Counseling

• North High School’s School Counseling team is here to help our Viking Scholars navigate their high school experience and prepare for college and beyond. To make an appointment with your counselor, please send email or call.

• Last Names A-Dl Melisa Springsteen
  • melisa_springsteen@dpsk12.net or 720-423-2958
• Last Names Dm-H Jessica Rodriguez
  • jessica_rodriguez1@dpsk12.net or 720-423-2998
• Last Names I-Mi Francine Ruybal
  • francine_ruybal@dpsk12.net or 720-423-2924
• Last Names Mo-R Kathy Hoffman
  • khoffm2@dpsk12.net or 720-423-2921
• Last Names S-Z Aly Bortle
  • Alyssa_Bortle1@dpsk12.net or 720-423-2725

North High’s Counseling Department also includes the following resources:

• Zulema Sierra, Denver Scholarship Foundation Advisor (located in the Future Center)
  • zulema_sierra@dpsk12.net or 720-423-2907
• Michele Lopez, TRIO College Counselor (located in the Future Center)
  • mlopez@denverscholarship.org or 720-423-2907
• Jesse Rula, North Career & College Success Navigator
  • jesse_rula@dpsk12.net or cell: 720-435-3911
• Jessica Solis, Educational Counselor for Post-Secondary Readiness
  • jessica_solis@dpsk12.net

North’s Counseling Department is here to help you with your plans for college and career after graduation. Have you been to the North High Future Center yet? Visit today for lots of valuable information and help with college applications and scholarships!

Class of 2023 Families – please CLICK HERE for a round-up of all of the college and scholarship opportunities regularly distributed to seniors via Schoology.

The North Side High School Alumni Scholarship Foundation has an endowment of over $1.4 Million and are proud to award approximately 40 scholarships each year to graduating seniors of North High School. $90,023 in scholarships was awarded in 2021. Please click here for more information on the Class of 2021 recipients.

The Alumni Association has been awarding scholarships to North High graduates since 1984. The Alumni Association has awarded over $850,000 in scholarships to deserving North graduates since that time. Many alumni have contributed to the Alumni Scholarship Fund over the years to assist our young Vikings in pursuing their choices for post-secondary education.

North High’s Future Center has application packets for the awards. Applications are due mid-March. View the descriptions of the available awards.

Life beyond high school is different than what it used to be. Most jobs in Colorado now and in the future require training or education beyond high school. When students graduate from a DPS high school, their diploma must be a diploma of possibility that opens the door of opportunity for their success.

Beginning with the Class of 2021, DPS has redefined our expectations for earning a DPS diploma so that our graduates will be successful in any path they choose. Read complete information and watch a video about the new DPS graduation requirements.

The change in graduation requirements means students must demonstrate their competency (or what they know how to do) in courses that reflect Colorado academic standards and 21st century skills in order to graduate from high school. This new approach is less about the time spent in a classroom, and more about students demonstrating they are truly prepared for the world after high school. By completing these important components to earn their DPS diploma of possibility, our students will be empowered for success to make their plan for the future a reality!

Learn more about current graduation requirements and the new requirements. For more information about graduation requirements, please contact your school counselor or the DPS School Counseling Department at 720-423-6810.

Additionally, North High has additional Graduation Requirements for our Vikings Scholars.

North High School Graduation Walking Requirements:

• Demonstrate reliability and dependability by maintaining a minimum of 93% attendance
• Build knowledge and skill by having a full schedule of seven classes or equivalent thereof
• Show strong work ethic by earning a passing grade in ALL senior year classes
• Utilize Restorative Practices and strong life skills to have no major behavior incidents
• Give back to your community and understand the needs of others by completing and documenting at least 20 hours of community service within four years of high school.
• Have a plan for your future by applying to a minimum of two post-secondary opportunities
• Have a plan for how you will make your future happen by applying to a minimum of three scholarships or the equivalent thereof

• Guidebooks about planning and paying for college
• College applications
• Financial aid applications
• Scholarship applications
• Information about college access programs

• Help with college applications
• Help with financial aid and scholarship applications
• Visits from college representatives
• Tours of college campuses
• Workshops for students and parents

Visit the DSF Future Center scholarship page. Visit the North Future Center scholarship roundup.

Every year the Denver Scholarship Foundation awards thousands of scholarships to qualifying DPS graduates who attend one of our eligible colleges in Colorado. DSF Scholarships are renewable for up to four years. DSF depends on donations from the community to pay for its scholarships, and award amounts can vary from year to year. Applications are due on April 1. View information on how to apply.

To qualify for a DSF Scholarship, students must meet these requirements:

• Complete the DSF Application by April 1st and fulfill other required steps on time;
• Graduate with a 2.0 Grade Point Average from a DPS high school;
• Attend a DPS high school for all four years before graduation;
• Be eligible to receive federal financial aid (and submit FAFSA by April 1) or confirm lawful presence in the U.S.

For more information, please visit www.denverscholarship.org

Scholarship amounts depend on the following:

• Your financial need. Students who are eligible for federal student aid must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to de-termine financial need. Financial need for students who are ineligible for federal student aid and can confirm their lawful presence in the U.S. depends on their qualification for free or reduced price lunch in high school.
• The college you attend (see reverse for details). DSF Scholarships are higher at four-year universities than at community and technical colleges.

The DSF Scholarship is available to qualifying DPS graduates who enroll in any one of Colorado’s eligible technical, community or four-year colleges and universities.

Official DSF Partner Colleges are denoted below with an asterisk. These colleges provide our scholars with additional support on campus to help them be successful. The support includes such services as mentoring, tutoring and special workshops. New Scholars in 2013-14 who attend one of the official DSF Partner Colleges also receive larger scholarship awards than those who attend non-partner schools.

Visit our website at www.denverscholarship.org/colleges for details about award amounts, Campus Contacts, Student Success Requirements and required DSF Transition Workshops.

Visit the FAFSA School Code Database. You can use the Federal School Code Database to search for colleges you’re interested in to include on your FAFSA. You can also find detailed college information, like tuition and fee amounts and graduation rates, and compare information for up to 10 colleges at a time.