Columbus Suburban College Fair

For students who are just starting the process to begin thinking about where they might want to apply to college in the future, college fairs can provide the perfect opportunity to interact with a large number of college admissions officers all in one setting.  Granted, this will just be a quick snapshot, but it is a great chance for 9th - 11th graders to begin the process of thinking about what you are seeking in a college and identifying schools which might be a good fit for what you're hoping to find.  (And it is a great way to expand your horizons well beyond the awareness of the most common colleges you have heard your siblings or friends talk about.)

The Columbus Suburban College Fair is one week from today - Sunday, October 7th from 1:00 - 3:30pm at Otterbein University in the Clements Center (180 Center St., Westerville, OH 43081).  This is the largest, local fall college fair and a great opportunity for our students.

One important thing for students and parents to know is that we now ask all students to pre-register with your information prior to the college fair.  I promise you, this proces will save you a ton of time at the actual college fair when you don't have to repeatedly write out all of your information for every single college that you are interested in getting more information from - instead you will just be able to text your personal code to them and they will automatically receive your information.

The way you will pre-register is to:
1. Text MASCOT to 75644
2. There will be a reply text.  Complete the student profile at the link provided in the reply text ONE time.

Then, at the college fair, each college will have a 4 digit code and you will text their code to 75644 if you are interested in their college.

Ryan's Amazing 30 Years

I want to introduce you to my friend, Ryan.  Prior to getting my Master’s degree in counseling I worked at an organization called Lifeline of Ohio.  Lifeline of Ohio is an organization that promotes and coordinates organ donation.  Through my job there I was able to meet and work with lots of incredible people and Ryan was one of those individuals.

Ryan was a sophomore in high school when he suddenly became sick and needed a heart transplant.  On Wednesday, Ryan reached a major milestone – his 30-year transplant anniversary!  Today there was a party to celebrate this momentous event.

Sylvia, Marie, & Ryan

Ryan has lived every day of his last 30 years to it’s fullest.  He knows that he is fortunate to be alive today – something all of us should embrace, but it is a lesson he knows he wouldn’t have if it weren’t for his donor and the gift of life.  During today’s party Ryan said, “Today is special, but EVERY day is special and having all of you in my life makes each day extra special.”  Since his transplant, Ryan graduated from high school as his school’s valedictorian, he attended the Ohio State University, he met, fell in love, and married his wife, Marie, he celebrated as his family grew to include a beautiful little girl, Sylvia, he enjoys travel and his competitive nature pushes him as he participates in the Transplant Games, he volunteers his time to share the importance of organ donation, he was selected to help carry the Olympic Torch, and so much more.  But the reality is, Ryan is just a normal guy.  He loves his wife, daughter, and dog.  He is dedicated to his parents, brother and nephews (who happen to be past, current and future WKHS students).  He works hard at his job which he enjoys.  He cheers enthusiastically for the Buckeyes.  And yet today reminded me of just how much of a MIRACLE Ryan is and what an incredible gift it is that he is alive. 

30 years!  This is a huge milestone.  Ryan is one of the longest living heart recipients in the country.  He has been a part of my life for so long now that it is hard to imagine that had he not received his transplant I never would have met him.  If he didn’t receive his transplant I wouldn’t have had the chance to make silly faces with his daughter at today’s party.  I am a better person because I have been blessed with his friendship.  I believe that if the nearly 100 people who celebrated today were asked, they would all have said the same thing.  Ryan is someone who has blessed all of our lives and I am forever grateful for the fact that I know him and for the fact that his donor, James, had made the choice to say “yes” to donation.

I hope to try to embrace the simple moments of each day in honor of Ryan.  It is a lesson we should all try to emulate.  I can assure you that while some of you have really hard things that you have to go through in your lives, you can set your goals high, work hard, and achieve any dream – just like Ryan did.

Test Optional

I know that the college admissions tests can be stressful to students (and parents), but it is important to know that not every college requires strong test scores... in fact, there are many colleges that do not require ANY test scores when evaluating applicants for admission.

The website Fair Test is the National Center for Fair and Open Testing. Their site features a list of colleges that are test score optional schools. This hopefully reminds you that any one aspect of your college application does not make or break you - there are always more options to explore until you find the college that is the best fit for you. So please, try not to allow the college admissions tests to create too much stress!

ACT/ SAT Score Submissions

I probably should have included this with the Senior Reminders that I talked about yesterday, but it is important that all students have submitted their ACT/ SAT scores to their intended colleges directly from the testing agencies.  The nice thing is that when you are working on college applications it often feels that there are so many different details that you must pay attention to, but this is one that you can take care of well in advance so that it doesn't become a stressor later.  (But I will also acknowledge that this is one of the steps many students forget to follow through on which causes problems with their applications being processed in a timely manner.

Please remember that while your results from your college admissions tests (ACT and SAT), once received at WKHS, will appear on your transcript, the vast majority of the colleges want to receive the score results directly from the testing agency. You receive the option to send your scores to 4 colleges for free when you are registering for the test and there is an additional charge for any extra schools you want to send your results to after those initial four.  Please be sure to take advantage of selecting 4 colleges with those free submission options when registering for the tests.

You can log in to the ACT and SAT websites to review the locations where you selected to send your scores to make sure that every college you are considering has received a copy of your scores.  And it is also directly on the ACT and SAT websites where you can pay to have your scores sent to additional colleges.

