Question of the Day

For a while now I have had this idea of something I wanted to do and over break I have finally worked on pulling it together.  Introducing the Question of the Day!  :-)

There are so many times when you come in and just need something quick - me to sign a form, change a schedule, or look up your locker combination and I am always more than happy to do this, but I hate that in even those briefest of interactions we don't get to have much of a conversation.  So, I came up with this idea to implement a question of the day.  Each day I will have a new question for whomever happens to come in to see me on that day to answer along with whatever it is that I can do to help you.  I hope that this will be a fun way for me to learn more about you and it will be something that you can enjoy too.

Throughout the past few months I have been gathering questions and over the last few days I put together my list and I have more than enough for an entire school year without ever needing to duplicate questions.  So, beginning next week when we return to school, be ready to answer some random, fun, creative questions when you stop in to see me.  I can't wait... and I can honestly say that I wish each of you would have to answer all of the days of questions... even though I clearly know that isn't realistic.

I hope you are enjoying break and please know that I am excited to see you soon so I can start learning even more about you!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! I hope you had a wonderful day surrounded by your family and friends. I am fortunate enough to be able to celebrate with my sister's family and my niece and nephews have loved every minute of the holiday. Last night at church the message was so powerful and meaningful - it helped me to remember the importance of focusing on what is truly precious and to cherish those moments and memories. Today I have been focused on those special moments - the hugs, giggles, and love that have filled the day. I have also been thinking about the other precious gifts in my life and I want you to know that in addition to my family and friends, I am grateful for being able to work with each of you on a daily basis! You will never know how much it means to me that I am able to walk through this journey with you and how much joy you bring to my days. Thank you!

A philosophy on life

I recently came across  this information which is the philosophy of Charles Schulz, the creator of the 'Peanuts' comic strip. Perhaps you have seen it before, but I thought it was a good reminder. (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.  (Can you name 5? 1?)
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!

Senior Schedule Changes

Every year we have seniors come in asking to drop 2^nd semester classes from their schedules.  And every year when a senior approaches me with that request I encourage the student to stay in the class and if they really feel strongly that they want to make the change that they need to contact all of the colleges where they have applied to see if it will impact their admissions decision.  Students will frequently roll their eyes and think I am crazy for making that suggestion, but we consistently hear that message from colleges because it is so important.  This is from a college where many of our students apply and I am copying it for you just so you will realize that I'm not making this up:

Because strength of curriculum is an important factor in our decision, we require students to notify us if they plan to change their senior year course schedule.  Please ask them to include the following information in the email: their current spring schedule as it appears on their original application, the change they would like to make, and the reason(s) for the change.  We will review and respond to all requests as promptly as possible.  If the student has already been offered admission, the Admissions Committee may choose to reconsider that offer based on the change of schedule.  If a student has been notified that his or her decision is being deferred, any course changes will be considered when the final admission decision is made.

So, as you can see, making changes at the semester – especially if you are looking to drop a class – is NOT a decision you should take lightly.

If you are struggling with your academic load and NEED to make a change, please come see me so we can talk about the options, but again, I strongly encourage you to maintain a rigorous schedule throughout your entire senior year.

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!), but have not started wrapping gifts or writing Christmas cards yet. (Guess you know what I will be doing over the next few days...) :-) With the craziness of the exam schedule, 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, FYI - I will only blog a few times over the holidays, 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!

Early Decision & Early Action Decisions

This week many students across the country (and at WKHS) who applied to colleges under the Early Decision and Early Action plans will be receiving their admissions decisions. Plus, all of the students who applied to schools with rolling admissions are continuing to hear back from the colleges about their admissions status. This can be a very stressful time for high school seniors - family, friends, and other people who hear that you are a senior automatically ask, "Where are you going to college" and so when you are waiting for or receiving your admissions decision it can be a bit overwhelming. 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 rather than asking them if they have heard yet. Trust me, if they receive acceptances they are going to share the good news in their own time. This is also a good time for me to remind all of you that we track the college decisions - so as you hear back from your schools, please stop in and share the update with me too.

Feeling anxious?

How was the first day of exams? Were you feeling anxious? Test Anxiety can be common for students - especially with exams since they have such a significant influence on your semester grades. The best strategy to prevent test anxiety is being prepared. It is much more likely that you will be anxious and struggle with feeling overwhelmed if you have not adequately studied and prepared for the test. Unfortunately, for some students, you can be well-prepared, but still struggle with anxiety.

