2018-2019 Admissions Viewbook

OUR LADY OF GOOD COUNSEL HIGH SCHOOL

240.283.3230 I admissions@olgchs.org

olgchs.org/apply

Become Your Best Self.

Important Deadlines SEPTEMBER

FEBRUARY 2019

11 I TUESDAY

21 I THURSDAY

Eighth grade visits to GC begin

25 I TUESDAY I 7pm

Parent Information Night

OCTOBER 14 I SUNDAY I 10am - 1pm

OPEN HOUSE

DECEMBER 1 I SATURDAY

Entrance Exam (HSPT)

Notification of Admissions Decisions mailed

22 I FRIDAY

Notification of Admissions Decisions emailed

MARCH 2019 8 I FRIDAY I 5pm - 8pm Freshman Registration

22 I FRIDAY

Transfer Application Deadline

(for non-Catholic school students)

5 I WEDNESDAY

Eighth grade visits end

olgchs.org/apply

7 I FRIDAY

240.283.3230 I admissions@olgchs.org

•

APPLICATION DEADLINE

• F inancial Aid Application Deadline • STEM Application Deadline • F ine Arts, Speech & Debate Scholarship Deadline

WE INSPIRE OUR STUDENTS TO EXCEL, SERVE, AND LOVE.

Getting to GC

olgchs.org/transportation for the latest bus service and transportation options

Come explore.

BECOME WHO YOU WANT TO BE

at Good Counsel. We offer the broadest academic and extracurricular opportunities in the region, led by a caring and invested faculty.

Good Counsel is more than just a high school.

For families looking for the best-fit high school for their child, we are a Catholic, co-educational community that seeks to inspire each student to excel, serve, and love.

51

acre campus

$12 million state-of-the art

Performing Arts Center

11

science and technology labs

150

seat chapel

2

gymnasiums

5+

athletic fields

olgchs.org/apply

Come belong.

BECOME A MEMBER OF OUR DISTINCTIVE COMMUNITY Grounded in the Xaverian characteristics of enduring personal relationships and a spirit of harmony, our community provides a common Good Counsel experience. We unite students of diverse backgrounds with a supportive adult and peer group. We help students navigate the various stages of high school, develop strategies for personal and academic growth, and build a loving community for themselves for future Falcons.

FRESHMAN

JUNIOR

Becoming a Falcon

Leading as a Falcon

The goal Freshman year is to help students acclimate to Good Counsel, understand expectations and begin to identify individual strengths and weaknesses, as members of the school community.

The focus of Junior year is for students to hone leadership skills as well as focus on how they can use their individual talents and skills as they look to the college application process and beyond.

SOPHOMORE

SENIOR

Learning as a Falcon

Leaving as a Falcon

Building off of the work from freshman year, students will focus on how our Xaverian values can help shape their decision making and understanding of their community.

Part of the focus is on the college application process and then moves to the transition out of GC. Seniors look back at their GC experience and determine how to make a positive contribution to the world and find individual success.

Come thrive.

College Admittance for the Class of 2018 Partial list of colleges and universities our students will attend in Fall 2018: Boston College Bucknell University California Institute of Technology Carnegie Mellon University Catholic University of America Clemson University Colgate University College of William & Mary Dartmouth College Emory University George Washington University Georgetown University Georgia Institute of Technology Johns Hopkins University Loyola University Maryland New York University Northwestern University Ohio State University Pennsylvania State University Pepperdine University Purdue University Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Syracuse University Tufts University Tulane University United States Military Academy University of California, Berkeley University of Georgia University of Maryland, College Park University of Miami University of Michigan University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill University of Notre Dame University of Pennsylvania University of Richmond University of Virginia Vanderbilt University Villanova University Wake Forest University Washington and Lee University Washington University in St. Louis Yale University

$35.5 million

in total scholarships awarded to the class of 2018

79%

of 2018 grads received academic scholarships

55%

of 2018 grads were accepted into Honors Programs

46%

of 2018 grads are attending one of US News’ Top 100 Colleges and Universities

99%

of 2018 grads were accepted into a four-year university

olgchs.org/apply

Come experience.