Senior Reminders

Seniors, I have been receiving more and more of your requests to submit your school forms for you through Common App, which is great.  But, as I have started working on them, I have been surprised that so few of you have also come in to complete your Transcript Release Cards.  So, I wanted to remind you again of the process that we talked about at Senior College Night...

- When you are working through your application you will have to invite me to complete your school forms through Common App using my email address.  Once you invite me once it will automatically assign that task to me for all of your colleges.
- You then need to come into Mrs. McDaniel's office in the Counseling Center to write down the college names where you are authorizing me to upload your transcripts onto Common App.  (You will list each college separately and indicate "yes" it is a Common App school.)

For colleges that don't utilize Common App then their forms will either get sent to me through an online service like SendEDU or you will need to have your transcript sent directly to the college (some with forms that I will have to complete and others without those forms).

Please, stay on top of this process because I cannot upload your transcripts without your authorization on the Transcript Relase cards.  As of right now I am completely current on all of the transcripts that students have completed the authorization cards for me to upload so if you cannot remember if you did this or not, log into Common App and if it says that it hasn't been uploaded then you haven't signed your transcript release card yet.

The other important senior reminder is that tomorrow night, September 27th at 7pm in the WKHS Auditorium is the Financial Aid Night.  This presentation will walk parents and students through the FAFSA process and answer your questions about applying for financial aid which begins on October 1st so you will not want to miss out on this opportunity.

Stay Informed

Did you know that you can receive these blog posts to your e-mail automatically?  Perhaps that is how you are viewing them already, but in case you aren't I thought it might help to know that you don't have to try to remember the lengthy website address for my blog.

The way I have it set up is that the title of the blog post will be the subject line of the e-mail so you can always delete the post without reading it if you realize it will not be applicable to you.  To sign up for the updates, scroll part way down the page on the right hand side to the area that says, "Follow By E-mail" (it is below the Blog Archive & Contributor sections).  Type in your e-mail address (please do not use your wscloud email account though because it won't go through to those addresses) and click "Submit."  This will pop up another box with some funky random letters/ numbers to make sure that you are a real person and then you will click on "Complete Subscription Request."  After you do that you will have an email in your in-box that you need to click on the link to confirm that this is a list you want to join and follow.  You do have to follow all of those steps to make sure that the posts will come to you directly.

So, if you want to make sure you never miss out on a blog post, sign up for automatic updates.

The other key way that the counseling center is trying to keep you informed is through "Remind."  Through this service you can receive short text messages with important reminders.  If you would like to subscribe, send a text message to 81010 with the appropriate code below:
For the class of 2019, text @wkhs2019
For the class of 2020, text @wkhs2020
For the class of 2021, text @wkhs2021
For the class of 2022, text @wkhs2022

You probably already know this, but this is NOT an actual phone number and the texts we send are from a website and not a cell phone so we can't receive phone calls or messages from you to the number which appears.  It is only for us to send messages.  It is free for you to sign up, but regular text messaging rates apply through your phone company.

Social Media is another place where we are sharing information regularly.  If you are on Twitter, please follow @wkhswolves for updates.  If you are on Instagram, please be sure to follow us at wkhs_counselors.

It isn't necessarily hard work to keep up with all of the upcoming dates, deadlines and opportunities if you are staying organized, writing down key dates and maintaining your planner, but I want to make it as easy as possible so that you are never caught off guard.  By following my blog and receiving Remind texts plus following through Social Media, I believe you won't have any difficulty staying informed.

Coming up with a College Essay Topic

Writing your college essay is often one of the most stressful aspects of the college application for students, but it is actually one of my favorite parts because it is your opportunity to shine.  The college essay allows you the opportunity to showcase who you are and all of the wonderful traits that you will bring to your future college community.

All too often students think that they don't have anything unique or that makes them stand out from all of the other applicants, but I promise you, that is WRONG!  Each of you is different from all of your other classmates.  You have your own activities that you enjoy, ways to relieve stress, things that make you smile or laugh and ways of thinking that are completely your own.  Those differences may seem small or insignificant to you, but it is what makes you YOU and therefore it is precisely what the colleges want to learn about you in your essay.

I know that it can be hard to come up with topics that would make a good college essay, but if you spend some quality time brainstorming different possible ideas you will begin to recognize that the possibilities are endless and all around you.  We created an essay brainstorming handout that you can use to help come up with topics.

On the brainstorming handout you will see that there are 4 different sections to try to come up with answers about yourself.

The first section invites you to write out the 5 characteristics that make you who you are.  Be sure to select different characteristics (so not caring, kind and nice - those would all be 1 characteristic not 3).  Then, after you have listed those characteristics, bullet point examples of stories/ times when you have demonstrated them.  It is possible that some of your stories of when you show a characteristic may cross over into several of the characteristics.  (So, for example, if I had listed caring and adventurous as 2 of my characteristics, I could say that the time I carried a friend on my back while I climbed a mountain would be under both characteristics.)  *No, I didn't really do this, it is just an example.

The second section is a chance for you to highlight some of your classic "so you" stories.  What are things you have done that are quintessentially you?  If you are stumbling on this section, don't hesitate to ask your parents, siblings, or friends to help you think of the things that you have done that they thought to themselves, "yep, that is so ___ (you)."

After you have done that, your next list would be times when you have changed.  These don't have to be BIG changes.  Think about specific moments in time when you went into something and then were different after it.  This might be a new perspective, mood, value, outlook, or priority.

