High School Counselor

Mrs. Kelsey Lage works with all students in grades 7-12. As a school counselor, she addresses the academic, personal/social, and college/career development of students which can include:

Individual & group counseling
Educational planning
Post Secondary planning
Career Development
Personal/social development
Communication with staff and parents per individual student academic needs
Referral to in-school and community resources
College readiness (PSEO/Concurrent Enrollment opportunities)
Academic assessments
504 Case management
Consultation
Classroom lessons

College English/PSEO Application

Pelican Rapids Students: College English/PSEO Application

Students who will be a junior or senior next year and have met the GPA requirements (3.2 before junior year or 2.8 before senior year) and would like to take a College English class in the high school or an online PSEO class should fill out the CEP & eCHS Student Application for the 2023-24 school year. Click on the link below, then scroll to the CEP & eCHS Student Application Online form link https://www.minnesota.edu/counselor

You will need to put in Counselor Lage’s email (klage@pelicanrapids.k12.mn.us) . You are not committing to those classes, just completing a step that would be necessary if you decide to enroll in that class. This must be completed before May 1^st. See Counselor Lage for questions.

Additional information about PSEO can be found on the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) website

Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO)

The Postsecondary Options Act provides students in grades 10-12 with an opportunity to take classes at eligible post-secondary institutions. These institutions include community colleges, technical colleges, state universities, the University of Minnesota and its branches, and some private colleges and universities. The purpose of the program is to promote rigorous academic pursuits and to provide a wider variety of options to high school students. For more help in deciding whether this opportunity is right for students, check with the school counselor or principal.
How the program works:

Students can enroll in post-secondary, nonsectarian courses under this program if they are a Minnesota 10^th, 11^th or 12^th grade student enrolled in a public school.
Students and their parents must notify PRHS by May 31 of a students’ interest in PSEO.
Students will need to fulfill all high school credit requirements to receive a high school diploma.
Students and parents must work with the high school counselor to develop a plan.
Before enrolling in any courses, students and their parents must sign a statement indicating the received information about the program and are aware of the responsibilities regarding the program.
Students must be admitted by an eligible post-secondary institution.
The high school determines the number of high school credits students receive for post-secondary courses taken for secondary credit based on State of Minnesota recommendations. PSEO classes do count towards students’ high school GPAs.
If students or choose to take courses during the summer, they will pay for the cost of tuition, textbooks, materials and fees.
If students choose to take the courses for secondary credit during the school year, the cost of tuition, textbooks, materials, and fees will be paid. All textbooks and materials are the property of the high school. Students need to pay for equipment they keep such as tools or calculators.
Students can attend a post-secondary institution either full-time or part-time.

An 11th or 12th grade pupil enrolled in a school under section 124D.83, except a foreign exchange pupil enrolled in a district under a cultural exchange program, may apply to an eligible institution, as defined in subdivision 3, to enroll in nonsectarian courses offered by that postsecondary institution. If an institution accepts a secondary pupil for enrollment under this section, the institution shall send written notice to the pupil, the pupil's school or school district, and the commissioner. The notice must indicate the course and hours of enrollment of that pupil. If the pupil enrolls in a course for postsecondary credit, the institution must notify:
(1) the pupil about payment in the customary manner used by the institution, and
(2) the pupil's school as soon as practicable if the pupil withdraws from the course or stops attending the course.
The secondary credits granted to a pupil must be counted toward the graduation requirements and subject area requirements of the district. Evidence of successful completion of each course and secondary credits granted must be included in the pupil's secondary school record. A pupil must provide the school with a copy of the pupil's grades in each course taken for secondary credit under this section, including interim or nonfinal grades earned during the academic term. Upon the request of a pupil, the pupil's secondary school record must also include evidence of successful completion and credits granted for a course taken for postsecondary credit. In either case, the record must indicate that the credits were earned at a postsecondary institution.

FAFSA

What Do I Need to Apply?

