Happy Memorial Day

I hope that you had a relaxing Memorial Day spending time with your family and friends. I also hope that you had the chance to pause and reflect on the meaning behind this holiday. Today I am thinking not only of those who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom and for the families they left behind, but also for all who have proudly served to make us the home of the brave. God Bless America and all who have made the choice to serve! See you tomorrow for a 4-day week and the last week of regular classes!

Good Luck Irish

Good Luck to the Notre Dame Men's Lacrosse team who will be competing tomorrow in the NCAA Division 1 Championship Game! Two graduates from Worthington Kilbourne High School, Nick Beattie and Colin Igoe, are members of the Notre Dame team. I think it is incredible that two former Kilbourne students will be competing for a National Championship! Good luck Irish and especially Nick! (FYI - The game is on Monday, May 31st at 3:30 on ESPN. Notre Dame will be taking on Duke for the title.)

The picture above is one that another former Kilbourne student, Andy Gottesman, took of Nick last year when Notre Dame played against Ohio State.

Scheduling Madness

This week the WKHS administration officially "locked" the master schedule into place. What this means is that they have determined where each class will be held during the school day to meet the most student requests possible. They ran through the computer all of the requests and successfully matched on over 70% of the schedules.

Unfortunately, it now becomes a nightmare for the counselors as we go through each of the schedules that didn't match and try to figure out if there is a solution and what possible options we can use to make a schedule fit together. I spent a large part of the week pouring over schedules and still have a long ways to go. Needless to say I have a lot of work to do and will likely have to continue calling down some of you to talk about back up choices based upon the conflicts in your schedule. This is never easy and I know it is disappointing when you don't get all of the classes that you wanted, so I promise that I am doing the best I can to make everything work together.

I also know that as I continue calling down students to talk about their conflicts everyone else wants to come and find out where their classes fall during the day and I am BEGGING you to wait a few more days or even until exam week before we start looking at those pieces. And to answer some of the questions that I heard last year at this time, no, I am sorry you can not have a copy of your schedule and no, it is not set in stone, so even though it might look perfect to you now, I can't guarantee that it will be the exactly the same next year when we start up again. Thanks for your patience!

Way to Go Will!

As the end of the year and spring sports season approaches, the final awards and recognitions for the year are also beginning to be announced. Will Campbell, a senior lacrosse player, has received multiple recognitions. He was selected as an All-American. He was named First Team All-OCC and First Team All-Region. Will was also selected for the prestigious Under Armour All-American team. He is the first senior Kilbourne lacrosse player ever selected for this team and will play in the nationally televised game on July 3rd. Last Saturday Will was also highlighted in the Columbus Dispatch as the top guys lacrosse athlete of the week. Congratulations Will! I'm proud of you!

The guys lacrosse team won tonight (18 - 5) and advance to the Regional Finals on Saturday which will be played in the Toledo area.

Pre-Professional Internship Program

Today I had the opportunity to visit the Delaware Area Career Center and listen to the year-end presentations from students in the Pre-Professional Internship Program. The Pre-Professional Internship (PPI) program is a unique opportunity that allows students to participate in 4 different internship placements throughout their senior year. Students select areas of interest, research organizations to work with, make contact and arrangements for the internship, and then complete their actual internship experience. There are a lot of practical life skills gained as a result of this class and the students also learn more about themselves and their future career interests. Two of my students participated in the PPI program this year – Emma Ellis (left) and Kara Barford (right). Emma presented about her internship experiences with various marketing, communications, sales, and public relations positions. In addition to sharing about her internships and what she learned about herself, she also spoke about the concept of “branding.” Kara’s internships included nursing, teaching, and working with the staff at OSU’s R-PAC. Her presentation also included a discussion about the challenges that negatively impact students and their educational successes. Congratulations Emma and Kara for a great year and your impressive portfolio’s and presentations. I am glad you invited me to be a part of your day.

Girls Lacrosse

Tonight the WKHS Girls Lacrosse team had an outstanding showing in the Regional Semi-Finals and advanced to Thursday's Regional Finals game. I have a lot of students on the girls lacrosse team so I was excited to see them have such a strong game for their final home game of the season. Congratulations and Good Luck on Thursday!

Miami University Bridges Program

Miami University hosts a program called their Bridges Program that is an all expense paid (housing and meals), selective overnight program for academically ambitious high school students. This is for the current juniors (Class of 2011).

Students that are selected and complete the Bridges program will receive a fee waiver for their application and a $2,500 renewable scholarship if accepted and enroll.

There are 3 sessions being offered:

- November 7th and 8th has transportation being provided from Akron, Cleveland and Toledo.

- November 14th and 15th has transportation provided from Chillicothe, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, Hamilton and Middletown, Ohio

- November 21st and 22nd is a priority date for out-of-state students

During the Bridges program students will visit & tour campus, spend time in a residence hall, participate in an academic class, eat in the dining halls, and interact with current Miami students, faculty, and staff.