Check out this article which highlights the value of change.  At the end of the article it says, "Ultimately, it's not what you have been through that defines who you are; it's how you got through it that has made you the person you are today, and the person you are capable of being tomorrow."  Doesn't that sound exactly like what the colleges are trying to figure out?! :-)

And then the final section of the handout provides you a place to write down other random thoughts - thoughts about who you are, what you believe, things that are important to you - anything at all as long as it is connected to you.

Remember, it is worth putting time, energy and effort into picking a good and meaningful topic that is powerful for you because the passion you have for your topic will naturally convey itself in your writing.  Additionally, many topics that come to mind immediately for you will also come to mind right away for hundreds of other students applying to college.  You want to explore a new angle and show how you are different from everyone else.  Try to think about what excites and interests you when picking your essay topic.  Be careful though, this is not “true confessions” time.

Once you have identified your brainstormed sheet of ideas - you will be able use this information to think about what you want the college to learn about you that will not be apparent in the rest of your application.  At this point, it is now time to start looking at the college essay prompts.  Sometimes the colleges will ask you for a personal statement which means that you just get to write anything at all about yourself to be your introduction to the admissions committee.  At other times the college application will give you one or more essay questions that you can choose from.  If you are given multiple questions, it is often helpful to work backwards and focus first on what you want to convey and consider the stories and examples that can illustrate your point and then consider which of your anecdotal stories fits best with the questions.

As you start coming up with topics and begin drafting your essays, I look forward to hearing the fun, unique, "so you" stories that you decide to share with the admissions committees.  If you are struggling to figure out how your brainstorm handout can translate into the essay responses, please don't hesitate to come see me and we can look at it together.  Obviously, coming up with a strong essay topic is only the first step - but it is a major step.

Searching for a College

No matter what grade you are in, when you start the college search – the answer lies in you! I know, that sounds a bit cheesy, but it is true. Before you really start looking for the “right” school it is important to figure out what you WANT in a school and that can only be found by looking in yourself and determining what factors are most important to you.

For example, for some students distance from home may be a big deal. Being close can have it’s advantages – like being able to come home and have a free home cooked meal or a place to do your laundry and also not having to worry about flying half way across the country any time you would want to come home for a visit. Going to school at a college far from home can also have it’s advantages – often a different climate, a new experience and adventure where you can be independent, and no concerns about mom or dad just dropping in unexpectedly. And, of course, there are some students who will elect to find a school that is not too far and not too close. (Remember, that by communicating with your family about what you are looking for in a school you may find that a college outside of your comfort zone is still worth considering because you and your parents may be able to reach some mutually agreed upon ground rules – so the concern that they might come see you or you might come home too often can be eliminated by talking about those issues up front.)

The size of a school is another factor for many students. Small, Medium, Large or somewhere in between – the challenge is that many students will say, “I don’t know” and that is where making a variety of visits to different sized schools can be advantageous. You can explore a small school and see if the experience of knowing lots of people on campus and in your classes is better for you than a medium or large school where you may have a class in a lecture hall with hundreds of other students. As you visit the schools you may find that there are experiences or advantages that a larger school can provide that a smaller school can’t such as a wider variety of clubs or groups for students to be involved. The key is to figure out what size school fits you and then you can narrow your search to explore more schools in that range.  However, it is important to keep an open mind about size because there is only 24 hours in a day so the way you will spend your time is going to be very similar no matter what size of a campus you select.

Other factors that often influence a student’s college decision will include the types of majors or programs offered at the school, their athletic programs – both collegiate sponsored and intramurals, the food, the dorms, the cost (but don’t necessarily eliminate potential colleges simply based upon cost because often the private schools are much more expensive, but also offer a much larger financial aid package to make it competitive and comparable to a public school), extra-curricular opportunities, career placement services and on and on.

Again, I cannot stress the point that everyone is different and what is best for one person is not necessarily the ideal school for someone else. All too often I listen to students who are only looking at the 2 or 3 schools that their best friend or sibling looked at rather than trying to find the school that fits best for them. Also, I truly believe that it is about being a good match – for both you and the college and that there is not 1 perfect school.  You will be successful no matter where you end up attending.

I know, it can be a bit intimidating to search for a school and to try to figure out what you really want in a college and for your future, but it is also supposed to be fun so try not to put too much pressure on yourself to find “perfection” and try to take a step back and figure out what will make you happy. It really can be fun, but I know it is also overwhelming so remember that I am here to support and help you in any way that I can.

Class Drops or Pass/ Fail Grades

I wanted to make sure that all of you were aware that the last date to drop a 1st semester course without having it appear on your transcript is just a week away - Thursday, September 27th. That is also the last date to submit a request to have a 1st semester class graded on a pass/ fail scale instead of the standard scoring. Please make sure that your requests for these options are turned into the counseling center before the school day ends on Thursday!

Financial Aid Night

In spite of all the pumpkin spice everything that is around, it's hard to believe that we are already approaching October 1st and, for seniors, this is a very significant day.  Once again this year, the FAFSA will open on October 1st.  (In the past it used to open on January 1st.)  The government and colleges have moved FAFSA's opening date and due dates up in order to give students and families more time to be able to have their financial aid offers and consider the implications when making the decision about which college will be the best fit financially.  The FAFSA for current high school seniors will be based upon the 2017 tax returns.  You can access the FAFSA here:  https://fafsa.ed.gov/

When students and parents are completing the FAFSA, you will each need to have an FSAID number.  This number will allow you to electronically sign your FAFSA and in the future it would let you sign promissory notes as well as complete future FAFSA's.

