Leap Day

"I need more time!"

"How can I possibly get all of this done?"

"There isn't enough time to..."

I hear phrases like this all of the time from students and have uttered quite a few of them myself.  The reality is that we often get overwhelmed with all of the things we need to do and it can be challenging to juggle our wants with our needs.  Sometimes we end up procrastinating on getting things done, other times we agree to help with a project when we really don't have the time for it and would have been better off saying no up front, or perhaps you just tend to underestimate the amount of time that a particular task will require.  No matter the cause, this desire for a little more time is common.

And then we reach today.  Leap day.  A day which comes around every four years - an extra day in the calendar.  (And yes, I know, technically it isn't really an extra day and it is to keep us on track with the Earth's rotation and the seasons, but still, in 2016 it is a year where we have 366 days instead of 365 so that means we have an extra day.)

Today is a gift.  It is an extra day where you can make choices about how you will use your time and what you will accomplish in these extra hours that you have been given.

But really, isn't that every day?!?  Every day is a gift.  Every day we have choices about how we will use our time and what we will accomplish.  We shouldn't waste it.  Not today, not tomorrow, not ever.

So for today, that is my focus.  To stay focused on the things I can control - my attitude, my work ethic, my time management, and my outlook.  I don't want to waste the gift of today.  I hope you will embrace the gift of this extra day and every day as well.

Academic Assistants

Are your grades where you want them to be?  With just a few weeks remaining until the end of the quarter, there is no better time than to pause and look at where things stand for you academically.  If you are not where you'd like to be, Please make sure that you are working with your teachers in any of the subjects you are struggling with and also remember to take advantage of the opportunity to work with the Academic Assistant's in the Teaching & Learning Center!  

WKHS is incredibly fortunate to have the support of four outstanding academic assistants.  If you have never been into the Teaching and Learning Center for help, it is time to make a visit.  Ms. Elliott is the English academic assistant, Mrs. Troutner focuses on Science, Ms. Stork takes care of Social Studies and Mr. Freisner works with Math.  The Teaching and Learning Center is housed in Room 209.  Students can drop by before school, during lunch, prep or options to get extra help on assignments or for assistance in studying for upcoming tests.  It is a more structured environment so you can be certain that you will be able to find a quiet place to study and get your work done.  When you walk into the Teaching and Learning Center you can sit at any of the tables in the room if you want to work independently, but if you need help in a particular subject you can also just go and sit at the table with the academic assistant responsible for that subject area.  And, as if this wasn't enough, the academic assistant's are also outstanding resources for helping students to get organized, to stay on top of assignments and to assist you in making plans for completing projects in a timely manner.  They are an unbelievable asset to the students at WKHS and you are missing out if you are not taking advantage of their free help!  I consistently see the significant difference in grades for those students who are working with teachers and academic assistants to get caught up vs those who try to manage it on their own.

Where do you sit?

Are you looking for strategies to help you retain more information in your classes? Being able to recall the information covered by your teacher in class is essential in helping students excel in classes. One aspect you may not be aware of is that where you sit in class has a significant impact on your retention rates. Multiple research studies have shown that if you sit in the front row you have better retention rate than those who sit in the back rows. Additionally, the closer to the center you sit the better your retention rates. So, if you have the choice of a seat in a class, try to select the front row and middle of the room (assuming that is where your teacher stands as you want to be seated close to the speaker). If you cannot be front and center, then your second choice should still be the front row just out from the center. Your next choices from that point would be to continue sitting in the center seats as close to the front as possible, but definitely in the middle. The places to avoid would be the back rows on the outside edges as retention rates in those areas are significantly decreased. In many ways I suspect this probably seems obvious to you as when you are sitting in the front and center, right in front of your teacher, you are less likely to be working on assignments for other classes or to get distracted and doodle or daydream. Even if your teachers assign your seats, if you have trouble paying attention and want to improve your retention rates, consider asking your teacher to move you into a seat to maximize your retention rates. Also, when you are picking your seats, don’t forget to try to pick a seat that will not create additional distractions because it is near your friends.

