C/O 2025: Senior Information

Welcome Senior Warriors!

Early congratulations to you Seniors!

You have made it this far in your high school academic careers, but DO NOT lose focus! Senioritis can wait! Below are resources to make your last year of high school successful! If you have any questions, reach out to your School Counselor corresponded to the first letter of your last name.

Graduation Requirements

Tennessee Graduation Requirements (23 Credits Total)

English	4 Credits	World Language	2 Credits
Math*	4 Credits	Fine Art	1 Credit
Science	3 Credits	Personal Finance	0.5 Credit
Social Studies	3 Credits	Elective Focus	3 Credits
Wellness	1.5 Credits	Elective	1 Credit

*Must be enrolled in math every year.

Graduation Recognitions & Information

Rutherford County High School Graduation Requirements are here.

Graduating with Honors

Students who graduate with honors must score at or above ALL of the subject area readiness benchmarks on the ACT or equivalent score on the SAT.

English: 18

Math: 22

Reading: 22

Science: 23

Graduating with Distinction

Students must have a 3.0 GPA AND meet one of the following criteria:

Earn a nationally recognized industry certification (CTE Teachers will identify these students prior to graduation)
Earn statewide recognition or award at a skill or knowledge-based state tournament,
convention, or competition hosted by a statewide student organization, and/or qualify for national recognition by a national student organization (Student's who win one or more of these will need to provide proof of award to their School Counselor)
Participate in at least one (1) Governor's School - https://www.tn.gov/education/instruction/tdoe-governors-schools.html
Participate in an All-State musical organization (Band and Choir)
Be selected as a National Merit Semifinalist or Finalist (Only for students taking the PSAT) Students interested may start this process in their junior year
Earn a score of 31 or higher on your ACT
Earn a score of 3 or higher on 2 of your AP exams
Earn 12 or more semester hours of transcripted postsecondary credit in Dual Enrollment courses

Valedictorian/Salutatorian Information

Highest School Wide GPA
12 Honors, Advanced Honors, (AP) Advanced Placement, or Dual Enrollment Courses
Graduate with Distinction
In the case of a tie with GPA, the student with the highest Composite ACT Score will be awarded Valedictorian. This is based on your ACT Composite, not your super score. If more than one student ties for first place with both GPA and ACT Composite then we will have more than one Valedictorian.
The runner up to the top ACT & GPA Score(s) will be awarded Salutatorian

Per Rutherford County School Board Policy 4.602, this must be completed by the end of the student's 7th semester (by December) or before January 1st of their senior year.

Community Service

Students who voluntarily complete at least ten (10) hours of community service each semester the student is in attendance at a public high school should be recognized at graduation.

Student cannot be paid to do volunteer work.
Volunteer work cannot be done for a family member.
The student is responsible for tracking volunteer hours and submitting volunteer hours to their counselor each semester.

Work Ethic Distinction

Students graduating with a district-developed work ethic distinction should be recognized at their graduation ceremony. TN Work Ethic Distinction

WorkKeys

Students graduating with a gold or platinum medal on National Career Readiness Certificate (WorkKeys) should be recognized at graduation. WorkKeys

Scholarships & Other Financial Aid

Scholarships are awards that are given to students who apply and meet the requirements stated in the descriptions. Most scholarships are nationwide, but most colleges and universities will have their own specific scholarships based on your ACT/GPA, degree/major, and other specific requirements. Another note to make is if the scholarship is a one-time offered scholarship or reoccurs every school year. Please be sure to read the scholarship application is its entirety to understand how much and often is being awarded!

TN Hope Lottery Scholarship: 21 ACT OR 3.0 GPA

RCS Shared Scholarship Database:

RCS Scholarships.xlsx

TN Promise Scholarship (2-Year/Tech):

https://www.tn.gov/tnpromise.html

UT Promise Scholarship (4-Year):

https://tennessee.edu/ut-promise/

For a monthly newsletter with nation-wide scholarships: Scholarships - List of College Scholarships and Applications (studentscholarships.org)

School Specific Scholarship Links:

Austin Peay	http://www.apsu.edu/scholarships
Belmont	http://belmont.edu/sfs/scholarships/index.html
ETSU	http://www.etsu.edu/scholarships/
Lipscomb	https://secure.lipscomb.edu/financialaid/lipscomb-scholarships
Motlow	http://www.mscc.edu/scholarships/
MTSU	http://www.mtsu.edu/financial-aid/scholarships/
Nashville State	https://www.nscc.edu/admissions/admissions-details/scholarships/
Trevecca	http://www.trevecca.edu/admissions/scholarships
TSU	http://www.tnstate.edu/financial_aid/scholarships.aspx
TTU	https://www.tntech.edu/em/scholarships/
UM	https://www.memphis.edu/scholarships/
UT Chattanooga	https://www.utc.edu/scholarships/
UT Knoxville	http://onestop.utk.edu/scholarships/
UT Martin	https://www.utm.edu/admissions-and-aid/financial-aid-and-scholarships/
UT Southern	https://utsouthern.edu/financial-aid/
Vanderbilt	https://www.vanderbilt.edu/admissions/financial-aid/#scholarships
WKU	https://www.wku.edu/scholarship/

Helpful Financial Aid Websites

Fastweb : Scholarship Search

Unusual Scholarships

StudentScholarships.org : Scholarship Search

FinAid

NCAA Requirements

If you aspire to compete in a college sport, here is some information to help you get there:

You need to begin planning for this path in your freshman year of high school.

