Happy Birthday

Today is my niece, Carly's, 7th birthday! It is hard to believe how fast she is growing up. I remember when she was born like it was yesterday. Carly is in 1st grade and loves to read. She is a very special little girl and I adore her. Happy Birthday Carly!

To the rest of you, I hope you have a wonderful and enjoyable new years eve! Please be safe, smart, and make good decisions tonight!

Save the Date

Save the Date! On Tuesday, January 12th at 7:00pm there will be a presentation about financial aid and filling out the FAFSA form in the WKHS Auditorium. (FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid.) Most students will need to fill out the FAFSA form and it is essential to meet the deadlines established by your colleges of choice to determine what amount of aid they can offer. (Many deadlines will be February 15th.) So this is definitely not something you can put off once we hit the first of the year. There are some people who will automatically assume that they do not qualify for financial aid and it is important not to make assumptions and to read the fine print from the colleges carefully as there are some colleges that won't offer any financial packages (including merit scholarships) without having a FAFSA on file. Specific questions about each college's requirements and deadlines should be addressed to the financial aid offices at each respective college.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas! I know that everyone does not celebrate Christmas, but either way, I hope that you have a wonderful day today surrounded by the people who mean the most in your life. Be thankful for all that you have received and find joy in giving to others. I have so much to be grateful for this year - my family, friends, and the students with whom I work each day. Thanks for being a special part of my life. I hope you have a relaxing and memorable Christmas!

College Admissions Related

I realize that the college application process for this year is winding down and the waiting, for many of you, is just beginning. For other students, the application stage is next fall or beyond, but this is timely information to keep in mind at all stages.

Inside the Admissions Office:
The Wall Street Journal and Unigo.com present the heads of 8 college admissions departments sharing insight into the process of reviewing college applications. I have mentioned the unigo.com website in the past and strongly recommend that you check it out. Here is a blog posting that talks about and links to the broadcast.

More Unigo.com Information:
This article also highlights the great information available on the Uniogo.com website with a list of links to some of the recent webcasts that might interest you.

Surprise! How it can help you get accepted is a blog posting highlighting the benefits of using surprise in your college application essay to catch the attention of the admissions officers reviewing your application.

The Answer Sheet, a blog from the Washington Post, recently had an update called “Between the Lines of the College Admissions Process” by the admissions dean at William and Mary College that I believe you will also enjoy and find useful.

Winter Break

I don't know about you, but I am relieved that we have reached winter break. I do find it a bit scary that we are nearly 1/2 way through the school year though. Does it seem to be flying past for you too? I hope you have plans to relax and enjoy the upcoming days off. I am nearly finished with my shopping (thank goodness because I hate to shop!) and I am quite proud of myself because I have already accomplished mailing out my Christmas cards and wrapping all of my gifts.

Friday ended up being a little bit crazy for me so I didn't get to wish you all the best for the holidays. I hope you enjoy it with your family and are safe throughout the break. Also, as you have probably figured out, I will blog several times over the holidays, but not every day - as this is a vacation for me too. :-) Looking forward to hearing all about your holiday fun after we get back to school. Again, have a great break!

11 Days Remaining

The countdown is on... we have just 11 days of school left this quarter before semester exams. I *know* some (or maybe all) of you don't want to hear this, but it is REALLY important that you start studying now for exams. Today I skimmed through the interim grade reports and was sad to see how many people are struggling. If your grades are not where they should be at this point in time, please make use of the resources available to you - the academic assistants in room 209 and, most importantly, your teachers. I am also here to help you with studying strategies and tips if needed. For many students, your final grade for the semester will come down to how you finish out this quarter and how well you do on semester exams. Please don't neglect this opportunity to make the most of the remaining time and use winter break as a chance to start reviewing for exams.

Balancing Hopes and Expectations

Yesterday many students across the country (and at WKHS) who had applied to colleges under the Early Decision and Early Action plans received their admissions decisions. As I heard people talking about college decisions today, I wanted to remind you that it is important to find a balance between hopes and expectations. Not only is this important when you are waiting for your own admissions decisions, but it is also essential that you keep in mind that your friends are facing the same worries. While it is normal to be curious to find out if someone in your class was accepted to a particular college, please remember that it could be very hard for your friend to announce to everyone that they had not been accepted. As a general rule, allow your friends and classmates to inform you of their admissions decisions on their own. Trust me, if they receive acceptances they are going to share the good news in their own time.

Late Start Reminder

Just a quick reminder that tomorrow you are on a late-start schedule. 1st period starts at 9:10am so I hope you enjoy sleeping in tomorrow morning. (And yes, I am very jealous!)

