Care Closet

WKHS is fortunate that we have a group of dedicated, compassionate moms who make up a group called the Activity Club.  This group of parents are focused on finding positive ways to give back to the Worthington community so that we are all stronger together. 

One of the projects that they spearhead for Kilbourne students and families is the "Care Closet."  In this designated area they have stocked a wide range of personal care items that individuals may want/ need but not have the extra money to keep on hand.  For example, in the Care Closet you can find shampoo, conditioner, lotion, soap, shaving cream, toothbrushes and toothpaste, deodorant and so much more!  And it is all there FREE for anyone who could benefit from a little extra help.

The Care Closet is actually a set of file drawers located in the Counseling Center.  Please know that we WANT you to use this resource.  That is why they provide it for our families.  So, if this is something that you know would help you, please stop and see me and I can point out where the supplies are located.  And then, in the future, you can always go to the Care Closet area and help yourself to any materials that you or your family need.

Workshop on Brainstorming Your Essay Topic

For most students, writing your college essay is one of the most stressful aspects of the college application process.  In order to try to help better prepare juniors the counselors will be hosting a brief workshop about selecting a topic for writing your college essay.

The Essay Brainstorming Workshop Session will take place on Tuesday, April 9th from 10:00am - 11:30am.

We are really excited to be able to offer this workshop during the late-start time when younger students will be taking their End of Course exams.  This workshop is just for junior students (and not parents) as it is the student's essay and your voice is what admissions officers want to hear!  This session is optional and is ideal for those students who will be applying to a 4-year college.  (Those who will be starting at a 2 year program like Columbus State will not have to write an essay so you will not need the information covered in this session.)

So that we can plan for how many students to expect, we ask that you please RSVP using this link: 
https://forms.gle/zopnY1FrYxmsmDx26

Believe me, the essays are such a critical part of the application process that this won't be the only time I talk about them on my blog, but it is also a fun and creative opportunity to introduce yourself to the admissions officers and so it is worth the time you will put into making it a great essay.  I hope you will give up a little bit of your sleeping in time and join us for the workshop!

Caps & Gowns and More

Seniors, did you pick up your Cap & Gown today?  Doesn't it make it seem real?  I find it hard to believe that we are less than 2 months to graduation.  If you didn't get your cap and gown today, they will also be in the commons tomorrow during lunch periods for you to pick yours up.  Also, one of my biggest suggestions is to take your cap and gown out of it's packaging to allow the wrinkles to start falling out.  It will make it at least a little easier when you go to iron it closer to graduation time.

Also, seniors, by now I am truly hoping that you took care of your senior pictures for the yearbook.  Mr. Cecutti needs those from you right away.  If you haven't taken care of this, please talk to him or email him at tcecutti@wscloud.org. 

I also saw the message go out that your baby pictures are needed for baccalaureate.  Trust me, this is one of the best highlights at the Baccalaureate ceremony and you send those photos to Mrs. Mullen.

There is so much excitement ahead for seniors, but make sure you take care of all of these details so that you can enjoy the time even more.

CC+ Deadline Reminder

All students looking to earn free college credit in classes next year MUST turn in the College Credit Plus intent to participate form by Monday, April 1st!  This is a firm deadline established by the State of Ohio and we cannot extend it so please make sure you get your form turned in to us!  

Just as a reminder, this includes college classes on the college campus, online college classes, college classes taught by college instructors at WKHS (English, Psychology, Government, Sociology, Ethics, Classical Mythology, or Intro to Philosophy), and the regular WKHS classes taught by the WKHS teachers which can get you college credit for the exact same class you may have already signed up to take (Pre-Calculus, Honors Pre-Calculus, AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, Intro to Programming Logic and Intro to Business).  If you have any questions about College Credit Plus - stop and see me or watch the video on the counselor website.  (www.wkhscounselors.com).  The intent to participate forms and video sign-off forms are also available on the counselor website.

What do you want?

What do you want?  Sometimes the answer to that question is dependent on if you are thinking about short-term answers vs. long-term goals.  For example, this weekend you might have wanted to hang out with friends, relax and watch the March Madness basketball games.  But then another longer term goal might have been that you want to be proactive and work ahead on your big school project so that you aren't super stressed about it at the last minute.

So, perhaps a better question really comes down to "What do you want now?" and "What do you want MOST?"  Discipline is choosing to do the things now that will lead you to the goals aligned with what you want most.

