Guidance
The guidance office is the place where students go to talk about themselves, their future educational/career goals, or personal concerns. With counselor assistance, students may analyze test results, discuss their strengths and weaknesses and choose courses that best fit their needs, abilities, interests and future plans. Students are encouraged to initiate meetings with their counselors as the need arises. All students are urged to pre-schedule appointments with the counselor through the secretary for an appropriate time (i.e., study hall or before or after school). The secretary is available from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Students are assigned to teams in the 9th grade at both high schools and in the 10th grade at BEHS; a counselor is assigned to that team. In most cases, the counselor remains with the student throughout the four years of high school. Counselors encourage a cooperative approach-student, parent, teacher, counselor working together to help assure optimum student success and achievement during the high school years.
GUIDANCE LIBRARY MATERIALS - In addition to the extensive library of higher education catalogues, the guidance library contains supplementary aids to facilitate vocational and higher education planning. These include files of vocational briefs, brochures, viewbooks on many institutions, career reference books, college planning guides, and two different computer systems for interest surveys, aptitude tests, or college and vocational searches.
CAREER RESOURCE CENTER (CLICK to enter Career Center Pages) The Career Resource Center is a branch of the Guidance Department. It is designed to help students investigate career paths, learn about further educational opportunities, and make final decisions and plans for their future. All students have the following activities available to them in making these critical decisions:
Career Assessment - Use of computer assessment, paper/pencil surveys, and books to determine possible career paths.
Job Shadow - Visit a job site that allows for a one-on-one dialogue with a worker in the student's field of interest.
Internships - A semester long investigation of an occupational field designed for students who have expressed interest in gaining experience in a field they plan to enter. College Searches - Use of several sources for researching technical schools and two or four year colleges.
Scholarship Searches - Use of computer software to research national scholarships based on a variety of qualifications.
Paid Work Experience - Work/career exploration and experience based on part-time work in the community. Service Learning- Work/Career exploration based on community service in the local area. Individual Career Counseling - In cooperation with your child's Guidance Counselor.
COMPUTERIZED GUIDANCE SERVICES - The College View and Choices Systems provide students an opportunity to take interest and ability surveys and receive career direction through the career decision-making components such as information on occupations, the armed services, two and four-year colleges, and financial aid.
SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION - Federal, state and local financial information is distributed annually to seniors. Additionally, reference material on merit or need based aid is available in the guidance office.
COLLEGE ADMISSIONS TESTING - There are two national college admissions testing programs:
The College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) which sponsors the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT Is) and subject area tests (SAT IIs) or
The American College Testing (ACT) program. The CEEB program is more prevalent in this area of the country. The Bristol high schools are testing sites for the CEEB.
Students should check college catalogues to see which program is preferred by the college in which they are interested.
