Thursday, March 24, 2022
Congratulations Class of 2022 and Parents as you have made it to the 4th quarter of senior year!!
There is a lot of information below, so please read carefully.

Prom
Nease High School Junior/Senior Prom 2022, “A Starry Night”
Thursday, April 14, 2022 – 7:00-10:30pm – Embassy Suites St. Augustine Beach
  • Tickets will go on sale for Seniors starting March 28, and Juniors April 2.
  • Tickets are $65 and are limited, so purchase early.
  • Juniors & Seniors at Nease will purchase ticket via SchoolPay
  • Paper tickets will not be issued. The payment receipt will be required to enter prom.
  • Students may bring 1 guest to prom that is not a Nease student (no guest under the age of 14 or over the age of 20).
  • Tickets for non-Nease students must be purchased from Mrs. Case in portable 24. Guest forms are available now and must be complete before buying ticket. Forms can be accessed from the Nease Prom website below under the “Guest Info” tab.
  • Since we are using SchoolPay if a Nease student is taking a date from Nease, then each student has to purchase their own ticket. If one person was going to pay for both tickets, then transferring money to them will need to be arranged.
  • Please visit the Prom Website for all related information - Nease Prom Info 2022
  • Email Coach Case with questions – [email protected]

Prom Court: Nominations
Prom Court nominations begin Monday! Any senior may be nominated. Nominations will be online. All seniors nominated will appear on the ballot, so you do not need to nominate someone multiple times. Only forms completed in its entirety will be accepted. Nomination form closes April 1.
Nomination form: Prom Court Nominations

Debit List
Seniors on the school-wide debt list will not be allowed to purchase a prom ticket or will not be given cap & gown. Debt lists will be posted in C-pod entrance and by student gate the first week of April and again the week before senior exams. Please check to ensure all debts are cleared.

Senior Sponsor, Mrs. Bourquin, has listed student numbers of seniors who have not paid senior dues, ordered cap and gown, or paid final GradBash payment on the Senior Schoology page. Please check for your student number.

Senior Dues - $65
In order to participate in graduation you must pay senior dues. The dues pay for everything related to graduation - rental of UNF, parking at UNF, security, programs, diplomas, diploma covers, flowers, sound, video board, streaming, etc. along with senior breakfast and senior luncheon.

Senior Week: April 25th - 29th
Daily dress-up days and fun games during lunches with prizes provided by PTSO. More info on dress-up days and games in the near future. Follow NeaseSpirit on Instagram.
Senior pancake breakfast made by teachers - Wed, April 27th at 8am behind Panther Hall
Senior lunch (grilled hotdogs & hamburgers) - Fri, April 29th during all 4 lunches

GradBash - Friday, April 29th
For those seniors attending, charter buses will depart Nease at 1pm and will return @4am on Saturday.
Seniors must follow Universal's dress code in order to attend. Final payment is past due - see Mrs. Bourquin in D-007 ASAP! Mrs. Bourquin is emailing all GradBash attendees a Remind code. If you have signed up for GradBash, please check the email you used on SchoolPay. The GradBash Remind is how the links for permission slips, dress code, and bus sign ups will be shared. This is also how we will communicate on the field trip.

Yearbooks
Senior yearbook distribution is scheduled for May 11th & 12th pending delivery of books. Yearbooks will be distributed before school and during lunches in front of C-pod. There will be yearbooks for sell, if one was not ordered. Cost is $100. Please email yearbook sponsor [email protected]


GUIDANCE

Career & Technical Fair - Wednesday, April 20th
For those seniors who have not finalized plans for life after June 1st, we will host a Career & Technical fair in the gym from 9am to 3pm. Seniors will attend through their English classes or during EXCEL to meet representatives from different trade schools and employers that are looking to hire.

Senior Awards Day - Friday, April 22
Awards are scheduled by appointment throughout the school day. Parents and students will be notified via email if student is receiving an award or scholarship.

Seniors interested in going to St. John’s River State College after graduation: Representatives from SJR will be at Nease on May 3rdfor Free App Day! They are waiving the $30 application fee for all Nease High School seniors who apply for SJR’s fall 2022 enrollment with them on May 3rd. They will also be able to answer any questions you might have regarding certificate/degree programs, financial aid, student life and more! We will be set up in Counselor Corner in the lunchroom starting at 8:45, so stop on by!

