OHS Counseling

The primary role of a school counselor is to promote the academic, career, and personal development of students. They will help students evaluate their abilities and interests to develop realistic academic and career goals. As well as coach students to learn strategies for problem solving and positive interpersonal communication skills.

Counselors will support students with issues/situations that will impeded their ability to be successful in school. We are trained in crisis intervention and develop/facilitate/coordinate prevention activities and intervention strategies. Counselors adhere to a code of ethics and confidentiality that vary from others in the school.

Counselors help students identify their post high school plans and lifestyle goals.

Visit us in the OSS-Office of Student Support

Choosing a College

Does the College have my MAJOR?
How big is the college?
How many students attend (graduate students and undergraduates)?
Is the College in a Rural or Urban area?
What Student Life Activities does the College Have?
Does the College have Fraternities or Sororities you wanted to rush?
Do first-year students have to live on campus?
Do you meet the Admission Requirements? (not sure what those are then ask Dr. H or Mrs. Fig)
What are the Application Deadlines for Admissions and Financial Aid/Scholarships?

The College Application Timeline

https://secure-media.collegeboard.org/digitalServices/pdf/student/college-application-timeline.pdf

FAFSA and Financial Aid Resources

FAFSA- Free Application for Federal Student Aid

https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa

What do I need to complete the FAFSA?

Social Security Number. Make sure it is correct
Your Alien Registration Number if you are not a U.S. Citizen
Your 2024 Federal Tax Returns, W-2's, and other records of income
Banking statements and records of investment
Records of untaxed income
An FSA ID to sign electronically (This can be created beforehand at fsaid.ed.gov or at the time of application)
List of colleges you would like to attend

If you are a dependent student, If you are a dependent student, then you'll also need most of the above information for your parent(s).

General Scholarship Information

Scholarship Experts: One of the best, most comprehensive free online scholarship searches available to students, parents, and educators.

Latino College Dollars: Scholarships for Latino students regardless of immigration status.

College Answer: Sponsored by Sallie Mae, they use the Scholarship Experts data base.

College Board Scholarship Search: Utilize a database of more than 2,300 sources of college funding totaling almost $3 billion in scholarships and aid.

College Data: This free scholarship search allows students to save results in a data locker.

College Funds: Helps you hunt down the most ideal student loan, scholarships and other financial aid resources available

College Connection Scholarships: This service provides free scholarship searches and personalized scholarship application letters.

College Tool Kit: Search for scholarships by geography, heritage, religion, extra curricular, family affiliation, high school or scholarship name.

eCampus Tours: Uses a database of more than 10,000 scholarship programs that distribute awards worth more than $36 million.

Fiancial Aid Officer: This free scholarship search engine lists scholarships worth $1.45 billion.

FastAid: The world's largest and oldest private sector scholarship database

Fast Web: Large database of free scholarships

Go College: The search encompasses 800,000 individual awards worth over $2.8 billion in scholarships.

The Scholarship Page: Started by a student in 1997

Scholarships: Scholarship database of 30,000 sources worth up to $3 billion

Scholarships Canada: Canada's most comprehensive scholarship portal

Can Learn: Another Canadian free scholarship search site

Study Abroad Funding: Comprehensive database of study abroad scholarships, fellowships, and grants can help make your dream of studying abroad a financial possibility and a profound reality. Scholarship searches can be conducted by country or subject.

International Education Financial Aid: College scholarships and grant information for US and international students wishing to study abroad.

Gates Millennium Scholars Program: A billion dollar grant from the pockets of Bill and Melinda Gates supports the higher educational needs of high-achieving minorities.

Educational Excellence for Hispanics: To help Hispanic students and their families navigate the college process

Parents Guide to the College Application Process

https://blog.collegeboard.org/parents-guide-college-application-process

ATTENTION WORKING STUDENTS

Did you know that you can earn high school credit for working?

You get 0.5 credits for every 60 hrs of work up to 2.5 credits that go towards electives.

If you are working bring your pay stubs to your counselor to have those credits added to your transcripts.

Updates for the 2026 SENIORS

When completing the common app. make sure that you are not using the staff's google emails. You need to use the "firstinitiallastname@ontario.k12.or.us" emails

ATTENTION WORKING STUDENTS

Did you know that you can earn high school credit for working?
You get 0.5 credits for every 60 hrs of work up to 2.5 credits that go towards electives.
If you are working bring your pay stubs to your counselor to have those credits added to your transcripts.

Updates for the 2026 SENIORS

When completing the common app. make sure that you are not using the staff's google emails. You need to use the "firstinitiallastname@ontario.k12.or.us" emails

Our emails

Jon Kilzer- jkilzer@ontario.k12.or.us

Janice Castellon- jcastellon@ontario.k12.or.us

Susan Hochstrat- shochstrat@ontario.k12.or.us

Teresa Figueroa- tfigueroa@ontario.k12.or.us

It is time to start thinking about requesting Letter of Recommendation.

Before you request a letter of recommendation:

Have you completed your resume?

Have a copy of your transcripts?

Emailed the recommender?

OHS Pathways

College Preparation

Freshmen

9th Grade Checklist

Get to know your school counselors and other resources at OHS
Get involved. Join a sport or a club-Athletics and Activities
Learn how to get organized: Use a planner
Start thinking about what you want to do after high school

Athletes work on your highlight reels and start looking at colleges that offer your major and sport

Sophomores

10th Grade Checklist

Focus on your grades
Meet with your counselor and start talking about what you want to do after high school
Complete and interest/aptitute assessment-Talk with your counselor on how to do that
Register for the PSAT

Athletes work on your highlight reels and start looking at colleges that offer your major and sport

Juniors

11th Grade Checklist

Continuing working on keeping your grades above C's
Take the ACT or SAT (some colleges/universities are testing optional but if your GPA is below a 2.7 it is strongly recommended to take a standardized test)
Start visiting colleges: In person or virtual
Start a scholarship outline of who you are and what you want (why do I want to be a ...career; why do I want to attend...college)
Build a resume
Athletes work on your highlight reels

Seniors

12th Grade Checklist

Keep your grades up and most importantly SHOW UP FOR SCHOOL
Finalize your college list: No you do not need 25 college applications
Start you common app-August 1
Finalize your scholarhsip essays from your outines
Complete your FAFSA by Nov. 1

Athletes finalize your highlight reels and follow up with coaches

Questions on scholarships and colleges come meet with Mrs Fig and Dr. H

Our School