Interim reports were also e-mailed out to your parents and I hope that you are taking the time to really stop and reflect on where you currently stand in your classes and what you can do to finish out the semester in a strong way. Looking at the lengthy list of "my" students with D's or F's in one or more classes was very scary. If you are struggling in your classes, please be sure to talk to your teachers before we leave for winter break to see what you can do or should be focusing on during the time off from school.

E-Mail

I realize that many of you do not utilize e-mail at all or even regularly, however, it is very important to have an e-mail account of your own when it comes to college application time. College applications will ask you for your e-mail address. Often times the colleges will use your e-mail as their way to communicate with you including notifying you of your admissions decision. (This also points out that it is important to regularly check your e-mail.) Some questions to ask yourself, Do you have an account? (If not, you need to create one. There are tons of free choices available - gmail, yahoo, hotmail, etc.) Do you have an appropriate account? (In other words, is the name of your account appropriate as the college admissions officers will be seeing the e-mail address when reviewing your application.) Is it YOUR account? (A lot of times students just rely on their parents e-mail addresses which works a lot in high school, but when you are at the college application point it is important to have your own account as the colleges will ask for your address and your parents address.)

In addition to having an e-mail account, it is also important to remember to use proper etiquette when communicating with college representatives via e-mail. For example, when you need to e-mail admissions officers for any reason, as well as any other college representatives (advisor, professor, etc.) that you communicate with, please remember that the way you write your e-mail is a reflection of you. Please do not use text talk, avoid ALL CAPS, be mature, and write it in an official format “Dear _(insert their name with Mr/ Mrs)_, Text of your message, Sincerely, _(insert your name)__”.

Apply!

I was reviewing the college application data for my students so far this year and it began to make me quite nervous as there are many students who have not yet submitted any applications or who have applied to just 1 school. Please make sure that you are paying attention to the application deadlines for your college and remember, the transcript release forms should be submitted at least 10 days in advance!

As a reminder, when applying you need:

- College application (apply online)

- Essay (if the school requires it)

- Test scores (most colleges will require it be sent directly from ACT or SAT to their school)

- Transcript (with any required forms for me to fill out for you)

- If required, teacher recommendation letter(s)

Stop by and see me if you are needing help with your college applications!

Financial Aid

The financial aid conference that I attended today is presented to counselors each year by the Ohio Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.

Most students will need to fill out the FAFSA form (FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and it is essential to meet the deadlines established by your colleges of choice to determine what amount of aid they can offer. (Many deadlines will be February 15th.) So this is definitely not something you can put off once we hit the first of the year. There are some people who will automatically assume that they do not qualify for financial aid and it is important not to make assumptions and to read the fine print from the colleges carefully as there are some colleges that won't offer any financial packages (including merit scholarships) without having a FAFSA on file. Specific questions about each college's requirements and deadlines should be addressed to the financial aid offices at each respective college.

The way financial need is determined is taking the “Cost of Attendance” (which includes tuition, fees, room, board, books, and other miscellaneous expenses) and then subtracting from that the “Expected Family Contribution” and the remaining difference is what is known as your “Financial Need.”

They financial aid administrators reminded us that usually people do not agree with their Estimated Family Contribution, but it is the same for everyone so it is fair across the board.

For what it is worth, it is also important to know that it depends upon each school as to whether they guarantee to meet your entire financial need with a financial aid offer. You can usually find this information on the college financial aid website.

If you are a freshman, sophomore, junior, or the parent of a student in one of these grades, you may be interested in using the FAFSA4caster which provides an estimated Expected Family Contribution to give you an idea of what you might qualify for regarding federal aid including grants.

When you are completing the FAFSA application, please remember that this is a FREE application – do not pay to have someone help you fill it out as there are plenty of opportunities to get free assistance to complete it if you need it. You will also want to make sure that you are using the correct website – http://www.fafsa.gov/ – (do not use .com as that is a site that has a fee.)

You can request your PIN number now, but please make sure you save it and keep it in a safe place for future use as this will be your permanent PIN number. Parents, you will also need your own PIN number unless you have one that you have utilized with older students as it is the same PIN number for all of your children.

When you are filling out the FAFSA form please pay attention to who they are asking for information about – the beginning of the form is all about the student and later it is about the parents. This can be confusing if your parents are helping you fill out the form because it says “you and your” so sometimes parents will accidentally put their information in rather than putting in the student information.

If your parents are divorced, you will use the parent with whom you live with the majority of the time. You fill out the form based upon your “household” so anyone living in that household and under that roof are included in your FAFSA. So, for example, if your parents are divorced and you live with your mom who is remarried then your FAFSA application will include the information from your mom and your step-dad.

Please remember that you cannot fill out your FAFSA forms until after January 1st. You will need your tax information as well as your parents tax information. If you cannot get the tax information completed early enough to meet the deadlines from the colleges, then be sure to use estimated numbers and then go back and revise the information once you have the actual data.

