Class Rank

When completing college applications you will find that most colleges will ask “What is your class rank?”  The official answer is “We Do Not Rank.”

That is what I write on all of the forms that I complete for you and what you should indicate on your application – UNLESS you are one of the students with a grade point average of a 4.0 or higher for your high school career. If you have greater than a 4.0, then you are automatically ranked #1 in the class. (So yes, that would mean that there are multiple Seniors, Juniors, and Sophomores ranked first in their respective class.)

As you already know, WKHS is an academically competitive high school and we would not want a class ranking to hurt you in any way. For example, a GPA at WKHS might rank in the top 20%, but at a less competitive school the same GPA might rank in the top 5 or 10%. So, unless you have a 4.0 or better, do yourself a favor and write “Do Not Rank” when completing your applications.

Senior College Night Reminder

Don't forget!  Tomorrow night, Tuesday, August 30th, is the Senior College Information Night at 7:00pm.  This is a key night for senior students and parents to learn about the application process, requesting transcripts, recommendation letters, and more.  The presentation will be held in the WKHS Auditorium.  See you tomorrow night!

OSU Admissions Update

On Friday morning I attended a meeting at OSU to learn from their admissions staff about the latest requirements and updates.  To give you the short version - OSU continues to grow more and more competitive to be accepted directly to main campus, but there are still opportunities for every student graduating from WKHS who wants to be a Buckeye to start at a branch campus.  While I will not highlight updates from every college, because there are so many students who plan on applying to OSU each year I wanted to pass along some of the information I learned.

- November 1st is the Early Action deadline for admissions.  It is also their deadline to be considered for their automatic scholarships.  Students who plan on applying for the Honors and Scholars program, major in the college of Engineering, or the Morrill Scholarship program are strongly encouraged to submit their applications by this date as well.  The November 1st deadline includes having all of your supplemental materials received by the admissions office in addition to your application (such as test scores and transcript).  If you apply by the November 1st deadline, you can expect to hear back on your admissions decision in mid to late January.

-  OSU does NOT require a letter of recommendation.  They will accept one if you send it and it can be from anyone who knows you well - a teacher, coach, counselor, boss, etc.  Can you imagine reading 50,000 recommendation letters?!?  Yikes.

-  OSU had approximately 50,000 applications last year and enrolled just over 7,500 new freshmen.  For those admitted to the Columbus campus, the average ACT composite score was a 29.2 and 95% of the students were in the Top 25% of their class (63% were in the top 10%).  Needless to say it is very competitive to gain admission onto main campus, but they pointed out the opportunities available for admission to OSU at the branch campuses with open enrollment.

-  Students who begin their college career at a branch campus have the opportunity to stay and complete their degree in some majors if they want, but they can also change campuses and move from the branch to main campus after completing 30 credit hours (1 year of full time classes) and earning a 2.0 GPA.  This is not a transfer application, it is an automatic change of location form to be completed with your academic adviser at OSU.

-  There are no set numbers for being admitted or for being deferred to a branch campus.  Representatives from the regional branch campuses also talked and shared about some of the opportunities and experiences on their campus and they are still academically strong.  Additionally, by indicating your back-up branch campus on your OSU application, it does not make you more likely to be admitted to a branch campus rather than main campus.

-  They are major blind in acceptance to the university and then you would be considered for acceptance into your particular major or preferred program.  (So for those students who hope to "game the system" by picking some obscure major that you really are not interested in, that won't actually matter for admissions to the university.)

-  Ohio State has adjusted their FAFSA Priority Deadline to February 1st.  The Financial Aid Officer who spoke to us reminded us to encourage all students to complete the FAFSA even if you know that your family will not qualify for need-based financial aid.  She explained that there are some merit based scholarships that are not dependent upon financial need, but that have a pre-requisite that students have completed the FAFSA to make sure that they had already received any need based aid the student would qualify for before the scholarship could be awarded.  OSU hopes to announce financial aid award packages by the end of February.  (She also pointed out that even if someone submits their FAFSA in October, it will not change when they hear about their financial aid package at OSU. 

-  One other important testing related issue that impacts financial aid... The November 1st deadline for scholarship consideration means that all testing results must be received at OSU prior to that date.  So, if you are taking the October ACT, your results will likely not be considered for scholarship purposes.  The admissions officers did say that IF your admissions decision had not already been determined when the results came in for the October test that your scores would be factored into the admissions decisions.