But being disciplined is hard at times.  It is easier to procrastinate, to push off the thoughts of what isn't immediate, and to do something that you feel you "deserve."  And, let me clarify, I believe that it is unbelievably important that you have balance in your life!  So I am not saying you should be living a life only for the future goals and not for the present moment.  I am definitely NOT saying that.  But sometimes we get trapped in this cycle of live in the moment without any care of the future and then panic when the future is now and we have things that must be done.

School examples like I mentioned above are often the easiest to consider, but the reality is this type of a choice is something you will be faced with for the rest of your life.  And, many of the decisions you are making now will impact you far into the future.  At the very least, your decisions matter because you are developing a consistent practice of how you will manage your choices.  If you consistently make the decision to focus on your goal and where you want to be in the future - those small steps, made with consistency, will result in big gains.  For example, if I want to run a marathon and I can't run down the block, then I would need to start by taking small steps toward my goals each day.  I don't need to suddenly try to run 5 miles - it would be a frustrating failure and I'd think I could never reach my goal.  But if I would walk today, then maybe tomorrow I can walk again, but also run down one block, and then gradually, with time, patience, consistency, and an unwillingness to give up on what I want most I will eventually be able to reach my goal.

If you are finding yourself stuck in cycles where you are struggling to figure out how to make choices that focus on What you Want Most - stop by and see me.  Let's talk about it and see if we can try to come up with a plan that will help you reach your goals in a reasonable manner that will still allow you to have fun, live in the moment, but without neglecting what you want most.

Worthington Job Fair

Juniors and Seniors, are you looking for full or part-time employment?  In addition to those of you who might be seeking summer job opportunities, I know that there are several students who are hoping to work before starting college because of the need to save money or they only plan to attend school part time so that they can work and earn money while going to school.  There are many competitive employers in the central Ohio area who are interested in meeting those soon-to-be graduates from Worthington to see if you might be a good fit for working at their organization.

On Friday, April 5th from 9:30 - 11:30am at the Worthington Education Center there will be a Job Fair for Worthington juniors and seniors.  A bus will be provided for those who want/ need to take it.

Students are expected to have a resume, dress professionally and be ready to interview with potential future employers.  There will also be the opportunity to participate in mock interviews and complete job applications on the spot.

A few of the employers who we anticipate being present at the Job Fair include: Worthington Industries, Kenneth's Hair Salon and Spa, Cardinal Health, Ace Hardware, Cintas, Columbus Zoo & Zoombezi Bay, Giant Eagle, Hilton Polaris, TJ X Companies, Safelite, Spectrum, Panera, Lowe's, Bob Evans, and UPS.

There is a permission form that is required to participate in the Job Fair and it is due back to the Counseling Center by this Friday.  So please stop by the Counseling Center as soon as possible to pick up the permission slip to go to the Job Fair on the 5th!  If you have questions, please see me.

Local Scholarships

Let's face it, college is expensive and (sadly) money doesn't fall from the sky. Many students are trying to investigate options for financing their college education. One great opportunity to help with some of your college costs are local scholarships. These scholarships are great because you are only competing against other WKHS students (for most of them) and, at most, against other students from the general area. These scholarships are all listed on the WKHS Counselor website and I strongly encourage you to take the time to check out all of the scholarships available and read them carefully to determine which ones you might be a good candidate for and therefore want to apply to try to receive.  There are a range of different due dates for the scholarships, but a large number of them are due by April 12th.  Please remember that time flies and most of the scholarships have requirements such as essays or recommendation letters so it is important not to procrastinate and to get your applications completed on time.

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 that 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 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.

Another 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.

At Kilbourne we are making a concentrated effort to streamline the parent emails that are sent out so instead of sending each separate message in it's own email, all of the messages are now being held and combined together into one weekly newsletter email message.  Parents will want to be sure to open and read this newsletter each week to learn the latest updates.

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 reading the weekly newsletters and following @wkhswolves on Twitter and @wkhs_counselors on Instagram, I believe you won't have any difficulty staying informed.

Final College Decisions

These final few weeks of March are filled with eager anticipation and often quite a bit of stress for seniors.  As you know, many colleges - particularly the most competitive schools - hold their admissions decisions and release them all at once late in March.  Over break I received emails from various colleges letting me know that they would release decisions soon.

If you have been anxiously awaiting the news from your final colleges, try to take a deep breath and relax.  Remember, you have done everything to put yourself in the best position possible with your applications.  If you are feeling stressed as you await the news, please stop to see me so we can discuss how to manage the stress as well as what the outcome will mean if you get accepted or rejected - because I promise you - no matter what the admissions decision is, you do have a bright future ahead!