Make sure that you speak to your school counselor and let him/her know that you are interested in pursuing a sport in college, so that they help to ensure you take everything you need to be eligible to enter a four year program directly after high school graduation. This way, they can be sure to enroll you in the appropriate classes throughout your high school career, as not all courses are accepted by NCIA and NAIA.

In order to be eligible to participate in recruiting by college coaches, you must sign up at either the NCAA or NAIA Eligibility Center. Please talk to your coach and see where they would recommend you sign up.

NCAA Eligibility Center - https://web3.ncaa.org/ecwr3/

NAIA Eligibility Center - https://www.playnaia.com/hsRegister.php

See the checklists and charts below for more helpful information.

Rutherford County Schools NCAA Approved Courses and Checklist: RCS NCAA Checklist

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) & TN Promise

FAFSA Information:

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a form completed by current and prospective students (undergraduate and graduate) in the United States to determine their eligibility for student financial aid. The awards given by the FAFSA are loans (Subsidized and Unsubsidized), grants and scholarships.

For more information:

FAFSA Main Page/Application

Create FSA ID

10 Myths about FAFSA

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TN Promise Information:

TN Promise Application Instructions-Due Nov. 1st

Students may use the scholarship at any of the state's 13 community college, 24 colleges of applied technology, or other eligible institution offering an associate degree.

Seniors, please be sure to attend all of the TN Promise Meetings throughout the school year, and begin accruing and documenting your volunteer hours as you go, so you have this documentation ready to submit to TN Promise by the due date(s).

Applicants must complete the Tennessee Promise application by November 1st, complete the FAFSA by May15th, attend a mandatory meeting, and complete eight (8) hours of community service each semester to be eligible for the award.

If you are unable to attend a meeting, please be sure to reference the website for their excused absence list and get their approval for the absence PRIOR to missing any meeting.

For more information, you can find at both of these resources:

https://www.tn.gov/tnpromise.html

TN Promise - collegefortn.org

Senior Classroom Presentation and Activity:

ACT Testing Information

Please note the following dates and grade levels for the ACT Exams

administered here at Riverdale High School this year.

They DO NOT require registration.

Seniors October 2024 & Juniors March 2025

The ACT

The ACT is an achievement test that measures a student’s readiness for college.

Riverdale High School offers ACT Prep. This one-semester course is designed to improve test scores on the ACT. Students are also given additional support in their Tomahawk Time classes during the 2nd semester.

ACT Benchmarks

ACT Benchmarks are scores on the ACT subject-area tests that represent the level of achievement required for students to have a 50% chance of obtaining a B or higher. These college courses include English composition, college algebra, introductory social science courses, and biology. One requirement of graduating from high school with an honors diploma is to meet all 4 ACT Benchmarks.

College Admission

The ACT is used as a college entrance exam. Check out CollegeSimply to find out which colleges accept ACT scores!

HOPE Scholarship
One requirement of the HOPE Scholarship is an ACT composite of at least 21.

Registration for Saturday Tests are completed at ACT.org

Cost is $63
Be sure to add Riverdale to your test so we receive your updated scores.
Riverdale CEED Code is 431622

Act Fee Waivers are available to those students who have qualified for free or reduced lunch. Please inquire with your school counselor about this waiver opportunity.

2024 Summer School Information

Welcome to the RHS Summer School Information Page!

There is one option for Summer School and Credit Recovery this Summer.

RCS Online (Current Grades 9-12) $125 per half credit:

RCS Online is for students who may want to advance their studies, possibly interested in graduating early, need to make-up credits, or want to have space in their upcoming schedule to take more courses in their elective pathway. Students may earn up to 2 credits (4 half credits). Please refer to the attachment below to see the list of classes offered.

Term 1: May 28th- June 20th

Term 2: June 24th- July 17th

*Courses will be virtual. Tests must be completed in person.

Registration & Application: Will start in April and will be available online at:

RCS Online - Concurrent Enrollment – High Schools – Rutherford County Schools (rcschools.net)

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Credit Recovery (Current Grades 11-12) $50 per half course:

Credit Recovery is for students who have previously failed a course with at least a 50. Please refer to the attachment below to see the list of classes offered.

*Students who received a grade below a 50 are not eligible for Credit Recovery.

Student may earn up to 4 credits.

June 3rd- June 28th (Schools closed June 19th)

8:00am-11:00 am

Blackman High School OR

Lavergne High School

Registration: April 29th-May 28th

Please see your School Counselor for more information.

Transcript Request

Please fill out the following form

The cost of each transcript is $2

Students have two options for requesting an official transcript.

Option I:

You can stop by the School Counseling office at Riverdale High School to complete the form below in person and pay for your Official transcript(s) with cash or check.

Please make checks payable to RHS Guidance Department

Option II:

Mail Transcript form with payment to:

Riverdale High School

Guidance Department- Attention Steve Bingham

802 Warrior Dr.

Murfreesboro, TN 37128