-  For those students taking CC+ classes, especially if you are taking CC+ classes on a college campus, they stressed the importance of using the additional information section to write in what classes you plan on taking during your second semester so that they know you are still planning to complete a full academic load during your senior year.

Over the next few weeks I will be attending more informational meetings to get additional information about other colleges in Ohio and beyond so that I have the latest information to be able to share with you as you are working on your applications.

Courtney Fisher

A little over a week ago I had blogged about Courtney Fisher, a WKHS 2015 graduate, and one of my former students who died in a car accident. After high school, Courtney continued her education at Marist College where she also played on their water polo team. Courtney’s death has left a hole in the hearts and lives of her family and friends. My thoughts and prayers are with Courtney’s family as well as all of her friends who are grieving today.

I wanted to pass along information regarding the funeral arrangements for Courtney.

Calling Hours will be held on Sunday from 4pm - 8pm at the Schoedinger Worthington Chapel, 6699 N High St., Worthington.

Funeral Mass will be held on Monday at 11am at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, 10700 Liberty Rd., Powell.

If you are having a hard time dealing with Courtney's death, please remember that there are always people available to help you. 

A link to Courtney's full obituary.

Get Involved

Earlier this month I mentioned the importance of setting goals for the new year.  My hope is that you established more than just academic goals.  Being involved in sports, clubs, volunteer outreach, or other areas of interest help connect students to the school and community.  You have special gifts that only you can share and you can make a positive difference!  

WKHS is very fortunate to have a wide range of opportunities available within the school setting for you to get involved.  There are 29 interscholastic sports, over 40 clubs, the school newspaper, video news team, yearbook and a wide variety of performance groups (choirs, bands, orchestra, and plays).  While there is obviously no shortage of established groups that you can get involved with, if you have other passions that you want to focus on, don't forget that you can also help establish a new club.  As long as you can find a faculty member who is willing to help you with club oversight, Mr. Todd in the athletic office can assist you with the paperwork needed to establish a new club or organization.

For underclassmen getting involved makes your transition to high school easier because you get to know older students and you find a place where you can belong.  For upperclassmen, being involved gives you the opportunity to demonstrate leadership and to grow in your areas of interest.  (And no, for the record, I don't think you should just get involved because it will look good on your college applications... you should be participating because it is meaningful and important to you.)

Tonight is the PTO Meet the Teacher Open House Night!

Tonight is this year's PTO Meet the Teacher Night. This is a night when your parents can come through school, follow your schedule, and meet all of your teachers. Prior to meeting your teachers and learning about your classes, Ms. Adrean will be sharing information about the school and goals for the year in the auditorium.  Meeting the teachers runs from 7:00 to 9:00pm. Each class will be 10 minutes in length and yes, your parents will have the same 5 minute passing time that you have during the day. (Hopefully they won't get lost and be late or else they could end up with lots of tardies!) :-)

Here is the schedule for the evening:

Ms. Adrean's presentation - 6:40 - 6:55pm

1st period - 7:00 - 7:10
2nd period - 7:15 - 7:25
3rd period - 7:30 - 7:40
4th period - 7:45 - 7:55
5th period - 8:00 - 8:10
6th period - 8:15 - 8:25
7th period - 8:30 - 8:40
8th period - 8:45 - 8:55

Please make sure you give your parents a copy of your schedule or at least write down the room numbers for all of your classes so they know where they are heading for the evening! 

Also, please make sure your parents know about this evening because I know many of them will want to attend and they usually like putting a face with a name so that if you are talking about a test in Mr. ____'s class or an assignment for Mrs. ____'s class they will be able to keep it straight. 

Homeroom Tomorrow

We have our first homeroom for the year tomorrow.  So, be sure to check your schedule to know where you will be going for your homeroom.

All of the students who are new to the district, as well as freshmen, this is what I was talking about when I said that you wouldn't go to homeroom that often.  And, don't forget, even though your homeroom appears to be the very first thing in your day, that is not when you will actually be going to homeroom.  The schedule is below for your reference.

Also, juniors and seniors with late arrival... don't forget that this different bell schedule changes what time your classes start so plan ahead so that you are not late to class.