There are a wide range of strategies you can use to help deal with anxiety:

- Research has indicated that spending several minutes before a test to write about your feelings will help decrease test anxiety and improve test scores. The University of Chicago researchers “believe worrying competes for computing power in the brain’s ‘working,’ or short-term memory.”

- Practice putting yourself in testing situations when studying. The more you get used to the experience and feelings of testing the less anxious you will feel when in the actual test.

- Just before the test, avoid talking about the test material with your friends. Chances are fixating on the test material and talking about it with your friends right before the test will only make you more anxious.

- Approach the test with a positive attitude. Don’t go into the test expecting the worst to happen. You can remind yourself that you have studied and know the material.

- Avoid distractions so that you can focus on the test and not on what other students are doing. Do not compare yourself with others and how they are doing on the test.

- Take a deep breath, relax, and do the best you can.

I should also mention that smart testing strategies like getting a good night of sleep, eating breakfast, having all of your required materials (pen, pencil, calculator, scratch paper, etc), getting regular exercise, and giving yourself plenty of time to get to your test on time will also benefit you as a whole and in testing situations.

Don't forget - I am around (and so is Lexi) if you want try to decompress some from your feelings of anxiety.

Good luck in the next two days of exams!

Good Luck on Exams

I just wanted to wish all of you good luck on your exams tomorrow (and the rest of the week.) Good luck with your last minute studying, get a good night's sleep and then tomorrow, relax, eat a good breakfast, take a deep breath and do your best on each exam!  

Remember, you don't have to be THE best, as long as you do YOUR best!

As always, I will be anxious to hear how things go for you on your exams - so stop in and say hi to share an update (and, of course, you can pick up a piece of candy too.) :-)

Concordance Tables

As a school counselor I receive questions about the ACT and SAT all the time - one of the most common is how do you figure out how the scores compare to one another... right now the question of the week seems to be, which test did I do better on when comparing the PSAT and Pre-ACT results.

But how do you know which test you did "better" on? You can see what scores would be most comparable by using the concordance tables. These tables can help students (and colleges) compare scores for students across the different tests. I'll be honest - these tables can seem a little confusing at first, but if you read the information on the pages prior to the tables then you will understand them. These tables will allow you to compare your new SAT scores with the old SAT scores and with the ACT scores.

Additionally, the CollegeBoard has created an SAT Score Converter mobile app and online tool which will allow you to compare your scores.

Try not to get stressed out about the college admissions tests... I know it can be frustrating, but remember it is only one piece to the puzzle that the colleges will be considering when evaluating students!

PSAT and Pre-ACT Scores

Your scores have arrived! Any students who took the PSAT in October and the Pre-ACT tests in November can see your scores tomorrow!

The PSAT scores are only being offered electronically.  This means that you will log into your CollegeBoard account to view and download your scores.  (Which is what you will do in the future when you take your SAT as well.)

You should receive an e-mail from CollegeBoard notifying you that your scores are accessible online tomorrow (December 12th).  Even if you didn't receive an e-mail from CollegeBoard you can still access your scores.

Go to the CollegeBoard website and select the PSAT test you took - 9th graders should select "PSAT 8/9" and 10th and 11th graders should select "PSAT/ NMSQT and PSAT 10" from the choices across the top.  https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/ 

Once you are on the website in the middle of the page it will have an area for getting your scores.  If you already have an account, you can sign in using your username and password.  For many of you, you may not have an account yet so you will need to create one.  Next to the "Sign In" button there is a "Sign Up" spot - select that and then create your account.

After doing that you will be able to access your scores.

One of the best parts about the PSAT is that CollegeBoard has partnered with Khan Academy to use your scores to make a personalized practice plan.  This is a fantastic option and I strongly encourage you to use it.  If you have questions about this FREE option you can visit the Khan Academy website at: https://www.khanacademy.org/sat

For what it is worth, last year I remember that it took some students and parents multiple attempts of accessing the website to be able to see the scores - for example some said that it said no scores were available, but after refreshing a few times the scores eventually showed up.  CollegeBoard was having some technical issues due to the high demand of people trying to view their scores.  Hopefully that won't be an issue this year, but I figured I would mention it in case you run into any problems.

The Pre-ACT scores have written score reports that can be picked in the Counseling Center beginning tomorrow. You can pick up your score sheets during your lunch periods  or before or after school from any of the secretaries at the front of the counseling center. 

Now that you have your scores, you may be wondering what they mean.  The score sheets are a wealth of information so it can take some time to digest it all, but the counselor website can help give you additional information, tips and links to better understand your scores.   http://www.wkhscounselors.com/. 