To help you with the college financial aid process we will have a financial aid meeting for students and parents at 7:00pm at WKHS on Tuesday, January 12th.

There is also an event known as “College Goal Sunday” which is Sunday, February 14th at 2:00pm where financial aid administrators will provide free expert help in completing the FAFSA forms. To find locations and to register you can visit http://www.ohiocollegegoalsunday.org/.

Here is also a link to a blog with frequently asked questions about the FAFSA.

Out of the Office

Sorry! I always try to give you a few days notice about when I will be out of the office, but somehow this week snuck up on me. I am out of the school all day tomorrow in order to attend a Financial Aid meeting up at Bowling Green State University. (And yes, I do plan to take a picture for the "Oh the Places You'll Go" collection even with the crazy weather!) I am back on Thursday though so you won't miss me for long. :-) If you need anything stop in to see me Thursday or Friday. Have a great day tomorrow!

Test Scores

The college admissions tests (ACT and SAT) are one of the basic components that most colleges consider when evaluating an application. While any scores that we have appear on your transcript, the vast majority of the colleges want to receive the score results directly from the testing agency. You receive the option to send your scores to 4 colleges for free and there is an additional charge for any extra schools you want to send your results to after those initial four.

You can log in to the ACT and SAT websites to review the locations where you selected to send your scores to make sure that every college you are considering has received a copy of your scores. This is an important step as you are completing the application process. So, in addition to making sure that you have completed your application form, written your essay, secured your recommendation letters, and submitted your transcript release form, please make sure that you have sent your test scores to each of the colleges where you are applying.

Don't forget, not every college will require these tests so it is not the end of the world if you are not a strong test taker. Visit http://www.fairtest.org/ for a list of the over 800 colleges that do not require admissions tests as a component to evaluate the applicant.

Socratic Society

On Friday morning 36 students were inducted into the Socratic Society. Staff members are given the opportunity to recognize students for excellence in one or more of the core socratic values of Scholarship, Integrity, Personal Effort, Compassion, or Lifelong Learning. Students are only eligible to be selected for this honor one time during their high school career.
A special congratulations to "my" students who were among those recognized this month! (Left to Right): Sammi Adams, Ben Beall, Hayley Hills, Rachel Archambeau, and Kristin Black. Also, I had several students who are not pictured, but were inducted on Friday: Hussein Elfaour, Chad Ellwood, John Jacob, and Joey Jacob. I am proud of each of you!

Evaluating an Applicant

Earlier this week one of the New York Times blog postings dealt with how colleges evaluate applicants. They received detailed information from the Admissions Director at College of the Holy Cross in MA which provides great insight into the process that takes place when an admissions office evaluates the application. The information shared in this blog posting is important not only to seniors, but for students and parents in every grade. I particularly liked the interactive explanation on their admissions office processing sheet. As you read the information I think it will give you a much better understanding of how colleges evaluate your transcript and what they are thinking as they look at your academic record. There was also a follow up blog post that gives some additional input.

Random Reminders

Several Reminders for you...

- Don't forget to Register for PrepHQ! (Click on the link to the right to connect to PrepHQ.)

- Freshmen and Juniors, don't forget that after you have registered for PrepHQ to sign up on the bulletin board in the Counseling Center to show that you have registered so that you can be entered in the raffle to win the $10.00 gift cards to Chipotle! (The bulletin board is on the left wall when you enter the Counseling and Career Center.)

- Seniors: Remember that tomorrow (December 3rd) is the final day that Herff Jones will be in the Commons for you to order your caps and gowns. Prices increase with a $25.00 late fee as of December 6th so if you don't get order your cap and gown tomorrow, please visit their website to place your order. (How crazy is it to think that graduation is exactly 6 months from Sunday!?! WOW!)

- Juniors and any Freshmen or Sophomores who took the PSAT: Don't forget that your results are in so stop by the Counseling Center and see one of the secretaries to pick up your PSAT results.

Tomorrow's Schedule

Wow... my goodness have the last few days of school been crazy around the counseling center! The mad rush of college applications, essay revisions, and turning in transcript release forms has resulted in total chaos in my office. Luckily, it appears that everything is moving along and we will make it through. :-)

Tomorrow is a 3A/ 3B Modified Bell Schedule.

Everyone will report to homeroom during 3A and you will all have your 3rd period class during the 3B time slot. In case you don't have it, here is a breakdown of the schedule:

1st Period: 7:45 - 8:27

2nd Period: 8:32 - 9:14

3A: 9:19 - 10:24

3B Period: 10:24 - 11:09

4th Period: 11:14 - 11:57

5th Period: 12:02 - 12:44

6th Period: 12:49 - 1:31

7th Period: 1:36 - 2:18

8th Period: 2:23 - 3:05

Hope you enjoy the shortened periods. Tomorrow during the homerooms I, along with the rest of the counselors, will be spending some time talking to you about PrepHQ, Study Skills, and things you should be working on.