The student and parent will each create their own separate numbers.  You cannot use the same e-mail addresses for the creation of the numbers so if you don't have an e-mail address and have been using your parents e-mail in the past then this is the ideal time to create your own e-mail account.

You will make your own challenge questions to help you access your number if you forget it in the future so it is important to write down those challenge questions and answers to make sure you will remember it down the road.  I recommend that students and parents make a folder related to FAFSA where you store all of this information so that you will always have it when you might need it.

If you forget to create an FSAID number prior to completing your FAFSA, it will still have a link for you to be able to go back and create one, but ideally you should create it ahead of time.

Here is a link to create your FSAID numbers:  https://fsaid.ed.gov/npas/index.htm

To help you with the college financial aid process we will have a Financial Aid Meeting coming up this week for parents at 7:00pm on September 27th in the WKHS Auditorium.  We are fortunate enough to have Faith Phillips, a financial aid director for OSU Newark and COTC, sharing her expertise with our parents and students.  She always has useful insight and is able to present it in engaging ways that will help you in completing your financial aid application.  

Infinite Campus/ Interims

Can you believe we are already at the half-way point of the first quarter?  In many ways it feels like we just got started.  As you probably recall, we no longer send home interim reports because you and your parents have the opportunity to check your grades on an ongoing basis.  But, since we are about half way through, this is the time when you are able to get a good feel for how you are doing in each of your classes.  I strongly suggest that you take a look at your grades and make sure you are on track for the quarter.

I am sure you and your parents know how to access Infinite Campus which is the system that has your schedules, attendance, grades, and transcripts.  Your teachers are updating their grades at least once a week so that you can check and have an ongoing update for how you are doing in each class.  This continual information provides you with the chance to celebrate if you are doing well and to identify what you might need to change if you are not meeting your own expectations for the goals you had set for the year.

One challenge for me is that I cannot see the same things you see when you look at Infinite Campus.  I have heard students say the program is a bit more difficult to use on the computer, but that for people with smart phones, the free app from Infinite Campus is very easy to use and is a great tool.  If you are interested in downloading and using the free Infinite Campus app, you will need to know that the District Code is: YCWTRL

If you haven't figured out how to access Infinite Campus at all, please visit the Worthington Website at www.worthington.k12.oh.us and then you will click on the Login Icon that is located in the top Right portion of the page.  You can also look below the login boxes for a link to Frequently Asked Questions for more detailed information.

Follow the Directions

Today and in the past week or so I seem to be having two very common conversations related to college applications.  Some students are surprised at how "easy" it is to apply to college.  Others are surprised at how "hard" it is to apply to college.

There are a lot of factors that play into how each of you perceives the college application process - probably the biggest differentiating factor is how many colleges you are applying to and how similiar or how different their application requirements are for the colleges.  Those students who are applying to just a few colleges and their requirements are all about the same seem to find the process pretty straightforward and easy.  But for those applying to a larger number of schools with lots of varying requirements and needs are often much more stressed about the process.

Here is what I would like to remind you... the difference is often in the details!  Please, be focused, get organized, and give the colleges EXACTLY what they want and are asking for in their applications.

If they want a 250 word supplemental essay - give them one that is that length.  If they are asking for a list - give them a list.  If they ask for an interview - schedule one in plenty of time.  Yes, I realize that it takes some up-front effort to figure out and keep track of what each school wants, but it will make a difference when the college is looking at and evaluating your application because they will be able to tell who just said, "Oh well, good enough..." and those who truly put forth the effort to make sure that they were presenting a complete and well thought out application.

Take some time today and go through your intended college list and map out exactly what they are asking for so that you can prepare accordingly and then follow their directions including hitting all of their deadlines.

Recommendation Letters

I have a love/ hate relationship with recommendation letters.  When they are needed, I am more than happy to write them for my students and I love taking the time to try to show you off and make sure the colleges know just how lucky they will be to have you as a part of their campus.  But there is so much confusion that surrounds rec letters and I really do hate when teachers or I are asked to write letters that never go anywhere at all.  Many colleges have moved away from requiring letters of recommendation - in part because all students will pick teachers that like them to write letters on their behalf and so the letters often sound similar and therefore it doesn't really help them to differentiate between the students.  So, your very first step connected to recommendation letters is to figure out if the colleges you are considering will actually need any letters of recommendation - and if they don't then you just saved yourself and your teacher a lot of time.

There are some colleges that will want a recommendation letter and others that will want multiple letters.  You will want to look specifically at what they are asking for you to provide.  Some colleges will require teacher recommendation letters, some counselor letters, others may be open to coaches, bosses, religious leaders or other adults who know you well, and yes, some may even want multiple letters.  Each college gets to make up their own mind and determine what information they want to have as a part of your application package.  OSU, for example, does NOT require any recommendation letters. (Can you blame them? Imagine trying to read 52,000 recommendation letters on top of the applications and essays that they receive.) Harvard, on the other hand, will require 2 teacher recommendations and a counselor recommendation. After reviewing the college websites, if you are still having problems determining if the colleges you are considering require recommendation letters – just stop down to see me and I can try to help you figure it out.