Don't forget, these are just practice tests so they are giving you an indication of where you might expect to score on the ACT or SAT and you can use your results to help guide you in preparing to achieve college readiness.


I hope your scores were what you were expecting (or perhaps even better).  If you have any questions don't hesitate to stop by and see me.

Student Recognition

As you know, yesterday was the annual holiday assembly.  Many of my students showcased their leadership and talents as a part of the ceremony.

Erin Cheung helped as a Master of Ceremony.  It was incredible to hear of the incredible generosity of our student body to help make the holidays brighter for some of the families in our community.

Joey Ambrozich, Alexa Burke, Jordan Castelli, Anna Chen, Devin Coons, Katie Coppel, Brooke Coverdale, Charlie Cox, Maddie Domecq, Kassandra Dyer, and Wesley Engle were a part of the band which performed.

Maxim Estevez-Curtis, Cassidy Crouch, Nick Contreras, and Dylan Buford sang in the ceremony.

And last, but not least, Aaron Chen, Alex Contreras, Nick Conreras, Maxim Estevez-Curtis, Faith Falgiano, Maddy Allen, Elizabeth Cantrell and Mitchell Delma were in the Orchestra.

It was a wonderful celebration of your generosity and the positive impact you are making in the school and community!

While today was a public celebration that all students were able to enjoy, student recognition events happen every month, but are usually just for the individuals being recognized and their family members.  I have been VERY far behind in recognizing "my" students who have been celebrated in this way...

Back in November, a Socratic Society ceremony was held and William Alban, Kayla Beals, Lauren Byrne, Nick Clay, Jocelyn Elder, Justin English, Betsey Fisher, and Nate Skidmore were all inducted into the Socratic Society!

And, last week, was the most recent Student of the Month Ceremony and Kelli Dale and Amy Flores were among the students honored.

For both Socratic Society and student of the Month, these are recognitions that students may only receive once in their entire high school career.

Congratulations to everyone who has been recognized or was a part of yesterday's ceremony.  I am so proud to work with you all!

Senior Reminders

Seniors, a few last minute reminders...

- Don't forget to order your cap and gowns!  You can order them online by visiting: http://nrpgradohio.com/3227-worthington-kilbourne/  - Order before December 16th for the discounted rate!

-  Today was the deadline to request your transcript if you are applying to a college with a January 1st application deadline.  Sorry, I forgot to remind you in advance.  As a result, if you haven't signed your transcript release card for a college that has a deadline between now and January 1st, PLEASE come to the counseling center on Monday and sign the release card so that we can get the process moving for you so that you won't miss the deadline.

-  Be sure that you are taking care of getting your senior pictures taken... the deadline for submitting those for the yearbook is January 31st.

Tomorrow's Bell Schedule

The holiday spirit was definitely alive and well at Kilbourne today.  Watching all of you out in the commons wrapping presents and seeing the impact of your unbelievable generosity was incredible!  To build on that enthusiasm, tomorrow will be the annual holiday assembly.  It has to be earlier than normal because of exams, but it will be a great way to celebrate the end of the first semester.  Below is the bell schedule for your reference as it is definitely different than normal.

Here is the breakdown for the day:

Period 1 - 7:45 - 8:30

Period 2 - 8:35 - 9:20

Period 3 - 9:25 - 10:55  (Students will be divided to spend 1/2 of the time in class and 1/2 in the assembly)

Period 4 - 11:00 - 11:45

Period 5 - 11:50 - 12:35

Period 6 - 12:40 - 1:25

Period 7 - 1:30 - 2:15

Period 8 - 2:20 - 3:05

End of Course Assessments

This week many of our sophomores and juniors are taking End of Course assessments.  These are the tests that you need to take to help you reach your graduation goals.  The scores you earn on these assessments will contribute toward your total points so I encourage you to take your time, do your best, but don't stress over them.

As a reminder, end of course assessments are offered in English 1, English 2, Math 1, Math 2, Biology, US History and Government.  You will need to earn 4 points from English, 4 points from Math, 6 points from Science and Social Studies and 4 additional points from any of the categories.  It isn't the best to have the timing for the End of Course assessments be at the same time as your final preparations for semester exams, but remember, these tests are in alignment with the exams you are taking for the classes so in that regard it is helping you to be prepared for your semester exams.  The reality is though, these testing dates are set by the state and not by our district so we are just following through on the requirements set for us.

