School's Out!

Wow, it doesn't seem possible, but we have reached the end of a very successful school year. I am sure that you are all breathing a sigh of relief that exams are over and summer has finally started.

I will still be working through next Wednesday trying to readjust all of the schedules based upon failures and working to arrange for students to make up credits in summer school. After next week I will still check e-mails routinely, but will not be in the school or checking voicemail messages. If you need to reach me e-mail is definitely the best option. As for the blog - I will still update it during the summer, but not as often. I am currently thinking one or two updates a week, but we will see... I don't want you to get out of the habit of reading the blog, but I also don't want to bore you with mindless chatter.

I hope you have a wonderful, safe and relaxing summer!

The End is in Sight

You have just 2 days remaining in the school year! Granted, you still have several exams to wrap up, but the end is definitely within reach. :-)

I wanted to remind you that if you would like to see a tentative copy of your schedule for next year, you are welcome to stop by my office and I can show you where it currently stands. I cannot provide you with a copy, nor can I guarantee that it will be exactly the same next year because changes in classes are still taking place, but it will give you a general idea about what you can expect. And no, I'm sorry, I cannot accept teacher requests.

Also, I still have a lot of candy left in my candy jar and I'd really like for you to eat it all before the year ends - so when you stop by to check your schedule, don't forget to grab a piece of candy!

A Letter to "My" Seniors

To “My” Seniors~

Congratulations!  It is graduation day – a day you have been working toward for the last 4 years (and really since you started kindergarten).  I want to take a moment and tell you how proud I am of each of you and that I am excited for you. You have such bright futures ahead!

The Class of 2012 has been so special to me.  When I stood on stage at Friday’s graduation practice I couldn’t help but allow my mind to wander back over the last 4 years and all that you have achieved. It has been an honor to watch as you succeeded on the athletic fields, in the concert halls and in the classrooms.  Perhaps even more meaningful to me though are the memories I have of the moments we spent together in my office when you shared with me about your life.  There have been times when you made me laugh and others when I couldn’t help but cry.  I have been impressed by your integrity, strength, talent, courage, compassion, intelligence and potential.  And yet, no matter if you look back on your four years of high school as being a wonderful experience or a roller-coaster ride that you survived, I hope you know how much it meant to me to be able to walk with you on this part of your journey.

Today celebrates the end of high school, but more importantly it celebrates the beginning of your futures.  For some of you I know that this is a terrifying concept and for others you cannot wait for the college experience.  I have no doubt that you will all find your place in the world where you can make a difference.  There are so many new adventures ahead of you– new classes, new friends and the chance to chase the dreams before you.

Thank you for sharing your lives with me!  Always remember that I am here for you and that I believe in you! Congratulations again.  Enjoy the day – you deserve it!

Love, Miss Abbott

PS – I hope you will keep in touch and let me know about your new adventures in life.

(I’ll post pictures from graduation later tonight or tomorrow!) :-)

Scholar Athlete Recognition

Congratulations to Hunter Atha who was featured in Thursday's Columbus Dispatch as a Scholar-Athlete scholarship winner.  Hunter was selected in recognition of his athletic successes, his academic dedication, and his community service outreach.  Check out Hunter's Q & A here.  Way to go Hunter!  We are proud of you.

Baccalaureate

Graduation weekend kicks off each year with the Baccalaureate service. Held annually at a local church, this activity is sponsored by the Activity Club and celebrates the accomplishments of the WKHS seniors, honors the impact they have left on the school and community, and wishes the seniors luck as they move on in life toward the exciting activities and adventures ahead. 

Throughout the service I am confident in saying that I was not alone in thinking of special moments and memories with the seniors and offering up prayers of gratitude for the people you are today and the impact you will make on this world in the future! I wish all of you the best and hope that this was just the start of a wonderful and memorable weekend.

Tonight’s program featured many talented individuals.  Hunter Atha and Josh Cook were on the planning committee.  Hunter served as an emcee for the event and introduced the parent speaker, Jim Callahan, father of Keeler and Kilbourne Swim Coach.  Josh sang a solo and, along with Arthur Ding, was a part of Acafellas.  Josh also wrapped up the evening with the closing prayer.

Each year I love Baccalaureate and tonight was no exception.  Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to put together such a special night!