Homeroom schedule:
1st Period: 7:45 - 8:33
2nd Period: 8:38 - 9:26
Homeroom: 9:31 - 9:47
3rd Period: 9:52 - 10:40
4th Period: 10:45 - 11:33
5th Period: 11:38 - 12:26
6th Period: 12:31 - 1:19
7th Period: 1:24 - 2:12
8th Period: 2:17 - 3:05


As luck would have it, tomorrow's homeroom is primarily for us as your counselors to have a chance to get to know you a little better.  :-)  You will be asked to complete a Counselor Connection form and I must tell you that I absolutely LOVE having the chance to read through your responses.  And yes, they are helpful for me and I do read them so please use the homeroom time to fill them out completely.

Confidentiality

It is very important to me that I work to earn your trust every day. During high school there are times when you may feel that there is no one there to listen and yet you deserve that.  I want to remind you that I am here for you. Please remember that what you say to me is confidential between us unless you are a risk to yourself or someone else in which case I am required to report it.

If you want to talk with me - just drop by my office! That is honestly the BEST way to meet with me. You don't need to schedule an appointment in advance. I'm generally around before and after school as well as during your lunch or academic prep/ option periods for you to stop in and chat. You don't need a big reason to come down and say Hi. I am happy to see you even if you just wanted to tell me how well or how poorly you did on a test that day.  If I am busy meeting with another student or parent - you can stop back down or leave a pass for me. 

I do have a favor to ask though... if I don't know you yet and you have left a pass that leads me to search for you in the commons please try to help me out and let me know that "you" are the student. (I know, not always easy, but if you left a pass and I haven't tracked you down that day or the following day, chances are I can't find you in the commons - so please come back!)

Don't forget I have candy and toys in my office - so it is always worth just stopping by to say hello. :-) Nope, I am clearly not above bribery if it means that I get to know you all better. :-)

Also, a few important reminders about tomorrow...

Tomorrow will be picture re-take day so if you missed schedule pick up days and didn't get your picture taken, please visit the gym tomorrow during your lunch period to have your picture taken and to get your new school ID card.

Tomorrow is also the CSCC CC+ required meeting during your CC+ class period (2nd or 3rd period).  The meeting will be held in the WKHS Auditorium and a CSCC academic advisor will be here for the presentation.

Water Polo

I love watching sports.  If you have read my blog for even the last two weeks you already know that because of my obsession with the Olympics.  But what you probably don't know is that I would rather watch WKHS students compete than even the most elite athlete.  There is just nothing like being able to know the athlete who is competing beyond just what you see on the field, court, or water.

I don't know that I have ever been more impressed by the resiliency and spirit, dedication and commitment, and grit and heart than I was this weekend as the WKHS girls water polo team returned to competition!

Was it easy?  No.  Was it emotional?  Yes.  But they did it!  With heavy hearts who missed their teammates and friends, but with the strength and support not only of each other, but of the Worthington community, the central Ohio community, and the water polo community as a whole, the Kilbourne Water Polo team showed us all their ability to overcome.

I believe my favorite moment came as the girls gathered in the corner of the pool to wave and greet (via FaceTime) some of their teammates still recovering in the hospital.  (I was able to catch a picture of this.)  And, then later as they saw another recovering teammate come to support them in their game... wow!  Very powerful!

It has been a difficult week for the Worthington Water Polo teams, but they didn't allow that to be an excuse to quit and I was so incredibly proud to watch them compete.  Without a doubt, they are winners to me!

Schedule Change Deadline

Monday is the last day for students to add a year-long or first-semester class to their schedule. This is an important deadline to pay attention to for all students. You have 6 weeks to drop a class without it appearing on your transcript, but you should only drop a class if you will still have above the minimum recommended number of courses. 

If you are intending to make a change, please make sure that you bring in the form, signed by your parents, indicating that they support your class change request no later than the end of the day Monday.

First Day of School

Welcome Back!

It was so great to have you all back at school.  I can honestly say that the happiest "person" (dog) in the place had to be Lexi!  She was SO thrilled to have students fully back at school.  Lexi and I have both missed you this summer.  Lexi just didn't understand where all her friends went throughout the summer.  ;-)

Stop by to visit me (and Lexi) because I am anxious to hear about your summer.

