By Brad Bergstrom, Austin High School Principal

As the calendar turns to February each year at Austin High School, students begin the process of selecting classes for the next academic year.

While the timeframe has remained the same for a number of years, the processes and purpose of registration continues to change and evolve, and this year is no different.

Let’s start by taking a brief look at the purpose of registration. As we try to prepare more and more students to be “college ready” (college being defined as any certification, training, or degree beyond high school), it is extremely important students take courses that will prepare them to be successful in college.

Students are learning in their college readiness class that waiting until their senior year to get ready for college is often times too late and to be academic, admission, career, financial and socially ready to enter college starts with selecting the appropriate classes starting in ninth grade.

The registration process began the week of Feb. 3, with teachers in the core subject areas (language arts, math, science, and social studies) making recommendations for which course they felt students should take.

On Feb. 12, students received information on what the requirements are for the next grade level as well as receive information on the numerous elective courses that are available. On Feb. 14, students were able to seek out teachers and ask questions that they may have about elective courses.

From Feb. 13 to March 5, students will be registering for the courses the want to take with their advisory teacher. In addition, families can access the courses their children have registered for on the Portal Account. They can make changes to elective classes but must seek out a grade level counselor to make a change with a required course.

Finally, families will have a chance to review the courses their child is signed up for at Spring Conferences on March 13 from 4 to 8 p.m. in Hastings Gym.

As you can see, the process of registering students for classes is more than just checking a box. It involves getting students and families the right information as well as making sure there is plenty of communication between home and school.

If you have any questions about registering students at Austin High School, please don’t hesitate to contact the counseling office at 507-460-1812.