Good luck for all of you who are taking the End of Course assessments - don't stress - just show what you know!

Exam Schedule

You don't need to panic about exams, but you do need to prepare for them! As you are aware, we have just 5 days of classes before exams begin. Exams play a significant role in your final grade for the semester of each course (and remember, because we grant credits based on the semester this is really important to you!) Most of your classes will follow the structure that your 1st quarter grades are worth 40% of your final semester grade, the 2nd quarter grade that you are currently wrapping up now will make up another 40% and then your exam grade is worth 20% of your final semester grade.

20% is a really big deal...Think about it, if you had a 57% the first quarter and end up with a 60% this quarter then you can still pass the class as long as you earn a 66% or higher on the exam. On the other side, if you are trying to make sure that you earn an A in a course and you had a 95% first quarter and an 88% this quarter than you need to earn an 85% or higher on the exam to reach your goal.

Clearly, exams are an important part of your grade, but more importantly, they provide you the opportunity to practice a more realistic glimpse of what testing will be like in college and helps you to showcase your semester's worth of knowledge.

Below is the schedule for the semester exams:

Day One - Wednesday, December 14th:

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

Day Two - Thursday, December 15th:
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

Day Three - Friday, December 16th:
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: Make-Up Exams

A couple of questions that tend to come up at exam time...

Yes, you are REQUIRED and EXPECTED to be in all of your classes during an exam. (Even if you don't have an actual exam, the teachers are going to be working with you on projects, papers, or other learning related to their course.)

No, you do NOT need to be in school during your scheduled lunch period or during your Options or Prep periods. (Which means, for example, that if you have 3rd period prep and 4th period lunch that you do not have to come to school at all on the 16th.)

Hope that helps clarify and continued best wishes with studying! :-)

Stressed

How are you holding up?  Are you feeling tired, stressed, overwhelmed, anxious, worried or frustrated?  This time of year often brings a range of stress-related feelings.  The holidays can be stressful.  Exams can be stressful.  High school life can be stressful.  The counselors are here to help!

Obviously, if you are struggling, I want to talk to you!  I want to problem-solve with you and help develop a plan for managing the feelings and experiences you are going through. 

Stress comes from a range of events and life circumstances. When positive things happen such as getting a new job, dating someone new, or graduating from high school, stress levels increase. And, obviously, stress levels are higher when negative things take place like failing a test, fighting with family or friends, or having a lot to do in a limited amount of time. Quite simply, the reality is that stress is a part of life and it cannot be escaped, but it is important to learn strategies for dealing with stress.

Holidays can also create stress because expectations tend to be higher during holidays. Families are often together and sometimes that means lots of questions about your college plans or it could mean that siblings who are off to college are home and the change in routine can cause challenges. Students whose parents are divorced are often juggling multiple holidays and trying to be in several places at once which is never easy. Whatever the circumstances are for your family, try to remember that even though the holiday may not be the picture of perfection that you might see portrayed on movies or TV shows, it can still be enjoyable - even if it is stressful.

Finding the stress relievers that are effective in your own life is important not only during the holidays, but throughout the year. Talking to friends, journaling, drawing, reading, listening to music, running, coloring, playing sports, spending time with your pets, taking a walk, dancing, exercising, watching a funny movie, or helping someone less fortunate are all examples of some simple stress relievers that might be ideas you can consider utilizing.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, December 6th during lunch periods all of the counselors will be hosting a stress-relieving workshop where we will be working with students on developing coping skills strategies.  This will include identifying strategies you can use to help manage stress-related feelings and personalizing plans that can help you if you are feeling overwhelmed.  I hope you will bring your lunch into Room 120 and join us for the lunch-chat and start developing your own personal coping skills resource!

(and we can handle that!)  :-)

Studying

Studying for exams can be daunting - especially because sometimes you don't know *how*to study. I ask students the question – “Do you know how to study?” a lot and, quite honestly, the most common response is "no." It really isn't a surprise though. The reality is that until high school gets hard enough that you hit the wall and it no longer comes easy to you, studying isn't something you typically have to worry about and spend a lot of time focusing on.

The challenging part of studying is that what works best for one person may not be what works best for someone else. And, even if you figure out what works best for you in one particular subject area, that still doesn't mean that this particular strategy will be most effective for a different subject.

The one lesson I have learned (from both experience and from other students) is that just reading your notes is NOT studying. You really need to be doing something in order to effectively study for exams. And yes, I am aware that for some of you and for some classes reading through your notes is sufficient, but in general as you sit there reading your notes it is common for your mind to wander. Then, as you are taking the test, you realize that all of the information you thought you knew was actually just familiar.