It's time to get started and CC+

It's a school night!  :-)

Today we had a great day welcoming the freshmen students to Kilbourne.  I was so impressed with the Link Leaders who made the day fun, meaningful and welcoming to the 9th graders.  Thank you Link Leaders for your service and commitment.  I was proud of how you demonstrated your leadership and set the standards for what can be expected at the high school.  I have to admit that if I could have students wear name tags every day my life would be much easier! :-)

Today I found out that there are still some students who are planning to take College Credit Plus classes through CSCC or COTC that have not completed all of their requirements.  This is a major problem!

College Credit Plus (CC+) is where high school students can take classes for both high school and college credit (for free) at the same time.  Students who wanted to participate had until April 1st of last spring to declare their intent to participate.

As a reminder, all students participating in CC+ classes must apply to the college, provide them with any required documents (just like you would if applying to college as a full time college student) and fulfill any requirements that the college has for their students.

For students planning to take a class through Columbus State, this includes English, Psychology, Ethics, Mythology, Government, Sociology, and Intro to Programming Logic.

COTC courses include math classes and Intro to Business through CC+.

It would be wise to log into your application and make sure that you have been accepted by the college and have fulfilled all of your steps required for your application.  If you realize that they are missing something, please communicate IMMEDIATELY with the college directly to get it worked out and to make sure they have everything they need.  (For example, one of my students realized her test scores were missing and she was able to get it straightened out before it was too late.)

If you have any problems with getting through the requirements with the college, please email me so that I can try to see what I can do to help.

I'm looking forward to seeing you all in the morning.  Sleep well!

Welcome Class of 2020

Tomorrow the freshmen students kick off a new school year and I am so excited to start meeting all of the newest WKHS Wolves.

As we head into the new school year there are always new names and faces to adjust to and I wanted to give you a heads up in advance:

- Ms. Diehl is a new teacher in the Science department.

- The special education department has a new intervention specialist, Ms. Johnson.

-  Ms. Pemberton returns to WKHS as the choir director.  She had been at WKHS back in 2009 doing her student teaching so she already knows how great it is to be a part of the Kilbourne family.

-  Mr. Hinklin has joined the Kilbourne staff as the new Social Studies Academic Assistant.

-  You may not have heard yet, but Mrs. Troutner ended up getting a teaching job and so she has left Kilbourne and we will definitely miss her, but we are also excited to welcome Ms. Davis as the new Science Academic Assistant.

-  Mrs. Whitehouse is our new School Psychologist.

In addition to these new staff members, there is a new class, "American Multicultural Studies" which sounds like it is going to be an incredible class in the Social Studies department.

While so much attention is focused on this coming school year, today during Convocation (which is a fun district wide staff meeting to kick off the year) Mr. Hermiller was awarded the Gary Smith Compassionate Teacher Award!  Very exciting.

It is going to be a great year!  Freshmen, we will see you in the morning and upperclassmen, enjoy your final day of summer!  :-)

Worthington Strong

I am at a loss for words.

On Friday, several of my students along with one of my former students (a Kilbourne grad) and the parent of my students were involved in a tragic car accident while on their way to their first water polo tournament of the year.

As a result of injuries sustained in the accident Courtney Fisher, a 2015 WKHS graduate, died and the other 5 people in the car were all badly hurt.  Like so many of you who gathered together at a candlelight vigil to honor Courtney's life, to pray for those injured and to support the entire water polo team, I continue to have a hard time trying to wrap my head around this tragedy.

But, I guess that is the reality of it.  Everything can change so quickly.  We don't know what tomorrow, next week or next year will bring which is why we must make the most of today.  And we must focus on what is truly important today and every day.

Back around the tragedies of the twin towers being struck on September 11, 2001, I remember trying to figure out how to manage those emotions and I heard or read about the importance of "looking for the good" when there is a crisis.  That message of looking for the good has stuck with me and is something that I have focused on with this car accident and wow... the good was all around everywhere I looked.

I saw good in the way our Kilbourne community came together to support one another.  There was good in the way that other teams shared their support for the water polo team.  It was impossible not to be touched and overwhelmed by the compassion and thoughtfulness of all of the students from other schools who showed up at WKHS in their Thomas Worthington, Upper Arlington, St. Charles, and Olentangy shirts (among many others).  Goodness could be seen in the way the water polo team and coach led the vigil as leaders in healing even though they are among the most devastated.  And, of course, goodness was in every statement, every hug, and every tear that honored and celebrated Courtney's amazing life!

