Volunteer Opportunity

In the Counseling and Career Center we receive information about a lot of different programs that kids can be involved with and this is one that is simple with a nice little perk so I thought I would pass it along as they are trying to find kids and parents to help them with a focus group next week.

Hope you are having a great weekend!

FOCUS GROUP

Brainstorm Media Needs Focus Group Volunteers

WHO: Males & females between the ages of 15 & 17

Parents of teens between the ages of 15 & 17

WHAT: A focus group, discussing social issues affecting teens

WHEN: 6:30pm – 8:30pm

Options: Wednesday, 9/3 or Thursday, 9/4 [choose your best option]

WHERE: Those chosen will be given directions to the Columbus location

WHY: We’re looking for input on an issue affecting a majority of teenagers. The input will help us develop a video to be distributed throughout the state of Ohio next year.

Each participant will be compensated with a $25 gift card for their participation.

Parents interested in more information can contact: Amy Paulin at 614-299-5611

CONTACT: Let us know if you’re interested! teendriver@brainstormmediainc.com

First Week Wrap-Up

We made it through the first week and can now look forward to enjoying a long weekend. I hope that you made the adjustment to being back in school without any major problems. I know that for many it was tough to get up in the mornings, but we'll all adjust.

The last two days have been pretty crazy with schedule changes and hopefully we are now finished with those adjustments. Just as a reminder - you cannot add a class after the 3rd day of school so if you still wanted to pick up a class, Tuesday is your last day to get it added to your schedule.

Congratulations to the football team who won their first home game of the season tonight. I have to admit that the game against Grove City has always been my favorite game because I still know some of the students at GCHS from the year that I worked there. Tonight it was no different (except for the down-side of the rain delay) - I was thrilled to see some of my former students.

I hope you have a great holiday weekend!

First Day of School!

The freshmen returned to school today and the rest of you come back tomorrow. It was nice having the halls filled with students and frequent visitors to my office. (Granted, I will be a bit happier when the visits aren't just schedule related complaints.)

Tomorrow you will be on a modified bell schedule. This is really important for juniors and seniors to pay attention to (not only now, but throughout the year) because any time there is a modified bell schedule it will alter your "late arrival/ early release/ open lunch/ option" times.

Hopefully you are already aware of tomorrow's "Long Homeroom Schedule" since it is late and I just got home to get it up here...

1st: 7:45 - 8:32

2nd: 8:37 - 9:24

Homeroom: 9:29 - 9:53

3rd: 9:58 - 10:45

4th: 10:50 - 11:37

5th: 11:42 - 12:29

6th: 12:34 - 1:21

7th: 1:26 - 2:13

8th: 2:18 - 3:05

As you can see, each class is 47 minutes and that allows for a 24 minute homeroom period.

Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow. Don't forget to stop by and say hello!

Schedule Changes

Tomorrow the 9th graders start high school and all of you who are in 10th through 12th grade enjoy the fact that you have one last day to sleep in before coming back to school for another year. I am looking forward to having you all back at school!

I am also looking forward to having schedule changes done! :-) I have no idea how many changes ended up being requested (too many to count) and some were possible. They put out the trays in the middle of the main room of the counseling center with each counselor's name and it has all of the changes for you to swing by and pick up your new schedule at your leisure. (That way you don't have to miss out on getting the new copy of your schedule just because I am in a meeting.) You will see my name on the top tray and just look through the schedules in that tray to find your schedule if you still need to pick it up.

An Incredible Little Girl

Well, I have obviously taken a break from blogging for a while and I hope that you haven't given up on me. It has been a tough few weeks in my world as I was devestated when the daughter of one of my best friends passed away last week. Hopefully you won't mind, but I would like to tell you about this incredible little girl and the impact she has had on my life.

This is Isabelle.