Staying Organized

I admit it... I am a list maker. I have lists for just about everything you could imagine. I created a list of things I *MUST* accomplish before the weekend - not to mention the list I already have at school of the "other" things I need to do. I also have a list of things to do at home, a list of "to do's" for next week, lists for other upcoming school related projects, lists of skills to continue working on with Lexi and even a list for "when I have time." So, sadly, I guess I could probably benefit from having a list of all of my lists. :-)

The reason that I am mentioning it, is that lists work for me, 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. I heard once that your head is a good place to have ideas not to hold ideas and I believe that makes sense. It doesn't require a lot of time, but the payoffs are large as long as you stick with it. Personally, I love being able to cross something off my list knowing that I had achieved a goal - no matter how small.

Please work on staying focused and organized. What do you need to do to make sure that you will be able to end this quarter successfully? There is still plenty of 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.

Zaps Reminder

For those students who plan on taking the online Zaps ACT Prep course, don't forget that tomorrow is the last day that you can register for the class.  As a reminder, the webinar will run from 6:30 - 9:00pm on February 28th and 29th.  In case you need it, registration is completed online directly with the Zaps company at http://register.doorwaytocollege.com/webinars 

Zaps will send us the study guide and test materials that you will need to supplement the online webinar and we will distribute that on Thursday afternoon and Friday so make sure you stop by to pick it up at the end of the week.

Importance of Mental Health

Did you know that, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, 20% of youth between the ages 13-18 live with a mental health condition and 8% of youth have an anxiety disorder?  What is even scarier to me is that according to the same data reports, nearly 50% of youth between ages 8 – 15 didn’t receive any mental health services in the last year.

If you stop to really reflect on that, it would be unheard of for people to be ill with a physical illness and not receive any health care.  So that brings us to the question of why people aren’t getting the help they need.  “Many people feel embarrassed or ashamed of symptoms because our society places illogical taboos on mental health issues over physical conditions,” said clinical psychologist Nikki Massey-Hastings, PsyD.

This can be seen even in the school setting.  When someone walks back into school with a cast or brace after breaking a bone or having ACL reconstructive surgery, other students will rush up to offer sympathy and support.  When students return after being out with the flu, classmates will welcome them back and ask how they are feeling.  But it isn’t always that easy when someone returns after being out due to a mental illness.  Sometimes it is because the students returning are worried about being judged by others and sometimes it is because their classmates are worried that they might say something stupid so they refrain from saying anything at all. 

This cartoon shows some of the things that people have said to those with mental health issues, but we would never dream of saying to someone who was sick with a physical illness.  With all these barriers, it is no wonder that mental health goes untreated so often.  So what can you say to someone after they have missed school due to mental illness?  Welcome back.  I’m glad to see you again.  I’m here for you.  I care about you.  You are important.  You were missed.  Actually, let’s be honest, that is what we all want to hear from those around us if we have been gone and that simple act of compassion can help minimize the stress and stigma and make a transition back to school more positive.

It is important to me that all students know that you can talk to me, a teacher or another staff member because every adult at WKHS is here to help support you.  If you have been feeling down, crying a lot, can’t sleep or facing another concern that is worrying you, please know that there is help available.  Don’t be afraid to seek help.  People will understand, there are plenty of resources of support available and even if you don’t have something significant going on you can always just stop by my office to chat – I look forward to that.

Scholarships

As you are working on completing your financial aid paperwork it is only natural that your thoughts will turn to the overwhelming costs associated with attending college. Right about now, many seniors are so relieved to finally be done with their college applications that it can be hard to get motivated to complete scholarship applications. 

Several years ago I remember one student who complained all the way through his scholarship application and he ended up getting it done and submitted within hours of the deadline. As it turned out, he ended up receiving the scholarship and it was a significant scholarship (although, for the record, I believe that any scholarship received is significant as it is money that you do not have to pay on your own). Looking back, this student shared that he couldn't imagine earning that amount of money for just a couple of hours of work to complete the scholarship application.  I tell you this story to try to remind you that while I understand it can be hard to stay motivated to complete scholarship applications when only one or perhaps a handful of students will receive the scholarship award, it will be worth it if you receive a scholarship.  Think about it - if you spend 10 hours working on 20 different scholarships and end up receiving 1 worth $500, that means you earned $50 per hour for the scholarship time you put in.  I could be wrong, but I am skeptical that you could find a job that would allow you to earn that much money per hour.  :-)  So, please, be patient and keep working on the scholarships - it will be worth it!

