Rochelle Township High School

KISHWAUKEE COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES!!!
If you are attending Kish in Fall 2026, don’t miss out on these scholarship opportunities. Kish is committed to providing affordable education and offers several scholarships for in-district high school graduates.
Foundation Scholarships : Application Period Feb. 2-March 13: https://kish.edu/about/foundation/scholarships/
The Kishwaukee College Foundation offers more than 80 scholarship opportunities each semester. Students submit a general application to apply for Foundation scholarships.
Academic Achievement and Dual Credit Scholarships: Application with Enrollment
Academic Achievement and Dual Credit scholarships are automatically awarded when a student applies to Kish and graduates within the 2025-2026 academic year. Academic Achievement Scholarships are for students who graduate with a GPA of 3.25 or higher from an in-district high school, reside within the Kish district and graduate from a private high school, or are homeschooled. Dual Credit Scholarships are for students who have earned Kishwaukee College credits while in high school and plan to attend Kish full-time.
All-In Tuition:
Budgeting for your education has never been easier. All fees and textbook costs are included in Kish’s tuition price. You pay one cost with no surprises and have everything you need for class on day one. https://kish.edu/get-started/all-in/
Learn more at kish.edu/scholarships.

Congratulations to the following Rochelle FFA members who interviewed at the Section 2 State Degree Interviews last Saturday at Stillman Valley High School. Logan and Samantha's applications will now move to the state level for review.
Logan was also named the Section 2 Star in Agriculture Placement and will compete for the District I Star award in March at Geneseo.

Today, the RTHS Choirs proudly hosted the Interstate 8 Choral Festival. Choirs from Sycamore High School, Kaneland High School, Ottawa Township High School, LaSalle-Peru Township High School, and Morris Township High School came together for a day of shared music-making and collaboration. Each group also had the opportunity to work with guest clinician Dr. Brian Winnie from Western Illinois University. They ended the day as one combined choir and performed together under the direction of Dr. Brian Winnie. The festival was a meaningful experience focused on musical excellence, collaboration, and the celebration of talented young musicians!

This past Friday, the RTHS Concert Choir participated in the 2026 Big Sing at NIU alongside Dekalb High School, Kaneland High School, and the NIU Concert Choir. They performed their own set and also got to share the stage with the other groups. It was quite the enriching experience! Thank you to Dr. Eric Johnson for extending the invitation!

COMING SOON!
The Rochelle Hiring Expo returns to RTHS in 2026! Juniors and Seniors will have the opportunity to participate in a hiring expo, connect with local employers and colleges, and explore a variety of career options. Members of the public are also welcome to attend from 12:00–2:00 PM. Public can register in advance for a chance to win $200 in Community Cash at hubsgethired26.eventbrite.com. Hope to see you there!

Congratulations to the Rochelle FFA Horse Evaluation Career Development Event teams that competed at the Illinois FFA State competition today at Black Hawk East, in Kewanee. The Reasons team placed 7th overall with Sawyer Stockton placing as the 6th place individual. The non-reasons team placed 8th overall!

Are you interested in learning about the trades and gaining hands-on experience this summer? There will be two Heavy Metal Camps, one in DeKalb and one Rockford, specifically designed for students aged 15-19 who are interested in pursuing careers in the sheet metal, piping, and plumbing trades.
~ Camp Highlights:
*Hands-on learning: Work on real projects and gain valuable skills in sheet metal, piping, and plumbing.
*Union connections: Build relationships with union professionals and training facilities.
*Summer fun: Learn while having fun and making new friends who share your interest in the trades.
Click the link for more details.: https://www.hmse.org/campers/camp-overview-campers.html

ATTENTION SENIORS!
If you’re planning to attend Kishwaukee College this fall, don’t miss ​your chance to apply for Kishwaukee College​ Foundation scholarships!​ ​Academic and dual credit scholarships for in-district high school students are automatically awarded onc​e ​you enroll at Kishwaukee College.

The ​Foundation scholarship​ application is available now through March 13.
Apply online at:
https://kishwaukeecollege.academicworks.com/

This week's Hub Award winner is Laila Vazquez. Laila's been doing awesome things for RTHS for years now, and we greatly appreciate the way she carries herself both in and out of the classroom. She is mature, respectful, dedicated, amazing, and so much more. Thank you, Laila, for all you do to make RTHS a better place!

ACT Prep Class Information

We are honored to announce that the RTHS Concert Choir has been invited to be featured in the 2026 NIU Big Sing. This is a meaningful recognition of our students’ dedication, musicianship, and hard work. RTHS will perform alongside the NIU Concert Choir, Kaneland High School, and DeKalb High School, and we are proud to represent our school on this distinguished stage while sharing our music with the broader choral community. Come check out the performance at the Boutell Memorial Concert Hall at NIU this Friday at 7pm! Tickets must be purchased at go.niu.edu/performances. Hope to see you there!

Summer Job Opportunity for Students. Full or Part Time. Applications may be picked up at Oil X-Change ~ 1361 N. 7th St. in Rochelle.

Congratulations to the RTHS Speech Team. They competed in the Rockford Jefferson Tournament this past weekend and earned 2nd place in the team competition and had many members earn finalist honors.

National School Counseling Week 2026 (February 2–6), sponsored by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), recognizes the vital role school counselors play in our schools and the tremendous impact they have on student success and career planning.

At RTHS, we are grateful for the dedication, guidance, and support provided every day by Mr. Mike Dale, Mrs. Tasha Bonnell, Mr. Javier Zepeda, and Mr. Colfay Pointer. Their commitment to our students makes a meaningful difference in helping them navigate academics, personal growth, and future goals.

Please take a moment this week to thank our RTHS School Counselors for all they do!

Friday, February 6th is the deadline to turn in the American Legion Americanism Essay. There is still time to pick up a packet in the Counseling Center if you would like a chance at competing for cash prizes! See Mrs. Harvey in the Counseling Center if you are interested and make sure those essays are turned in by the due date.

If your name is on the Renaissance Card Recipient list outside of the Counseling Center or Main Office, and you have not picked up your new Renaissance Card, PLEASE pick it up in the Counseling Center ASAP!

🎓SENIORS! ! It's scholarship season and scholarship applications are now open!🎓

Start applying NOW as the deadline for many local scholarships is March 13th and you may need to complete essays or have letters of recommendation . You can find a listing of the scholarships available on our RTHS homepage under the Counseling Center tab and Scholarship links or on Schoolinks under "Colleges" and then "Scholarship Matching" . Be sure to check them out and get them completed and submitted. Last year over $185,000 in local scholarships were awarded to the Class of 2025. Please see your counselor or Mrs. Harvey with any questions.

➡️Rochelle Website: https://www.rochelleschools.org/o/rths/page/counseling-center
➡️SchooLinks: https://app.schoolinks.com/dashboard