class they will miss) sign the pass at least twenty-four hours in advance of the representative's visit. Seniors tend to dominate these visits, but juniors are also welcome to attend these visits. Parents should not come to speak with a rep.Back to Top
Wednesday, October 14th They begin at 8:00 A.M.Back to Top
Can my freshman take the PSAT this year?
No, freshmen will be attending an in-house retreat.Back to Top
The CEEB code is a numerical designation for our school that is used by several organizations, such as the Collegeboard. Our CEEB code is: 470801Back to Top
What is the difference between early decision and early action?
Early decision is a binding contract that if the institution accepts your application you will enroll with that institution. Early action has no such bind and allows you to apply to other schools and consider their offers. If you are confused what the school offers, ask one of their admissions officers.Back to Top