Criteria for applying for the Bridges Program:

- Graduating in 2011

- Minimum of 3.0 GPA or Top 25% of class

- College Prep Curriculum

- Demonstrated leadership/ co-curricular involvement

- Students from underrepresented populations or students who have a commitment to promoting a deeper understanding of and appreciation for cultural diversity

Application Deadline is September 10th. Additional information and application materials can be found on the Bridges website.

Recommendation Letters

Recommendation letters are a time consuming process requiring a great deal of thought and time. As you begin to narrow down the list of schools where you will be applying, it is important to determine if you are going to need a recommendation letter from a teacher (or two). Most of the Ohio schools - Ohio State, Ohio University, BGSU, Kent State, etc. do NOT require teacher recommendations.

If you are applying to schools that need teacher recommendation letters, it is very helpful and beneficial to the teachers if you can give them as much time as possible to write your recommendation letters. That means, if you know now that you are definitely going to be applying to a school which needs a teacher rec letter, then I would like for you to ask the teachers in the next two weeks if they would be willing to write a letter on your behalf, allowing them to have the entire summer to write your letter. After you ask the teacher, you will want to provide them with information that can help as they write your letter. We have several handouts in the senior information drawer in the counseling and career center and in the Shared Files are on PrepHQ that you can use for this purpose.

If you are not sure yet if you will be applying to schools which require recommendation letters, then wait to request letters because they are very time consuming so you don't want to ask teachers for letters that might not be necessary.

Feel free to stop in and see me if you are having trouble trying to determine if a college requires recommendation letters so that I can help you figure it out. Also, if it is going to be needed, I would also love the option of meeting with you this spring about your recommendation letters so that I have the summer to write my letter for you too.

Senior Recogntion Night

Tonight was the Senior Recognition Night - a time when graduating seniors are honored for the contributions and awards received over the last four years of high school. A very impressive group of 204 students were honored tonight. I am proud of all of you and was honored to participate in your evening of well-deserved recognition! It is definitely a busy time of year, so I am thankful that over half of you were able to make it to tonight's ceremony - especially to the girls lacrosse players who won their game and were able to rush into the auditorium before the ceremony ended to participate in the recognition.With so many of "my" students being recognized tonight there was no way that I could try to get the entire group together for a picture, but I was able to grab this group of 7 students who happened to be near one another during the post-ceremony reception. Left to Right: Jeffrey Chang, Kristen Bond, David Busch, Becca Amato, Julie Ecker, Marissa Minichello, and Haley Bogatay.

Volunteering

Not long ago I mentioned the opportunity to volunteer this summer with the Lose the Training Wheels program at WKHS. I believe they are still looking for volunteers, but I know that some people were not available the week they are running the program. If you are available and interested in helping, I hope you will get involved. I recently learned of another organization seeking volunteers and wanted to pass it along. Claremont Retirement Village has a variety of volunteer opportunities such as calling bingo, playing cards, reading the newspaper, visiting, and doing crafts, etc. They are looking for motivated young people for a volunteer opportunity that could even turn into a part time job. If you are interested, call the Activities Director, Tina Bridge, at 761-2011.

Also, on a separate note, don't forget that tomorrow is a Late Start day which means you get the benefit of a little extra sleep in the morning.

2010 Arts in Action

Did you have fun last Friday during Arts in Action day? I enjoyed having a chance to wander around and see the artwork/ hear the music of many of my students. I never cease to be amazed at the level of talent you all display in all areas - academics, athletics, and arts! During the day I stopped in to watch some of the music videos and PSA's, viewed the artwork, listened to the musicians, and watched the pottery throw-down competition. Here are a few of the images I captured throughout the day...
Amy Bluem (above)Andrea Barton with Matt Adams (above) Maeve Beyer (above)Kaitlyn Bennett (above)

Congratulations to everyone who worked hard throughout the year to be able to showcase all of your talents and abilities during Arts in Action day.

Academic Signing Day

Approximately 40 WKHS seniors participated in last week's Academic Signing Day ceremony. Students are given the opportunity to participate in this ceremony if they have been awarded $4,000 in academic, merit or fine art scholarships. ($4,000 one time or $1,000 renewable for 4 years) Each student came onto the stage and announced the scholarship they had received, and where they would be attending college.

Seven of "my" students were among today's participants. They included (L to R): Stephanie DiBartola, Alex Carter, Veronica Barker, Allison Carney, Carrie Boswell, Kaytee Ambrozich, and not pictured, Jeffrey Chang. Congratulations on your accomplishments!

May Socratic Society

38 students were inducted into the Socratic Society on the morning of Friday, May 7th. 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! (Alphabetically): Megan Ballantine, Kelly Barford, Toti Bensusan Mille, Zoubaida Benzegala, Joey Buskirk, Will Campbell, Carmen Casillas, Sammi Coen, Josh Cook, James Cosner, Shannon Donovan, and Grace Ellis. I am proud of each of you!

I'm Back!

Hooray!!! I am so excited to have my computer back and working. Now I am able to get back on my computer and update my blog again. :-) I have lots of updates to catch up on in the coming days.

