Mrs. Traci Loy

tloy@birchrunschools.org

Our goal at Birch Run High School is for students to leave with a confident decision in their plan and goal after graduation.  Whether it is to attend College, pursue Skilled Trades or enter the Workforce, Mrs. Loy encourages Career exploration throughout their time at Birch Run.  This is done through annual Educational Development Plans (EDP), Xello lessons, College & Skilled Trades Fairs, Career Fairs, Job Shadows, College and Trade Company visits and one on one appointments to personally connect with students.  

Educational Development Plans (EDP)

Each year, students spend a day with Mrs. Loy and the Counselors exploring Careers, discussing options, reviewing Xello assessments and taking lessons to support their future.  Resumes, Goals, Plans, Interview skills and more are worked on during this time as well.  EDP assignments are sent home to complete and be signed by a parent after discussing their future options and plans with them.  This time and process, in and out of the Classroom, is vital for each student to be informed of and explore all their options so they are able to make a confident decision about their future plans.  

FAFSA

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) must be completed by every student (and their parents) who is attending College, this includes Community or Technical Schools for Skilled Trades certificates.  FAFSA is the key to unlocking all student aid, including Local Scholarships, Foundations Scholarships, College Merit Scholarships, as well as State and Federal Aid.  Seniors will be presented FAFSA information during their English Class and set up their personal FSA ID then need to complete the application with their parent(s) at home.  Mrs. Loy offers office hours and evening family help nights to assist in completing FAFSA.  Visit https://studentaid.gov/ for more information and to begin the application process.

College & Trades Month

October is National College Month where Mrs. Loy presents to Seniors on Financial Aid, College Applications, Skilled Trades options and activities like College & Trades Fair, College Tours and College & Trade Companies visit the School.  We also host a Senior Parent Meeting during Parent Teacher Conferences to inform parents of all the resources and timeline of activities for their child.  

Scholarships

There are many different kids of Scholarships available to our students.  Completing FAFSA opens up the opportunity to receive Scholarships then students need to complete applications for each one available.

*Local Scholarships:  These are Scholarships given by various organizations and individuals in our Community.  Local Scholarships are personally presented to each student and applications for each one are made available for students to complete over two months.  Organizations review each application and chooses their Recipient to be awarded during our Honors Night in May.

*Saginaw Foundation Scholarships:  This is one application that includes letters of recommendations, essays, transcripts, FAFSA data that is then sent to over 200 donors within the Foundation.  Students can be awarded multiple scholarships and will be told directly by SCF in May.  https://www.saginawfoundation.org/site/scholarships/

*College specific Scholarships:  Each College offers Scholarships for students who apply and/or attend their School.  The three main ones are Merit, which is based on GPA and/or SAT scores, Competitive, which is based on a separate application and may include essays, letters of recommendations or special interviews, then Private, which is a separate portal or application process that is sent to multiple donors of the School and awards according to their own qualifications.  

Other local, state and national Scholarships are available throughout the year and Mrs. Loy will post each one she receives to the Class Counseling Google Classroom.