Courtney lived her life filled with joy and she had such drive to achieve her own goals and to support others in reaching their full potential as well.  She received the 12 seasons of greatness award for competing all 4 years of high school in 3 sports - water polo, swimming and softball.  She was a driving force with the One Leg at a Time program and led Stand up for the Silent day.  Courtney had a great smile, was a Michigan State Spartan fan, and loved her family and friends with her whole heart.

I am proud to work at WKHS every day, but during these tough, heartbreaking, sad days I am reminded that we are "Worthington Strong." I hope all of you know that you are important to me and I am thankful to work with you each day.

As a reminder, if you are struggling to deal with the emotions related to Courtney's death, please know that I am here to listen and I hope you will stop by so we can talk about it.

College Applicants & Olympian Similarities

Back in 2012 Cara Ray from Montgomery Educational Consulting wrote this article on the 10 Things College Applicants and Olympic Athletes Have in Common.  Since I am obsessed with the Olympics when I saw her article I LOVED it and wanted to share it with you!  Even if you don't share my love for all things Olympics, I still think you will appreciate her 10 commonalities which I am quoting below:

1) You are trying to impress a group of individuals who primary job is to “judge” you.

2) You have been working hard to get to this point for many years, practicing, testing yourself, and improving along the way.

3) You are likely under a lot of pressure from your family, friends, and coaches.

4) You realize your scores matter.

5) You have been waiting four years for this.

6) You feel you have something to prove to yourself and those around you.

7) Your emotions are very much tied to the results of the outcome.

8 ) You may have had to overcome some hurdles to be where you are today.

9) You will have lots of people trying to give you advice about how to succeed or “win” this “game.”

10) You realize you can’t control how those around you perform, you can only make sure you put your best foot forward.

Check out her whole article!

Senior College Information Night

The Senior Student and Parent College Information Night will be held on Tuesday, August 30th, at 7:00pm at WKHS. This is one of the most important meetings for senior students and parents to attend because there are so many college related questions that we will be able to answer.

We will be reviewing the college search and application process, the procedures for submitting your items to WKHS and to the colleges, and other information you need to know. I really hope you will make every effort to attend… and yes, this is for you and your parents because this is YOUR life, so you need to be there as you are the one responsible for completing all of the work to get accepted into college. It is beneficial for your parents to also attend because they will be a very valuable asset in helping you through this process. And, trust me, your parents will appreciate having an overview of how this entire process will play out so bring them along with you so that they can get the information all at once with you.

I know that it is not always possible for every student and family to attend, but I hope you will try. Remember, I have approximately 100 seniors, so it becomes very challenging to try to repeat the same basic information and make sure everyone understands unless we all start with the same foundation of information. This evening will answer a lot of your basic questions and then we’ll figure out the rest together as the year continues. I’m looking forward to seeing you on August 30th!

Prepare for Success

Next week we will start a new school year and it is important to put yourself in the best position possible to successful.

The first step is to set your goals for the year.  What are you hoping to accomplish?  What do you need to do to reach these goals?  It is often easier to dream big and, quite honestly, most of you could achieve any goal that you set your mind to, but it will take dedication and commitment.

Many of you are also out searching for new school supplies.  As you buy your folders, binders, and notebooks pause for a moment to think about what organization system tends to work best for you.  Are you a "stuffer" who just stuffs papers into whatever happens to be available?  If so, folders are probably best for you.  If you are the type of person who wants to be able to combine notes from class with notes that you take from the book, you might gravitate toward a binder with loose-leaf paper rather than a spiral notebook. Whatever system you select, make sure it is one that will work for you.

Preparing for success is probably most closely connected to having an organization system for tracking your assignments.  Perhaps you bought a planner at schedule pick up day.  It doesn't matter to me what type of an organization system you have selected, but it is essential that you pick something and commit yourself to using it.

This will be a great year!  I hope you are looking forward to getting started (even though it means that summer is over) and if you need help with setting reasonable goals or with organization, please don't hesitate to stop in and see me.

10 years

I was starting my 2nd year at WKHS when I began writing this blog.  That was 10 years ago.  10 years!  I had no idea that I would be writing this same blog ten years later.  (Gotta say, it kind of makes me feel old.)