Tonight I went to the Kilbourne/ Thomas guys lacrosse game. Congratulations to WKHS for dominating in the victory. For me though, the best part was before the game started when I had a chance to say hello and chat with some former students who decided to support their alma mater while home on summer break. I saw students from 2007, 2008, and 2009... it is amazing to me to realize that the first graduating class of students I worked with at Kilbourne (2007) are completing and preparing for their Senior Year of college! Wow, I feel old! :-)

No Posts...

I am sorry that I have not been able to post an update over the last few days. I even promised the kids at Socratic Society on Friday that I would put their picture up on Friday or Saturday, but have not been able to follow through on my promise because a virus has decided that attacking my computer would be fun. I am *NOT* happy about that! Hopefully I will be able to get it figured out in the very near future and be able to add posts with pictures, but for now, please be patient with me until I get my computer back.

By the way, any seniors who forgot to turn in their Academic Signing Day forms and would still like to participate, I heard that they will be stopping in to pick up all remaining forms tomorrow, so please turn in your form in the morning! As a reminder, Academic Signing Day will be held on Thursday, May 13th at 7:30am and is a chance to honor any students who have received $4,000 worth of scholarships (either in 1 year or over 4 years - so if you are receiving $1,000 that is renewable for 4 years then you are eligible to participate.) I hope to see lots of my students being recognized Thursday morning!

Bits and Pieces

Here are some various updates and reminders for you:

- Congratulations to Alexandra Cassens, Shannon Donovan, Julie Ecker, and Emma Ellis who were each inducted into the National Technical Honor Society! This award recongizes their character, leadership , scholarship and service. I am proud of you!

- Have you seen the flashmob video at the Ohio Union on OSU's campus from Monday? I am proud of Andy Gottesman, a former WKHS student who was involved in filming the video! And, for the record, I love it when I have the chance to see and catch up with former students and what is happening in their lives.

- Seniors, remember, we need your completed Senior Survey! Be sure that you accurately input all scholarships and grants using the correct names as that is what we use when creating the commencement program.

- Interim reports are due from your teachers by noon on Friday. Please make a concentrated effort to get any missing assignments in to your teachers so they can be included in your grade calculations.

- Don't forget, if you have received and will be accepting $4,000 in scholarships (1 time or over 4 years), we would love to honor you as a part of the Academic Signing Day ceremony next week. Completed forms are due to the Counseling Center by Friday!

Volunteer Opportunity

WKHS is partnering with Nationwide Children's Hospital and the Down Syndrome Association of Central Ohio to put on a program called "Lose the Training Wheels" and volunteers are needed! This is a camp to help teach kids with Down Syndrome how to ride their bikes without training wheels. The volunteer experience will take place at WKHS in the Aux Gym and the stadium track during the week of June 14 - 18. There are five individual session times that you can choose from that are between 8:30am and 4:30pm. Applications are located in the Co-Curricular office at WKHS and you can select specific session times on the application. This is a great cause and you will help others with just a little bit of your own time.

College Admissions Tests

I hope that all of my junior students have registered to take at least one of the college admissions tests (ACT or SAT) this spring. If you haven't signed up for one of the tests yet, it isn't too late, but the deadlines are here so it is important to register now!

The remaining test dates for this spring are:

SAT - June 5, 2010
Unfortunately the regular registration deadline has already passed, but the late Registration Deadline is May 13th

Register online at http://www.collegeboard.com/

ACT - June 12, 2010

Registration Deadline: Friday, May 7th

Late Registration Deadline: May 21st

Register online at http://www.act.org/

(Don't forget to sign up for the ACT plus Writing!)

To answer some of the more frequent questions I have had lately about the test dates:

- Yes, I know that the tests are right at the same time as exams and school ending. Sorry, I can't control that for you.

- Yes, there are test dates in the fall so that you can take or repeat a test at that time.

- No, there are not any dates over the summer.

- Yes, if you need to take the SAT II (Subject Tests) it is ideal to take those tests during the June test date. Double check with your individual colleges to see if they are going to require subject tests and, if so, in which particular subjects.

If you have any other questions about the ACT or SAT visit the "Test Info" page on PrepHQ, the actual ACT and SAT websites, or stop in my office and see me.

AP Tests

Over the next two weeks many WKHS students will be putting the knowledge learned over the course of the school year in their classes to the test with the Advanced Placement Exams. The tests are held at the WEC on designated days and I know that many of you have been spending an extraordinary amount of time studying to prepare for the exams. Good Luck! Stop by sometime and let me know how you felt after the tests.

For those juniors and seniors who went to Prom last night, I hope you had a fun and memorable evening! It was a beautiful night and a great location for prom. I enjoyed seeing everyone dressed up. Congratulations to Kaytee Ambrozich and Alexandra Cassens who were on the Prom Court. Hopefully everything after prom was over, including After Hours, went well and you had a fun and safe night. I am looking forward to hearing more about your prom experience.

One other quick note, tomorrow I am in a district level committee meeting from 9 - 2 so I will not be around for most of the day, but will be there first thing in the morning and at the end of the day so feel free to stop in then, otherwise I will have to catch up with you on Tuesday.