Transcript Release Reminder

Remember, if you are applying to schools with a December 15th, December 31st, or January 1st deadline and you have not already turned in a transcript release form you need to do this Monday or Tuesday! Many of you have asked if it is OK to turn in a transcript release form before you have completed your applications. Yes, it is definitely OK! Your actual application to the college is still not due until whatever their stated deadline is, but if we are going to successfully process all of the forms and transcripts before winter break then we need to have your transcript releases in before December 1st. (Remember, we are not at school working during winter break either...)

Another reminder related to the transcript releases... whatever you put on the transcript release form as far as materials to be included is what we will make sure we have before sending in your transcript. So, for example, I have a transcript and paperwork that have been sitting in my office for at least 3 weeks because I do not have the teacher recommendations that are indicated. If you have any questions about if your transcript has been mailed, you can check that information on PrepHQ. If you look at PrepHQ and see that your transcript is still in the office, then I strongly recommend that you follow up with your teachers and make sure that their letters will be ready before your postmark deadline! Some students are making sure that all of the materials are ready to be mailed when turning in their transcript release forms by attaching the sealed envelopes of their teacher's recommendation letters or by making sure that their teachers have already given me copies of their recommendations prior to submitting the transcript release forms. This is ideal, but you still need to make sure that you are turning in the transcript release forms to Mrs. Hoyt before December 1st.

Summary:

- Due by December 1st: Transcript release form, $2.00, and any additional materials (counselor report form, school report form, teacher recommendation letters, etc.) for EVERY college that need to be mailed for December 15th, December 31st or January 1st application deadlines.

If you have any questions, feel free to let me know. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving Break! Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow and hearing all about your 5 days off!

A "Black Weekend"

The day after Thanksgiving is known as “Black Friday” and the entire weekend has been called a “Black Weekend.” NOT because of all the brave people who are out shopping, but because high school seniors across the country are forced by parents to spend all weekend working on college applications in an effort to try to get them completed. I keep wondering how many of you are really spending the weekend locked away in your rooms stressed out about trying to finish your college applications. With December 1st being Tuesday, many of you may have been ahead of the game and not procrastinating to try to get everything done over the holiday weekend. Hopefully you finished so you could enjoy the break and that it was not a black weekend with lots of application work.

In case you are still working on your applications and need some additional help or tips perhaps these links will help:

College Application Resume

Last minute reminders about the importance of having your college application essays edited and to write for your reader.

Generic-itis prevention in college essays

Personal Statement Fundamentals

Don’t forget that you can check to see if the college of your choice has updates or hints or reminders about their essay questions on their website or even on YouTube. (For example, the University of California has a YouTube video about their personal statement and what they are looking for in the essay.)

What are you really going to college for?

And for those of you who are starting to look ahead from college application work to focusing on scholarship applications, here are two links that might interest you.

How to Begin Your Scholarship Search

Scholarship Scams

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope that you are enjoying a wonderful Thanksgiving and that you were able to eat great food with the family or friends who mean the most to you.

We had lots of great food, but my sister and her family were not able to come for the holiday so it just doesn't feel like Thanksgiving with them missing.

Enjoy spending time with your family, eating turkey, watching the parade, watching football, and taking a nap... or whatever your traditions include. :-)

Safe Travels

I'd imagine many of you were like me and were so happy that the school week is already over.

I hope you have a wonderful 5 days off and that wherever your travels take you that you will have fun and be safe!

Pictures on Campus

I don't know about you, but I am so happy that this is only a 2 day school week!

In talking with many of you recently, I know that some of you will be combining the Thanksgiving break with formal visits or informal stops on college campuses. Please remember that I would like to have a picture of you on EVERY campus that you step foot on - regardless of your intention to apply to that school or not.

Earlier this fall Ms. Schwartz, Mrs. Gratz and I attended a conference at the University of Cincinnati and since I would never ask you to do something that I won't do, I thought I would share our "Oh the Places You'll Go" pictures from our trip to UC.

College Admissions Decisions

College admissions decisions are already starting to come in for some students. Every senior looks forward to receiving their college acceptance letters. It is an exciting time and reassures that there is more ahead. Depending upon the schools where you are applying, it is possible that you will hear back quickly or you may be waiting until sometime in March to find out if you have been accepted. I do ask that as you begin receiving your acceptance or, sadly, even rejection letters, to please keep me informed about the decisions. For the vast majority of the colleges, the only way I know about your admissions decision is if you share the information with me.