BECOME INSPIRED BY WHAT WE OFFER

Our teachers foster lasting relationships and provide rigorous academic programs for all levels of learning. Good Counsel’s faith formation and service opportunities, as well as more than 55+ cultural and academic clubs, cultivate students’ interests.

Xaverian Tradition Founder’s Philosophy Our Lady of Good Counsel High School was founded by the Xaverian Brothers as a college-preparatory school for boys in 1958. Thirty years later, we opened our doors to young women. Today, we educate over 1,200 students each year in the Xaverian tradition of academic excellence and caring.

The Xaverian Brothers are a lay religious congregation founded in Belgium by Theodore James Ryken. In the spirit of their patron, Saint Francis Xavier, the Xaverian Brothers undertake missionary work throughout the world to spread the ideals of Christian brotherhood.

Their sponsorship of Good Counsel is perhaps best embodied by the congregation’s motto: “In harmony small things grow.”

olgchs.org/apply

5

Xaverian values: simplicity, humility, compassion, zeal, and trust

5

retreats

6+

regional & international service trip opportunities

5

average number of Masses celebrated per week

32,500

hours of community service performed by 2018 grads

Academics Excellence is the norm at GC. Good Counsel’s program of study prepares each student for success in college. Our curriculum is defined, yet flexible. Students may choose to take all courses within one academic program or select courses from different programs according to their aptitude, interest, and ability.

GC is dedicated to providing a challenging high school experience to all students.

To fulfill that mission, we offer students the most rigorous college preparatory programs available. Every student who graduates will have taken all the units necessary for his/her admission to college. Each student takes at least seven courses each year.

22

average class size

$35.5 million

total four-year academic scholarship offers for the Class of 2018

13:1

student/faculty ratio

6

international educational opportunities

Come experience.

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS Religious Studies (4 years) English (4 years) Mathematics (4 years) Foreign Language (3 years)

Science (3 years) Social Studies (3 years) Fine Arts (1 year) Technology (1 year)

Physical Education (1.5 years) General Electives (3-7 credits)

Bonaventure Studies: named for the longest tenured principal of OLGCHS, Brother Bonaventure Scully, Bonaventure Studies provides a comprehensive curriculum that enables each student to earn required graduation credits. Courses are designed to expose students to the essential content and skill development they will need to succeed in college.

Xaverian Honors: for students with qualifying high school placement test scores and middle-school grades, GC provides opportunities to engage in deeper and more complex content to improve each student’s understanding of key concepts. The curriculum requires abstract and higher-order thinking skills.

46

Honors courses offered

Ryken Studies: named for the founder of the Xaverian Brothers, Ryken Studies is a college preparatory program designed for highly motivated students who have been diagnosed with mild learning differences. The educational approach assists students in their core courses through the use of varied teaching styles and strategies that focus on skill development in smaller group settings. By junior year, most students will move into the Boneventure, Honors, AP, and IB Programs in anticipation of the transition to college.

olgchs.org/ryken learn more about the Ryken Program

$4.3 million

total academic scholarships offered to the Class of 2018 Ryken graduates

40

students accepted into the Ryken Program each year

Come experience.

IB Diploma Program: is a two-year college preparatory program that balances rigorous academic studies with a holistic approach towards living constructively in an ever-expanding world. Beyond the purely academic requirements, however, the IB approach compels students to reflect upon activities, athletics, and service as vital components of a well-rounded education.

Students seeking an IB diploma must meet the requirements of the program in addition to standard requirements for graduation.