If you find that you do need recommendation letters, you have some work to do.  First, give some thought about who you would like to ask for the recommendations. Look at the requirements specified by the school – are they open to coaches or community representatives writing letters or do they want them to come from academic teachers? If it requires that the letters come from teachers can it be from any subject area or are they only open to the core subjects of English, math, science, and social studies? Are you looking at a career in a specific area that a teacher at WKHS can write about your strengths in that field? For example, if you are considering majoring in Spanish perhaps a recommendation letter from one of your Spanish teachers would be appropriate. What teachers know you best? Who can speak to your work ethic and classroom contributions? If possible, it is often ideal to show your strengths across multiple subjects, so if you have a few teachers to pick from and 2 are math and 1 is science perhaps it would be beneficial to ask 1 math and 1 science teacher rather than the 2 math teachers simply to show that diversity. Remember, in recommendation letters from teachers the colleges are asking for information about you as a student and your potential for handling the academic rigors of college.

Once you have figured out the teacher or teachers that you want to ask for a recommendation (if needed) it is then time to ASK them if they are willing to write a letter for you. It is really important to be reasonable in the amount of time that you are allowing them to have to write your letter. (Think at least 30 days - preferably more!) They are very busy with their classroom work and grading homework and papers and of course life in general and many teachers are often bombarded by students requesting recommendations. If a teacher is unable to write a recommendation letter for you – either because they don’t feel that they know you well enough to write a strong letter or because they have too much on their plate, don’t take it personally, simply ask another teacher. You will be thankful that you didn’t force them to write the letter because it wouldn’t be as solid of a recommendation letter if they were rushed or only had vague highlights to discuss.

After you have asked a teacher to write a letter on your behalf (and they agreed), then you will want to provide them with the teacher recommendation letter forms that can be found on the www.wkhscounselors.com website or in the Counseling and Career Center.  You will also need to be sure to invite your teachers electronically if you are applying through Common App.  It is rare that you will need any of your recommendation letters as a hard copy, but if that is the case you are responsible for providing your teacher with an envelope addressed to the appropriate college.  Please be sure that you have indicated to your teachers your application deadline.  You can submit your application through Common App even if your teachers have not uploaded their recommendation letter, but your application packet will not be complete until all parts (including the rec letters) have arrived at the college.

If you are applying to schools that do not need teacher recommendation letters, please do not waste your teacher's time by asking them to write a letter. Also, only ask the number of teachers that you need recommendations from - so if you are applying to two schools and both need 1 teacher recommendation letter, just ask one teacher to write a letter that will be used for both schools. You do not need to ask for more letters in case one is "better" than another - if you are not sure the teacher will write a positive letter for you, then you need to pick someone else. If you trust the teacher enough to ask them to write the letter, then you should trust them enough to be able to send their letter (without seeing it) to the college.  In fact, you should not be reading your recommendation letters - they are supposed to be confidential.

For those students that will need a counselor recommendation, please be aware that I write the letters on a first come first serve basis. It is the only way I know how to be fair. Recommendation letters are incredibly time consuming - especially when I have so many to write because unlike with teachers, if your college requires a counselor recommendation letter you don't have a choice about who you are asking to write your letter.  So please, watch your deadlines and try to help me write the best letter possible by allowing me to have the time with it. As with the teachers, please plan to give me at least 30 days to write your rec letter.  Also, there is a Counselor Recommendation Letter supplement form that we ask each student to fill out and a Parent Brag sheet that we ask you to have your parents complete and turn back in to me to use when writing your letter.  Please, be detailed and thoughtful when completing these forms because I want to be able to showcase you in the best way possible.  Each of you are unique and have wonderful qualities that you will bring to a campus, but when writing recommendation letters generalized praise is wasted space so I need stories and examples to help give people a true image of you and to make it more than just what they can read about you in your application. Once you have turned in your 2 forms, I will add your name to my recommendation letter list.  Also, if you have developed a resume or list of activities and awards I would love to have that because this information can also be helpful when writing your recommendation letter.

Before I close I want to point out that the need for counselor recommendation letters is a great reminder of why it is important for students of every grade level (Sophomore, Junior, and Senior) to drop by my office throughout the year to allow me to get to know you better.  I sincerely want to know students of all ages so that I am more comfortable with talking about some of the incredible things that you all are involved in and are accomplishing during your high school careers.

National Suicide Prevention Week

Today wraps up the official "National Suicide Prevention Week," but I would like to pause and remind all of you that this actually a year-round effort that we should all be focused on.  We can all be there to help support, reach out and believe in the people in our lives.  Often the best thing that you can do to help a struggling friend is to connect them with help and resources.

One of the things that I like about weeks like this is that often I am made aware of different stories or songs or resources that I hadn't known about previously.  One example of that is the song "Bend Not Break" by Alex Boye.  Have you heard the song?  Here is a link to it if you'd like to check it out.

I like the messages throughout the song, but every time I have listened to it I have been drawn to the line that says, "We are not the things that we have done - we are the things that we have overcome."  Wow, so true.  And also, of course, is the fact that we need to bend without breaking.

And yet that can feel like a daunting task to someone really struggling with suicidal thoughts.  And so, again, I'd like to remind you that help is always available!

The National Suicide Prevention Hotline is 1-800-273-TALK (8255) and the Crisis Text Line is where you can text "4hope" to 741741.

Admissions Reps at WKHS

Did you know that many college admissions representatives come to WKHS in order to visit with you? Stop for a moment and think about that – the schools are paying someone to come to Kilbourne in order to meet with you and showcase the opportunities available at their college. The visits started in full swing this week and many more colleges are already slated to spend time in the building visiting with our students over the coming weeks.

