Oak Ridge High School brings home awards for helping students with financial aid

Oak Ridge High School was honored this week for its excellence in enrolling students with the federal financial aid program, Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Within the Show-Me FAFSA Challenge, Oak Ridge won for Most Improved and Most Innovative Strategy.

Rhonda McClanahan, the K-12 school counselor at the high school, explained the purpose of the annual competition, running since October 2020.

"It's basically challenging every school to improve how their students fill out the FAFSA," McClanahan said.

As one of 11 public high schools in Missouri to be recognized, Oak Ridge has represented the southeastern portion of the state in the small school category, reserved for high schools with 500 students or fewer enrolled.

The brainchild of the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development, the "Show-Me FAFSA Challenge" rewards schools that help students plan for financial responsibility.

McClanahan remembered the snow day when she filled out the entry forms that placed Oak Ridge into the challenge, when she provided specific information about the steps that had been taken to get students enrolled in FAFSA.

"Basically, I had to provide information about what I do here to get students to fill out the FAFSA," McClanahan explained. "That meant providing information and giving them time in class. It involved walking students through setting up a federal account, and then getting information to their parents, allowing them to do the same."

As a counselor, McClanahan took a hands-on approach, going into a classroom with seniors a day or two before FAFSA officially opened and having the students set up their accounts. She also integrated digital tools, such as Google Classroom.

McClanahan wanted to simplify FAFSA forms, which can be tedious.

"For parents who never filled it out before, it takes well over an hour, and sometimes it's a hair puller. It's not much fun," McClanahan said.

Another reason that gave McClanahan a sense of urgency is the A+ scholarship, only available to students who enroll through FAFSA. With nearly 90% of the Oak Ridge graduating class obtaining the scholarship this year, McClanahan's saw her work as especially significant. Of 19 graduates, 17 qualified for the A+ scholarship.

Additionally, for its two awards, Oak Ridge won two $750 scholarships. The two student recipients, chosen by raffle, are Logan DeWitt and Ethan Ruehling.