The best news is that there are lots of different ideas and strategies that you can use to develop a study strategy that works best for you!  So, perhaps in addition to reading through your notes you could try some other ideas. If you are struggling to find strategies to try out, I encourage you to visit the WKHS Counselor website as there are lots of examples listed on the site.  I am listing a few examples below, but again, it is about finding a strategy that will work for you.

Re-write or type your notes instead of just reading them.

Try to recall as much information from memory as possible. So, think back on the class and try to remember all of the key points and pieces of information that you think you are going to have to know for the test and write them all down. Then compare that list to what you actually are responsible for knowing. What information did you forget about completely? What areas were you unable to recall enough information details? Briefly review that information and then move on to studying for another subject and then later come back and try to recall everything that you will need to know again. Were you able to do better this time? This strategy is effective because it forces you to figure out what you can recall at a certain time - just as you will have to do on your exams.

Make flashcards and review the content.

Have someone else question you from your notes, study guide, or text book.

Another great strategy is to go through and review your old tests - paying particular attention to questions that you answered incorrectly.

Make your own practice tests. You can use homework questions, sample problems from your classroom notes, or questions from your book or tests and put them together into one test just like your teacher would do. Give yourself a day or two away from looking at it (or at least a few hours of working on a different subject) and then go back and put yourself into a similar test environment and take the test. Practice going straight through the whole test without a break, without distractions, and without stopping to look at your notes or book just as you will have to do in the actual exam. When you have completed the test, check your answers and see how you did. You can then identify areas where you need more practice and review. It may also help you identify concepts that you need to seek help from your teachers or academic assistants on to help make sure you better understand the material.

Spending time reviewing old learning targets, homework assignments and worksheets and working through the study guides your teachers provided (if they gave you one) is also an effective strategy.


Another helpful strategy is to teach someone else. Sometimes this involves teaching a fellow student who is struggling to grasp the concepts, but it can just as easily be your parents, siblings, or a grandparent. By having to explain the information you know, you are reinforcing the concepts in your own mind and seeking useful ways to help someone else to understand the information and why it matters.

Take advantage of the opportunity to seek extra help from your teachers. Some teachers offer review sessions, others will meet with students individually or in small groups to answer questions. And other teachers are willing to respond to e-mails to help clarify questions you might have. Remember, they know what is on the test (they created it!) and so they are your best resources for help, yet the work must be done by you to make certain that you truly know the concepts being covered in class.

You can also work with the Academic Assistant's in the Teaching and Learning Center (Room 209) as they have a wealth of knowledge and helpful tips for study strategies that can help you in their particular subject areas as well as studying overall.  And, last, but not least, you can also stop in and see me and I can help brainstorm ideas that you could try.

For what it is worth, think of learning to study like you think of learning to run. You already know some skills that have helped you to know how to study and to be successful - just like you already know how to run, but if you practice and really train at running, you can improve significantly and studying will work just the same. Keep working at your study strategies, practice and continue refining your technique until you find the perfect combination that works for you.

Good luck and happy studying!

Career Dreams

What do you want to be when you grow up? When you were little perhaps it was a professional athlete, a superhero, or a famous entertainer. Chances are, now that you are in high school, you have started re-thinking some of your potential career choices. While there is still a lot of uncertainty and there will, in all likelihood, be plenty of other times when you will change career paths in the future, it is time to start figuring out what you would like to be when you grow up.

I *know* you hate it when I say this, but the reality is that you need to know yourself and what is most important to you. If you love what you do and you are willing to work hard then you will be able to find success. Everyone has their own unique gifts and talents and it is imperative that you determine what career will meet your needs. This means you have to figure out what is important to you and how you can incorporate that into your life. For example, for those who love sports it can be hard to imagine life without athletics and, many times, these individuals will pick (at least initially) careers that involve sports - athletic training, sports management, sports marketing, etc. This might be the perfect combination - or maybe not. Knowing yourself and knowing what you have a passion for is important in determining what characteristics of a job will be best suited for you. In this example, the sports minded person might pick a career that involves teamwork where groups of people work closely together to reach a common goal. Or, if you decide that you are not going to meet a particular interest in your life through your career, then it is important that you still honor that influence in some other way - perhaps playing on an adult recreational team or coaching a youth sport team. While this example deals with sports the same concept applies to any of your interests and passions - art, music, learning.