Students apply to the IB Program in the winter of their sophomore year.

olgchs.org/ib learn more about the IB Program

1995

year GC started the IB program

1st

IB Diploma program established among all Catholic high schools in Maryland, DC, and Virginia

269

IB exams were administered in May 2018

36

Class of 2018 IB students received scholarship offers with a four-year value of

$5.3 million

AP Program: for students seeking challenging courses in individual subject areas.

Courses are developed that meet College Board guidelines to accompany AP examinations.

A qualifying score on an AP exam may earn the student college credit or advanced standing in the subject in college.

olgchs.org/ap learn more about the AP Program

20

AP courses offered

446

students registered for at least one AP exam in 19 subjects

855

AP exams were administered in May 2018

STEM Program (Science, Technology,

Engineering, Math): sponsored by Project Lead the Way, our STEM program introduces students to the field of engineering through a hands-on, project-based curriculum that draws upon their working knowledge of math and science.

Good Counsel is a 2018 PLTW Distinguised School and in the top 1% of PLTW schools nationwide.

A separate application, essay, and interview are required for acceptance. Students are admitted into the STEM Program prior to freshman year.

olgchs.org/stem learn more about the STEM Program

40

students accepted into the STEM program each year

M.I.T. & Cal Tech

among colleges accepting GC STEM graduates in the past two years

Come experience.

Arts An outlet for every artist to emerge.

In accordance with the Xaverian Philosophy of education, we hold a sacred responsibility to develop and encourage our students to experience, express, and create the extraordinary in their everyday lives. Our Fine Arts curriculum inspires our students to read, interpret, and create things that express what cannot be experienced through any other means.

Through Good Counsel’s choral music, instrumental music, visual arts, dance, and theatre programs, we offer a lively experience for every student and promote an ongoing appreciation for the Fine Arts in the lives of our graduates.

30

weeks of rehearsal for

2

theatre productions

4

choral concerts

5

instrumental concerts

1

marching band— the ONLY one in the WCAC

member of the

olgchs.org/arts learn more about the arts at GC

Performing Arts Center A place for musicians, dancers, actors, speakers, debaters, singers, and students interested in the technical and the behind-the-scenes aspects of performance.

Opened in May 2016, the three-floor, 26,000 square-foot state-of-the-art space includes a 650+ seat theatre, set design and construction shop, dressing rooms, fully equipped orchestra pit, costume and properties shops, black box theatre, dance studio, and arts education classroom.

Clubs Discover your passion.

Good Counsel offers students extracurricular and co-curricular activities through the Club Program. The goal of the Club Program is to foster students’ exploration of their areas of interest, and build social and leadership skills.

Particular focus is given to teaching students how to use their gifts and talents to serve others. Some clubs participate in interscholastic competitions, like Robotics and Speech and Debate.

55+

cultural, academic, and social clubs offered at GC

11

consecutive DC/VA State Championship titles for GC’s Speech & Debate team

olgchs.org/clubs learn more about the clubs offered at GC

Come play.

BECOME A LEADER AND A CHAMPION

Good Counsel has a well-known reputation of top-level athletics. We believe that a truly comprehensive education challenges the whole person. Our student-athletes learn self-respect, self-discipline, and self-esteem. They learn how to win with dignity, handle defeat, and acknowledge their mistakes.

But most importantly, they understand themselves better as they strive to live the Xaverian values on and off the field. We believe these lessons will carry them through life.

54

varsity, junior varsity, and freshman-level athletic teams offered

775+

students play at least one sport

65+

championship titles in the past decade

46

NCAA student-athletes in the Class of 2018

olgchs.org/athletics learn more about athletics at GC

Our graduates have won at the Penn Relays, played at the highest level of Division I athletics, and traveled throughout the country to compete.

They’ve even gone on to win gold in the Olympics, play in the NFL and on the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team.

Their efforts bring honor to our school and earn respect and admiration from their opponents.

Our strong athletic program promotes enthusiasm, loyalty, and school spirit among our students, faculty, alumni, and community.