Graduation Rehearsal Reminder

This morning is graduation rehearsal. Don't forget, this is a mandatory requirement for all seniors who plan on attending the commencement ceremony.  I'll be honest, it is a long and rather boring time - not at all like the excitement you will have during the actual ceremony on Sunday! The rehearsal is very important though and it will be worth it when everything goes well during the actual commencement ceremony. One of the most important details that seniors need to remember to pass along to their parents after the rehearsal is which side of the stage you will be on at the commencement ceremony. As a general rule, assuming you are one of my students, you will be on "Stage Left" which means that if you are standing on the stage you are on the left side or, put another way, looking at the stage you will be on the right side. This is the side where you be seated as well as the side where you will go up the stairs to receive your diplomas. Trust me, your parents will not be happy if they end up being on the "wrong" side and don't have a good view of your special day.

Also, please remember that if you have not taken your cap and gown out of the plastic bag, you should definitely do this. You will need to iron it and make sure that it looks nice before the graduation ceremony.

Rehearsal starts at 8:30am and you should be done at 11:30 followed by pizza to celebrate. Don't forget, if you still have textbooks, you need to get them turned in or else you have to pay for them to be able to walk in the commencement ceremony.

Seniors - Words of Wisdom

Congratulations Seniors!  You made it!  Today was your last day of high school and the celebrations of the upcoming weekend will pay tribute to the hard work and dedication you have displayed over the last four years.  I was fortunate enough to see many of my seniors today and I think a lot of you shared similar thoughts and feelings.  I heard often that it was hard to believe how fast the last 4 years had gone.  You are ready to move on to the next stages of your lives and there is excitement about finishing high school, but for many of you there was also a bitter-sweet feeling about leaving your friends and the familiarity of high school behind.

As you spend time over the next few weeks reflecting back on your high school career, please consider passing along some of your words of wisdom.  You have created a positive impression and many of the younger students look up to and admire you.  I'm sure you can remember some of the older students who made an impression on your life and this is your opportunity to pass along the gift of your wisdom to those who will continue in high school.  Let the younger students know what you are glad you did, what you wish you would have done differently, and other suggestions and tips for being successful and making the most of their high school years.  As you share your insights, you may never fully realize the difference that you have made, but you can be sure that your legacy will continue to make a positive impact in the years ahead.

On a separate note, I want to congratulate the Kilbourne Girls Lacrosse team who won the Regional Championship tonight!  The girls have secured a spot in the Final Four of the State Championship weekend.  Their game will be June 1st in Cincinnati.  Congratulations girls!  I am so proud and excited for you!

Exams

Final Exam time... the stress of having 20% of your grade in one test combined with the anticipation with finally being done with another school year. I know this can be an overwhelming time, but hang in there. The time you spend studying will determine how well you do on your exam, so please take the time to study!

Seniors have their last day of school (and last ever high school final exams) tomorrow.  For the rest of you, below is your exam schedule:

Tuesday:
7:45 - 9:45 2nd period exam
10:00 - 12:00 5th period exam
12:00 - 1:00 Lunch
1:05 - 3:05 8th period exam

Wednesday:
7:45 - 9:45 1st period exam
10:00 - 12:00 6th period exam
12:00 - 1:00 Lunch
1:05 - 3:05 7th period exam

Thursday:
7:45 - 9:45 3rd period exam
10:00 - 12:00 4th period exam
12:00 - 1:00 NO Lunch Provided!
1:05 - 3:05 Exam Make Up Period

Academic Signing Day

Yesterday morning 30 WKHS seniors participated in the 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, where they would be attending college and offered their thanks to people who have helped them during their high school career.

   

20 of "my" students were among those honored today. A special congratulations to: (L to R) Front Row - Rosalyn Chen, Brooke Barney, Mariah Minichello, Meredith Schram, Marissa Elliott and Back Row - Anthony Bartko, Matthew Cooperman, Josh Cook and Not Pictured: Rachel Berg and Cassie Barrett 
Congratulations to each of you!

Friday's Fun

Arts in Action is an annual tradition where we celebrate the incredible accomplishments of the WKHS students in your artistic pursuits.  Everywhere I turned on Friday it was exciting to see and hear all of the talent which you have worked so hard to develop.  Below are a few pictures of some of my students participating in the 2012 Arts in Action.

Cassie Barrett competing in the Pottery Throwdown - she was champion 2 years in a row!

Jacob Bloom competes in the Pottery Throwdown Competition

 Mariah Minichello with the teapot and cups she had created that were on display.

  Hannah Vincent shows off her face paint.

On Friday evening I had the chance to attend the Kilbourne Theater production of The Nerd.  This show featured many seniors including one of my students, Josh Cook.  The show was funny and everyone involved did a great job.  It was a wonderful evening and was the perfect way to wrap up an art-filled day of fun.

