End of Year Thoughts

This hasn't been a normal year for any of us.  And I know there were so many challenges you had to face in 2020.  One of those challenges was the switching from remote to hybrid and back to remote.  There are always so many mixed feelings on what is the "best" option for learning when we all know we just miss life being normal and nothing has been normal lately.  

As some of you may already know, over Thanksgiving I was at home completely alone because there was no way I could quarantine enough to be able to keep my family safe.  For me, one of the huge benefits of being in remote learning for December was that I was able to close myself off in my office and visit with students via zoom and not have any staff in my office.  As a result, I was able to quarantine enough so that my whole family was able to be together for Christmas.  Even though Thanksgiving was ok and manageable being alone, being able to celebrate Christmas together was truly the greatest gift!  We had an awesome time laughing, talking, eating, wrapping (and unwrapping) presents, and making memories together.  Because of all of the sacrifices that our community made as parents and students were working to learn at home, it made Christmas possible for my family and I am so thankful.  

Like so many of you, I am more than ready to say goodbye to 2020 and I definitely look forward to brighter days ahead in 2021.  I hope that as we celebrate the start of a new year you will have fun while being safe and making good choices.  Lexi and I wish you the best in 2021!

Winter Break

Nothing has been normal about 2020.  And I suspect most of us are ready to get this year behind us and look ahead to the future and a brighter 2021 in front of us.  But as we wrap up the end of the school day and prepare for a few weeks off from daily school work, I wanted to remind you of a few things.

1. I am proud of how hard so many of you have worked to get your grades up or to keep them strong during remote learning.  I know that the temptation of the distractions at home is real and so it can be hard to stay focused on what you NEED to be doing when it isn't what you WANT to be doing.

2. I know that the upcoming two weeks provides some much needed time off.  But for some of you, teachers have offered the opportunity to use break to try to finish catching up on school work.  I know that it won't be an exciting way to spend break, but if you are able to pass your classes and NOT have to repeat it then it will definitely be time wisely spent!

3. Be good to YOU!  The holidays are stressful.  This year will likely be even more stressful because of the pandemic and the shifted plans of being limited on being together.  Please be sure that you are taking care of yourself and doing coping strategies that work best for you.

Wishing you the very best during winter break!  Please be careful if you are traveling and stay safe and healthy!

Sports Options in College

Competing in sports during high school is such a huge part of many student's lives.  The hours of time that you dedicate to practice, the effort you put forth during games, and the friendships you have made through your involvement all combine together to make this one of the more significant areas of these four years.  It can be hard to imagine life without your sport, but the statistics are not great - most high school athletes do not continue on to compete in college at the varsity level. But please don't let that news frustrate you because you can always find a different level of involvement so that athletics can continue to be a part of your life.  For example, most colleges offer a variety of ways that students can meet their athletic goals such as through club and intramural options.

Club sports are often competitive and frequently include tryouts.  They frequently will compete against other colleges and travel in season.  It is less intense of a time commitment than varsity sports at the college level, but still a rigorous athletic commitment.

Intramural sports are more about having fun.  Depending on the college, there may be different levels of intensity available for you to choose from on intramurals or they may have just one level for the sport. In addition to different levels of competitiveness of the teams, they may have some options that will be guys only, girls only, or mixed participation so you will find a lot of variation available within the intramural options.  This provides a great way to meet new people and to even have fun doing sports you have never tried before (or sports that don't really exist like intertube water polo).

The biggest reminder that I have for you is that if you are sad because your seasons are coming to an end (especially in this year with the pandemic and sports being the same, but different) and you are trying to imagine your life without sports, please remember that there are always ways to find opportunities to meet those needs in your life.  If, for some reason, your college doesn't have the sport you love, maybe you will find a new sport to enjoy.  Or you may start to explore what adult leagues may be available that you could join in the community.  For example, if you are a hockey player, you might not find hockey at your campus, but there are adult hockey leagues that you could join.  