I also need to clarify that most money does end up coming directly from your colleges, but there are so many other places to look for scholarships and you should consider all of the options to try to help make your college experience even a little more affordable. For example, do your parent's employers offer scholarships for dependent children? What about your place of worship? If you volunteer for an organization, do they offer scholarships for their student volunteers? There are also countless scholarship search websites where you can complete personalized searches for other qualities and characteristics that would be ideal for you. If you want to see some of these sites, please check out the WKHS Counselors website at http://www.wkhscounselors.com/.

Scheduling Process Overview

Over the last two days as I met with all of my freshmen and sophomores I realized that most students don't really know or understand how the schedule is created. I thought it might be helpful if I give you a quick overview of the scheduling process. (I am saying quick because it is actually boring and is known to cause massive headaches for those trying to put it all together and make it work for every student.)

By now, nearly everyone has selected their classes using the online registration system. The counselors have met with all of the freshmen and sophomores and are meeting one-on-one with juniors. During these meetings we are making certain that the courses selected make sense based upon the previous classes, student future goals and teacher recommendations. All of this needs to be finalized by the end of this month and officially given to the administration as the "final" registration requests.

Once the final requests are submitted by all of the counselors at the end of this month the administration (principal and assistant principals) will look at the numbers for all of the courses selected to determine what, if any, courses do not have enough students signed up to be able to offer the class. After they figure this out they will provide that information back to the counselors with a list of students impacted and we will work with those students and their alternates list to find a suitable replacement course.

The administration will also begin working to determine the total number of sections of each class (for example the number of English 1's) needed to meet the demand. They will then work to create a schedule with computer services that will create the smallest number of conflicts possible. This is a MUCH bigger challenge than most people would imagine. For example, if a class like AP Computer Science is only offered 1 time in the day, then they have to figure out what students want to take that class and try to make sure that the time of day selected to offer the course will not conflict with any other classes - especially any other classes that are only offered once in a day.

Eventually they will create a schedule and "lock" it in place. When that happens they will then come back to the counselors with a list of all of the kids with conflicts in their schedules. In some cases, we are able to make minor adjustments - move a few classes around and make the schedule work. In other instances, we will have to work with the student to make tough decisions about what classes they do or do not want to take and use the alternates to find other courses that would work and still meet requirements toward graduation.

And that's it - we will ultimately get the schedule set just how we want it and hopefully all of you will pass all of your classes 2nd semester so that we don't have to go back and add anything into your schedule or change classes that you no longer meet the pre-requisites for, but all of those types of changes will happen after the final grades are submitted in June.

I hope that helps you to understand what is going on with the scheduling and registration process. It is a long and tedious process and I appreciate your patience.

Stressed?

How are your stress levels?

Stress comes from a range of events and life experiences. 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 healthy strategies for dealing with stress.

Hopefully the long 4-day weekend we just had has helped to decrease your stress levels, but I am also very aware of the fact that sometimes the change in routine and being at home more can also create stress. Perhaps you were visiting with extended family members and sometimes that means lots of questions about your college plans or students whose parents are divorced are often juggling trying to be in several places at once which is never easy. 

Finding the stress relievers that are effective in your own life is important! Talking to friends, writing out your thoughts and feelings in a journal, drawing, reading, deep breathing, 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. 

The stress relieving strategy that I love and hate the most (all at the same time) is deep breathing.  I always think that it is a technique that is too big for my problems, but since I make students take deep breaths in my office often, I have realized that is absolutely makes a huge difference.  If you don't know how to take deep breaths (yes, I really mean that - because there are effective ways and ineffective ways), please check out this website to learn more: http://www.lifehack.org/324889/heres-how-breathe-youre-stressed-out

Remember, if you need someone to talk to about additional strategies for learning to manage the stress in your life, I am around and willing to listen.