Izzie was just 5 years old when I met her. At that time she was waiting for a multi-visceral transplant. (Liver, stomach, small intestine, and pancreas) She was spunky and adorable and full of personality. I met Isabelle and her family when I was working at Lifeline of Ohio which is an organization that deals with organ and tissue donation. I can still remember walking into her living room the first day and she stole my heart instantly. Izzie's mom, Michelle, and I just clicked. That's the best way that I can describe it. She is like a sister to me and I am a better person for having this family in my life! They lived in Pickerington when Izzie was waiting for her transplant and so I have lots of memories of spending time with them while hoping that she would receive her transplant. I watched as Isabelle grew worse with each day that she continued to wait. If you look close you can see how jaundice (yellow) she was in this picture with her older sister, Madeline.
Isabelle always lived life to the fullest and she loved those around her and found great joy in the simple things. She had a great laugh and I loved her silly faces. I can still picture her with a twinkle in her eye throwing her head back and laughing with such mischief. Even when she was so sick and waiting for her life-saving organ transplant Isabelle participated in dance and cheerleading. She couldn't digest food so she really looked forward to receiving her transplant so that she could eat like everyone else.

Fortunately, Isabelle did receive her gift of life on October 21, 2004 at Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh. She called me at 9:29pm the night before to share the news that she was going to receive her transplant and I can't even begin to put into words how excited and grateful I was that she would be given a second chance at life. Even now I get chills thinking of our phone conversation. (By the way - the yellow picture above - that was taken at Tuttle Mall 5 days before her transplant.)

Isabelle's kidneys had also been damanged so she ended up receiving a kidney transplant on June 9, 2006 and Izzie always lived her life with such gratitude for the two families who had said yes to donation allowing her to continue living her life.

Since her transplant Isabelle and her family moved to Pittsburgh so they could be closer to her doctors, but my friendship with them has remained strong. Izzie has had so many great experiences - a Disney Cruise, trips to the beach, skiing, ice-skating, Niagra Falls, but most importantly, she was able to perform in a Pittsburgh production of Annie. Now, let me tell you, Isabelle *LOVES* Annie! She has always loved Annie - she had Annie dresses, an Annie wig, and every other Annie related accessory that you could imagine (earrings, necklace, watch, t-shirts, etc.) So playing an orphan in Annie was absolutely a dream come true. I went over to see her in the show last fall and she was precious! I will never forget watching her on stage, but to be perfectly honest, the moments I loved even more came just before the show when she snuck out to see me and give me a hug and kiss. After the show I got her autograph and I will cherish the program with her "Love Izzie" signature always. (For those of you who have been reading my blog for a while I had posted about this trip last September.)

I was fortunate enough to have been able to make a lot of great memories with Isabelle - painting pottery with Maddie, going to Build-A-Bear with Izzie and my niece, Carly, making s'mores, having a "long-distance date," and watching her compete in the US Transplant Games earlier this summer. Let's just sum it up by saying that I loved this little girl! She was an incredible human being who lived her life with such passion and was such a survivor. I admire her for her compassion and her spunk!

Isabelle's underlying Mitochondrial Disorder caused a variety of health complications including the fact that she struggled at times to keep her potassium at a good level. So she went to the hospital on Monday to receive a blood transfusion and potassium. Unfortunately there was a medical error and she was given an inappropriate amount of potassium and she ended up going into cardiac arrest. Izzie did what she has done for her entire life and kept on fighting, but sadly, she passed away at 6:15am on Wednesday August 13th. The sadness that this caused for all of us who had the honor of knowing Isabelle and calling her our friend was more intense than anything I could have imagined. She certainly left a larger than life hole in our hearts! I know in my heart that Isabelle is in a better place and she is free from any pain, but I am devestated especially for her mom, dad, and sister as their family has forever been changed.

I spent last week in Pittsburgh with Michelle (Izzie's mom), Dan (Izzie's dad), and Maddie (Izzie's sister). It was sad, but also wonderful to be able to go through the pictures of Isabelle's life and help to put together items to help honor and celebrate a life that while short has had a larger impact than most of us will ever achieve even if we live until we are old. It was refreshing to hear clips of Isabelle singing Annie songs in her sweet voice, but made your stomach tie up in knots when you realized that you'd never get to hear her talk to you again. And it was a beautiful to witness as hundreds upon hundreds of people came to pay their respects to Isabelle and honor a life well lived, but it was heart-wrenching to know that this incredible little girl who brought all of us together was now gone. Her parents asked me to speak at her funeral and I was honored to help celebrate Izzie's life, but I have to admit, I *never* wanted to be in that situation... I wished that Isabelle would have outlived us all! And so, that was my week last week - honoring and celebrating Isabelle's life and this week I have been trying to get things moving at school when my mind and heart were still in Pittsburgh.