Senior Recognition Night

Tonight was the Senior Recognition Night - a time when graduating seniors are honored for the contributions and awards they have received over the last four years of high school.  In addition, tonight also celebrated the scholarships that the seniors have been awarded.  This is such a special evening to celebrate your accomplishments.  I am proud of you and was grateful to be able to participate in your evening of well-deserved recognition!

With so many of “my” students being honored 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 students who happened to be near one another during the post-ceremony reception.  Back Row (L to R): Cole Doran, Keeler Callahan, Riley Brehm, and Nick Bortolani  Front Row (L to R): Josh Cook, Hunter Atha, Carly Cameron and Meredith Schram

Congratulations to everyone honored tonight! 

College Athletics

Athletics are a major aspect in the lives of many high school students.  When sports are so much a part of your identity it can be hard to imagine never playing the sport(s) you love again in the future.  Luckily, you don’t have to walk away from your sports completely when you head to college.  Some students will participate at the varsity level in college while others will elect to participate on club or intramural teams.  No matter what level of sports you decide to pursue in college, try to remember that you need to embrace your passions and build upon your hobbies as they help bring balance to your life and that will help to reduce your stress.

While there are definitely advantages of college sports, it is important to realize that simply because you are going to continue participating in athletics, it does not mean that you will receive athletic scholarships.

These two posts provide great insight into some of the facts related to The Odds of Getting an Athletic Scholarship

Part 1

http://www.thecollegesolution.com/the-odds-of-getting-an-athletic-scholarship-2

Part 2

http://www.thecollegesolution.com/the-odds-of-getting-an-athletic-scholarship-part-ii

You don’t have to give up your dreams of college sports, but remember that it is important to keep everything in perspective.  If you have any questions about your plans for collegiate athletic participation, please stop by so that we can discuss it.

Senior Details

For seniors everything is winding down... well, actually, everything but graduation parties which are just beginning.  :-)

At this point in time you are hopefully finishing up your school projects and are prepared for your final exams and any other remaining academic requirements since you only have a few days left. I wanted to make sure that you had taken care of some of the other last minute details...

* Finish strong: If you are not doing well in your classes, please make sure you do everything that you need to do to pass your classes with the highest grades possible. Above all, please make sure that you pass all of your classes that are requirements for graduation!

* Final Transcript: As I mentioned in my last post, when you graduate from WKHS and move on to college the college will want a copy of your final transcript showing your 2nd semester grades and the fact that you did graduate. As is always the case we cannot release your records without your express written permission. So, it is essential that you complete one of the yellow transcript release card and turn it in with $1.00 to one of the secretaries in the counseling center so that we can mail your transcript to your college.

* Fees/ Fines: Some students still have outstanding fees and fines that you owe to the school. It may be a very small fee for an overdue library book or it could be a much larger fee for a lost textbook, but either way, please make sure that all of your debt is paid so that you will be able to participate in the commencement ceremony.

* Textbook/ Library Book Returns: You will need to turn in all of your textbooks as well as any library books that you still have. The book room will be open for you to return your textbooks after you have finished with your exams and are done with your books.

* Scholarship Thank You's: If you received a scholarship, don't forget the importance of writing a thank you note to the individual, group or organization who is providing you with the scholarship. This article provides good information and suggestions as you write your scholarship thank you.

* Stop by and see me: Selfishly, I would like to also add this to your list as I would love to have a few more minutes with you while you are still in high school. And, for those of you who still haven't given me a senior picture, I will remind you again that I would love to have one! :-)

Final Transcripts

Every senior student that is planning on attending a 2-year or 4-year college next year needs to make sure that you have requested a copy of your final transcript. As was the process when you applied to college earlier this year, you must sign off on the transcript release card in order to grant us permission to send your transcript. After you have stopped in to see me and completed your transcript release form, you will take the card and $1.00 to Mrs. Hoyt.  She will then hold your request card and this summer, after all grades have been submitted, she will mail your transcript directly to your selected college.

Madness of the Schedule

Last week the WKHS administration officially "locked" the master schedule into place and handed it over to the counselors. What this means is that they have determined what time of day and in which room each class will meet during the school day for next year to try to meet the most student requests possible. They ran all of your requests through the computer to obtain as high of a match rate as possible. 

And now, the "fun" part starts. Unfortunately, everyone's schedule requests do not work exactly like we had hoped. As counselors we are now going through each schedule that didn't match by hand to try to figure out if there is a solution and what possible options we can use to make a schedule fit together. I have already spent countless hours 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.