Remember, the only way to receive an acceptance letter is to actually APPLY to the college! (Just a friendly little reminder for those of you who are struggling to get your applications finished.)

Deadlines Are Real!

Just a quick reminder about the upcoming deadlines related to your college applications...

- Any student applying to OSU (or an OSU branch) that wants to be considered for scholarships MUST apply before December 1st! That means that ALL of your materials (transcript, college prep form, test scores, and application including the essay) are in OSU's hands by December 1st. If you are in the group of students who still plan to hit this December 1st date, then please verify that you have turned in your transcript release form with the college prep form that I need to complete for you and $2.00 to Mrs. Hoyt. You are told to provide at least 10 working days to make sure that we get everything processed on time. (10 days has already passed... so if you have not yet turned in your form, be certain that you have done so NO LATER than Monday!)

- If you are looking at December 15th, December 31st, or January 1st deadlines, your transcript release forms MUST be submitted to Mrs. Hoyt (with all supplemental materials required) no later than Tuesday, December 1st! This is because those deadlines create a massive back up in the system because there will be so many applicants and we need the time to process them all and get them mailed before winter break begins.

- Transcript release forms are available on the center shelves area in the middle of the Counseling and Career Center or you can download them off of the "Shared Files" area on PrepHQ.

- By now I *SHOULD* know about any and all students who need recommendation letters for college applications, but if you have realized that your college application needs a recommendation letter, then please do NOT delay and come and see me immediately so that we can figure out a plan to get your letter written on time to meet your deadlines.

- Stop by my office if you have any questions, but please remember that deadlines are real and they are approaching quickly.

Caring Makes a Difference

A parent recently sent this to me and I thought it was a good reminder of what really makes a difference. The following is the philosophy of Charles Schulz, the creator of the 'Peanuts' comic strip. You don't have to actually answer the questions. Just ponder on them and you'll get the point.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress...

How did you do?

The point is that none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:
1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

Easier?

The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money or the most awards. They simply are the ones who care the most!

Letter of Intent

Congratulations to Will Campbell who signed his national letter of intent to play lacrosse next year at the University of North Carolina. Today after school, Will had his "signing" ceremony where several coaches shared a few comments before Will “signed” and thanked everyone in attendance. Will was joined by his parents for this recognition and was surrounded by other supporters including his brothers, grandparents, coaches, teammates and friends. Today’s ceremony and his signature on a piece of paper is particularly impressive because it represents all the years of hard work and dedication he has put forth to achieve his goals. Congratulations Will! I am proud of you and wish you the best at UNC!

(Will pictured above with his parents and brothers.)

PLAN Test Results

The PLAN Test results have arrived and are available for students to pick up from the secretaries in the Counseling Center. Remember, the PLAN Test is the practice ACT and it has a lot of great information about careers so be sure to check that out to see where your interests and abilities are for various future fields. Stop in and see me if you have any questions about your test results. Don't forget that an important part of the testing process is reviewing your results with the test book in order to determine the questions that you didn't get correct and to see if there is a pattern so that you can look for areas to work on to improve. The handout about "understanding your test results" and the actual results page will also help you focus on areas for improvement.

Delaware Area Career Center

Yesterday the counselors had the opportunity to take all students interested in learning more about the Delaware Area Career Center up to the north and south campuses for a field trip/ visit. I picked to attend the north campus because a few of my students are in programs up there and I wanted to try to see them.
I was excited to be able to visit the construction lab and see Gavin Barbin and the success that he is having and all that he has achieved while there. Gavin showed me the sheds that they have built and talked about their next project of working to build a house for Habitat for Humanity. It was very interesting. (The picture above shows Gavin on top of the shed that he is building with his group.)
In addition to my time in the construction lab, I went to the fire-service lab and was able to catch up with and see Tori Cardiel. It was great to see the equipment that she has been working with and learning about at the DACC. (The picture above shows Tori with one of the fire-trucks they have at the career center.)

I am so incredibly proud of Gavin, Tori and the rest of my students that are doing so well at the career center! And, I was also impressed when watching as they taught the student visitors.

If you have ever given any consideration to attending the Delaware Area Career Center and have questions, please stop in and see me. You should also try to go up to the DACC with your parents for the Open House on the evening of December 3rd.

Caps and Gowns

Today during lunch, tomorrow (Thursday, November 12th) during lunch, and tomorrow evening during the parent/ teacher conferences, representatives from Herff Jones are in the Commons to take orders from seniors for your cap and gowns! It is exciting that it is already time to order your cap and gown and yet it is also hard to believe that graduation is less than 7 months away. Please be sure to check the ordering information you received during the senior class meeting about placing your order for your cap and gown so that you can get yours ordered before the late fee gets added to the order. (I am not 100% positive, but I believe that date is early in December.) If you lost your cap and gown order forms, stop in the Co-Curricular office for an extra copy.