I'll close this post with Isabelle's obituary and the same message I shared as I ended my remembrance at her funeral and I promise to return to blogging later for the coming week...

Isabelle Rose Christenson, 10, precious daughter of Michelle and Dan Christenson, passed away at home on August 13th. Isabelle is survived by beloved big-sister, Madeline, grandparents Barb and Jim Shumaker and Paul and Karol Christenson, Aunts and Uncles Greg and Karen Shumaker, Zach Shumaker, and Stacy and Scott Weber, cousins Anna and Aidan Shumaker, great-grandmothers Ellen Altsman and Dorothy Woodfill, and other family and friends. Isabelle loved the movie “Annie” and was proud to have been an orphan in the Comtra production last year. Believing “you’re never fully dressed without a smile” Isabelle lived each day to the fullest and touched the lives of everyone she met. She always believed in miracles and was forever grateful for the two donors who saved her life with her transplants of 5 organs. You can “bet your bottom dollar” that Isabelle is singing “the sun will come out tomorrow” in heaven. Calling hours will be held Friday, August 15th from 2 to 8pm at Devlin Funeral Home, Rochester Rd., Cranberry Twp. A funeral service celebrating Isabelle’s life will be held at Cranberry Community United Presbyterian Church on Saturday, August 16th at 2pm. (Please meet at church.) In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Foundation, 1250 Waterfront Place, Floor 5, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. You must note the contribution is in memory of “Isabelle Christenson.”

Our sadness today is so overwhelming, but if we can just see beyond it to our memories of her spunk, her insights, and just her “Izziness” I know each of us will be fully dressed with a wide and wonderful smile! The sun will surely come out tomorrow – it just won’t shine as brightly without her. We love you, Izzie!

Olympics

Have you been watching the Olympics? As I mentioned in the past I absolutely LOVE the Olympics! I enjoy watching all of the different sports and the passion and excitement as athletes compete not just for themselves or for one particular team, but for the entire country. If you watched the men's 4 x 100 swimming relay team take gold tonight you know what I mean when I say that it has been great and thrilling to watch the USA athletes in action. What a great country we are blessed to live in and how proud we are of all of the men and women who impress us through their hard work and dedication.

Not just an admissions test

The ACT and SAT are most frequently known as college admissions tests and they are certainly used to help college admissions officers in determining who they should accept. Ohio University is also using the tests for more than just admissions decisions. OU is phasing out their math placement exams and instead using ACT and SAT scores to determine students' level of math ability. Students with a 16 or below on the math portion of their ACT or a 380 or below on the SAT will be assigned to remedial math courses; those with at least a 30 on the ACT or a 680 on the SAT may skip the regular freshman math classes and take more advanced courses. If a student did not do well on the ACT or SAT they will still have the option of taking the school's placement exams online... so don't fret if your scores are not where you think they should be to reflect your ability.

Ready? Set... GO!!

I have had a chance to e-mail or chat with a few seniors in the last couple of days and have realized that many of you are waiting to start working on your college applications until you get back to school. Please (PLEASE!) don't wait! The time to start working on your applications is now. That doesn't mean you have to have the entire application complete, but begin working on your essays, start filling out the "easier" paperwork section that requires name, address, and other basic information because it can become time-consuming, and (if you still haven't done so) put together your list of activities and experiences you have had during high school so that you can add that information to your applications easily.

And, if you still don't know which schools you will be applying to - it is definitely time to start determining your list. Use PrepHQ to help you search for the characteristics of a school that you are looking for and, if possible, go and visit different campuses. (Of course, if you make visits to schools, don't forget to bring me a picture!)

Schedule Pick Up Days

I don't know if the information packets have been mailed home yet or not, but wanted to let you know about schedule pick up days!

9th graders: Monday, August 18th

10th graders: Tuesday, August 19th - morning

12th graders: Tuesday, August 19th - afternoon

11th graders: Wednesday, August 20th - morning

Also, for any new students there will be a new student orientation on the afternoon of Wednesday, August 20th.

Don't forget, schedule pick up day is packed with lots of activities - finding your locker, getting your school picture taken, picking up your books, etc.

I'm sure it will be a few crazy days in my office, but I am looking forward to seeing you so don't forget to stop by and let me know how your summer vacation was and update me on your lives.

