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Welcome to Student Services 

 

CONTACT STUDENT SERVICES

 (In order to contact student services related to academic, social, or emotional counseling, health concerns, or future college and career planning, please email one of the following staff members:

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Class of 2024

Assistant Principal – Amy Mazurowski  amazurow@pasco.k12.fl

Counselor – Allyson Halilic ahalilic@pasco.k12.fl.us

SSAP (Student Support and Assistance Program –  Sharaya DeSousa sdesousa@pasco.k12.fl.us 

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Class of 2025 

Assistant Principal – Thurston King tking@pasco.k12.fl.us 

Counselor – Angela Cotney acotney@pasco.k12.fl.us 

SSAP (Student Support and Assistance Program) Dane Johnston djohnsto@pasco.k12.fl.us

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Class of 2026

Assistant Principal – Hilda Martin hmartin@pasco.k12.fl.us 

Counselor – Holly Askins  haskins@pasco.k12.fl.us 

SSAP (Student Support and Assistance Program) – Hakija Halilic hhalilic@pasco.k12.fl.us 

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Class of 2027 

Assistant Principal – Amanda Knox aknox@pasco.k12.fl.us 

Counselor (A-L) – Elizabeth Behner ebehner@pasco.k12.fl.us 

Counselor (M-Z) – Angela Cotney acotney@pasco.k12.fl.us

SSAP (Student Support and Assistance Program) – Hailey Ouchie hforstel@pasco.k12.fl.us

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International Baccalaureate (IB):

Assistant Principal – Cheryl Macri-Grim cmacrigr@pasco.k12.fl.us 

 Counselor for IB – Elizabeth Behner – ebehner@pasco.k12.fl.us 

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Student Services Staff

Career Specialist:
Elizabeth Diaz
ediaz@pasco.k12.fl.us

School Social Workers:

TBA

School Nurse:

TBA

School Psychologist:

 

Support Staff
Student Service Secretary 
Alice Hunt
ajhunt@pasco.k12.fl.us

Parent Involvement Coordinator / Volunteer Coordinator  
Amanda Downing 
adowning@pasco.k12.fl.us

Academic Support

We offer several programs and services for academic support! Read more

College and Career Planning

College and career planning information and resources are provided below to assist students to explore and plan for their future.

Contact the career specialist or school counselor for additional information. Click on the following links:

We encourage students to read Choosing a College When You Can’t Visit Campus (A Guide for Students).

College Planning Checklists

A college planning checklist helps a student know what to do each year of high school. High school counselors, career specialists, and graduation enhancement teachers are available to help guide students.

The College Board provides the following checklists to students and families:

 

Additional information for college readiness including free practice testing sites.

Dual Enrollment

                        

Dual enrollment is an acceleration program that allows Florida’s secondary students to take post-secondary classes to earn credit toward a high school diploma, and a career certificate, an industry certification, or an associate or baccalaureate degree at a Florida public or eligible private institution.

Dual Enrollment courses vary in credits, reference the high school course equivalency lists below for more information.

You may wish to review the Dual Enrollment Frequently Asked Questions, provided by the Florida Department of Education.

Eligibility

Students must meet the following eligibility criteria:

  • Be enrolled as a student in a Florida public or nonpublic secondary school (grades 6-12), or in a home education program;
  • Have a 3.0 unweighted high school grade point average (GPA) to enroll in college credits, or a 2.0 unweighted high school GPA to enroll in career dual enrollment courses;
  • For college credits, achieve a minimum score on a common placement test
  • Meet any additional eligibility criteria specified by the postsecondary institution in the Dual Enrollment Articulation Agreement; and
  • Not be scheduled to graduate from high school prior to the completion of the dual enrollment course.

Early Admission

An early admission is a form of dual enrollment permitting high school students to enroll in college or career courses on a full-time basis. As with all dual enrollment programs, students earn both high school and college/career credits for courses completed.

Registration by Term

Please visit the District School Board of Pasco County’s Dual Enrollment web page for current information.

Students are encouraged to review the Student Online Dual Enrollment Request Form.

Special Note: Completion of the Student Orientation online is also REQUIRED for all dual enrollment students. Students who have not completed this course will not be able to register. Visit https://www.pasco.k12.fl.us/oll/page/dual-enrollment  to access directions on how to complete the orientation.

