• Senior Year Timeline
  If you are interested in applying to four-year colleges, this PDF provides a detailed, month-by-month to-do list.
• Creating Your College List
  If you are interested in applying to four-year colleges, this PDF shows you how to research different possibilities and provides a template to help you create a list of schools.
• Naviance Instructions
  If you are interested in applying to four-year colleges, Naviance is a great research tool It provides detailed information about thousands of schools.
• College Application Information
  If you are interested in applying to four-year colleges, this PDF provides details about UC and CSU applications as well as the Common App.
• SAT and ACT Testing
  If you are interested in applying to four-year colleges, the SAT or the ACT is required. For UCs and some private colleges, two SAT subject tests are also necessary.
• UC Personal Statement Prompts
  Even though the UC application is not open until October 1, the essays this year will be the same as last year, so you can start writing now. Many students use their UC personal statements as the basis for their Common App essays.
• Letters of Recommendation
  If you are interested in applying to four-year colleges, please know that the form to request letters of recommendation will be available immediately after Labor Day weekend. UCs and CSUs DO NOT require letters of recommendation.
• Colleges that Meet 100% of Demonstrated Financial Need
  If you are interested in applying to four-year colleges, this PDF is a list of schools that meet 100% of demonstrated financial need.

College Representative visits are a great opportunity for students to learn more about different schools around the country. Many visits occur during class time. Students are permitted to be excused from class if they complete a pass in advance and if that pass is signed by their teacher. Passes can be picked up in D9.

Friday, September 17 at 9:00: Montana State University (Bozeman, MT)

Tuesday, September 21 at 12:00: Boston University (Boston, MA)

Thursday, September 23 at 12:35: Claremont McKenna (Claremont, CA)

Monday, September 27 at 12:00: Notre Dame de Namur (Belmont, CA)

Tuesday, September 28 at 1:30: Stone Hill College (Boston, MA)

Tuesday, September 28 at 11:30: Arizona State University (Tempe, AZ)

Tuesday, October 5 at 10:15: Colorado State University (Fort Collins, CO)

Tuesday, October 5 at 1:00: Suffolk University (Boston, MA)

Friday, October 15 at 10:00: Drexel University (Philadelphia, PA)

Tuesday, October 26 at 1:15: Northeastern University (Boston, MA)

Tuesday, October 26 at 2:30: Bard College (Annandale-on-Hudson, NY)

Friday, October 29 at 9:30: University of Oregon (Eugne, OR)

Saturday, September 25 at 9:00 a.m.

Revolution Prep will offer a FREE SAT or ACT mock exam.

This is great practice for the real test. Each student will choose the exam that interests them.

To register, call 1-877-738-7737.

Please don't miss this valuable opportunity!!

Bowdoin College, Maine

Bowdoin is an independent, nonsectarian, coeducational residential, undergraduate liberal arts institution founded in 1794. It is located in Brunswick, Maine, a town of 21,000 on the Maine coast. Study at Bowdoin leads to a bachelor of arts degree in one of over 40 departmental and interdisciplinary majors. Bowdoin enrolls approximately 1,710 students from across the country and around the world.

More than 120 buildings are a part of the approximately 215-acre Bowdoin campus. They range from Massachusetts Hall, built in 1802, to Kanbar Hall, a 26,000-square-foot award-winning educational facility that was completed in 2004; LEED certified "green" residence halls completed in 2005; and a new recital hall, that opened in spring 2007. Bowdoin's Coastal Studies Center, located eight miles from campus on 118 acres of Orr's Island, was completed in 1998.

If the scholarship is followed by a link, students can either apply online or download an application. If a link is not provided, paper applications are available in the C&C Center.

Gates Millennium Scholars

For outstanding senior students who have significant financial need. This is Bill Gates money, so it's not just small change. http://www.gmsp.org

Hispanic Scholarship Fund

Many excellent scholarship possibilities for seniors. Qualifications: US citizen or legal resident, 3.0 GPA, plans to complete the FAFSA, and full-time enrollment in a college or university for the 2009-2010 school year. http://www.hsf.net

Asian and Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund

For seniors. http://www.apiasf.org/

Read and review the incredible list of scholarships and recognitions awarded to the 2009 graduates of Woodside High School.  Congratulations, Class of 2009!

• Class of 2009 Scholarships and Awards
• Class of 2010 Scholarships and Awards

Three newer college websites:

http://www.collegecompare.com

http://www.zinch.com/

http://www.collegeconfidential.com/

http://www.undergradzone.com

For everything about the SAT:

http://www.collegeboard.com/

To search for colleges and universities:

http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/

or

http://www.petersons.com/

Everything you'd ever want to know about California State Universities (CSUs):

http://www.csumentor.edu/

Everything you'd ever want to know about the University of California (UCs):

http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/

For help with planning a California college education:

http://www.californiacolleges.edu/

Access to one application that can be used for over 350 colleges and universities:

https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/default.aspx

For future college athletes (this is a must!!!!):

www.eligibilitycenter.org

For help with financial aid:

www.finaid.org

• Destinations and Acceptances

There were over 100 students and parents at each of the four March Into College workshops. Hopefully, everyone found the presentations to be helpful and informative. There will be a fifth workshop, March Into College: Senior Style, at the very beginning of September.

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., March 3, 2010 - Seven Sequoia Union High School District students have been named as candidates in this year's United States Presidential Scholars Program - a program established by the U.S. Department of Education in 1964 to recognize and honor the most distinguished graduating high school seniors in the country.