It also bears repeating that getting the decision can be hard enough, but often the more difficult aspect is being asked, “Did you get accepted?” by well-meaning friends. Trust me on this one, if they were accepted, the students would be telling everyone – you won’t need to ask. If they don’t offer up the news sharing if they were accepted or not, then be sensitive to the fact that more than likely they did not get accepted and don’t ask about it as it puts them on the spot to share disappointing news.

I also want to remind the seniors that we try to keep track of all of the college admissions decisions as that helps us understand current trends in admissions. I would really appreciate it if you'd stop by and update me as you receive your college admission decisions.

Good luck!  I hope you get the acceptances you are anxiously awaiting.

(By the way... I still love this comic, but the reality is for you most of you - the news will be received first on your computer screen so don't forget to log in and check for admissions status updates on your various college accounts.)

Sleep

Are you exhausted this week?  I knew that I hadn't fully made the adjustment to daylight savings time switch because of spring break and based upon some of you that I talked to this week, I was definitely not the only one.

Sleep is critical to our mental and physical well-being, but it is often one of the first things we neglect when times get busy and life gets stressful.  Unfortunately, it isn't just something which only happens in the spring when we lose the hour of sleep - it is a standard state of being for far too many students.  In fact, I recently read an article that said less than 15 percent of teens are getting adequate sleep levels.  Yikes!  85% of you are not getting the sleep that you need... pretty scary... and yet, also not surprising.

Think about it, the average 14-18 year old requires 8-10 hours of sleep per night.  If you have to be up by 6am for school that means you would have to go to sleep between 8-10pm each night.  I don't know very many students who are able to go to sleep at 8pm.  Not only do things like school work, sports, clubs, part-time jobs, time with family and friends interefere with going to sleep that early, but teens also have an internal clock that rarely makes going to sleep that early easy.

But, if you are displaying the signs of being sleep deprived (and so many of you are) then it is something to truly try to figure out how you can get even a little more sleep each night.  Start with reasonable goals - maybe go to bed 30 minutes earlier than normal for a week and see if you can tell a difference.  The next week perhaps you can stretch it an additional 15 minutes so that you are getting 45 more minutes of sleep a night.  I truly believe that any improvement in the amount of sleep will pay off for you in the long run.

If you are having trouble staying awake in class, falling asleep at night, staying asleep once you go to sleep, or want other hints or suggestions on how to maximize the amount of time and quality of sleep you are getting in a night, please stop by and see me.  I have lots of hints and suggestions that might be helpful.

National College Fair

The National College Fair is coming to Columbus this coming Sunday, March 24, 2019.  This will provide students and parents with a wonderful opportunity to meet with admissions representatives from hundreds of colleges to learn about the opportunities available on their campus.  This college fair will take place at the Greater Columbus Convention Center from 1 - 4pm and is free.

The National College Fair is organized by the National Association for College Admissions Counselors. They do ask all students to register for the fair in advance.  Registering will allow you to provide your information one time so that you save time from having to fill out information cards as you walk through the college fair.  You will print and bring the barcoded pass so that as you walk around and talk to college admissions representatives they can scan the barcode to receive your information.  This allows you to spend your time talking about academics and other opportunities on campus instead of filling out the same information multiple times.  You can register at www.gotomyncf.com.  Students who register using their smart phone can also save the image of the barcode for later use.  Be sure to bring your barcode print out with you to the college fair!

When you are at the fair you will be able to pick up the on-site locator for the latest school list and a booth location map.  In addition to talking individually with college admissions representatives, there will be workshops and information about gap year programs.

I hope you will take advantage of this great opportunity to further your college search.

Where Do You Sit?

Today marked the start of the 4th quarter.  Many classes allow students to move seats - especially early in the new quarter so I wanted to remind you that where you sit does have an impact on how much attention you are paying in class and therefore to your ultimate success in class.

Multiple research studies have shown that if you sit in the front row you have better retention rate than those who sit in the back rows. Additionally, the closer to the center you sit the better your retention rates. So, if you have the choice of a seat in a class, try to select the front row and middle of the room (assuming that is where your teacher stands as you want to be seated close to the speaker). 

If you cannot be front and center, then your second choice should still be the front row just out from the center. Your next choices from that point would be to continue sitting in the center seats as close to the front as possible, but definitely in the middle. The places to avoid would be the back rows on the outside edges as retention rates in those areas are significantly decreased. 

In many ways I suspect this probably seems obvious to you as when you are sitting in the front and center, right in front of your teacher, you are less likely to be working on assignments for other classes or to get distracted and doodle or daydream. Even if your teachers assign your seats, if you have trouble paying attention and want to improve your retention rates, consider asking your teacher to move you into a seat to maximize your retention rates. Also, when you are picking your seats, don’t forget to try to pick a seat that will NOT create additional distractions because it is near your friends.

