School Counseling

Meet the Counseling Team

Beaufort County School District utilizes the South Carolina Comprehensive and Developmental Guidance and Counseling Program Model to promote and enhance the learning process and facilitate student development in three broad areas; learning to live (personal/social development), learning to learn (academic development), and earning to work (career development).

Ms. Dopson

Lead Counselor

Students with Last Names ROE-Z:
cheryl.dopson@

beaufort.k12.sc.us

843-689-4934

A manda Raniszewski

Students with Last Names HES-ME:
amanda.raniszewski

@beaufort.k12.sc.us

843-689-4918

Student Services

School Social Worker

Behavior Management Specialist

Bilingual Liaisons I Enlace Bilingue

Career Development Facilitator

Data Specialist & Power School Administrator

Mr. Keck

Students with Last Names A-CL:
timothy.keck@

beaufort.k12.sc.us,

843-689-4830

Ms. Langley

Students with Last Names MF-ROD:
nicoleta.langley

@beaufort.k12.sc.us

843-689-4933

Academic Information

Senior Scholar

group photo of 2025 senior scholars

Henry Boatright, Calvin Clayton, John Coley, Brody Doyle, Hannah Dye, Jack Fielding, Lilly Friday, Avery Halloran, Josselin Hernandez, Noah Hooks, Alexis Kline, Shelby Kline, Anna Lemire, Veronica Markowitz, Caden Moore, Taylan Olcer, Emeli Perez Morales, Brian Rosales, Cecilia Rougeux, Mia Ruxton, David San Agustin, Lisa Schutz, Kaitly Sobocinski, and Janeal Stevens

To Qualify as a Senior Scholar, the Student Must Meet the Following Criteria:

Enrolled in a high school in Beaufort County School District a minimum of three consecutive semesters by the second semester of the senior year
Top 10% of their graduating class
Final grade point average of 3.5 or higher
Maintained minimum GPA each quarter as noted below

Course Level Minimum GPA Each Quarter:

College Prep 85 or higher
Honors 80 or higher
IB/AP/Dual Enrollment 75 or higher

Academic Requirements

ACT & SAT

Register Online:

ACT Registration

SAT Registration

Test Preparation

VirtualSC offers free test prep tools for AP, ACT, SAT, and PSAT. You must create an account to utilize these resources.

College Board also offers free SAT Test Prep!

Check out this extensive list of ACT Prep Tools.

The HHIHS Library also has lots of ACT and SAT practice books that students may check out.

Alumni Records/Transcript Request

Program of Studies

Graduation Guide (including Early/Winter Graduation)

Graduation Cords

(Seals of Distinction) Explained

Winter Graduation

A chart outlining the seals graduates may earn

Cover Letter for Winter Graduation

Early-Winter Graduation Application

Preparing for the Military
Let your School Counselor know you are interested in speaking with military recruiters who work at our school from any of the following: US Army, US Navy, US Air Force, US Marines, US Coast Guard, SC National Guard, Army National Guard.

Parents should submit a release form if they wish for a military recruiter to access their student's academic records.

Preparing for College
Over 70% of our recent graduates gave the same advice for rising seniors: If you need a teacher or counselor recommendation be sure to provide them with a "brag sheet" or resume when you ask for their recommendation so they are prepared to help. Please know that many students are working through college applications at the same time and recommendations can take up to 10 school days to prepare.

1. How to Write a High School Resume for College Applications

2. Information for Visiting a College

3. Questions to Ask a College

Common College Admissions Decisions To Know
Early Decision requires you to commit to a college or university at the time of application that, if admitted, you will enroll. You should apply under an Early Decision plan only if you know that you can make a well-reasoned, first-choice decision. You may apply to other colleges but may have only one Early Decision application pending at any time. If admitted, you must enroll.

Early Action permits you to apply to a college or university of your choice and receive a decision early during senior year, well in advance of the normal response dates. Though you will hear early regarding your admission, you are not committed to attending and you may apply to other colleges.

Regular Decision is a plan in which institutions review most of their applications before notifying the majority of candidates of their admission. In this process, colleges set a deadline for completing applications and will respond to completed applications by a specified date. You may apply to other colleges.

Rolling Admission is a term used to describe the application process in which an institution reviews applications as they are received and offers decisions to students soon after they are made. If you are applying for financial aid you will follow aid application deadlines set by the school.

Wait List is a term used by institutions to describe a process in which a college may initially delay offering admission and instead, extends the possibility of admission in the future. Colleges offer admission to wait list candidates if insufficient numbers of regularly admitted candidates accept their offers of admission.

