RUMFORD – Mountain Valley High School principal Matt Gilbert recently called together the Class of 2012 to explain two websites for filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and to discuss resources for students planning to attend college.
“Recent school announcements have encouraged all of you to apply for a FAFSA PIN,” said Gilbert. “If you go to FAFSA.com, they ask you to enter credit card information and charge you for something you can do for free. Instead, go to FAFSA.edu.gov to complete the application free of charge.”
FAFSA.com is the website of Student Financial Services, Inc. According to the website, “Our fee-based service provides expert, personalized advice to make preparing your federal student aid application fast and accurate. While preparing a federal student aid application on your own is free on the U.S. Department of Education website (www.fafsa.ed.gov), the process isn’t easy.”
To help families of MVHS seniors, Gilbert introduced two speakers who offered help free of charge.
Noelle James, Gear Up at University of Maine at Farmington, encouraged all seniors and their families to attend the “Stretch a Dollar Day” that was hosted by Partnerships for Success at Region 9 on Jan. 7.
Jennifer Hutchinson, senior associate director of financial aid at UMF, said she would be available every other Wednesday from 3 to 5:30 p.m. at MVHS to help families fill out the FAFSA online. She will also assist students and families to obtain a PIN. Hutchinson’s assistance is free regardless of the school the student plans to attend.
“If parents do taxes before they meet with me, that’s great. But we can also use information from the previous year’s taxes,” she said. “You can set up a half-hour appointment with me by contacting Dori Fellman or Noelle James here at the school.”
Gilbert concluded the meeting by urging students to take advantage of these free resources. “It’s a huge benefit to have people who can help you here at MVHS. Take advantage of their knowledge. They work with FAFSA every day and can help you find the financial help you need to attend school.”
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