Caps and Gowns

Seniors, did you order your cap and gown? Commencement is just about 3 months away and I am hearing that many of you still haven't placed your orders. The price for your cap and gown increases after today due to late fees.  If you are among the students who haven't placed your order, please visit the National Recognition Products website to order your cap and gown online today!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!  I hope you are enjoying the long weekend and that you are reminded by family members and friends that you are important and that you matter.  Valentine's Day is often a holiday that is dominated by commercials encouraging people to buy special cards, jewelry, flowers or candy, but really those items are not what love is all about.  Love is about caring for the people in your life and putting their needs above your own.  Love is also about respecting one another!  February is Teen Dating Violence awareness month.  I hope that you all know and realize that you deserve to be in healthy and respectful relationships.  It is important to speak up and set healthy boundaries in your relationships and to seek help if that is not happening in your life or the lives of those you care about.  Want to learn more about teen dating violence?  Check out this website - http://www.loveisrespect.org/ - they have tons of great resources and information.

Oh The Places You'll Go

Are you excited about the fact that we have a long weekend and you have tomorrow and Monday off?  For many students this is the perfect opportunity to make a college visit.  If you are going to make a visit on a college campus, please make sure to take a picture somewhere on campus for me! 

For the record, the picture can be anywhere on campus, but I would like you in the picture!  So, pick out a pretty place on campus, find a cool sign announcing the college's name, or snap a picture in front of the building that houses your major where you anticipate spending most of your time in the future.

If you have no idea what colleges you might be interested in for the future, you can still make use of the long weekend to start exploring colleges.  You can, of course, begin your search online and try to find colleges that fit your interests, but more often than not, students tell me that they don't know what they want in a college.  If that is you, then perhaps starting your college search by exploring some nearby campuses would be a valuable use of your time.  As you walk around the campus, people watch and listen to the presentations by the college admissions representatives you will begin to see various aspects of college life.  From these impressions you will be able to start forming an impression of what you like and what you don't like.  These views will be extremely valuable to you as you start narrowing your college search.

No matter how you spend your long weekend, I hope you have a enjoy the extra days off!  And again, if you are visiting a college, please be sure to bring back a picture!

Earning Credit

Over the last few weeks a large part of my time has been spent trying to explain to students about how you earn credits in high school.  It is a valuable reminder for everyone.

High school is different than elementary and middle school.  In middle school, you take classes and each year you move on to the next grade and take all the classes for that grade.  In high school, you must earn credits for specified classes and the way you earn credit is by passing each semester of the class. 

So, for example, all students must earn 4 credits of English to graduate.  When you pass both semesters of English 1 during your freshman year, you move on to English 2 during your sophomore year.  If, unfortunately, you failed one of the semesters of English 1 then you are going to have to make that up before you can progress on to English 2.  Students who failed a semester will be able to make up the course either by repeating the class in summer school, repeating the class through credit recovery or repeating the class by retaking it during your sophomore year.  The bottom line is that you must REPEAT the class in some format.

Some classes (like English) have pre-requisites that students must meet in order to move on to the next level.  Other classes, like Science and Social Studies, do not have pre-requisites to move on to the next level so in order to help make sure all students are exposed to the content you will need to know before the state mandated tests, we will allow you to move from Physical Science to Biology or from World History to US History without first repeating the freshman year class.  Don’t misunderstand though, you will have to repeat the class at some point, but if you are not making it up during summer school, then you will likely be taking a freshman year class during your junior year.

In order to earn sophomore status, students must have earned at least 5 credits.  To become a junior you will need 10 credits.  To be classified as a senior, you must have earned at least 15 credits.

If you have any questions about where you stand with the credits you have earned or what still remains, please don’t hesitate to stop by and see me.

Also, thanks again for submitting your online course registrations!  I'm looking forward to meeting with all of "my" freshmen students tomorrow!