I would also like to thank all Veteran's as well as those men and women currently working to serve our country in the military. Several of my former students have pursued military careers after graduation and I am grateful for them and all veterans.

College InSight

There are lots of websites full of useful information about colleges. College InSight is a new website from the Institute for College Access and Success. There is a wealth of higher education data information on this website. One of the areas that I found particularly interesting was related to financial aid and student debt. For example, the website identified that seniors who graduated from Ohio 4 year colleges in 2007-2008 had $23,001 worth of debt if graduating from a public college and $25,631 of debt if graduating from a private college. Check out their website and expore the information for the colleges you are considering.

Kilbourne Choir

A few weeks ago I had to miss the fall choir concert. I was disappointed to miss out on the opportunity to see the kids in action and in particular to see the Kilbourne Singers perform their signature song of "Come to the Water." As they process into the auditorium for every concert the members of Kilbourne's top choir perform this song and it gives me chills each time. (Plus I love to watch the faces of "my" students as they walk past on their way to the stage.) Today, I found that this fall's performance of Come to the Water was added to You Tube. It is beautiful, but I have to tell you that if you have never been to a concert, you really need to attend the next one as it is even more powerful and impressive than can be captured on video.

The two student directed specialty groups Acafellas and Encore also have two songs from the concert on You Tube.

Acafellas includes 4 of my students - David Busch, Josh Cook, John Jacob, and Hunter Atha. They performed Apologize (One Republic) and I'm Yours (Jason Mraz).

Encore also includes 4 of my students - Gina Badillo, Rachel Bare, Allison Carney, and Jessica Blake. They performed Hallelujah and Happy Ending (Mika).

Students of the Month

Yesterday morning 27 WKHS students were honored as November Students of the Month. 9 of these outstanding individuals were “my” students. Naomi Barker, Charlie Bassani, Rachel Berg, Brittany Carson, Eric Clemens, Sammi Coen, Cove Day, Lauren Dixon, and Chad Ellwood were all nominated by staff for their academic achievement, good citizenship and/ or service. This is an honor that students can only receive once during their high school career. Congratulations on your well-deserved recognition! I am proud of you.

(Above is a group shot of all of the honorees who were present for the recognition ceremony. Below is a picture featuring "my" students.)

(Left to Right: Eric Clemens, Rachel Berg, Chad Ellwood, Lauren Dixon, Sammi Coen, Charlie Bassani, Cove Day, and Naomi Barker)

Report Cards

As you know, your first quarter report cards were distributed today. Congratulations to all of the students who have started the school year strong with very impressive grades! There are some of you, however, that are struggling quite a bit. It is important to remember that the grades you earn for the quarters are not the final grades which will appear on your transcript. The transcripts and your grade point average are determined based upon your semester grades. Most classes function on a 40/40/20 principle which means that 40% of your grade is now finished, but you still have 60% remaining. (40% from 2nd quarter grades and 20% from the exam.) Every point matters - so please do your best to finish the semester strong! If you need ideas and strategies about how to turn things around academically, please stop in to see me!

Don’t forget to show your report card to your parents as they may want to meet with one or more of your teachers. It can be very helpful to have your parents and teachers on the same page with understanding what is expected in the class so that they can help you better prepare. Parents, don’t forget that parent/ teacher conferences are next Monday and Thursday evenings from 5:30 – 9:00pm. Appointments must be scheduled in advance by calling the counseling center at 883-2590.

OSU Student Housing

Students want to attend the Ohio State University for a wide range of reasons. It is the most frequently applied to school for students at WKHS and historically, we have a significant number of students who elect to spend their collegiate years at OSU. While it will not impact the students currently at OSU, or even this year's senior class, I thought you might be interested in hearing about the plan that OSU President, Dr. Gordon Gee, has proposed for student housing in the future. They are currently working to improve and expand their housing availability on the Columbus campus so that in addition to all freshman students living in a dorm that all sophomores will also be required to stay in the dorms. (The exception, of course, would be if you are going to live at home with your parents for both years.) They hope to have the sophomores in campus housing for 2012 - 13. The Dispatch story about these plans explains that there is data to show that remaining in dorms improves student academic outcomes. Read the story to get all the details.

Celebration!

I am so incredibly excited and happy that the Worthington Schools levy passed today. This is a major stress reliever. Thank you to everyone who voted to support the students of Worthington Schools! (Definitely the best birthday present I could have ever hoped to receive!) :-) Don't forget that I am out tomorrow for a crisis management conference. See you Thursday!

