Guidance staff a key to student success

Throughout the pandemic, Lowell Catholic’s guidance team has been busy cultivating new and engaging ways to connect with students, including connecting students virtually with college campuses.

While LC’S faculty prepares students for the academic challenges of college life, the Guidance Department, led by Leslie Langan, does an equally impressive job helping them through the testing, application and selection processes.

The results speak for themselves, with 100% of seniors being accepted to college and nearly 80% receive merit scholarships.

This week, Lowell Catholic offered sophomores and juniors the opportunity to take the PSAT exams to prepare them for taking the SAT exams as seniors. PSAT and SAT scores are used as a predictor of a student’s future college success. LC students have consistently scored over 50 points above the national average, while LC’S high-school honors students far exceed the average by nearly 160 points.

LC also offered the High School Placement Test Prep course for eighth-graders. The standardized HSPT test is taken by any student wishing to enter a Catholic high school, and scores not only assist in placing students by leveled courses but also qualify them for meritbased scholarships.

Drive-through school tours and virtual online campus tours are becoming the norm for this year’s seniors. Many at LC are taking advantage of online Zoom sessions with college recruiters that are offered in an after-school series.

“Through the series, we are introducing students to the unique campus personalities and attributes, which has helped to pique their curiosity and align their choices with their future career and academic interests,” Langan said. “The collegesearch process is not a one-size-fits-all type of thing — it’s unique to each student. With so much uncertainty this year, there are more questions than ever.”

“The students are so resilient,” Guidance Counselor Makayla Panneton added. “They have been really good at adapting and reaching out when they need help. Online office hours allow our remote students one-on-one time with their counselors as well.”

Having one son graduate from LC in before the pandemic and one son as a senior now, Laura Devita said, “Lowell Catholic’s guidance team has done an amazing job providing the same quality of assistance and has kept the process seamless. Although there have been adaptations for safety, the guidance counselors have been very informative and pivoted to an online version of the traditional Senior Parent Night, which we felt was tremendously helpful.”

“At Lowell Catholic,” said Head of School Maryellen Demarco, “our focus is not only on the high-school experience, but also on preparing students for college and beyond. We are proud of the progress that our academic program has made that supports each student’s growth and helps them meet their full potential. Partnering with our Guidance Department truly allows each student to discover the pathway to their own future success.

A collaboration with Middlesex Community College offers students the chance to take dualenrollment courses. Students who opt into the program earn college credits upon successful completion of a class.

LC also hosts several college planning and financing workshops for students and families.