Who is my counselor and how can i make an apointment with them?

Students are assigned a counselor by the first letter of their last name.

• Mrs. Lotz — A to C

• Mr.Chidester — D to Ji 

• Mr. Corbett — Jo to N

• Mrs. Christensen — O to S

• Mrs. Daniels — T to Z

• The easiest way to make an appointment with your counselor is to click the "Schedule Meeting" button on the counseling homepage under your counselor's picture. Students or parents can also call the counseling office (801) 465-6027, email their counselor, or stop by the counseling office to make an appointment with the secretary. We encourage you to make an appointment so we can spend the necessary time with you and your student.  

During the school year the counselors are in the office weekdays from 7:30 AM to 3:00 PM, and during the summer on Wednesday from 8:00-1:00. 

What do school counselors do?
School counselors are advocates for student success academically, socially, and emotionally. Students and parents are welcome and encouraged to use counseling services in all three areas. Counselors are not strictly for academic counseling, we also provide emotional support to struggling students and help promote healthy coping skills through individual and group counseling. 

What is a CCR (Plan for college and career readiness) Meeting?
Counselors try to meet with every student during the course of each school year, either in a small group or individually.  These meeting are to help students acquire the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to make a successful transition from school to the world of work.  

10th grade CCR meetings take place in school during one of their class, and include exploring career options through interest/aptitude surveys and small group activities. 
11th grade meeting are done individually and include planning for their senior year, looking at early college opportunities, information about graduation, and making sure they take full advantage of their senior year. 
This process helps students make high school more relevant by including career related classes in their future schedules and helps them begin the process of understand what training/education will be required for certain careers. Information about 11th grade CCRs will be sent out via email to both parents and students and they will be about to sign up on our website.

What Is Payson High School's class change policy?
The class change policy at PHS is as follows:

• First semester class changes can be made during the summer, up to the first day of school, without any fee. 

• Second semester class changes can be made anytime during the summer and during first semester, up to the first day of second semester.

• After classes start for each semester, class changes can be made for the first four days of class with a $10 class change fee.  

• After the first four days class, changes are over and can only be done with approval from administration after students fill out a petition of concern that outlines the extenuating circumstances that necessitate a class change. 

• After the first three weeks of class there will be no class changes.   

• Any classes dropped after midterm will automatically receive an F.  

• All class changes are dependent upon space being available in the class.

How can i get a copy of my transcript?
Transcript requests can be made from our Transcript Request Page. Transcripts for current student are free.  For former/graduated students Transcripts are $7.00 if ordered online ($5.00 transcript fee + $2.00 card transaction fee) or $5 if paid in cash at the finance office.

What are the dates for the act and how can i sign up?
​Dates for the ACT can be found at act org Click on the date you wish to test, then select Register for the ACT Test. ACT will prompt you to create an ACT account that will allow you to view your scores after testing. You will also use this account to sign up for future ACT tests. 

ACT test prep can be found on our counseling website. 
Make Sense of Your Scores

What scholarships are available and when should i start applying?
It is never too early (or late) to start looking into scholarships! However, most scholarship application become available for (usually just for seniors) between November and February each school year. There are a variety of Community, State, and National scholarships available - Many of these scholarships are posted on our Scholarship Page​.

Colleges and Universities have different requirements for Academic and Merit Scholarships that are based on students' GPA and ACT score. Information about these requirements can also be found on our Scholarship Page or on each college/university website. The Utah Opportunity Scholarship is a state funded program to help students prepare for their college education by taking challenging courses in High School.

There are thousands of scholarships out there; here are some helpful websites to help you start looking:

• Fastweb

• UVU: Gear Up

• Chegg Scholarships

• Cappex

• Keys to Success

• Scholarships.com

• BigFuture (College Board)

How do i complete the fafsa (free application for federal student aid)?
Filling out the FAFSA is completely free. Their website and the actual application is located here . Stay away from any sites that ask you to pay.

You can fill out the FAFSA on your own, or you can meet with our College Access Advisor (Room C20) and either have her help you or attend one of our FAFSA nights.

For additional information about filling out the FAFSA visit our Financial Aid page. Even if you do not feel that you will qualify for federal aid, you should still fill out your FAFSA completely. Colleges and Universities usually require FAFSA for admission and academic scholarships; the Utah Opportunity Scholarship also requires you to complete it. 
Additional FAFSA help

What is an fsa id and how does it relate to fafsa?
Your FSA ID is a username and password you use to log into to certain U.S. Department of Education websites. Your FSA ID acts as a digital signature for the FAFSA application and allows you to access your own personal information on Department of Education websites such as the FAFSA. 
For more information  

What is the difference between concurrent enrollment (CE) and Advanced placement (AP) courses?
Both Concurrent Enrollmet (CE) and Advanced Placement (AP) classes offer students the opportunity to receive college credit for classes they take in high school.  At Payson High School, CE classes are UVU courses that are taught by one of our teachers. Teachers must meet certain standards set by UVU and teach the same curriculum as teachers at UVU.  To receive college credit students must be admitted to UVU and enroll in the course through the UVU website.  CE course grades will go on a student's UVU transcript.
For AP courses, college credit is earned by taking an AP Test at the end of each AP course.  Credit is awarded by Colleges & Universities depending on the score (1 through 5) earned by the student. Like CE courses, AP courses are taught by high school teachers and AP tests are administered through CollegeBoard, the same company that administers the SAT test.  Each AP test costs $97.   
Additional information about AP and CE classes taught at PHS can be found on our Early College  page.  

What are the requirements for graduation?
Students at PHS will need a total of 26.0 credits and complete all courses required by the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) to graduate. The list of specific credits.

I'm struggling in a class, what should I do?
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