While meeting with a representative cannot replace the actual experience of walking on campus, seeing the people, and experiencing the classes, it can be a very important piece of your information gathering process. Possibly even more importantly, you are expressing your interest and desire to attend their college! The admissions representatives who are traveling to the schools keep track of who they see. Many colleges can go back and tell you exactly how many times a student has come to tour campus, contacted the admissions office, or had an official interaction with a representative of the school. You never really know what can make a difference when it comes to admissions or getting a scholarship from a school, so if you are able to attend a meeting with a representative, it can only help you.

We have a list of the upcoming college visits posted in the Upcoming Events calendar on the Counselor website so that you can see which schools are coming to WKHS. If there are schools that you'd like to meet with, please be sure to write down the dates and times and come to the Counseling Center.  When you get there, a secretary will introduce you to the admissions representative and after your meeting with them is over they will give you a pass to return back to class.

Juniors and Seniors have unlimited opportunities to attend these sessions. Please be reasonable though. If a visit is scheduled during a time when you have class, you should get your teacher’s approval in advance of attending the information session. You are responsible for all missed work and teachers are not supposed to excuse you from tests, quizzes, or labs. 

Freshmen and Sophomores are also invited to attend the sessions with the college representatives, but are limited to participating in the visits during your lunch or Academic Prep periods. 

These are great opportunities to talk directly with the college admissions representatives so please take advantage of their visits!

Welcome to Kilbourne

Yesterday morning we hosted a breakfast to welcome the students who are new to the district to the Worthington Kilbourne High School community.  We wanted to take the opportunity to check in on how the new students are adjusting to life at WKHS and hear more about where they moved here from as well as what they like or dislike.  It was a great way to start the day!

There are more than 50 students who are new to the district this year.  Many of them are from within Ohio, but we also have new students from as far away as Mexico - not to mention our foreign exchange students who come from several different countries across the world.  Each of these students brings knowledge of their past communities that will strengthen and enrich our school.

As I talked with these newest Kilbourne Wolves, I was excited that they are a part of our school because they have so much to contribute.  Be sure to take a moment and find one of them in your classes, lunch, sports, or clubs and welcome them to WKHS.

Included in the welcome to WKHS celebration was Mrs. Mann and Ms. Wessell - the two new staff members in the WKHS Counseling Center.  Mrs. Mann is the new school counselor who is working with students with the last names beginning with the last names M-R.  Ms. Wessell is our new school social worker who will be working with our students.

And, today, Kilbourne seniors had the chance to help welcome some of America's newest citizens at the Naturalization Ceremony.  It was a touching and emotional day for those who were becoming American citizens.  It was also an incredibly special part of the ceremony that one of my students, Maxim Estevez-Curtis, spoke and shared her family's experience.

Every day I am proud to work at WKHS and these last few days have reinforced that in a big and meaningful way.

PSAT

PSAT Test Date: Wednesday, October 10, 2018
Cost: $16 (checks payable to WKHS)

The PSAT is the practice test for the SAT. This is a great opportunity for students to begin to assess their progress toward college and career readiness standards.  WKHS will be operating on a late-start schedule to assure that students are able to take the test without the concern about missing what is happening in their classes.  The test is mandatory and will be provided to all freshmen and sophomore students free of charge.

Juniors are STRONGLY ENCOURAGED to take the test!  This is an important practice test for the SAT and it is also the qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship competition. Even though you took the test in past years you should re-take the test as a Junior to try to open you up for scholarship opportunities!  Juniors should register in the Counseling Center by bringing in a check for $16 made out to WKHS. (Exact cash is also an option for registering for the test.)

The deadline for juniors to register for the PSAT is October 5th.

Also, for students interested in practicing/ preparing for the PSAT, CollegeBoard and the KHAN Academy are offering free supplemental practice tests to prepare for the PSAT.  Information can be obtained at: https://www.khanacademy.org/sat and https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/psat-nmsqt-psat-10/practice

#ThereForMe

What an awesome day!  Today several hundred students and staff members took the time to thank someone (or multiple someones) who have been there to help them.  If you haven't seen the pictures - be sure to check them out on Twitter @wskhswolves or on Instragram @wkhs_counselors and be sure to follow both of those social media accounts.

I loved being able to watch as students realized that someone else had selected them as their person to thank and how often the other person would say, "no, but I'm thankful for you" and that is the reality.  Often times we think other people are there for us and that we need them (which is 100% true), but we don't always recognize that we are making a difference in the lives of those around us too... and it is powerful to remember that because we all have an impact on everyone that we interact with every day - and we are responsible for determining what kind of an impact (positive or negative) we will have.

Thank you to all of the students (and staff) who participated.  If you missed out on today's event, don't forget that you can always thank someone in person, with a note, or hop on social media and post your thanks with #thereforme because while the Kilbourne specific time of doing this has passed, it is a message which knows no bounds.

While we were celebrating the power of connection in big and small ways this is also the theme of this week's National Suicide Prevention week.  As a result, I'd like to remind you that by being willing to have real conversations and to be supportive and caring we can help eliminate isolation and feelings of insignificance which can impact many teens.  Each of you matter a great deal and if you are ever struggling with thoughts of not being good enough or feeling as if your life does not matter, please reach out and talk to me or some other adult that you trust.  I do not wnat anyone to ever feel alone with their hurtful thoughts.