All students are STRONGLY encouraged to take at least 5 classes each semester plus the 2 PE classes. This would mean that if a student took the minimum recommended courses that he/ she would graduate from high school with 20.5 credits. If you are considering a 4-year college, we STRONGLY encourage you to take MORE than the 5 course minimum. The goal of working with recommendations as opposed to requirements is that we do not want to force students into courses that he/she hates and would therefore perform poorly in because of this lack of interest. We would rather you utilize your extra time in meaningful ways such as community service, clubs or organizations of interest, athletics, or a part-time job - all of which will add meaning to your college application. Plus, students that are sitting in classes that they do not want to be taking are preventing other students from taking the same class that is of significant interest to them.

I also know that as I continue calling down students to talk about their conflicts everyone else wants to stop by and find out where their classes fall during the day and I am BEGGING you to wait a few more days before we start looking at your classes. And to answer some of the questions that I hear every 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 exactly the same next year when we start up again. Thanks for your patience!

Time is Running Out

Seniors have just 11 days remaining and underclassmen have 15 days (including exam days) before summer break.

Obviously that means every moment counts if you are not doing well in your classes and you are trying to pull off a passing grade for the semester.

For the current juniors (soon to be seniors) don't forget that if you need a teacher recommendation letter this is the ideal time to ask a teacher to write a letter for you so that they have the entire summer to work on the letter. You will need to provide them with some basic information about yourself and I strongly encourage you to complete the "Teacher Recommendation Request" form which can be downloaded from the WKHS Counselors website. Please be respectful of the time required to write rec letters and if you are applying to schools that do not need recommendation letters, do not waste a teacher's time by asking one of them to write a letter for you. (If you are uncertain about which schools need letters, please look it up or feel free to stop in and see me and I will help you determine if a letter is needed.  As a general rule of thumb, the public colleges in Ohio do not need recommendation letters.)

Even though the weather is improving and summer is approaching, please focus on making the most of each day and preparing for the future.

AP Exams

Over the next two weeks many WKHS students are  putting the knowledge learned throughout 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.  Also, I have to help proctor the AP test next Tuesday morning so I will not be at the school until the afternoon following the conclusion of the test.

Student Recognitions

I have been TERRIBLE about getting a lot of recognitions up on my blog that are long overdue.  It is not a valid excuse, but at least part of the reason for the delay is the fact that I knew that I had more pictures on my camera and since moving I haven’t been able to figure out where I packed (and therefore unpacked) my camera cord.  :-)  It is always something, isn’t it?!?  Luckily I had some pictures on my phone so I was able to get to those pictures…

Congratulations to Patrick Archambeau who qualified for the State SKILLS Competition for presenting a speech regarding his involvement with the fire service program at the Delaware Area Career Center.

Anthony Bartko will continue playing football in college at Heidelberg.  Pictured is Anthony as he celebrated with his family, coaches, teammates and friends at a ceremony.


Lizzie Cherry celebrated her decision to play softball in college during a ceremony a few weeks ago.  Lizzie has decided to attend Denison University in the fall.  Congratulations!



Keeler Callahan and Nick Bortolani jointly celebrated their decisions to play college sports.  Keeler intends to swim at the Ohio State University and Nick will play lacrosse at Denison.  I’m proud of you both and excited for your future academic and athletic careers!


Students of the Month are honored by the Kilbourne faculty and staff for their academic achievement, good citizenship, and/or service to the school or community.  Students can only earn this recognition once in their high school career.

The March Students of the Month included Riley Brehm and Emily Cantrell and not pictured, Rosalyn Chen.


The April Students of the Month included (L to R): Alex Allison, Trent Angles, Hannah Vincent, Emily Cantrell, and not pictured, Joey Cipicchio.


The Importance of Being Earnest was a play performed last month and Jimmy Barbin and Jey Bukkapatnam had lead roles.  They did an incredible job in their performance and were funny, entertaining, and made the night a delightful evening.


For the first time this year WKHS created a FIRST Robotics Team who participated in a regional competition in Cleveland at the end of March.  This group worked countless hours to design and build a robot that would shoot basketballs into hoops of three different heights all while playing in conjunction with other robots from other teams and defending against opponent robots.  Six of my students were involved in the team efforts which included Jonathan Black, Sean Baumgardner, Iric Bernal, Nick Darby, Emrys Bennett and Alan Brophy.