For What It's Worth

I wanted to let you know that I will be out of the building all day on Wednesday for a conference. If you need something, please make plans to stop in tomorrow or Thursday.

Also, Friday morning I have a meeting at central office so I will be out for the first few periods of the day.

Don't forget that tomorrow is election day. I appreciate everyone who is making time to vote! Remember to find Issue 49 (last on the ballot).

Mental Blocks, Adversity, Self Doubt, and Worry

I have mentioned before that there are a lot of blogs that I follow and that most of them are in some way related to education or college. There is one blog that I stumbled across at some point a while back that I love to read called Stepcase LifeHack. In the recent past they have had several articles about topics that I think you will be able to relate to and might enjoy.

Getting Things (Re-)Started: Dealing with Mental Blocks
This post highlights ways to keep going and work toward accomplishing your goal when you are feeling stuck. This happens a LOT to high school students. The number of you that are professional procrastinators is rather impressive. So, perhaps this article and the suggestions to: Take it on the Road, Do Twenty Minutes, Limit Yourself, Skip the Hard Stuff, and Tend to your Knitting will resonate with you. It’s worth a try!


Face Adversity with a Smile

This post deals with the importance of picking your attitude when facing adversity. We all have challenges and difficult days – some more than others – and it is important to try to manage the aspects that we can control. Often, your attitude and outlook are the only parts that are yours to control and this article offers helpful reminders and steps to try to maintain a positive attitude.


Self Doubt: A Disease the Doesn’t Discriminate

We all face self-doubt. It is part of being human. You are often your own harshest critic and the fear that can come regarding the impact of the non-stop chatter of personal talk that you hear running through your head all the time can be overwhelming. This article helps to normalize the self doubt and reminds you to consider it’s role in your life. Are you controlling the doubt/ fear or is it controlling you?


And last, but certainly not least…

The Work of Worry

This article talks about worrying and the ways that we make it worse for ourselves by procrastinating, being disorganized, trying to be over-organized, or setting unattainable goals.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! I hope you are enjoying your weekend. It started out on a high with beautiful weather for last night's football game. (Well, beautiful until half way through senior tackle at least...)

Congratulations to the senior football players - Tyler Boggs, Weston Bridges, Will Campbell, and Jason Cunningham on the victory over Thomas. What a wonderful way to wrap up your high school football career! Congratulations also to senior cheerleaders, Emma Ellis and Jordan Ellwood.

In honor of all the little kids who are dressing up for halloween and to celebrate Worthington Kilbourne's victory over Thomas I think the picture of Lobo with the cardinal in his mouth is pretty appropriate. After all, as Coach Trombetti shared at the pep rally, this was really a victory for the student body and school and not just for the football team.

And, of course, no halloween post would be complete if it didn't have my adorable niece and nephew... :-) Carly dressed up in a kimono as a Japanese girl. She has been planning this costume since early in the summer when she picked out the fabric and had my mom make the costume for her. Cole was going back and forth on what he wanted to be and he finally decided on being a Fireman. (Although he insists he is not a fireman he is a fire TRUCK, but whatever...) Since my sister and her family live out in the country, trick or treat where they live is actually called "Trick or Trunk" because everyone drives to a church in the middle of town and then the kids trick or treat to the trunks of all of the cars instead of trying to go door to door. Below is a picture of Carly and Cole:

WKHS School Spirit

Tomorrow is the final home football game of the season and is a battle of Worthington with WKHS taking on TWHS. To build the excitement for tomorrow night's game, we will be on a modified schedule and end the day with a pep rally.

For those who are interested, here is the bell schedule for tomorrow:

1st Period: 7:45 - 8:30

2nd Period: 8:35 - 9:20

3rd Period: 9:25 - 10:10

News: 10:10 - 10:18

4th Period: 10:23 - 11:08

5th Period: 11:13 - 11:58

6th Period: 12:03 - 12:48

7th Period: 12:53 - 1:38

8th Period: 1:44 - 2:28

Pep Assembly: 2:38 - 3:05

Good luck to all of the seniors who will be taking the field for the final time tomorrow night! Let's hope for a victory for the wolves and dry weather! :-)

FYI, tomorrow is also the last day to register for December's SAT if that is something that you were planning on taking.

What I Learned

Tonight I had the chance to go to see the Columbus BlueJackets game which was a lot of fun. They had a meeting for counselors and then gave us tickets to attend the game - which was very nice of them! It was the first time I have been to a CBJ game and the first time I have been to any hockey games outside of Kilbourne hockey. Wow... they are crazy fast and make amazing passes. It was fun to see professional hockey and to enjoy the atmosphere of the game. Yet, as I sat there watching the game, I was thinking about what it is about high school sports that I like better than professional sports and I realized it is the fact that I *KNOW* you. I enjoy watching high school sports because I like to watch you play - I care more about the person wearing the uniform than I do for the wins/ losses or the particularly impressive plays. So, while I will look forward to going to another CBJ game in the future, I will also look forward to Friday night's football game and the upcoming start of winter sports.