I had posted the picture of me with Lexi earlier with our sign of thanking "My Amazing Students" along with several students seeing me taking the picture during lunch today and it resulted in several kids asking me why I'd say that I'm grateful for my students and how are they there for me.  Well, I have a secret for you - I get far more from working with you than you could ever get from me!  Really.  It's true.  You give me strength as I watch you overcome struggles.  You give me hope as you approach each new day.  You give me compassion as I watch you care for those around you.  You give me perspective as I watch you face your own life's difficulties and successes.  Each day, as you allow me to share in your lives, I benefit and become a better person.  You are #thereforme by living your life and coming to WKHS each day.  You are touching my heart in ways you cannot even begin to imagine and I am beyond thankful.  So yes, I absolutely say thanks for being #thereforme to all of my students. 

This is a busy week at WKHS.  Obviously, we had this event today during lunch.  Tomorrow is September 11th which has it's own significance, it is the welcome breakfast for those students who are new to the Worthington school district and it is also an 8 minute homeroom bell schedule.  Wednesday is the Naturalization Ceremony which is an awesome experience for those students who get to participate.  But to me, what stands out about all of these events is how much they are focused on honoring and celebrating the unique contributions of each person who makes up Kilbourne and our community.

Who Will You Thank?

I'm really excited about the event we will be doing tomorrow during lunches.  Tomorrow we will be pausing to say thank you to someone who has made a difference in our lives.  It doesn't have to be for something big - even the smallest acts of kindness make an impact on our hearts.  This celebration of the power of connection reminds all of us that it is important to recognize and appreciate the people who help us and also reminds each of us that we all have the power to make a difference!

I have spent a LOT of time thinking about who I want to thank... and truly, there are so many that it will be hard to select just 1 to thank and I think that is a good thing.  Do I thank the friend who listens to me complain ALL THE TIME when I am frustrated?  What about the person who helps me find my way when I am lost?  Should I thank the friend who helps me to brainstorm solutions when I can't figure out my next step?  Wait, I was focusing on support and thanking friends, but what about my family?  Do I thank my mom for all the times she took care of me and the amazing meals she makes?  Or should it be my sister who does all of my shopping for me since that is something I despise?  Or perhaps it should be my step-dad who would drive 5 hours to spend the weekend helping me do major yard work projects like trimming bushes and mulching?  Then, of course, I have my coworkers who do so much for me and for Lexi.  Ugh, Lexi!  I have to thank Lexi too for all of the love and joy she has brought to my life.  And yet I wouldn't even have Lexi if it wasn't for the support and encouragement of Ms. Adrean and the Counseling Center staff who welcomed the idea that I would be willing to do the work to train a therapy dog so maybe they're the ones I should acknowledge?  But wait, I would hate my job if it wasn't for my students so perhaps it is you who deserve the gratitude for helping to make me feel like my life has a purpose?

Do you see my crazy pattern of thoughts?  Truly, I am so lucky and I am so grateful to all of them and so many, many more.  I should tell people more often how thankful I am to them.  I should express how much of an impact that a hug, an encouraging note, a humorous picture quote, or people believing in me has meant in my life, but I know I don't do a good job of that.  Perhaps that is a strength for you.  But if it isn't, I hope you will still make a concentrated effort tomorrow to select at least 1 person to thank.

Hopefully you have heard the announcements and know this, but what will happen is that we will have an area set up in the commons tomorrow during lunches with dry erase boards, markers, and selfie sticks.  You can write the name of the person you want to thank on the dry erase board, take your picture (and we'll take your picture too) and then post it with the message of "Thanks for being #ThereForMe" as a way to celebrate and appreciate the difference that someone has made in your life.  I hope you will join me in participating in this special event to recognize the powerful connection we share with those around us every day.

Email

Many students do not utilize e-mail regularly, however, it is very important to have an e-mail account of your own when it comes to college application time. College applications will ask you for your e-mail address.  Most of the time the colleges will use your e-mail as their way to communicate with you including notifying you of your admissions decision. (This also points out that it is important to regularly check your e-mail.) 

Some questions to ask yourself, Do you have an account? (If not, you need to create one. There are tons of free choices available - gmail, yahoo, hotmail, etc.) Do you have an appropriate account? (In other words, is the name of your account appropriate as the college admissions officers will be seeing the e-mail address when reviewing your application... you don't want it to be "partygirl1" or something like that.) Is it YOUR account? (A lot of times students just rely on their parents e-mail addresses which works a lot in high school, but when you are at the college application point it is important to have your own account as many of the colleges will ask for your address and your parents address.)  Is the account you're planning on using DIFFERENT than your school wscloud account? (This is critical because while your wscloud account is important to be checking for school information, it doesn't allow students to accept e-mails from outside of Worthington schools... which means that this account will NOT work for your college applications.)

In addition to having an e-mail account, it is also important to remember to use proper etiquette when communicating with college representatives via e-mail. For example, when you need to e-mail admissions officers for any reason, as well as any other college representatives (advisor, professor, etc.) that you communicate with, please remember that the way you write your e-mail is a reflection of you. Please do not use text talk, avoid ALL CAPS, be mature, and write it in an official format “Dear _(insert their name with Mr/ Mrs)_, Text of your message, Sincerely, _(insert your name)__”.

Fall ACT & SAT Reminders

A reminder to all seniors...  
If you are planning on taking the ACT or SAT this fall, the testing deadlines are fast approaching!