I can still vividly recall sitting in the conference about technology having the presenter challenge us with the question of, "are you preparing students for your past or their future?"  Ugh.  Guilty.  I was sending out quarterly newsletters and clearly wasn't embracing technology and using it effectively to get the information you needed to you in small chunks and in timely ways that would meet your needs.

So this blog was born.  It is a labor of love because it is definitely not easy to keep up on a regular basis, but my hope is that it is helpful to you as you (or your son/ daughter) progresses through high school at WKHS.  I appreciate all of you for reading this blog, for following it, and for the private comments/ feedback that you have shared with me.

I don't know what the future holds for technology and getting timely reminders of information that can help you during the 4 years of high school, but for now, I will keep blogging, but my hope will always be that I am doing so in a way that prepares you for your future.

Please Be Patient

As the dreaded schedule change requests start pouring in I beg you to be patient with me. Not only in the process of waiting in line to see if your schedule can be changed, but, more importantly, in helping me to remember your names. I am absolutely terrible at remembering names! I will recognize faces, but coming up with the names to go with those faces is a challenge for me especially after the summer break and with so many of you streaming in one right after the next. So, please, know that I am doing the best I can and forgive me if I can't come up with your name. 

Also, remember, you do NOT need to wait in line to see me in person!  (It does NOT increase the likelihood that you will get the changes that you wanted!)  If you are requesting a change I encourage you to leave the schedule change request form in the designated black bin. I will make the change (if it is possible) and will leave the updated schedule in the red bin so that you can pick it up at your convenience between now and the start of school.

Schedule Changes

Tomorrow is the first schedule pick up day and, if past years are any indication, it will be a hectic and fast-paced day in the counseling center.  

If something is wrong on your schedule, you will have to fill out a schedule change request form.  You do NOT have to wait to see me - if I am able to make the adjustment, I will make it and you can pick up your revised schedule anytime between now and the first day of school.  

Remember, as in the past, if you need to change to a core class, you will need your parent's signature indicating that they authorize the change.  I have to be honest with you, classes are unbelievably tight with VERY few seats remaining so you need to be prepared for the fact that it may not be possible to make many changes.  Also, as you know, we cannot make any teacher changes. 

If you requested a schedule change that I am able to make, you will be able to pick up your new schedule from the red trays in the middle of the counseling center. Each of the trays are identified with a counselor's name. You will see my name on the top tray and just look through the schedules in that tray to find your schedule. This way you don't have to miss out on getting the new copy of your schedule just because I am in a meeting or trying to help another student.  Don't forget to save your original schedule though because the new schedule will not have your locker or computer access information.

See you tomorrow (or Wednesday)!

School Pictures

Just a quick reminder that schedule pick up days are also the same days when you will have your school pictures taken so you will want to dress appropriately for your photos. It really is pretty incredible all the stuff that Mr. Johnson has organized and squeezed (efficiently) into these schedule pick up days

Do you have the Olympic Spirit?

I absolutely LOVE the Olympics!  Actually, obsessed is the best word to describe it.  I love everything about the concept of the Olympics!  As you are probably aware, I love sports so that makes the Olympic appeal natural, but it is so much bigger than that.  Normally in sports the focus is on beating your opponent and winning and while each of the Olympians certainly wants to win they are representing more than just their individual goals.  As Olympians, each athlete is a part of something bigger than his/ her self.  There is such unity in the Olympics - we are all united together and cheering on the United States of America.

While I tend to enjoy the actual athletic competitions more than the events of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, I can't help but think about how incredible each of these experiences must be for all of these athletes as they enter the stadium.  Most of the athletes at the Olympics will not win medals, but they are proudly representing their countries, their communities, and their homes with pride and celebration.  As a result, I'd imagine that marching into the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics is going to be among their most memorable Olympic moments.

The Olympic Creed says, "The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win, but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph, but the struggle.  The essential thing is not to have have conquered, but to have fought well."  What a powerful statement that carries over from the Olympics to life.