A step by step guide to walk you thru the Dual Enrollment process

Financial Aid

Types of Financial Aid

Financial aid is money provided by various agencies (federal, state, and local governments, post-secondary institutions, community organizations, and private corporations or individuals) to help students meet the costs of attending college. It includes gift aid (grants and scholarships) and self-help (loans and student employment).

  • Scholarships are based on academic or athletic achievement, but financial need may also be considered. Scholarships are considered gift aid because they do not have to be paid back. Scholarships are awarded by states, institutions, departments, private companies and individuals.
  • Grants are gift aid awarded to students who demonstrate financial need. Grants do not have to be repaid.
  • Student loan programs offer long-term, low-interest educational loans, which may allow students to defer repayment until after graduation, withdrawal or termination of attendance. Students must file the FAFSA to be considered for any federal loan program.

How to Apply for Financial Aid

Paying for college is not always easy. College costs rise every year and many students and families need some form of financial assistance to help pay these costs. The following suggestions will help facilitate the financial aid process.

  • Students should contact their high school counselor to inquire about federal, state and other sources of student financial assistance programs.
  • Students should complete the Florida Financial Aid Application (FFAA), available online at FloridaStudentFinancialAid.org, to be considered for State of Florida student financial aid programs, including the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program. Select State Grants, Scholarships & Applications to access this application which opens on October 1.
  • Students should contact the institution they want to attend and request a financial aid application packet. The packet will provide them with information about the financial aid programs the school offers and the forms they will need to complete.
  • Some colleges will request that students complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), available online at fafsa.ed.gov. Some colleges will also require completion of other forms. Be sure to contact the college to inquire about other forms that the financial aid office may require.
  • If possible, students should apply for federal financial aid beginning in October before the academic year they plan to begin college. A late application may reduce the amount of money the student ultimately receives. Some programs, however, such as the Federal Pell Grant and the Federal Stafford Loan, are open for application throughout the year.
    • Students can obtain part-time employment to assist in meeting their college costs and, if possible, gain work experience in a field related to their chosen profession. Jobs may or may not require special skills.

Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program

Requirements and Award Amounts

Up-to-date information about Florida Bright Futures can be found on the Florida Student Financial Aid website. Eligibility requirements and award amounts are subject to change with each legislative session so a student will want to continue to monitor the above website.

Community Service Hours

Students at GHS are not “required” to complete community service hours for graduation but community service hours are required to be eligible for earning a Bright Futures scholarship from the State of Florida and additionally, to many other scholarships. 

Please visit the following two resources:

Students are encouraged to contact Ann Donlon, career specialist, to get some ideas of places to volunteer and discuss their proposal ahead of time.

Check Student Status

FloridaShines is a website that provides assistance to Florida students with college and career planning.  Within the website is the ability to check Bright Futures status. 

Note: The State will only update the students status each February and July.  Any changes that occur in a student’s record or with their number of volunteer hours will not reflect on this site until the net February or July depending on when the changes occurred or the hours were submitted to their school counselor.

Local Scholarships

 The Scholarship Scoop web page provides a monthly scholarship newsletter that contains a listing of the available local scholarships with applicable deadlines. Also, there are downloadable local scholarship applications. Students are encouraged to apply, apply and apply! Contact Ann Donlon, career specialist, for additional information.

Useful Links

Graduation Requirements

 

Florida students entering high school may choose from the following options to earn a standard diploma:

  • 24-credit program,
  • 18-credit, Academically Challenging Curriculum to Enhance Learning (ACCEL) option,
  • Career and Technical Education (CTE) Pathways option,
  • Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) curriculum, or
  • International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum.

All of these graduation paths include opportunities to take rigorous academic courses designed to prepare students for their future academic and career choices. All students, regardless of graduation program, must earn a cumulative GPA of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale and achieve a passing score on the statewide, standardized Grade 10 English Language Arts (ELA) Assessment or earn a concordant score. In addition, all students must achieve a passing Algebra 1 EOC assessment score or earn a comparable score in order to graduate with a standard diploma. Additional information related to assessment requirements is available in Graduation Requirements for Florida’s Statewide Assessment at https://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/7764/urlt/GradRequireFSA.pdf.