In announcing this year's candidates, The Commission on Presidential Scholars stated that scholars "are chosen on the basis of their accomplishments in many areas - academic and artistic success, leadership, and involvement in school and the community - and represent excellence in education and the promise of greatness in America's youth."

Students become candidates in the Presidential Scholars Program by invitation only. Students neither apply nor do their schools nominate them. Candidates are initially identified as those who score exceptionally well on the College Board SAT or the ACT Assessment. Approximately 40 students are selected as candidates from each state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and U.S. citizens living abroad.

Seven of California's 2010 Presidential Scholar candidates attend Sequoia district schools:

Sashi Ayyangar, Menlo-Atherton High School

David Galbraith, Menlo-Atherton High School

Ellora Israni, Menlo-Atherton High School

Daniel Kozlowski, Menlo-Atherton High School

Nathan Lee, Carlmont High School

Lena Reed, Menlo-Atherton High School

Daniel Steiner, Woodside High School

Approximately 141 Presidential Scholars will be selected and invited to Washington, DC in June to participate in a variety of enrichment activities and events, culminating with the presentation to the students of the Presidential Scholars medallion during a ceremony sponsored by the White House (www.ed.gov/programs/psp/index.html).

Congratulations, Daniel!

2009-2010 National Merit Semi-finalists:

Rachel K. Carter

Kelly L. Miller

Kyle R. Trager

Congrats, Cats!

Woodside High School senior Steven Rhodes has been named a National Merit Scholarship Finalist.  He will be honored at the Sequoia Union High School District's March 18 Board of Trustees meeting.

In addition to Steven's academic achievements, he is editor of the The Woodside World, the school's newsmagazine, a member of Team 100, the school's award-winning Robotics team, a member of the school band, and a member of the Wrestling team.

Congratulations, Steven.

• National Merit Scholarship Program

On March 4, 2010, four Woodside High School students were awarded Community Service Scholarships at a ceremony at the Sofitel Hotel in Redwood Shores.

Congratulations to:

Patricia Fuentes, Kaiser Permanente/ Provident Credit Union

Whitney Olson, In honor of Ed Everett and Mary Welch

Grace Walovich, Wells Fargo Bank

Jessica Withers, Basic Chemical Solutions

The Sequoia Awards offers scholarships to senior high school students who reside in the Redwood City community and have been actively volunteering their time. Over $1,000,000 in scholarship money has been awarded since 1993.

• Click here for the Sequoia Awards website

The Sequoia Awards was established in 1990 for the purpose of recognizing outstanding volunteerism in the community among students, individuals, and businesses. For over 19 years the Sequoia Awards Scholarship Program has awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars to outstanding high school seniors who have performed extraordinary, uncompensated community service.  The Sequoia Award fund provides opportunities to dozens of students each year and is the largest scholarship program awarded in Redwood City.

On March 5, 2009, 12 Woodside seniors were recognized and awarded Community Service Scholarships, the most students from a single school.  

One student, Hana Girardot, was awarded a Community Service Award with Distinction.

The following Woodside students were awarded Community Service Scholarships:

Nicolo Abaya

Shelby Ellis

Michael Fryman

Sara Healy

Alberto Hidalgo

Irene Kalaitzidis

Jessica Mendoza

Venita Naidoo

Rukshana Peter

Vanessa Torres

Vanessa Valencia 

It was a proud evening for Woodside High School.  These students embody and represent the spirit of Woodside High School.  The Woodside High School community is enormously proud of these students and their work, as well as the parents and families behind these students who supported them all along the way.  Go, Wildcats!

For more information about The Sequoia Awards, please visit the link below:

• www.sequoiaawards.org

The Incentive Awards Program (IAP) provides financial support in scholarship funds over eight semesters, and student support services to low-income students and first generation college students who have demonstrated leadership potential, high academics, and a commitment to serve others. For more information, please visit: http://students.berkeley.edu/incentive/index.asp?id=95

Vanessa Torres, an AVID/MESA senior, has received a Dell Scholars Award of $20,000.  She has been accepted to UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, SDSU, Cal Poly, and other great schools.  She recently won a Sequoia Award for $5,000 as well. Most of the Dell Scholars are first-generation college students and are chosen because they participate in an approved college readiness program and maintain at least a 2.4 grade point average on a 4.0 scale while dealing with personal responsibilities at home or in their communities.  Dell Scholars will receive $20,000 each to continue their higher education for the next six years. More than just a check, the Dell Scholars Program also provides its students with technology, resources and mentoring to ensure they have the support they need to obtain a college degree.  The additional resources have contributed to the program’s retention rate of more than 90 percent, well above the national average of 22 percent for students with the same socioeconomic profile.  In addition to GPA and college readiness program participation, Dell Scholars requirements also include graduation from an accredited high school, demonstrated financial need and intent to enter a bachelor’s degree program at an accredited higher education institution in the fall. The Dell Scholars Program uses its custom-built software with a sophisticated algorithm that helps predict a student’s propensity to graduate from college based on several factors, despite the personal challenges these determined, low-income students must address in their lives.  The Dell Scholars Program was named the 2008 “Scholarship Provider of the Year” by the National Scholarship Providers Association because of its unique scholar profile and retention success. For a complete listing of the class of 2009 Dell Scholars, go to www.dellscholars.org

It's that time of year again, and two of our senior athletes have signed on to play soccer at UCLA and UC Berkeley.
Chelsea Braun signed to play Soccer at UCLA.Emily Kruger signed to play Soccer at UC Berkeley.
These two young women embody the Woodside High School ideal--strong work ethic, dedication, and determination.
Congratulations, Chelsea and Emily. Your Woodside family is very proud of you.
Go, Wildcats!