The FAFSA process has been streamlined to help you complete the form quickly and accurately. The website is mobile-friendly and the form itself is available via the My Student Aid app for easy accessibility. Megan Coval, vice president of policy and federal relations for the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA), advises what you should set aside when starting the process:

Tax returns for you and/or your parents. The IRS Data Retrieval Tool lets applicants ask the IRS to release tax information directly to the Department of Education (ED), which can help avoid the scramble to collect documents and cuts down on time spent manually entering the information.
FSA ID: The username and password needed to log in to some ED websites and electronically sign the FAFSA. Make sure to keep this in a safe place, as you’ll need it every year you re-apply for financial aid.
Asset records for you and/or your parents. These include bank statements and investment records to show your current assets (or, if you’re a dependent, your parents’ assets).
Social Security numbers (SSNs) for you and your parents, unless you are an independent student. See below if your parents are undocumented.
Driver’s license or other eligible form of government ID
Federal school codes for the schools you will be applying to, available at on the website (your can list up to 10 and the order does not matter—you can finalize this later once you have made your decision)

FAFSA Myths

1. I’m not going to fill out the form because I’m not eligible.

“That is not correct,” says Coval. “If the student thinks they are going to borrow at all, they need to fill out the form.” Remember, she adds, not all financial aid is need-based. Unsubsidized loans also require that you fill out the FAFSA.

2. My parents make too much money, and I won’t qualify for aid.

Most applicants qualify for some aid, regardless of their parents’ earnings. The FAFSA actually has no income cap, so you can apply no matter how high your family’s income.

3. FAFSA is only available for federal aid.

“A lot of the states and institutions will use FAFSA data,” Coval notes. “So if you don’t qualify for something at the federal level, maybe you’ll qualify for something at the state level or the institution level.” Filling out the FAFSA also qualifies you for other types of aid, including grants, work-study, scholarships and college aid.

4. The FAFSA is too complicated and hard to fill out.

On average, it takes about 30 minutes to fill out. Plus, the government is continually working on improvements to the application process. The FAFSA has been streamlined, especially online where the application uses skip logic that will skip over unnecessary questions.

5. I’m not eligible for a student loan because my parents are undocumented.

Having undocumented parents should not prevent students from filling out the FAFSA. “So long as you are a US citizen, permanent resident or eligible noncitizen, you can fill out a FAFSA,” says Marie Groark, director of Get Schooled, an organization that runs a texting hotline to help students get into college. If your parents are undocumented, just fill out nine zeroes (000000000) where it asks for their SSNs. If you get an error message, keep hitting the Next button until you advance to the next page. When you reach the end, you will have to click the Submit button several times if you get the same error.

The FAFSA form requires students and parents to apply for an FSA ID, which also asks for SSNs. But Groark says you can still file for an FSA ID even if your parents are undocumented. “What a student needs to do in that case is simply print out the signature page, sign it and have their parents sign it. Then they mail it in. Printing and mailing your signed FAFSA functions as a way around the need for parents to create an FSA ID.”

If your parents didn’t file a tax return, they can enter the requested financial information manually on FAFSA’s website or through the myStudentAid mobile app. Your school may also require you to submit a Non-Tax Filer Parent Statement or Income and Expense Report. If your parents don’t want to submit their financial information, you can indicate on the FAFSA that there are special circumstances. This will allow you to complete the form without those details. You will have to contact the financial aid office, however, to provide documentation.

High School Newsletters

Preparing our Students for Success

Our goal is that 100% of students leaving Pelican Rapids High School have a plan to attend post secondary education (2 year Associate’s Degree or 4 year Bachelor’s degree) military or work force.

Here is how we support those goals for everyone:

Career Expo for juniors in October in Fergus Falls
Career Expo for sophomores at the FargoDome in November
Rural MN CEP guest speaker for juniors and sophomores in November
Post Secondary Planning Meeting for the graduating class in the Auditorium with Mrs. Lage
Individual senior planning meeting with Mrs. Lage
Guest speakers throughout the year
Career Panel Day for juniors and seniors to hear from local business professionals about their different paths

Here is how we support each of those paths:

Post-secondary education

Offer classes for college credit in high school (for free)
Post Secondary Enrollment options to earn more college credit (for free)
College Representative Visits throughout the year from various 2 year and 4 year schools
Students can be excused from school 3 times for college visits
ACT testing for free in the spring
PSAT testing for juniors in October
Fee application waived for students who qualify for college applications

Military

ASVAB testing offered at the high school
Opportunity to meet with a recruiter
Military Education and Career Exploration Event
Recruiter visits during lunch throughout the year
Work Force/Technical training
Ag Occupations class with Mr. Larsen

Work Force

Field trips to area businesses and industries
CTE classes (Welding, CNA, EMT, Small Engines, Electricity, Accounting, CAD, Cosmetology, Digital photography, Wood working)
Future Farmers of America

This is not an exhaustive list. As your student’s school counselor I support each student in the following ways:

Academics-Credit tracking, class registration, schedule creation, in-school support referrals
Personal/Social-Help manage emotions/stress, provide grieving support, brief counseling
Post-Secondary Planning-College application assistance, answer questions, provide scholarship assistance.