Individual Graduation Plan

What is an Individual Graduation Plan? It’s a road map to your future! The IGP includes information on your postsecondary goals, career cluster of choice, courses required for graduation, and electives that coordinate with your career goals.

What are Career Clusters and Majors? Career clusters are broad categories of your professional goals when you leave high school. Career majors narrow down types of professions under a specific career cluster.

Seven Steps to Success:

1. Complete Assessments indicating strengths, weaknesses, likes, and dislikes.

2. Research Career Opportunities to learn more about yourself and a list of careers you might want to pursue.

3. Explore Your Career Options to investigate what educational requirements are necessary to pursue your career interest.

4. Talk About Your Options With Your Parents and Counselor to receive input and learn about career opportunities.

5. Make Your Choices and Document Your Decisions through an IGP. Fill out possible career goals, majors, and courses involved with your career choice area.

6. Review and Revise Your IGP Each Year to document any changes and expand your career search.

7. Graduate and pursue post-secondary opportunities that will give you a clear road to success!

Helpful Links and Information:

Seek information and assessments through the following websites:

1. http://www.sccis This website allows students to take assessments on career interests, plan a resume, and research colleges and careers. Get the username and password from your school counseling office.

2. http://www.careervoyages.com This website shows career information for parents and students listing hot careers and career growth for the future.

3. http://www.princetonreview.com This website allows you to research colleges based on interests, majors, and locations.

4. http://www.carolinacareers.org This website lists information about job fairs and career education opportunities for students.

5. http://www.jobshadow.com This website gives valuable information about job shadowing and resources to ensure students have a productive job shadowing experience.

NCAA Clearinghouse

If you are a student-athlete who intends to pursue your sport at the Division I or Division II college level, you should register with the NCAA Clearinghouse during your junior year. If you are a senior who has not already done so, you must register as soon as possible.

To register with NCAA Clearinghouse, go to the NCAA Clearinghouse's website to create a student-athlete profile. HHIHS will send your transcript only after you complete your profile and request the transcript be uploaded.

The NCAA Clearinghouse will ONLY accept your test scores directly from the testing agency. To have your SAT scores sent directly from the CollegeBoard, go to collegeboard.org. To have your ACT scores sent directly to the NCAA Clearinghouse, go to act.org.

If you attended another high school, you must have an original transcript sent from your former school directly to the NCAA Clearinghouse.

If you have questions or concerns about this process make sure you work with your coach, HHIHS Athletic Director - Coach Evan Moxie and your School Counselor.

Scholarship Information

Visit our Scholarship Document to view some great scholarship opportunities for our students.

If you have questions, please reach out to your student's counselor.

Congratulations Naiara Alvarez and Jacob Ferguson.

Both Were Named SC Teaching Fellows!

From the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, & Advancement Press Release:

May 22, 2025

Hilton Head island High School's Naiara Alvarez and Jacob Ferguson Named SC Teaching Fellow Program Prepares South Carolina's Future Teacher Leaders.

Hilton Head Island, SC - Naiara Alvarez and Jacob Ferguson seniors at Hilton head Island IB High School have been awarded the prestigious South Carolina Teaching Fellowship.

Both Naiara and Jacob will join the freshman cohort at College of Charleston this fall where they will be offered numerous professional development opportunities and be involved with communities and businesses through various service projects and partnerships with local schools.

The state's Teaching Fellows Program, operated by the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement (CERRA), was established in 1999 by the SC General Assembly. The mission of the program is to recruit talented high school seniors into the teaching profession and help them develop leadership qualities. Each year, the program provides Fellowships for up to 200 high school seniors who have exhibited high academic achievement, a history of service to their school and community, and a desire to teach in South Carolina.

Applicants for the program undergo a rigorous selection process that includes an online application, an interview and presentation in front of a team of three educators, and a scored response.

Following the rigorous selection process, applicants who are awarded a Fellowship receive up to $24,000 in yearly scholarships (up to $6000 a year for four years) to attend a Teaching Fellows Institutuion in South Carolina. Each Fellow agrees to teach in South Carolina one year for every year he or she receives the Fellowship.

For more information about the South Carolina Teaching Fellows Program, visit teachingfellowsc.com.

Congratulations Maeve Dolan, Recipient of the Palmetto Quilt Guild Scholarship!

Congratulations Kaya Tolly, Recipient of two Art League Scholarships!