Admissions Criteria Students must complete a Good Counsel admissions online application form and submit it with a nonrefundable $50.00 application fee by FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2018.

All students must take the High School Placement Test.

The GC Admissions Office reviews each student’s complete application file when rendering a decision.

Applicants to Our Lady of Good Counsel High School are evaluated for admission based upon the following criteria: • Submission of the online Good Counsel application with application fee, at olgchs.org/apply • Appropriate ability as demonstrated on the High School Placement Test (HSPT) • High level of academic achievement in the seventh grade and first quarter of the eighth grade • A demonstrated sincere desire to attend Good Counsel • Recommendations of Principals and/or teachers • Satisfactory disciplinary and attendance history • In-person interview with a member of the Good Counsel community

Our Lady of Good Counsel High School admits students of any race, color, sexual orientation, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to the students at our school. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sexual orientation, national and ethnic origin in the administration of our educational and admissions policies, scholarship programs and athletic or other school administered programs.

Our Lady of Good Counsel reserves the right to revoke acceptance at any time for academic and/or disciplinary reasons.

olgchs.org/apply

Financial Information Payment: A $1,000 non-refundable deposit is due at registration.

Financial Aid: Good Counsel uses FACTS for its financial aid program. This application is available in mid-October at olgchs.org/admissions under the “Tuition and Fees” tab.

$23,070 2018-2019 tuition includes lunch and most textbooks

All applications must be submitted by FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2018.

Scholarship Information: Application Requirements for Fine Arts Scholarship

1. Fill out the Incoming Freshman Fine Arts Scholarship Application Form at

olgchs.org/apply and mail it to the Admissions office by DECEMBER 7, 2018.

2. Attach a letter of recommendation from the applicant’s current theatre

or music instructor or an adult other than the parent who is familiar with the student’s experience.

3. Confirm interview or audition date and time.

Application Requirements for Speech Scholarship

1. Fill out the Incoming Freshman Speech Scholarship Application Form at

olgchs.org/apply and mail it to the Admissions office by DECEMBER 7, 2018.

2. Upon receipt of your application, you will receive additional information on rules and a schedule for the Speech competition held in March 2019.

Contact Mr. Chuck Ehrman at cehrman@olgchs.org with any questions.

olgchs.org/scholarships learn more about our scholarship opportunities

A Xaverian Brothers Sponsored School community is called to recognize that all it has comes from God. It is challenged to grow in the conviction of its moral responsibility to care for all of God’s gifts, whether it be the care of the human person and human relationships, the earth’s environment and its natural resources, or the material resources entrusted to their use.

Important Deadlines SEPTEMBER

FEBRUARY 2019

11 I TUESDAY

21 I THURSDAY

Eighth grade visits to GC begin

25 I TUESDAY I 7pm

Parent Information Night

OCTOBER 14 I SUNDAY I 10am - 1pm

OPEN HOUSE

DECEMBER 1 I SATURDAY

Entrance Exam (HSPT)

Notification of Admissions Decisions mailed

22 I FRIDAY

Notification of Admissions Decisions emailed

MARCH 2019 8 I FRIDAY I 5pm - 8pm Freshman Registration

22 I FRIDAY

Transfer Application Deadline

(for non-Catholic school students)

5 I WEDNESDAY

Eighth grade visits end

olgchs.org/apply

7 I FRIDAY

240.283.3230 I admissions@olgchs.org

•

APPLICATION DEADLINE

• F inancial Aid Application Deadline • STEM Application Deadline • F ine Arts, Speech & Debate Scholarship Deadline

WE INSPIRE OUR STUDENTS TO EXCEL, SERVE, AND LOVE.

Getting to GC

olgchs.org/transportation for the latest bus service and transportation options

OUR LADY OF GOOD COUNSEL HIGH SCHOOL

240.283.3230 I admissions@olgchs.org

olgchs.org/apply

Become Your Best Self.