For additional information related to the standard diploma options please review the following academic advisement flyers from the Florida Department of Education:

Social - Emotional Support

Crisis Support

 If there is a current mental health concern, please call 813-501-2017 to speak with a member of Pasco County Schools’ Mental Health Team (Monday-Thursday 8:00 am – 4:00 pm.).

If there is a mental health concern after hours or on the weekend, refer to the following crisis support contacts:

  • Crisis Text Line (FREE 24/7 crisis support): Text HOME to 741741
  • BayCare Mobile Crisis Response Team (MRT) Pasco County: 24 HRS/day, 7 days/week, (727) 372- 4357
  • National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (FREE 24/7 crisis support): 1-800-273- TALK (8255) or 1-800-799-4889 (TTY: hearing & speech impaired)
  • LGBTQ+ Support: Trevor Project (866) 488-7386
  • Domestic and Sexual Violence Hotline: (352) 521-3120

Resources

 

Standardized Testing

Florida Standards Assessments

For information related to the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) Florida Standards Assessments (FSA) CLICK HERE.

For a link to the FDOE FSA Parent/Student resources that include practice tests, frequently asked questions, FSA resources and student powerpoints CLICK HERE.

ACT/SAT

Students wishing to register for the major college entrance examinations can visit the national websites to access test information, test preparation materials, and registration information. Register online! The GHS CEEB number is 101220.

Students should contact their school counselor regarding test fee waiver eligibility.

Checkout the following links:

PSAT

The Preliminary SAT (PSAT) is a valuable tool for students.  The District School Board of Pasco County pays for all 10th-grade students to take the PSAT in order to evaluate the skills that each student has developed in critical reading, mathematics, and writing based on nationally normed data.  The PSAT is an effective way for students to start getting ready for the SAT and provides personalized feedback about their academic strengths and weaknesses, which leads to stronger preparation for life beyond high school and greater success in college and careers.

In addition to providing this test free of charge to all 10th-grade students, we strongly encourage 11th-grade students to pay the small fee to take the PSAT.  This is the final opportunity to take the PSAT and it is the only year that the PSAT results are considered to qualify a student to be recognized as a National Merit Scholar, Hispanic Scholar, or Achievement Scholar.  These three recognitions all award significant scholarships for eligible students who meet the criteria and complete the requirements.  In order to obtain additional information, visit the College Board’s PSAT/NMSQT and PSAT 10 web page.

Testing Accommodations for the ACT/SAT/PSAT

ACT

All requests for accommodations and English Language Learner (ELL) supports must be submitted by the published late registration deadline for the preferred test date. There are three steps to the process available at Making a Request.

College Board PSAT/NMSQT

Information related to requests for students with a documented disability to be reviewed for accommodations eligibility is available at Students with Disabilities.

College Board SAT

Information related to requests for students with a documented disability to be reviewed for accommodations eligibility is available at Students with Disabilities.

Information related to supports for ELL students is available at Testing Supports for English Learners.

 

 

Virtual Learning

One course within the 24-credit standard diploma option must be completed via online learning. This is based on the credit value of the course. For example, a course in Driver Education (0.5 credit) taken online will satisfy this requirement.

Keep in mind, that the entire course must be taken online in order to satisfy this standard diploma requirement. A student may not take one semester of a year-long course in a brick and mortar school and then transfer to a virtual school option and meet this standard diploma requirement. Contact the school counselor for more information.

Virtual education options for Gulf High School students include the following:

Pasco eSchool

Pasco eSchool offers students both full- and part-time school options. Students who wish to seek registration for courses, either as part- or full-time enrolled GHS students are encouraged to contact their GHS counselor.

For course registration requests, please visit Pasco eSchool Registration.

Florida Virtual School (FLVS)

FLVS Flex can help students to:

  • Plan and personalize education
  • Get ahead on courses
  • Make up course credit
  • Explore an interesting elective not offered at GHS
  • Earn an industry certification
  • Complete courses to free up next year’s schedule
  • Fulfill online graduation requirements

 

 

ABOUT US

Gulf High School student services staff provide a wide array of support services for students and families. The student services program is designed to promote academic achievement by removing social and emotional barriers to success. The student services team works collaboratively with all stakeholders to ensure equity, access and positive outcomes of all students.

Parent - Teacher Conference Request

CONTACT:
Alice Hunt, guidance secretary, in order to determine the most efficient way to schedule a parent/teacher conference based on your schedule and concerns.