It amazes me to think of all the time, energy, effort, hard work, perseverance, drive, and passion that each athlete must demonstrate to even qualify for the Olympics.  These athletes have excelled and have pushed themselves often solely focused on reaching this one goal.  I feel like there are so many lessons we can learn from these athletes.  Each of you has such remarkable potential within yourself to achieve any goal that you desire.  While you may not (or may) be a future Olympian, you will face moments in your life where you are looking forward to a goal and will have a choice of how to respond.  I hope you will find the strength and courage within yourself to believe in your dreams and to chase them with unwavering focus.

Throughout the Olympics there will be inspiring stories of triumph, heart-breaking stories of defeat, and many incredibly exciting moments to watch.  If you are also excited to watch the Olympics, I will be anxious to hear your thoughts and favorite moments from the games.  And, in case you haven't been able to guess, for the next couple of weeks, I will be glued to my TV to watch the Olympics and cheer on the Red, White and Blue whenever possible.  GO USA!

Lexi

Do you know who is REALLY excited for school to start again?  Lexi!

For those new to WKHS (either incoming freshmen or students who have moved to Worthington), Lexi is short for Lexington.  She is a Miniature Goldendoodle (which means that she is a mix between a Golden Retriever and a Miniature Poodle.)  Lexi weighs 19 pounds and she is hypoallergenic which means she should not be a problem for students with allergies.

Lexi is a therapy dog and she LOVES coming to school to spend time with students and staff.  Her only goal is to love and be loved and she has definitely missed the love and attention from everyone throughout the summer.  So, in case you need a reason to stop by the counseling center to say Hi, remember that Lexi will be there and, like me, she will be thrilled to see you too.

Start Your Applications

Now that it is August, many of you are probably a lot like me in that your thoughts are starting to focus on the fact that it is almost time for us to return to school. As you consider all of the things you were hoping to accomplish this summer and throwing yourself into any summer assignments that are still remaining, I would like to remind you that you need to begin working on your college applications.  Please don't wait until we get back to school to start!  The time to start working on your applications is now. That doesn't mean you have to have the entire application complete, but begin by filling out the "easier" paperwork section that requires name, address, and other basic information because it can become time-consuming, and (if you still haven't done so) put together your list of activities and experiences you have had during high school so that you can add that information to your applications easily.  This is also a great time to being working on your college application essay drafts. And, while I hope this goes without saying, if you still don't know which schools you will be applying to - it is definitely time to start finalizing your list.  While submitting your applications may still feel a long way off, it will be here before you realize and having applications started and a rough draft or two written before classes begin and your schedule gets even busier will definitely help you in the long run. 

2 Weeks Remaining

2 Weeks!  Can you believe it?!  In just two short weeks we will be back at school for the first day of the 2016-17 school year.  With so many sports already back in session perhaps it already feels like we are back at school, but I hope you are also looking forward to adding in the academic aspect of school too.

While many of you... and possibly me too :-) ...are wishing that these final days of summer would drag out and move slow, there is good news for how the first day of school will run.  The first day of school will be just for the freshmen students.  We are dedicated to making sure that the freshmen have a great opportunity to transition into the building and feel as if Kilbourne is their home.  It won't just be normal classes - there will be great opportunities for the freshmen to meet with their Link Leaders, to bond together as a class, to meet their teachers, and to enjoy the fact that they are now officially high school students.  For the rest of you, this means you get one extra day and you will not start school until the 18th.

Enjoy your last two weeks of summer!  I will see you soon.

Schedule Pick Up Days

Everyone has been working hard to prepare for the start of the school year.  By now you are hopefully aware that next week are the designated days for you to pick up your schedules.

Tuesday, August 9th: 
9th graders - 8:30 - 11:00am
All students new to the district (regardless of grade) - 8:30 - 11:00am
12th graders - 12:30 - 3:00pm

Wednesday, August 10th:
11th graders - 8:30 - 11:00am
10th graders - 12:30 - 3:00pm

Don't forget, schedule pick up day is packed with lots of activities - finding your locker, getting your school picture taken, picking up your books, etc.

The process is paperless this year which means that your emergency medical information, health forms, athletic forms and fees needs to be updated and paid online prior to coming through the schedule pick up lines.  

This is a link to the WKHS website with all of the forms to be completed.

I know that every year there are questions about what you should do if you are not available to attend on your designated schedule pick up day.  If you cannot pick up your schedule and books on your designated day, then you can come to school on the other schedule pick-up day.  If you will not be able to attend either day, then you will not be able to pick up your your books or get your student ID made until the 1st day of school, but if you want, you can pick up your schedule and turn in your forms on Monday, August 15th or Tuesday, August 16th from 1:00 - 3:00pm.