Taking an online course?
APEX (grade recovery): Everything must be completed by May 1st in order to walk at graduation.
SJVS or FLVS: ALL coursework must be completed by May 1st, so DBA and/or final exam can be scheduled for the first week of May. We received final grade reports every Monday from FLVS. We need final grades to be sent on Monday, May 9th, so we we have time to add to transcript.
If senior does not plan on walking at graduation, they have until Friday, May 27th to finish virtual courses.

Senior Exit Survey
ALL Seniors must complete the Senior Survey in Naviance. Students will not receive their cap & gown until survey is completed. For seniors who plan on attending a University or College after graduation, you must select the post-secondary institution on the survey for a final transcript to be sent. This Survey will be available on April 1st. If you need help, stop by counselor's corner during your lunch.

Bright Futures
Seniors must apply for Bright Futures to be considered. The application to apply for Bright Futures is https://www.floridastudentfinancialaidsg.org/SAPHome/SAPHome?url=home. Seniors must submit their Community Service hours and reflection no later than May 19th to their Counselor.


EXAMS - AP/IB & District Finals

AP & IB exams
Only seniors have the privledge of arriving to school late or leaving after an AP or IB exam. Be responsible and don't miss a class where work is due or you are preparing for another exam. These absences will be excused.

Students taking an AP course are required to take the exam. Students who do not show up or who sleep during the exam will be charged the $92 exam fee.


Senior Exams - May 16th - 19th
AP and IB courses do NOT have a District final exam. The number of district final exams per student will vary depending on courses being taken. If a senior does not have an exam during a specific day/time, then they do not need to be on campus. Picture of senior exam schedule is below.

Textbook Return
Students need to return all textbooks and books to the Media Center as they finish exams. Every item checked out to a student MUST be returned no later than Wednesday, May 18th or cap and gown will be held.

Last day for seniors, if all graduation requirements have been met - Thursday,
May 19th.


GRADUATION

Would you like to be this year's graduation speaker?
To audition for the graduation speaker, please submit 3-4min recorded speech to Mrs. Kunze by Friday, April 8th at [email protected] All speeches will be viewed and scored by a committee of retired teachers to select this year's speaker.

Cap & Gown Pick-up - Friday, May 20th at Nease Stadium
Students must sign-up for an appointment time to pick-up cap & gown. We have slots for 50 students every 15mins from 9:30am to 1:30pm. If extra graduation tickets are needed keep reading before time slot is selected.

If you plan on walking at graduation and have not ordered your cap & gown, you must see Mrs. Bourquin in D-007 by Monday, March 28th.

Honor cords and ticket distribution
These items will be given to seniors when they pick-up their cap and gown on Friday, May 20th if all debts are cleared. Each senior will receive 6 tickets. Please remember that honor cords for GPA (magna cum laude, summa cum laude, and cum laude) are based on the cumulative GPA calculated after 7 semesters (1st semester of senior year). This current semester is NOT calculated into the GPA for honor cords.

Do you need extra tickets for graduation?
We will distribute extra tickets at 11am on Friday, May 20th at the stadium. Every senior that needs extra tickets must be sitting in the stands at 11am. (If senior is taking an AP or IB exam, a parent can fill in at the stadium.) We will give every senior present at 11am one ticket. Those that only need one ticket will leave. We will give everyone remaining another ticket. Those that only need two tickets will leave. We will continue in this manner until all remaining tickets are distributed.

Mandatory Graduation Rehearsal - Wednesday, June 1st - 10am to noon at UNF Arena
ALL seniors planning on participating in graduation ceremony are required to attend as there are no AP or IB exams at this time. Missing for work is not allowed as you have ample time to request off.