A Renewed Start

If you look outside today this crazy, but beautiful snow doesn't make it seem like spring.  I suspect this weather is even more shocking for all of you who traveled over spring break to warm and exciting places.  But spring break is now coming to an end and we are back to school tomorrow.

I always think of spring as a time of renewal.  The grass gets green, trees bud, flowers bloom - it is like the world wakes up from the winter blahs.  (Again, present weather excluded from this.)

In a lot of ways though, I think 4th quarter provides that same chance of renewal.  Historically, 3rd quarter grades tend to be a slump for many students.  With tomorrow starting the 4th quarter, now is the time to kick things into gear academically, to make sure that you finish strong, and that you make the most of your learning in the classroom.  Remember, you still have 60% of your grade remaining in every class.  (40% in the 4th quarter and 20% from your exams).

I have also had the opportunity to do a lot of thinking about what people have been thinking and saying regarding Kilbourne in the 3rd quarter... and much of it wasn't positive.  But that is NOT what I think of when I think of who we are.  I can tell you that I *KNOW* that WKHS students are caring, compassionate, dedicated, loyal, responsible, smart, talented, engaging, and thoughtful individuals.  Every day when I come to work I am in awe over the fact that I have the privilige to know and work with such incredible students.  You excel in so many ways.  But right now, it feels as if the impressive quality of who you are is being lost in the message. 

There are no easy answers to the difficulties and challenges that we faced during the 3rd quarter, but here is what I believe...

- I believe that most students are making good, responsible choices on a daily basis.
- I believe that it is up to ALL of us to renew our focus on who Kilbourne IS and how WE want to be seen.
- I believe that this is not just about "those kids" or someone else's problem.  We are not a divided school of "us vs. them."  We are all united and we either truly care about everyone or we are lying to ourselves because if we only show compassion and love to those who look or act like we do then we have missed the whole point of caring about those around us.
- I believe that it is about more than just "discipline" and that we can't walk our way through rules to result in a refocus on who we are as a school and community.
- I believe that our upperclassmen will need to step up as leaders and speak out on who Kilbourne is and how we behave at WKHS.  I think this will take place in classrooms, with athletic teams, among friends, and to younger siblings.  Right now, I actually believe some of our strongest leadership is coming from the 9th graders, but the reality is the upperclassmen need to take responsibility as leaders to set the stage for how we act in high school.  After all, when you were younger you had older students that you respected and admired - the freshmen look up to you too.  Own it, be a positive mentor, and take pride in Kilbourne!
- I believe that we are an incredible school.
- I believe that just as we have done in the face of so many adversities in the past, we will unite together and be Kilbourne Strong.
- I believe that 4th quarter will be a time of renewal for our students and staff and that we will come out stronger because of the challenges we have faced.

I hope you will join me in looking forward to the 4th quarter being filled with RENEWAL!  I can't wait to see you and Lexi is beyond ready to be back at school too.  Please stop by and tell me all about your wonderful spring break adventures.

Impressive Students

At Kilbourne we have so many students who are impressive in ways big and small.  You stand out in your own ways, but I need to highlight 3 of my students who have been recognized for their recent accomplishements.

Kuric Buell qualified for the State Wrestling Touranment again this year!  This is such a huge accomplishment and his countless hours of hard work and dedication (not to mention being focused on what he was eating so that he could remain in his weight class) all led to this moment.  Congratulations Kuric! 

Just before spring break started several WKHS football players celebrated their intention to compete in football at the collegiate level.  One of these students is Kaleb Dave.  Kaleb has decided that he will attend Capital University.  Capital is lucky to have Kaleb joining their campus community.  Not only will he be a contributor on the athletic field, but he will also make an impact in the classroom.  Kaleb shared a beautiful, touching speech to thank those who have supported him in his efforts to reach this moment.  Congratulations Kaleb!

And then, over Spring Break, Josh Blankenship was invited to a ceremony by LaSertoma, a service organization dedicated to be a service to mankind. The organization was recognizing 5 students for their community service involvement and then of those five award winners, they also selected one to move on in a progressive scholarship competition.  Josh was selected as the regional representative so he will now move to the next level to be considered for an even greater scholarship.  The reality though is that this is a small recognition for the significant contribution Josh has made in the lives of others through his various community service outreach.  Congratulations Josh!

Kuric, Kaleb, and Josh, Each of you have made a positive impact and excelled at the highest levels in your respective areas.  I am proud of you and thankful for the difference that you make at WKHS every day!  Congratulations for the well-deserved recognitions!

