Monday, March 18, 2024

How do you want to feel?

One of my friends and I were talking over the weekend about doing what you need to do now so that you feel how you want to feel later.  It is a concept that I think will resonate with many of you as well.

What does "do what you want to do now so you feel how you want to feel later" really mean?  Well, it is taking time to actually look at your actions and making intentional choices about what you are doing so that it will lead you to places that you feel good about later.

This shows up in all different aspects of your life.

In school, doing what you need to do now may mean buckling down and writing a paper that you have been procrastinating on so that you don't have to worry about it over spring break.  Or studying and working really hard in your classes throughout 4th quarter so that you can relax and enjoy summer vacation without the burden of summer school.

In our relationships with others, doing what you need to do now may mean taking the time to slow down and cherish the moments with your grandparents or a beloved elderly neighbor before they are gone and you can't spend the time with them any more.  It can also mean speaking words of hope and encouragement to your friends and the significant people in your life so that you will feel good about the quality of your interactions together.

In sports or music or art, doing what you need to do now may mean training and running the extra drill or practicing the difficult part more so that you will have the joy of accomplishment later.

The concept of doing what you need to do now so that you will feel how you want to feel later is so simple in theory, but it isn't always easy to put it into practice.  We are all human and we won't be perfect, but whenever possible, try to actively look at your choices and think about if they are helping you to feel how you will want to feel later.  It is a practice that will make a difference in the quality of your choices and therefore the quality of your life.

Sunday, March 17, 2024

College Fit

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Students in all different grade levels are starting to contemplate what colleges might be a good fit for them in the future.  Seniors are at the point where they are looking with a critical eye at the schools which all seemed like a good possible fit when applying to determine now which one is the best fit for their future.  For juniors, working to develop the list of strong fit schools will make college applications more reasonable.  And even for freshmen and sophomores, while it might seem far away, it is fun to start exploring and thinking about what you might like for your futures and if college might be a part of that picture.

College fit is an essential component of the college search process.  The reality is that the college search process isn't a prize to be won by being accepted to the most schools or even to the most prestigious colleges.  It is a match to be made.  You will have your own goals and desires for what you want in a college environment.  The college will have their own goals and objectives of what they are searching for when building their classes.  When those goals align between the students and the college is when the best fit is present.

So how do you know if a college is a good fit for you?  There are a ton of different aspects you can consider when determining a fit.  Most specifically, you will typically be looking for colleges that are a fit across the domains of academics, social, and financial.

Academically, you are trying to find schools that offer your major, have good internship/ job placement opportunities, are at a rigor that you will feel comfortable, have class sizes that match what you're looking for, offer learning experiences that are engaging to you (such as honors programs or research opportunities), and that are a match for what you're wanting in your interactions with professors.

Financially, you are taking into consideration the cost of attending the college, how much debt you will have to take on, the distance you'll have to travel to and from the college to home, the cost of living on campus or in the community of the campus, and the opportunities available to work while you are at school.

Socially is actually the most broad category for looking for a fit.  College is more than just the classrooms and book instruction that you will be learning and so finding a school where you will be able to make friends, enjoy the food, and have clubs, sports or other activities that you enjoy, is really important to finding the college that will be a good fit for you socially.  Does the college have a greek life, volunteer opportunities, or engagement with social justice issues that matter to you?  Is school spirit, religious affiliation, or arts and other cultural experiences important to you?  Do you feel safe on campus and can you imagine spending the next 4 years living, learning, and interacting with the people around you?  If you think "ugh, I don't want to talk to these people" then it is a pretty good indication that this is not a good social fit for you.

There are so many additional questions that can help you determine if a school is going to be a good fit such as, do you want a large, fast paced environment or a smaller, laid-back space for learning?  But trust yourself.  Enjoy the process of exploring different campuses.  See what feels most comfortable to you.  And recognize that when you figure out the things that you don't care for as much in a college, you are actually that much closer to identifying what you do want in a college for your future!

Also, I read this article this week and loved it so I wanted to share it with you as well: When a College Says No

Saturday, March 16, 2024

4th Quarter Reminder

This past week started the 4th and final quarter of the year.  So while it is obvious that you want to do your best in your classes to pass them and earn the credit, it is also important to remember that your 4th quarter grades impact next fall's eligibility.  Just as each quarter in the school year determines if you will be eligible to participate in sports or other co-curricular competitive activities, the 4th quarter determines that for students for the next fall.  This means that how you do in your classes this quarter will determine if you are eligible to participate in sports, marching band, In the Know, and any other fall related co-curricular competitive activity.