I still have 1 more week of summer vacation left (YEAH!) and then I will be back at school to try to make sure everything is good to go for you when you pick up your schedules.

See you soon!

What do you want to be when you grow up?

How many times have people (including me) asked you what you want to be when you grow up? I often see many students stare back in a look of pure panic because they really don't have any idea what they would like to do when they are out in the "real world." Don't worry! It is normal to be uncertain of what career you will spend the rest of your life pursuing, but it is important that you start exploring different career fields and considering different jobs that might be a good fit with your strengths, needs, and interests.

I have been working with a committee of parents, teachers, students, and other staff to help gather additional resources to assist you as you explore different careers. The first major part of this effort was launched today - a survey for professionals in all different career fields to complete about their job. We will then use their responses to create a Career Resource Handbook for the WKHS Counseling and Career Center that students can access and use. We are also planning a Career Fair for this fall which will give you the opportunity to interact one-on-one in an informal setting (WKHS) with a variety of different career professionals. I know that in addition to my students, many parents read this blog - and I would sincerely appreciate it if you could help with this project by completing the career questionnaire and I would also love it if you could forward the survey to any of your family members, friends, neighbors, or colleagues - especially anyone with unique careers!

In the meantime, for students who still are at a loss and wouldn't even know a broad area that you might be interested in considering for your future, perhaps it would be worth your time to take a few Career Interest Inventories.

The Ohio Career Information System (OCIS) has an online assessment that the district provides access to for WKHS students. You will need to know the username: Worthington and password: ohiocis03

I previously blogged about another career interest inventory from Ohio Mentor that I had found and really liked. This is a link back the previous blog posting regarding this site. (No use re-inventing the wheel... right?!?) :-)

Here are a few other sites with career related information that you can explore:

Occupational Outlook Handbook: The Occupational Outlook Handbook is a nationally recognized source of career information, designed to provide valuable assistance to individuals making decisions about their future work lives. The Handbook is revised every two years.

O*Net (Occupational Information Network): source providing comprehensive information on key attributes and characteristics of workers and occupations. This site also includes a Skills Search section for students to complete as a self-assessment.

Enjoy exploring these different sites and learning about careers and opportunities available in your future!

Higher Education Opportunity Act

There is good news in a bill that was passed by Congress and is anticipated to be signed into law - it is the Higher Education Opportunity Act. This is designed to make college more accessible and the best part (in my opinion) is that it should make the financial aid process easier. And by easier I mean a LOT easier! They are guesstimating that the time to complete the FAFSA is now about 10 hours to complete and that with the new form it should be able to be completed in about 20 minutes! That is quite an improvement! The Columbus Dispatch ran a whole story on this called Changing how college is done.

Applying to OSU

It is hard to believe that it is already August 1st... Most college applications for students in the class of 2009 have already been released, are being launched today, or will be available in the very near future. (OSU is the number one school that students at WKHS apply to and today is their application launch date.) Be sure that when you begin completing any application that you double check that it is for the fall of 2009! When you visit college websites they may give you the option of completing your application electronically or by downloading the application. It can be helpful to download the application so that you can see what all you will be asked to provide, but it is very important to apply online as that is what colleges prefer. I, of course, wanted to see what the essays looked like for OSU and I have good news for you - they have decreased their essay requirements from 2 (250 word) essays to 1 (400 word) essay. The questions... well, it will be interesting to see what you come up with for your answers...

Here are the OSU essay questions for you to check out...

1. The 2008 presidential race is already considered historic for having introduced new levels of diversity among candidates in serious contention. Identify a public figure from years past whose race, gender, profession, or other circumstances would have prevented him/her from being a political contender and describe why that person might succeed as a political leader today.

2. While we all take pride in the many accomplishments and opportunities of our own country, we also can benefit from a better understanding of ideas and practices in other parts of the world. Select a country and describe a policy, approach, or philosophy that might make that country a model for us to seriously consider in the United States. What would it take for this idea to work in the U.S.?

3. In an election year, we are exposed to a wide range of viewpoints in speeches and editorials. What’s your editorial? Write an essay making the case for an issue about which you are particularly passionate. Remember: a good editorial is validated by facts, and the sources of those facts should be noted. An editorial composed of unsupported claims or unsubstantiated facts will be considered a weak argument.

Have fun checking out the applications for your colleges!