Registration Handbook

Schedule Change Requests/Information

Schedule change requests are offered the first four days of the semester, after that, schedules are final.

Thank you for your understanding :)

Schedule changes should fit the following requirements:

1. Computer error.
2. Improper placement as determined by counselor, teacher, assistant principal, or principal.
3. Medical or physical restrictions.
4. A failed or missing prerequisite.

Scholarships

The Anxious Generation Parent Newsletter

Transcript Requests

Crookston transcript request

High School transcript request

M State transcript request

SMSU (Intro to Education) transcript request

College Now Transcript Request Process

Students continuing at SMSU do not need to request a transcript.

Students transferring credits to another school within the Minnesota State system do not need to request a transcript. They simply need to inform the Registration and Records Office at their new school of their previous course work with SMSU.

All other students will need to complete an official transcript request after completing their senior year of high school and their grades have all been posted.

Official Transcripts

This is what a secondary institution will need in order to award credit for previous college course work.
Our Registration and Records Office handles official transcripts. For inquiries regarding a transcript request, please contact the Registration Office at registration@smsu.edu.
Students wanting an official transcript will need to complete an online transcript request form. This form can be found by going to www.SMSU.edu/go/transcripts and selecting “Transcripts”.
A minimal charge to process this request will apply.
Students will want to check the “After Grades are Posted” option. This way, a transcript will not be sent until all grades have been entered into our system.
This process is not an immediate turnaround.

Unofficial Transcripts

Primarily used for scholarship purposes, signing up for classes, or other various circumstances.
This is something that students can do themselves online and can be obtained immediately.
To do so:

Students need to log into E-Services
Check the “Display Name” box when logging into account
Click on “Academic Record”
Click on “Unofficial Transcript” and then “Get Academic Record”
All classes taken through SMSU will be displayed
There is no charge for unofficial transcripts

SMSU’s Registration Office advised us this morning of a new policy that was recently put in place. When College Now or PSEO students request their official SMSU transcript, a hold is placed on their account if there are any missing SMSU grades. Official transcript requests where the student has missing grades will be held until all grades have been posted, then the transcript will be sent. In the past, students could request official transcripts at any time. If grades were missing, then the student would have been required to submit another transcript request and pay another fee for a final transcript showing all grades. The intent of this new policy is to help students avoid multiple transcript fees by only sending out the final transcript.

Options for College Now students:

The student can submit the transcript request and wait for all grades to be posted, at which time the official transcript will be sent.
If they need a transcript now, they have 24/7 access to their unofficial transcript in e-services. There is no fee for unofficials, and most colleges/universities will accept unofficial transcripts if the student lets them know that the official will be coming soon.
If they absolute need the official transcript now (even with any missing grades), they must e-mail me to request that and we will work with Registration. If a student goes this route, they’ll be charged for the in-progress transcript and the final transcript.

Mrs. Kelsey Lage grew up in the Spicer, MN area. She is a first generation college student with a Bachelor's degree in Spanish and Psychology from Concordia College Moorhead. She also has her M.Ed. in K-12 School Counseling from North Dakota State University. She is a Licensed School Counselor with experience who enjoys working with middle school and high school aged students and advocating for their needs. Previous work experience included academic advising for division I athletes.
In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and dog, reading and partaking in whatever activities are weather permitted in MN.

Kelsey Lage
High School Counselor
218.863.5910
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Therapy Dog Update

The beloved therapy dog, Chibbs, passed away unexpectedly before the 2025-2026 school year. He was a special part of our school, bringing comfort, joy, and support to students and staff.
While we grieve this loss together, we also celebrate the many ways he made a positive impact on our Viking community.

Sage Lage is a new member of the Viking family. She was born in July and through a generous donation by a community member, she was welcomed into the family early this Fall. She is sweet, gentle and a good listener and will make an excellent Therapy Dog someday, right now she is a young pup who needs to go to school and be at least 1 before she can officially test.

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