Remember, in order to be eligible you must pass at least 5 half credit classes each quarter.  (PE classes and TOK are only worth 1/4 credit and so they cannot count towards those 5 courses.) 

Apply yourself in the classroom today so that you will be able to have the extracurricular opportunities that interest you in the future!

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Local Scholarships

Seniors, now is the time to be working on submitting your applications for local scholarships!

Local scholarships are great because you are only competing against other WKHS students (for many) and, at most, against other students from Worthington or the Central Ohio area.  These scholarships are all among the scholarships we have listed on the WKHS Counselor website and I strongly encourage you to take the time to check them out.  To find the scholarship listings on the Counselor website - you can use the logo on the right side of the page or hover over the College/ Career tab and Scholarship Search is the bottom option.

The majority of the local scholarships have due dates of April 1st, but there are some with earlier or later deadlines so it is important to pay attention to those details so that you don't miss out on the opportunities.  As you read through the scholarships available, look carefully to determine which ones you might be a good candidate for and therefore want to apply to try to receive.  Please remember that time flies and many of the scholarships have requirements such as essays or recommendation letters so it is important not to procrastinate and to get your applications completed on time.

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Senior Picture Deadline

Just a quick reminder to all seniors... the deadline to submit your Senior Picture for the yearbook is next Friday, March 22nd.  All seniors are invited to turn in a preferred photo to Mr. Cecutti at tcecutti@wscloud.org to have your picture included in the yearbook.  For students who do not submit a photo before the deadline, the school pictures by HR Imaging that you had taken in August will typically be used for the yearbook.  If you have any questions, please stop and see or email Mr. Cecutti.

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Admissions Decisions Coming Soon

The next few weeks will be big as students finally hear back about the college admissions decisions that you have waited months to receive. Most of the schools that have yet to announce their decisions will be releasing them over the next couple of days to weeks. This can be a very stressful time for students. Try to take a deep breath and relax – you have done the best job to put yourself in the best situation possible with your applications. If you are stressing out awaiting the news, feel free to stop in and see me so we can talk about it.

Getting the decision can be hard enough, but often the more difficult aspect is being asked, “Did you get accepted?” by well-meaning friends. Trust me on this one, if they were accepted, the students would be telling everyone – you won’t need to ask. If they don’t offer up the news sharing if they were accepted or not, then be sensitive to the fact that more than likely they did not get accepted and don’t ask about it as it puts them on the spot to share disappointing news.

I also want to remind the seniors that we try to keep track of all of the college admissions decisions as that helps us understand current trends in admissions. I would really appreciate it if you'd stop by when you're ready and update me about your college admission decisions.

Good luck!  I hope you get the acceptances you are anxiously awaiting.

Monday, March 11, 2024

Tomorrow's ACT Schedule

Tomorrow we are on a VERY different bell schedule!

Freshmen, Sophomores and Seniors - you will be functioning on a late-start schedule tomorrow.  This means that you get to sleep in and relax a little bit in the morning.  If you ride a bus, your bus will pick you up  90 minutes later than normal.  If you walk or drive to school, you can determine what time you want to arrive just be sure to make it to school in enough time to be able to get to your 5th period class at 12:55pm.  As I mentioned, with late start buses running 1.5 hours later than normal, this means that if you ride a bus that will likely mean you will arrive to school around 10:10am and you'll have that time until the start of classes to study, eat lunch, and hang out in the Aux Gym.

Juniors - you will ride the bus at the normal time and arrive to school like every other day.  You will then report to your assigned testing location by 8:40am so that you can begin taking the ACT right away.  The test will conclude around 12:20 and you will then have a break and a chance to grab lunch before the start of classes.

And then everyone (9th through 12th grade) will proceed to afternoon classes with the following bell schedule:
5th Period - 12:55 - 1:29
6th Period - 1:34 - 2:06
7th Period - 2:11 - 2:43
8th Period - 2:48 - 3:20

I also have a few ACT Testing reminders for the juniors:  This test is an official ACT so you are strictly bound to all of the restrictions and requirements set forth by ACT.  Testing will begin promptly at 8:40am so you will need to report to your assigned rooms (check your email for location assignment).  Please be sure to bring your Student ID card, number 2 pencils (no mechanical pencils are allowed!), and a calculator.  And I would also suggest that you bring a watch.  Cell phones are NOT allowed to be on in the testing room at all.  Hopefully you have already completed the pre-registration paperwork to create your MyACT account so that you will be able to access your scores.  If you haven't, please stop and do that now.   Good luck on the test tomorrow!  You will do great!