Spring Break

Although the weather from this week certainly didn't make it seem like spring, we made it through the end of the 3rd quarter and are now officially on Spring Break! 

I hope that you have a wonderful and relaxing break. Good luck to all of the individuals, groups, and teams that will travel this week.  Don't forget, if you end up on a college campus, please take a picture for the "Oh the Places You'll Go" display. 

I hope you have a great week and please stay safe!

Diploma Presenter

It is always a clear sign that the year is coming to a close when seniors are given the forms to select who they want to present them with their diploma at graduation.  This is one of my favorite traditions at Kilbourne!  In case you aren't familiar with it, each high school senior has the option of picking a teacher, coach, administrator, counselor, secretary, or other Worthington staff member who has played a significant part of your life to give them their diploma.  It is a way to make the graduation ceremony much more personal and memorable.  Seniors received their diploma presenter request forms today and have until April 4th to submit their requests.  Please be sure to submit your form to the co-curricular office so that your preferred presenter can be invited to participate at graduation.

YouScience

I am always looking for new and interesting career related search tools that students might like or enjoy.  Recently I have heard from a couple of students (and their parents) who had used YouScience.  One of them even brought in their results to allow me to see more of what it included and I was impressed.

I will be honest, I haven't seen how long it takes to complete the assessments, but it is on my list to have my niece and nephew complete during spring break so that I can see that side of things.  However, I still wanted to pass this information along to you in case you want to take the surveys.

YouScience contains both an aptitude and an interest survey.  I really like that they look at the student's aptitudes because, for example, I may have a high level of interest in being an engineer, but I don't like math and am not good at logic so perhaps that isn't actually a good career fit for me.  Aptitudes will tell you what you are naturally talented in and then the interest survey part is where your interests lie and then you can look at where there are overlaps in your results.  They also have a range of career information about over 500 different career fields including if the job market is growing or not which is vital information to help guide your future decisions as being able to actually find a job when you finish your education is important.

There is a cost for this assessment - $29 which is obviously not as great as it would be if it was available for free, but the information it seemed to share felt like that was a worthwhile cost.  If you want to check it out, visit their website - www.youscience.com - to see if taking their assessment might be helpful for you.

Group Opportunity

After we return to school following spring break the counselors will be offering a couple of group opportunities for interested students.

The first will be a grief group.  The death of someone significant in your life impacts everything.  Students will have the opportunity to meet and discuss their loved ones and do engaging activities as a way to help move forward in their grief.  This is not just a sit around and be sad experience - the goal is to provide a healing opportunity and understand the wide range of feelings present when grieving.  We will be partnering with a bereavement counselor from OhioHealth Hospice to provide the grief groups.

The second group opportunity is a resiliency group.  Resiliency is how we recover in the face of set-backs, how we cope when things get tough, how we overcome past hurts or disappointments so that they don't derail our present or future, and even how we view ourselves and others related to difficult experiences.  The reality is that this group would be great for everyone because we all need to hone those skills.  We will be doing a lot of practical activities as a part of this group and believe it will be empowering for participants.

There will be limited space for each of these groups so if you are interested in participating in either opportunity, PLEASE let me know this week!  I would love to have you be a part of it.  Or, if you have more questions or want more information about either group, don't hesitate to stop by and see me so that we can discuss it.

Anxious About Future

It has become obvious how many of the seniors are struggling with mixed emotions about the future. Sure, many of you are very excited to graduate and be done with high school, but that also means the future, starting college, getting jobs, and being "adults" is just around the corner. I know that this is a time of high anxiety and remember, I am here to help support you. Please, do NOT sabotage yourself and your grades in your classes as a *solution* to not feeling ready to leave high school. Stop in and see me - let me know how you are feeling about high school coming to an end. I look forward to chatting with you soon!

March Socratic Society

Yesterday 40 Kilbourne students were inducted into the Socratic Society. Students are selected for the Socratic Society based upon their display of the Socratic Core Virtues - scholarship, lifelong learning, compassion, integrity, and personal effort. Students are only eligible to receive this award once throughout their entire high school career. 15 of "my" students were among those honored. They are (alphabetically): Kayla Balemian, Olivia Barrie, Sarah Baxter, Mya Boggs, Gwen Cardimen, Ava Cattunar, Ashley DeVillers, Erika Diaz Avalos, Kyle Dillon, Ethan Dzinglski, Macain Eldridge, Abby English, Sam English, Robbie Fadley and Melanie Fisher.  Congratulations to each of you! I am proud of you!