Last week the students that were selected to serve on Student Council next year were announced and many of my students are among those who will be leading in this capacity.  Hannah Vincent will be the Student Body Secretary.  Nate Deagle will be the Senior Class Vice President and Naomi Barker will be the Senior Class Secretary.  The Junior Class officers includes Lauren Hedges as President, Dillon Castelli as Vice President and Michelle Ding as Treasurer.  Vaishnavi Dasaka will serve as the Sophomore Class Treasurer.  Additionally, the following students will be involved in student council as representatives of their respective classes: Sarah Adams, Lindsey Bauer, Jenna Boue, Rosan Eldadah, Grace Ellis, Tanner Atha, Amelia Boudinot, Joey Cipicchio, Danny Darby, Erin Dieringer, Elizabeth Borchers, Michelle Borchers, Steven Borchers, Kayla Boudreault and Emily Dodd.  Congratulations to each of you!


Three times a year students are 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.  On Friday morning 12 of my students were inducted into the Socratic Society – Zach Bloom, Addy Boyles, Jenna Boue, Meredith Schram, Amelia Boudinot, Sarah Ahrens, Maggie Barrie, Robyn Du, and Brianna Bare are pictured in the first picture.  Jorge Buendia is pictured with Mr. DiMauro, who nominated him for Socratic Society.  Not pictured, but also inducted into the Socratic Society included Andrew Cason and Perry Dilley.


Congratulations to each of you!  You represent WKHS so well and I applaud you and your accomplishments!

Prom

Tonight is prom night for WKHS juniors and seniors. This is an exciting and memorable night for students and I hope you have a great evening. Let's be honest, I also hope that it is a safe evening! You want prom to be memorable because it was a positive experience...

Congratulations and Good Luck to Nick Bortolani, Keeler Callahan and Carly Cameron who are on the Prom Court!

Hopefully you have finalized all of your plans and are looking forward to a great night both at prom and at After-Hours. I am looking forward to being a chaperone at prom again this year because I love seeing "my" students dressed up and enjoying themselves. It should be fun.

One last reminder about safety - please remember that just because it is prom night that doesn't give you the excuse to make choices that you know are not wise.  Take the time to talk with your parents before you leave tonight about what you will do if you end up in an unexpected situation and need help. If, for any reason, you need help tonight while at prom - you know that you can find me. Have a good time - and please, be smart and be safe!

ACT/ SAT 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 2, 2012

Registration Deadline: Tuesday, May 8th
Late Registration Deadline: May 22nd
Register online at http://www.collegeboard.com/

ACT - June 9, 2012Registration Deadline: Friday, May 4th (Today!)
Late Registration Deadline: May 18th
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 "Testing" page on the WKHS Counselor website, the actual ACT and SAT websites, or stop in my office and see me.

Making Music

Tonight I had the opportunity to attend the WKHS band concert.  One of the special aspects of this concert involved the performance of a piece that was composed and conducted by Matthew Cooperman, one of my students.  Matthew has worked tirelessly this year to write this piece and it was amazing to sit and listen as the band performed his 3-movement piece knowing that they were bringing to life the music that had previously been in Matthew's mind.  Unfortunately I was not able to get a better picture, but the lighting in the auditorium didn't make taking pictures very easy, but this picture shows Matthew conducting the piece he composed.  Congratulations Matthew!

Summer Enrichment Programs

Each year we receive information about summer programs for students.  Sometimes these programs are local camps, sometimes they are lengthy opportunities specific to a particular area of career interest, and other times it provides college experiences to allow students the chance to explore a campus and community.  In addition to having the forms for these summer enrichment programs in the counseling center, we have been placing them on the WKHS Counselor website for you to be able to reference.  Please be aware that there is a wide range of costs for the different programs and so it is essential that you look closely to determine if it is worth the money.  Students often ask if the programs run by a college will give you an advantage when it comes to admissions at that school, and unfortunately it does not, so that should not be your sole reason to participate in a program.

Mock Car Crash

This morning the juniors and seniors had the opportunity to watch a mock car crash. This example of a serious car accident and the way that the police and fire departments respond was intended to help remind students of the importance of making good decisions and staying safe. I have to admit that this was very difficult to watch today as it was seeing one of my biggest nightmares played out in person. I care about each of my students and I would never want anything bad to happen to any of you or your friends!

It is important to make safe decisions and to not drink and drive or to drive with anyone who has been drinking. Unfortunately, even if you aren't doing anything wrong and someone else who has made the decision to drink and drive it is still possible that you can be an innocent victim. Selfishly, I hope that none of you will ever have to face the senseless tragedy that we saw in the demonstration. 

As we approach prom weekend - and, for that matter, every day - please remember to stay safe and to help keep your friends safe!