Student Services

Robin Bedwell

The mission of the Student Services Department at The High School of Saint Thomas More is to provide a comprehensive approach to the development of each student's academic, career, and personal/social competence through collaboration with students, staff, parents, and community.

Allison Boatright is the Director of Student Services at The High School of Saint Thomas More.

College and academic counseling is extensive at The High School of Saint Thomas More. It begins with the EXPLORE test, which is the first test in the ACT line of testing. The EXPLORE test is mandatory for a student to be considered for admission to The High School of Saint Thomas More and is used for placement purposes only. Offered at our school in early January, a student's application file is not considered complete for review until this test is taken and scored.

A student's second exposure to the ACT test is during their sophomore year when they take the PLAN test in early fall. The results from this test are discussed with families in a group meeting, usually in early January. As well, any interested sophomore is encouraged to take the PSAT test, as an SAT 'warm up' in October.

Interested juniors take the PSAT test in October, with their score being submitted into the National Merit Scholarship competition. Again, results from this test are discussed with families in a group meeting, usually in early January. The formalized college counseling process begins in early January for juniors and their parents/guardians. COLLEGE PLANNING 101 is an event designed to help families begin the college search process. Following this meeting, individual family sessions occur with the counselor. After the student completes a "College Planning Worksheet," Mrs. Boatright generates a long list of colleges for which the student is/may be suited. This begins student-generated research.

All accepted students and their families meet with Mrs. Boatright to formulate a four year academic plan. This is an academic "road map" that guides a student to their diploma. Changes can be made at any time, but the student and parents leave this meeting with a clear sense of what it will take to get to graduation. Students meet again every February with the counselor to choose their classes for the next year. Students and parents are welcome at any time to make an appointment with Student Services to discuss any pertinent issues.