PE Waiver

The PE waiver provides the opportunity for students to waive having PE as a required class for graduation.  This option is available to students participating in high school athletics including cheerleading and marching band.  (For ease of explaining and writing this, when I refer to sports or athletics throughout this post, please know that it also includes marching band.)  All students must still earn the full 20 credits to graduate from high school, this waiver would simply mean that what has typically been required (1/2 credit of Physical Education) would not need to be included in the 20 credits earned.

The option to utilize a PE waiver is open to any current student (as well as all future, incoming Kilbourne students).  Please be aware that athletic participation during your senior year does not count toward the waiver.

In order to utilize the waiver, students must successfully complete two full seasons of athletics.  This can be 2 different sports in one year, it could be 1 sport over two years, or even 1 sport one year and another sport the other year.  So, for example, if I participate in both football and basketball in the same year, I could apply for the waiver.  If I participate in football as a sophomore and again as a junior, I could apply for the waiver.  If I participate in football as a sophomore and track as a junior, I could apply for the waiver.

In order to have your sport counted as one which can be used for the waiver, it must be an approved high school sport.  This means that your club sport participation, like club soccer or club volleyball, is not included in the waiver eligibility.  Also, bowling, dance team, and the competition cheer team are all club teams and not high school sponsored athletics and so they are not eligible for the waiver option.  Additionally, team managers and statisticians cannot count their involvement as a season toward the waiver.

Students must complete a "full season" in order to have the sport count which is considered from the first practice through the last event or banquet.  If a student is "cut" from a team, quits, or has an athletic/ activity code violation which requires them to forfeit 50% or more of the season, then that season would not be able to be used to meet the two-season requirement.  If you were to get hurt, the injury will not eliminate the option of having the season count if the principal, coach and athletic director concede that the student actively participated and made contributions in spite of the injury.

Many students asked if it could be a partial waiver because they had already completed one of the PE required courses and would only have 1 season of sport eligibility and the answer is no, there is no ability to mix and match.  If you have already completed a PE course, you can still utilize the waiver to eliminate PE as a required course, but you must complete 2 seasons of sports in order to apply for the waiver.  The bottom line is that 0 seasons of sports = needs PE/ doesn't meet the waiver eligibility requirement, 1 season of sport = needs PE/ doesn't meet the waiver eligibility requirement, and 2 seasons of sports = meets the waiver eligibility requirement and can apply for the waiver (therefore doesn't need PE classes).

The PE Waiver application is available in the Co-Curricular Office and on the WKHS Counselor Website.  When you finish your season of participation, you will get a signature on the form by your coach.  After you have completed two seasons (and have both signatures on the form) you will submit the waiver form to Mr. Todd and he will verify your completion.  Mr. Todd will turn the forms into me (or he will have you bring it to me) and we will then you will have fulfilled the PE requirement.  

As I have been reviewing student's course requests for next year I noticed that there are a lot of students who are waiver eligible, but have not turned in their waiver application.  Please, make sure you get the form, get it signed by your coaches, get it approved by Mr. Todd and bring it to me as soon as possible!

Important Reminders

A couple of quick reminders for all of you...

1.  Don't forget, tonight is the Academic Options Night at TWHS.  This presentation, beginning at 7pm, highlights the opportunities available through College Credit Plus and Credit Flexibility.  Please note that this presentation is mandatory for students interested in participating in CC+.  (If you cannot attend you need to see me so that I can give you the dates of presentations being offered at local colleges as this is required by the state for students to participate and earn college credit.)

2.  Online registration closes on Wednesday, February 10th!  By now I am confident that most of you have been online and submitted your requests, but if you have been procrastinating, PLEASE, get online now and complete your registration!  This is required for all students!

3.  The next few weeks will be busy for me with individual meetings for students to review your course selections and future plans which means that I will have limited availability.  If there is an emergency, (hopefully not), please notify the secretaries in the counseling center and they will find someone that can help you right away.  To give you a heads up, I will not be available at all for walk-in students on the following dates: Thursday, February 4th, Tuesday, February 9th, Thursday, February 11th, Tuesday, February 17th, and Monday, February 22nd.  I did try to space out my registration appointment days so that I would still have time to meet with students who need something on the alternate days.  I appreciate you being patient with me as I meet with every student on my caseload over these next few weeks.