Thanks to all of the freshmen and sophomores who took the PLAN test today! After the PSAT and PLAN tests both being administered in the last two weeks I have to say that I learned a few things there too... You should bring regular pencils - NOT mechanical pencils! Wear a watch. Dress in layers. (It was so cold in the gym this morning, but I remember last year's PSAT was unbelievably hot so you never really know what to expect.) Bring a calculator. It's interesting, my guess is that most of those reminders - except maybe the dressing in layers part were probably on the reminder sheets, but it is true. Hope it helps you when you test again in the future.

PrepHQ and the College Search

Last month I talked about the importance of searching for a college by looking inside and finding the characteristics that you are personally seeking, but as I have been trying to find seniors to discuss which colleges you are considering, I raelized that some practical advice might help you.

If you have not already logged in and started exploring PrepHQ and the wealth of knowledge that is available to you on this website… please stop reading this now and register for PrepHQ. (Click on the area that says "Click here to Register" in the grey box. You will need your student ID number to get started. Then simply answer the questions and follow the directions to create your own username and password.)

OK, now that everyone has registered… let’s talk about one of the areas of PrepHQ that can be very useful for students and parents – the College Search component. When you are logged into the system you will see a menu of choices on the left side of the screen – click on “Colleges.”

This takes you to a page that features the upcoming college visits to WKHS (you can register to attend one by clicking in the area where it says “sign up” and then downloading a pass from the Shared Files area to have your teacher sign granting you permission to miss class so that you can attend the college meeting.) There is also a quick link section to the top 20 colleges WKHS students have applied to in the past. And you will find the “College Search” area.

In the College Search area you have a few choices. You can type in the name of a particular school that you are interested in learning more about or you can click on the green “Go to Search” bar to look for schools that would match your interests. If you decide to complete a search you will have three different areas of more specific information to enter in order to come up with the colleges are similar to what you are hoping to find.

When you find a school that you are interested in learning more about you can click on the name of the school and it will pull up a College Detail screen that provides a more detailed overview of the school. Some of the components featured includes the percent of people admitted, the average high school GPA, average test scores, costs, size, location, majors available, and sports offered. You can also review the total number of students and the percent of freshman that return each year. In the top right hand corner of the College Details page there is also a direct link to the college websites so that you can gather additional information about the potential school.

If the school is one that you want to keep on your radar or one to whom you will be applying, you can click on the “Add to My College List” bar in order to keep it in your “My Organizer” area for future reference.

Please keep your college list current in PrepHQ. When we have scholarships or colleges arrange to come to WKHS for a visit, we look at the list of students who have expressed an interest in that particular school to decide if any of those individuals meet the eligibility requirements for different scholarships.

Important Deadline Reminders

It feels like there are so many dates and deadlines that continue to rush up so I figured it might help to give you a few reminders...

- All Sophomores and any freshmen interested in taking the PLAN test should have registered today, but we will accept additional registrations tomorrow (Tuesday) morning. Please be sure to bring your $10.00 to one of the secretaries first thing in the morning to get registered.

- Wednesday is a Late Start Day for students. All of the students taking the PLAN test will need to arrive at school (via your own transporation) at 7:30am.

- Wednesday is also the deadline for students to submit their permission slips if interested in participating in the field trip (on November 12th) to the Delaware Area Career Center. Please see Mrs. King in the Counseling Center if you lost your permission slip.

- This week is OGT retake week for all of the Juniors and Seniors who have not taken or passed one or more sections of the OGT. You should have received a registration slip telling you where you will be taking your test. Please make sure that you take the test as scheduled!

- Seniors who have college application deadlines of November 1st should have already submitted the transcript release forms. If you have not yet done so and you have a school that you are hoping will have your materials by November 1st, please complete a transcript release form and turn it in with your $2.00 right away.

Parent Teacher Conferences

Parent Teacher Conferences will be held on Monday, November 9th, and Thursday, November 12th. Conferences begin at 5:30pm and run every 20 minutes with the last conferences beginning at 8:30pm. All conferences with teachers are scheduled through the secretaries in the Counseling Center. Appointments can be scheduled beginning tomorrow morning by calling 883-2590. This is a great opportunity for parents to be able to meet with teachers.

One other reminder, all sophomores and any interested freshman should sign up by tomorrow with the secretaries in the Counseling Center to take the PLAN test on Wednesday morning. The cost is $10.00.