The next SAT test is October 6th and the registration deadline is today, September 7th Late registrations will be taken (with an additional cost) up through September 26th. Just as a reminder, most you should be taking the SAT Reasoning test - frequently also called the SAT I. (SAT II or Subject Tests are for the highly selective schools and are in addition to needing the SAT Reasoning test. Double check with the colleges you are considering to make sure you will have all the tests you need to meet their requirements.)

Technically, the next ACT is tomorrow (good luck to all of you who will be testing!) but it is obviously too late to sign up for that test.  So, the next ACT test you can still register for is October 27th and the registration deadline is September 28th. They will also take late registrations through October 14th for an additional fee.  (And, for what it is worth, those students who will be taking the ACT on Saturday will begin to be able to see their scores on September 18th.)

To register for either test, please visit their websites directly.

College Application Deadline Terms

As you start through the college application process you will be exposed to a variety of new terms. One area that can be confusing is what all of the different application deadlines such as Early Decision, Early Action, Regular Decision and Rolling Admissions mean.

Early Decision

The key to remember with Early Decision is that it is a final decision and a COMMITMENT! Applying to a school in this program is considered a contract between the student and the college. You can apply to only one school as an Early Decision school. If you are accepted, you are promising to withdraw all other applications. Few students will ultimately apply to a school Early Decision because you are promising to attend the school - without seeing their financial aid package - and most students are not 100% certain that they want to attend one particular school. If you are considering applying to a school under the Early Decision program, please stop in and talk to me.

Early Action

This is a non-binding option and significantly more students will apply to schools using this option. Early Action has an earlier application deadline and students will learn if they have been accepted to the school much earlier than regular decision dates. (Some schools will defer an admissions decision to the Regular Decision deadline if the student is on the bubble and they want to wait to see how the rest of the applications will look.) Early Action is not a contract and, as a student, you are not obligated to attend school at that institution.

Regular Decision

This is the deadline that you will generally see publicized from colleges as it is the most common. This means you are applying and will hear your decision on their regular time schedule. There are no commitments or early notifications. It is important to note that the Regular Admissions deadlines are often AFTER the deadline for scholarship consideration – which adds in a whole additional set of deadlines to watch, but that is a different story for another day.

Rolling Admissions

Do you know how exciting it was when I received a phone call this afternoon from one of my students announcing that she had been accepted to her top-choice college?  It was an awesome moment!  She had applied to a college with Rolling Admissions.  This means that the colleges look at each application as they arrive and they make a decision on those applications as they go. So, if you apply quickly to a school with rolling admissions you are generally going to receive your admissions decision quickly. Schools that function with a rolling admissions policy of evaluating applications will still generally have a regular decision deadline which is the final date that the college is willing to accept any applications for the fall class.

It is really important to be watching your deadlines carefully – I can’t stress that enough! If you are struggling to find the deadlines for different schools, please stop in to see me.

Grade Point Average

The "easy" explanation for how your GPA is calculated is that every class you take at WKHS taught by a Kilbourne teacher with traditional grading is computed into your GPA.  Some students begin taking high school courses while still in middle school.  Those grades will appear on your transcript, but they are not calculated into your GPA.  This is done to assist you because many times middle school students haven't recognized the impact that their grades have on their high school GPA and the long-term impact on their future college applications.  Additionally, any classes that you pass that were taken as pass/ fail appear on your transcript but will not be calculated in your GPA.

All regular and honors classes are unweighted which means that they are all based on a 4.0 scale.  AP, IB and CC+ courses are weighted on a scale of 1.25.  Below is a chart that shows how GPA is calculated.

Letter Grades	Percentage	GPA Scale	AP/ IB/ CC+ Weighted Calculation	AP/ IB/ CC+ Weighted GPA
A	90 – 100%	4.0	4.0 x 1.25	5.00
B	80 – 89%	3.0	3.0 x 1.25	3.75
C	70 – 79%	2.0	2.0 x 1.25	2.50
D	60 – 69%	1.0	1.0 x 1.25	1.25
F	0 – 59%
S	Satisfactory
P	Passing

All classes are granted credit based upon the semester.  This means that when you pass the 1st semester you have earned that credit and it is computed into your grade point average.  Each semester class is worth 1/2 a credit excluding physical education courses which are worth 1/4 a credit.  So, if you earn a B in the first semester of English 1 and a C in the first semester of Physical Science, then your GPA for these two semesters of classes would equal a 2.5.  Plusses and Minuses in your grades are still calculated based upon the base grade as we don't have different GPA weights for a B+ vs a B or B-.

It is important to know that some students have taken classes at other schools and are transferring their credit to WKHS.  Those classes will also appear on your transcript with the grades, but are not computed into your GPA.  This is because your Kilbourne GPA will just reflect your Kilbourne classes - any classes you took in another district or an online school will have the GPA that you earned at that school.  So, for example, if you transferred to WKHS from a surrounding district, your classes and grades will be transferred over to Kilbourne, but they won't be included in your Kilbourne GPA.  This means that students will not have a grade point average until after a semester at WKHS.  The reason that this is important is that some students have transferred from schools that have different grading scales and it doesn't allow equitable comparisons.  When students are applying to college you will submit both of your transcripts so that they have the complete picture of your grade point average.

You can see a copy of your transcript on Infinite Campus and it also shows your grade point average.  If you have any questions about your GPA, stop by and see me.