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Cadet Guidance

The Delaware Military Academy Guidance Counselors provide students with academic and career planning assistance, help Cadets overcome barriers to success, and work one-on-one with students experiencing problems or crises. 

College Planning
Launch Into Your Future Week 2024

October 21st to 25th!
Theme: "What's Your Sequel?"

    Activites for the Week Include:
  • Ask Me Monday - Learn about your teachers!
  • Movie Bingo - Win Movie Tickets!
  • Door Decorating - Win a Pizza Party!
  • Career Vision Board - Win Movie Tickets!
  • Big Future Scavenger Hunt - Win Movie Tickets!
  • In-Person Application Support

Who is Your College Counselor?​

Last Name A-M John Grant
Last Name N-Z Debra Certesio
Cadets interested in ROTC, or Academy default to Mrs. Certesio.

Once you submit any college materials, you must allow 7-10 business days for your counselor to complete the request. If you would like to request a change in your college counselor, please put the request in writing and give it to Mrs. Certesio before you complete ANY college applications.

SAT Prep​

All cadets should have a College Board online account by now and are hopefully using it on a regular basis. Once you login to your account, you should be able to see your SAT scores. Under your SAT scores, there is an option to ‘Understand your Scores’ or ‘Send Your Scores.’ Cadets are encouraged to click on the ‘Understanding your Scores’ and look at their strengths and weaknesses. If you click on the button that says “FREE SAT practice with Khan Academy,” cadets will be taken to the Khan Academy website where they can access their personalized SAT prep program.

If you scored below a 550 on any portion of the SAT in April, you should consider taking them again in the fall. You can register to take the SAT through your College Board account. Before you pay to take the SAT again, be sure to review your spring 2020 scores and spend some time preparing for the SAT.

SAT and ACT test dates are posted on the guidance calendar. Be sure to pay attention to the registration dates so you do not have to pay the late fee. Most colleges will “super score” which means they will take your BEST score for each section so it is always wise to take the SAT more than once (everyone has a bad test day once in a while). SAT and ACT fee waivers are available for cadets who qualify for free or reduced lunch. See Mrs. Certesio to get a fee waiver.

Resources for
Future Planning

DMA School Code for College Applications is: 080171

2024-25 Fee Waiver Matrix – Visit this link to learn about local schools that have a free application or have provided a Fee Waiver code and instructions for Launch into Your Future Month.

Big Future – This site is part of the college board and will help juniors and seniors to find schools that match their “wish list” as well as locate scholarships and planning resources.

Delaware Student Success Website – This is the Delaware Higher Education Office. On this site, cadets can register to access scholarships, gather college planning information and access the Academic Common Market (a hidden gem in DE). The college compendium (scholarship book) is also available on this site.

Department of Labor Careers – Use this site if you are interested in learning more about Trades and similar career paths.

Common App Step-by-Step Guide – Walks cadets step-by-step through each question of the Common Application.

Congratulations!

Cadet Noah Cillo who will be attending the United States Military Academy at West Point.
Bravo Zulu!

Cadet Brett Cressman will be attending the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs after graduation.
Bravo Zulu!

Cadet Alexandra Puella who will be attending the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York.
Bravo Zulu!

Cadet Zakary Ward will be attending the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland upon graduation.
Bravo Zulu!

Cadet Kendal Reid will be attending Texas A&M on an Army ROTC Scholarship.
Bravo Zulu!

Cadet Matthew Farmer will be attending the University of Colorado Boulder NROTC Program.
Bravo Zulu!

Additional References

Math/Science Placement for Incoming 9th Graders​

Placement of incoming cadets to honors math and science courses will be determined based on their 8th course and the final grade in the course:

  • If your 8th grader was enrolled in pre-Algebra or 8th-grade math this year, they will be placed in Algebra I & Integrated Science for the 2024 – 2025 school year.
  • If your 8th grader was enrolled in Algebra I this year and earned an 80% or higher, they will be placed in Honors Geometry & Honors Biology for the 2024 – 2025 school year.
  • If your 8th grader was enrolled in Geometry this year and earned an 80% or higher, they will be placed in Honors Algebra II & Honors Biology for the 2024 – 2025 school year.
It is imperative that you look at your child’s progress in math this year and decide if your cadet should retake Algebra 1 in the 9th grade. Algebra 1 is the basis for all other math courses in high school and if you believe they have not gained all the prerequisite skills, we will honor your request to remain in Algebra 1 for the 2024-2025 school year. These requests should be emailed to our Dean of Cadets, Amy Tocyloski.

English/Social Studies Honors Classes AND Spanish placement for incoming 9th graders

Placement of incoming cadets to honors English and Social Studies courses will be determined based on a placement test that will be administered on Saturday, May 1st. The placement test will take place in small groups, in-person, from 7:30 am until 8:45 am. Cadets who have completed previous Spanish courses will have the opportunity to move to Spanish 2 based on a placement assignment during this time. Cadets must be able to speak, read and write basic Spanish to be able to move to Spanish 2. Please contact Mrs. Tocyloski or Mrs. Certesio with any questions about placement.

2021 -2022 Academic Planning Info

DMA will be holding a virtual academic information night on March 29th at 6:30 pm. This program focuses on course options for all rising 10th, 11th, and 12th-grade cadets and their families. The meeting can be accessed here.

Here are the supporting documents for the Academic Information Night:

DMA’s freshman class is made up of cadets who have attended 30 different middle school programs. This creates a unique challenge as each of these programs follows a different curriculum. If your child is not placed in honors for freshman year, they will have the opportunity to move to honors in their 10th-grade year.

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