A Glimpse Ahead

Today during the *very* short assembly, students were treated to a quick glimpse of what is ahead in your future. Freshmen and sophomore students had a panel of 4 current high school seniors who shared insight about what to expect in the future. Much of their focus was on insights they have gained throughout high school and what they would do the same or different if they could rewind the clock and start high school over again. I heard that presentation went pretty well minus some technical difficulties related to the microphones.

The juniors and seniors were lucky enough to have 2 former Kilbourne graduates, Jake Hertenstein and Kati Justice return to WKHS to share insight about what college is really like and to share advice about what they have learned through their experiences. Neither Jake nor Kati were "my" former students, but I was very thankful that they volunteered their time. Jake is attending the University of Colorado in Boulder and Kati is attending Kent State University. Recently I have had several opportunities to talk to (or e-mail with) many of my past students to hear about college life and each time I have the chance to hear more about their transition to college, I always feel it is beneficial. I hope that you also found their insights beneficial.

It was interesting, later in the day when students were stopping by I had someone ask if we had scripted their answers. I promise you we did not! Granted, I was very happy with what they shared, but Jake and Kati didn't know the specific questions we would be asking nor did we have any idea of exactly what they would say. When I would hear them answer, my mind was definitely jumping to many of the conversations I have been having with students lately. For example, when Kati talked about the struggle of focusing when she was sitting in the back and Jake talked about sitting in the front of the lecture hall to try to make a big class small, I wondered how many students thought, "That is exactly what Miss Abbott said" because that is definitely a tip that is valuable and has been repeated frequently in my office. When they talked about challenging yourself and pushing yourself in high school because of how hard it is to adjust to the academic expectations of college - especially in math - I instantly thought of the numerous students who have been trying (unsuccessfully) to convince me that they should drop math at the semester or not take math next year because they have already met their requirements. Sorry, Jake and Kati reinforced what I had already known to be true and sticking out the math class will be helpful in the long run.

Thanks again Jake and Kati for sharing your insights!