College Goal Sunday

Today most of us will spend Super Bowl Sunday watching football (or at least the commercials).  I wanted to make sure all seniors and their parents are aware of an event that is coming up next Sunday, February 14th, that is known as College Goal Sunday.

Completing the FAFSA forms can be intimidating for some students and their families. You should NEVER need to pay to have someone you complete these forms and free help is available if you are unsure of what to do. 

College Goal Sunday is a free workshop where you will have expert help from Ohio college financial aid representatives to complete and submit your FAFSA forms.  College Goal Sunday is held across the nation on Sunday, February 14th.  Ohio College Goal Sunday will feature a range of workshops all across the state. Sign in starts at 1:30 and the workshop begins at 2:00. There are multiple locations in central Ohio that you and your family can choose between. You will be working on the computers and completing your actual online FAFSA forms during these workshops so it is necessary to register in advance. 

The list of materials you should bring with you include: Your IRS 1040 tax return and W-2’s, your parent’s IRS 1040 tax return and W-2’s, your social security card and driver’s license, current bank statements and any other benefit and income information.

If you are uncertain about how to fill out your FAFSA forms, I hope you will take advantage of this free help.  Remember, your financial aid deadlines are quickly approaching!

ZAPS ACT Prep Course

What do you wish you had done different during your high school years?  That is one question that we ask seniors through a survey at the end of the year to help evaluate what we are doing and to identify areas that need improvement.  Each year one of the common pieces of feedback we receive is that students wish they would have had more ACT/ SAT preparation options.  We have consistently heard from ACT representatives that the best preparation is a rigorous high school curriculum, but we wanted to try to be responsive to the student feedback we have received. As a result, we investigated several test prep course options to try to find one that would work with us on scheduling, be helpful for students and would be a cost effective alternative.

We were thrilled to find ZAPS, a test prep company, who has worked with us for multiple years.  In the past we always held the course live at WKHS during OGT late start mornings, but this year we do not have late starts and so we began looking at how to schedule it that would work for the most number of students possible.  The result is that Zaps will be providing the test-prep course in a webinar format.  All students will receive an ACT study guide and practice test questions for each subject area that will be used when participating in the live webinar.  The course will be held online on Sunday and Monday, February 28 and 29th, from 6:30 to 9:00pm.  

An informational letter including registration instructions was e-mailed to parents . The cost of this ACT webinar prep course is $79.99. If you are interested in participating, please be sure to register as soon as possible to make certain that you don't get closed out of the course.  The absolute deadline to register is February 22nd.  The test prep materials will be distributed from the Counseling Center on Thursday, February 25th.  If you plan on participating, you need to register online at http://register.doorwaytocollege.com/webinars.

Course Adjustment Deadline

Next Thursday is the last chance for students to change a class from conventional grading (A, B, C, etc.) to Pass/ Fail grading. The forms are in the counseling center and require a parent signature. If you plan to switch a class to pass/ fail, please be sure to pick up a form and return it before Thursday. 

February 11th is also the last day that students can drop a class without an F on their transcript. I only recommend this as an option if students have above the minimum number of classes recommended (5 for seniors and 6 for sophomores and juniors). And yes, it is too late to add a class. Sorry.

Honors Diploma

For some students, earning an Honors Diploma is an important goal. I have to be honest, this is not a factor for the colleges because the honors diploma recognition isn't granted until you graduate so colleges are not considering it when making their admissions decisions. The requirements for the honors diploma listed below are established by the state department of education.

To receive an honors diploma you need to fulfill 7 of the following 8 criteria:

- English: 4 units
- Math: 4 units (CCSS Math 3 and another higher level course)
- Science: 4 units (including two advanced level sciences)
- Social Studies: 4 units
- Foreign Language: 3 units (including at least 2 units in each language studied)
- Fine Arts: 1 unit
- Grade Point Average: 3.5 on a 4.0 scale
- ACT/ SAT Score (excluding scores from the writing sections): 27 ACT/ 1210 SAT

One of the areas that I have noticed as a trend of some students falling short of meeting the honors diploma requirements is in Social Studies since only 3 credits are required for graduation so students won't take the full 4th credit needed. The other area where students frequently don't meet the designated standard is with the 1 credit of Fine Art.  This is because many students rely on the fine art courses they took during middle school for their graduation requirements, but those courses do not equal high school credits.  (They count for graduation, but aren't actual credits earned.)  So students who want to have that requirement met for the honors diploma would need to complete the 1 credit of fine art during the high school years. 