Each year schedule pick up days are two of the craziest days in my office, but I am looking forward to seeing you!

Common App

The Common Application is a centralized application that students can complete for nearly 700 different colleges and as of yesterday it is now updated and released for the Class of 2017 to begin working on their applications. The colleges that participate in this application commit to treating applications received through the Common App with the same consideration as if students had applied through the institutions individual application. This will generally mean that you have to spend less time filling out all of the basic information about yourself and can mean that you have fewer essays to write (but maybe not).

On the common app there is 1 essay that typically must be completed for all colleges, but you do have a choice about what essay to pick from a list of 5 prompts.  Interestingly, while this has been optional for colleges in the past, I had never seen schools that didn't require it.  This year though, I found quite a few colleges have added their college to Common App and they do not require an essay.  For example, Bowling Green State University, University of Akron, and Ohio University are all new to Common App this year and none of them require an essay.  

Then, as if that wasn't enough, the real "tricky" part of it all is that many of the schools will also have supplements required which are other questions of their own that they want students to complete. Sometimes it is just simple questions that weren't covered on the common app, but would have been if you had applied through their individual application, but often times it includes short or long answer essays. Be aware and be prepared for that when completing your application. 

Not all schools use the common app - there are 31 Ohio schools which will utilize the common application this year, but as you are getting ready to start applications for the schools you are considering it is worth looking to see if more than one school from your list utilizes the common app.

I have spent the last few hours playing around on the Common App website and the new format will be pretty straight forward for you to use.  A few things I want to make sure you are aware of to help as you are completing your application...

- When you are looking at the college information section to see the number of recommendations required sometimes it may say "0" but the reality is that a recommendation letter may still be required.  You will want to double check on the college's website to see if they require a rec letter. Miami is an example of where this confusion can be seen.  They allow your recommendation letter to be from any adult (non-relative) so they don't require that it is from a teacher or from a counselor or from a non-academic source and therefore it lists required as 0, but they do want 1 recommendation letter from the adult of your choice.  Other colleges (like Ohio State and Cincinnati) don't require any recommendation letters so in those cases the 0 really does mean 0.  The best way to figure out what colleges actually want related to rec letters is to visit the admissions page of the college's website.

- After you have selected your colleges and added them to your list you will see specific questions (the supplements specific to that school) and some of them are updated now, but others haven't been posted yet so you may have to check back.  You will find the specific questions and additional application pages for individual colleges under the "My Colleges" tab.  The general information that you will complete for all of the colleges is under the "Common App" tab.

-  If you have attended WKHS for all 4 years of high school, then you entered Kilbourne in August 2013.

-  Your graduation date is May 21, 2017.

- It will ask you questions about me and so you will want to be sure that you spell my name and e-mail address right or else I won't receive the e-mail to complete your school forms.  (Ms. Brianna Abbott, Title: School Counselor, E-mail: babbott@wscloud.org, Phone: 614-450-6490)

-  It will ask you about other schools you have attended.  Obviously, if you moved into Worthington you have other schools to list, but I also want to remind you that if you took summer classes through a different school district (such as TRECA or K-12) then you need to include that school on your common app form too.

-  If you are a student who will be taking classes through College Credit Plus, you will need to include that information in the Academic Section under Colleges/ Universities.  (English, Psychology, Sociology, Government, Ethics, Mythology and Intro to Programming Logic are all through CSCC.  Pre-Calculus, Honors Pre-Calculus, Calculus and Intro to Business are all through COTC.)

-  I strongly encourage you to make a complete list of your activities and honors BEFORE attempting to fill out the Common App.  For example, you will need to give a total number of your honors before you start naming them.  If you haven't developed that resume list then you'll have a tough time filling it out.

-  In the activities section, you can write about your top 10 activities.  Be sure to put them in the order of importance to you.
-  As you are working on each area there is a panel on the right side of the page titled "Help Center" and I found it very helpful as I was going through the different areas.  Some of the typical questions kids have asked me in the past as they are completing the Common App are now answered in the help center.

-  You will have to indicate your class size - for the Class of 2017, it is 292.

Let the fun begin!  Good luck as you start working on your applications.