Kaya Tolly painting ACE Hardware mural — Link to the Art League of Hilton Head announcement - A rt League of Hilton Head

**Congratulations to the 2025 Heritage Scholarship Awardees!**

Five Hilton Head Island High School students were awarded a Heritage Foundation scholarship. Congratulations (in alphabetical order) Bryce Broome, Calvin Clayton, Mia Diamond, Emeli Perez and Mia Ruxton. This highly coveted scholarship ranges in value from $4,000 - $20,000. Way to go Seahawks!

5 students holding Heritage Scholarhsip — Link to the Art League of Hilton Head announcement - A rt League of Hilton Head

**Congratulations to the 2025 Heritage Scholarship Awardees!**

Five Hilton Head Island High School students were awarded a Heritage Foundation scholarship. Congratulations (in alphabetical order) Bryce Broome, Calvin Clayton, Mia Diamond, Emeli Perez and Mia Ruxton. This highly coveted scholarship ranges in value from $4,000 - $20,000. Way to go Seahawks!

SCOIR

What is SCOIR?

SCOIR will help you stay connected with your school counselor and prepare you for the college search process and beyond. To begin and make the most out of SCOIR, follow the below steps:

Register for your SCOIR account using these instructions. Your login will be your school network ID and password.
Here is the link to SCOIR. It should also be in Classlink.
You could also at a later time download the SCOIR mobile app. Download SCOIR’s mobile app in the App Store or in Google Play, and enable Push Notifications to receive important alerts and messages from your Counselor.
There are instructional videos to familiarize yourself with SCOIR and all of the tools & resources available to you.
Build Your Profile. Toggle to ‘My Profile’ and make sure your personal details and academic overview are accurate. Add your activities, achievements, and a personal bio. This may help you establish an approach to your college applications, remind you what sets you apart from others, and make it easier to transfer information over to your college application. Keep this information up-to-date so you can use the SCOIR resume template when needed! The more information you enter into SCOIR, the better your Counselor will be able to support you throughout the college search process.
Explore, follow, and compare colleges. Go to the ‘College Search’ tab and complete a Preference and Advanced Search. After you complete a search, explore colleges of interest and take advantage of the virtual tours, college wall, and college details to gain insight into each campus. Don’t forget to use SCOIR’s “College Compare” tool to compare up to 4 colleges side-by-side.
Add Colleges to your My Colleges List. To keep track of colleges that interest you, make sure to follow them and add them to your ‘My Colleges’ list. You can access this list at any time and also keep track of and review Counselor and Parent college suggestions.
Learn about the application process on SCOIR. It’s important to review the instructional videos which show you how to request teacher recommendations and how to notify your Counselors to send required application documents such as your transcripts to the colleges you are applying to.
If you are unsure about your college and career pathway, you can take ‘YouScience’ to learn about your top aptitudes and career paths.

Contact your counselor if you are having problems with SCOIR.

Understanding GPA

The cumulative GPA is seen on your high school transcript. It includes the grades and credits earned for all high school courses you completed.
The GPA you can see in PowerSchool shows the GPA for courses a student is in for the current semester.
On your transcript, you will find an SC UGP GPA as well as a GPA on a 4.0 scale. In-state colleges, utilize the SC Uniform Grading Policy Scale (see below, it is out of more than 5 points). Out-of-State-Colleges and some Scholarship Committees might ask for your GPA on a 4.0 scale. If needed, it is calculated for you.

For more information, visit the SC Department of Education's Uniform Grading Policy Website.

Ms. Mielcarek

Students with Last Names CM-HER:

nancy.mielcarek@

beaufort.k12.sc.us

843-689-4916

Ms. Karina Gordillo Bautista

Administrative Assistant:
Karina.gordillobautista

@beaufort.k12.sc.us

843-689-4922

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In This Section

School Counseling

Student Services

School Social Worker

Behavior Management Specialist

Bilingual Liaisons I Enlace Bilingue

Career Development Facilitator

Data Specialist & Power School Administrator

Academic Information

Senior Scholar

Academic Requirements

ACT & SAT

Register Online:

Test Preparation

Alumni Records/Transcript Request

Program of Studies

Graduation Guide (including Early/Winter Graduation)

Individual Graduation Plan

NCAA Clearinghouse

Scholarship Information

SCOIR

School Profile

South Carolina Colleges

Uniform Grading Scale

Understanding GPA

Counseling Newsletters

2026-2027

2025-2026

2024-2025