Don't forget, it would still be possible to earn an honors diploma if you were missing one of these, but you will need to make sure you fulfill all of the remaining criterion.

Also, I wanted to point out that these are the requirements for the most common honors diploma, but there are also honors diploma available for students participating in the IB diploma program or in a Career Tech program at the Delaware Area Career Center.

Co-Curricular Eligibility

As you select your courses online, please be sure that you double check and make sure you are taking enough classes to be eligible to participate in athletics and other co-curricular activities. (Remember, any school sponsored activity that involves competition requires you to be eligible. So this includes band, choir groups, Mock Trial, In the Know, Dance Team, etc.) 

In order to be eligible you must PASS at least 5 of the half credit courses each quarter. If you are signing up to take a Wellness for Life (formerly Phys Ed) course, you need to remember that these classes are only worth .25 credits so they do not count in the courses needed for co-curricular eligibility. 

If you have co-curricular eligibility questions, please stop by the Co-Curricular office or drop by to see me.

Balance

One of the most important aspects I want you to keep in mind when registering for classes is the importance of BALANCE!  Yes, we want you to select courses that will be rigorous and help push you to learn and grow.  However, that needs to be balanced with what is reasonable.  

You want to challenge yourself with courses that will help prepare you for the future. At the same time you want to remember that this is high school and you need to be realistic about your expectations of yourself. There is a balance that should be sought - between too many "easy" classes and too many "hard" classes. You know yourself best and what you can handle. So while it may feel good to have every teacher recommend you for honors, AP or IB classes it doesn't mean that it would be the ideal situation to load your schedule with 7 advanced classes. You have to keep in mind the rest of your commitments - what sports, clubs, music groups, part-time jobs, and volunteer commitments do you have?  There needs to be time for you to relax and breathe, spend time with your family and friends and, perhaps most importantly, still get a good night's sleep each night.  

Once again this year the Kilbourne staff created a Time Commitment Planning Calendar.  You can find copies on the Kilbourne Counselor website - www.wkhscounselors.com - or there are hard copies available in the counseling center.  A student helped by completing a sample calendar so that you can see what a completed one looks like and that is also on the Kilbourne Counselor website.  I strongly encourage you to consider your 2 busiest weeks and fill out the calendar to see what classes would be a good balance for you - being both rigorous (particularly in any area of passion) and reasonable.

If you are struggling to find that balance, please talk to your parents about the classes you are considering and stop down to see me so that we can discuss it too.

Worthington Academy

Worthington Academy is another application based program available to WKHS students.  The Academy is housed on the west end of Phoenix Middle School and it provides students with the opportunity to blend their learning with a mix of teacher instructed and online courses.

There are open houses for students and parents interested in learning more about the Academy on Wednesday, February 3rd and Thursday, February 10th at 7pm.

Much like the DACC (which I discussed yesterday), students who are already attending the Academy and are in good academic standing can register for the Academy as a part of their registration process and then select only the classes you plan on taking at WKHS.  Those students who are applying for the Academy for the first time will register as if you were going to be attending classes at WKHS for the full day.  Once you are accepted to DACC, I will go in and update your course requests so that you have the Academy and only the classes you plan on taking at WKHS in your schedule.

The deadline to apply to the Worthington Academy is March 18th and students will be notified of their admission standing by May 1st.  Please know that there are limited seats available at the Academy, so if you are interested in applying you want to get your application in as soon as possible.

If you have questions about the Worthington Academy, I definitely encourage you to attend one of the open houses!  You can also contact the Academy Principal, Mr. Schirg, via e-mail at aschirg@wscloud.org.