So, while I am not asking you to abandon your dreams of fame and fortune as the professional athlete, superhero, or entertainer, I am asking you to start thinking seriously about what will make you happy, what is important to you, and how a career can help meet your needs and goals in life.  Knowing yourself is the first step toward helping you find clarity in what your future holds in store.

4 year colleges - really??

How long will it take you to make it through college? Most people will quickly think to themselves "4 years" because most WKHS students are looking at 4-year colleges.

Unfortunately, that is not always the reality. While a college is a 4-year school, for many students it is not always realistic that their students will, in fact, graduate in 4-years. You may wonder why this matters now, but it is very important for you to look at the 4-year graduation rates when you are considering colleges for your future because the longer it takes you to graduate from high school, the more you will be taking on in costs for college as well as the longer it will take you to graduate and get out into the working world or to move on to grad school.

You can usually find the 4-year graduation rates on college websites, but it isn't always easily accessible. This is a link to a US Department of Education website called College Navigator where you can search for schools and then by looking at the retention/ graduation rate area you will be able to see the statistics for each school in an easily accessible way.

Each school's 4-year graduation rates should not be your sole factor in making a decision, but it is another piece of the puzzle to help you. You should use the information to help you ask more questions about why their graduation rates are so low. Is it because it is too difficult to schedule classes when you need, is it because the costs are too expensive, is it because students change majors too many times so they end up with a lot of classes that do not help them toward their major, etc.

Happy Searching as you look for the school that is the best fit for you and your future.

Staying Organized

It has been said that your head is a good place to have ideas, but not the place to hold ideas and I believe that makes sense. I have been talking with a lot of students lately about the fact that I need to write everything down.  It would be impossible to remember everything that I need to keep track of if I didn't write it all down.

What works for me is making lists.  It doesn't have to be making a lists (although I would argue that there is great joy in being able to cross something off once you have accomplished it), but everyone needs some sort of a system to help keep your thoughts organized. It is much more difficult and demanding to try to hold something in your head than it is to refer back to it on paper.  It doesn't require a lot of time, but the payoffs are large as long as you stick with it. 

As you start thinking about the end of the semester, please work on staying focused and organized. What do you need to do to make sure that you end this quarter successfully? What about preparing for exams? There is still time left to make improvements, but you need to start now. If lists are not your way to stay organized, that is OK, but find a system that works and use it.

Figure out what you need to do, gather your materials from the semester and organize them, prepare now so that as you are studying you already have your resources at your fingertips and don't have to waste time searching through everything and above all, organize yourself so that you can apply yourself completely to the end of the semester.

Cram and Cocoa

Over the next 3 days all freshman students will be invited to participate in "Cram and Cocoa" sessions during your lunch periods.  This study strategy session is being provided by the Link Leaders and will be a great opportunity for students to get a jump start on effectively preparing for exams. 

As I mentioned yesterday, you (now) have just 11 days of classes to not only learn and master everything you are currently covering in class, but also to go back and study to refresh the material you have covered since August when we returned to school.

The feedback I have heard about these "Cram and Cocoa" sessions in past years is that they are incredibly helpful.  I sincerely hope you will take advantage of their willingness to help you prepare!

Countdown to Exams

The countdown is on... we have just 12 days of school left 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. 

With exams taking place before winter break, it is important that you take a critical look at where you stand in each of your classes and what you need to do to fully prepare for exams.  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 as a chance to start reviewing for exams!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!  I have so much to be grateful for  - good health, wonderful family and friends, an incredible dog, and YOU!  Lexi and I both are thankful to have you in our lives.

One of the highlights of my job is the fact that I will, at times, have students reach out after graduation to check in and share updates about their lives.  In the past few weeks I have heard from a student from the Class of 2008 who got engaged, a student from the Class of 2011 who told me he is finishing up college majoring in the field that had been his lifelong dream, and a student from the Class of 2013 who just found out she was selected to her first choice military field.  I cannot even begin to tell you how thankful I am for each of these former students, but even more so for the fact that ALL of you allow me the chance to walk alongside you throughout high school.  It truly is an honor for me and it is not something that I take for granted.

I hope you have enjoyed your Thanksgiving day with your family and friends in whatever ways are most meaningful to you and that your hearts are filled with reminders of all that there is to be grateful for today!

Have a great break!

I know that the holidays can bring many mixed emotions with them, but I hope you have a wonderful 5 days off and that wherever your travels take you that you will have fun and be safe!