Graduation Attire
Graduation is a special ceremony where we have an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the enormous amounts of hard work that our students and families have invested into the completion of the K-12 educational journey. In an effort to preserve the dignity and decorum that traditionally accompanies graduation ceremonies we will be requiring that students adhere to the following expectations:

Dress Attire is required.
  • Girls
  • Dress or dress pants
  • Shoes - sandals, flats or heels
  • Boys
  • Slacks (khakis are acceptable)
  • Collared shirt (dress shirt or 3-button)
  • Shoes - loafers such as Sperry's and Hey Dude's are acceptable
  • Items that are not permitted
  • Shorts or Jeans
  • Tennis Shoes, Combat Boots, or Flip-flops
  • Things To Consider
  • Belts should accompany dress pants
  • Footwear should be comfortable for standing and walking in.
  • Example: If a student is not accustomed to functional movement in heels, they should be avoided
  • Gown must be zipped the entire ceremony.
  • Graduation Caps
  • Students are welcome to decorate their cap with the name of the college/university or military branch that they will be pursuing after graduation
  • No other quotes, messages, symbols, or organizations may be represented on the cap. No exceptions will be made.
  • All designs must be 2-Dimensional (no pompoms, beads, flowers, figurines, etc.)
  • A blank cap will be provided for students who fail to follow the guidelines above
Scholarships

Griffin Moody was a former student at Nease, who tragically died in a car accident. His parents give one or two seniors a $2,500 scholarships each year. They are looking for a senior with good morale character, who has good grades, and who has participated in extra-curricular activities. The deadline to submit the 400-500 work essay is April 1st.

Korey Harrington was a Learning Strategy Teacher and an Exceptional Student Education teacher at Nease High School who died earlier this school year. Her mother and sister want to award one or more $1000 scholarships to students who are planning to further their education and who have participated in a Learning Strategy course or Exceptional Student Education program. The deadline to submit the application and a 300 word essay is April 11, 2022.

The David Toner scholarship will be awarded to a graduating senior enrolled at a high school in St. Johns County who plans to attend Florida State University. One scholarship will be awarded annually.  The applicant must be a 2022 graduate within St. Johns County who plans to pursue post-secondary education at Florida State University.  The applicant must also demonstrate the Six Pillars of Character: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, and Citizenship. The applicant must have a minimum unweighted overall grade point average of 3.0. Recipients must enroll full time in a post-secondary degree program beginning with the Fall Term 2022.

The Laurie Bennett Ellis Scholarship will be awarded to a graduating senior enrolled at a high school in St. Johns County or a graduate of St. Johns County Public Schools who is now majoring in education at either a 2 or 4 year college with the goal of becoming a teacher. One scholarship will be awarded annually.  The applicant must be a graduate within St. Johns County who is pursuing an education degree. The applicant must also demonstrate a passion for teaching as well as the Six Pillars of Character: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, and Citizenship. The applicant must have a minimum unweighted overall grade point average of 3.0. Recipients must enroll full time in a post-secondary degree program beginning with the Fall Term, 2022.

Dr. Wayne Hartley (or “Doc Hartley” as his students referred to him) was a well-known and well-respected educator in St. Johns County Schools for almost 30 years. He was born and raised in St. Augustine, graduated from St. Augustine High School in 1962, and after receiving his graduate degrees in History, American Studies and Education, he taught History at Nease and Menendez High Schools for over 20 years. He, along with other business partners, administrators and dedicated teaching colleagues, pursued funding and designed the first high school Academies in St. Johns County. What began as a vision, a dream, and hard work to establish a few Academies at select high schools, has evolved into multiple Academies at all high schools in St. Johns County. Dr. Hartley passed away on January 30, 2021, after a courageous battle with Covid-19. This Scholarship Fund has been established in his memory. Each year, two one-year scholarships in the amount of $1,000.00 each will be awarded to graduating seniors enrolled in an Academy and who wish to pursue additional education. One of the scholarships will be awarded based on academic excellence, and the other one will be awarded based on need. The scholarships will be awarded to Academy students at Nease High School, Menendez High School and St. Augustine High School (two scholarships to each school).

FUNDRAISER

Nease Track & Fieldwill be sellinggraduation yard signsfor $35. Forms will be at the front office and Coach DeVos’ room (P50). Please return all order forms and checks to Kristen Conway at the front office no later than April 22nd.  Please make the $35 checkmade out to “GPBC Track and Field”. Orders are due no later than Wednesday, April 22nd. All orders will receive email verification. Deliveries will arrive in the middle of May and can be picked up at the front office. Thank you for your support! Please send questions to[email protected]