That leads me to an important point that you may even be wondering how you will adjust to life without sports AFTER college... and so, as I just mentioned, you can pursue adult leagues in the community, but if sports are really important to you it is worth considering how you can take those skills and aspects that you love and tie them into your career choices.  For example, if you are a highly competitive person who loves working on a team toward achieving a common goal, then hopefully you will work to find a job that will allow you to work cooperatively towards common goals in a competitive environment.  If you are someone who needs the physical activity to burn off stress or to help you focus, then hopefully you will consider either a job that has physical variety or I encourage you to make working out a primary commitment in your daily life.

Caring Matters

Charles Schulz, the creator of the 'Peanuts' comic strip, had a philosophy about life that I believe is a good reminder to all of us. Perhaps you have seen it before... (You don't have to actually answer the questions. Just ponder on them and you'll get the point.)

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.
4. Name five people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.  (Can you name 3? 1?)
5. Name the last five Academy Award winners for best actor and actress...

How did you do?

The point is that none of us remember all the headliners of yesterday. These are not second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:
1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

Easier?

The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money or the most awards. They simply are the ones who care the most!

Number of Years in College

How long will it take you to make it through college? Most people will automatically think to themselves "4 years" because most WKHS students are planning on attending 4-year colleges after graduation.

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

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

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

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

Holiday and Grief

Last week we held a Holiday and Grief workshop for some of our students who must face the upcoming holidays without someone that they love.  I am always so impressed by our students and their courage - especially those who are dealing with grief and loss.

As we gathered together our conversation turned to the fact that we ALL are experiencing grief due to our life circumstances being changed by COVID.  For those grieving, this is yet another loss on top of all the hurt they are already enduring.  But I loved their perspective in recognizing that all of us are grieving right now.

Let's be honest, under normal circumstances the holidays are stressful!  This is NOT a normal year and so the stress is even more overwhelming.  If you are someone who is grieving this holiday season, I hope you will strive to honor and remember your loved one in whatever ways are most healing for you.  Tell stories about them, eat their favorite foods, light a candle, create a scrapbook, decorate their grave stone with flowers, or whatever else you might find comforting.  

Giving yourself permission to grieve and to deal with the loss in your own way is important because how you feel is important.  So feel your feelings without judgment and allow the sadness and the joy to live side by side in your life because those feelings are both there in your heart.

And finally, I want to extend a huge thank you to the students who participated in the holiday and grief workshop.  You inspire us all with your bravery!

Balance Hope and Expectations

Soon many seniors who applied to colleges under the Early Decision and Early Action plans will begin receiving their admissions decisions. This can be both very stressful and very exciting so I wanted to remind you that it is important to find a balance between hopes and expectations. 

It's important to try to keep in mind that for many of the highly selective colleges, there is no doubt that you would be successful at their school, but they can't accept everyone.  You never know what factors the college is prioritizing.  So, I encourage you to remember that if you don't get accepted it is NOT a reflection of your worth, your potential, or your ability to be successful... it just means that the college felt someone else was a better fit this year.

Not only is it important to maintain perspective on college decision expectations when you are waiting for your own admissions decisions, but it is also essential that you keep in mind that your friends are facing the same worries. While it is normal to be curious to find out if someone in your class was accepted to a particular college, please remember that it could be very hard for your friend to announce to everyone that they had not been accepted. As a general rule, allow your friends and classmates to inform you of their admissions decisions on their own. Trust me, if they receive acceptances they will share the good news.

If you are struggling during this wait for your admission decision to arrive to balance the hope and expectations, please remember that even though we are remote, I am still here for you and we can zoom any time to talk it through.

Also, on a separate note, if you are still working on your applications, don't forget that you need to submit your transcript request form RIGHT AWAY!  I need to make sure that I have the time to get my part submitted for you so please, do that TODAY!

Students of the Month

Even though special events such as Student of the Month have to be held virtually, I love that we are still able to recognize and celebrate the incredible contributions of many Kilbourne students each month.  Earlier this week we honored the December Students of the Month through a video ceremony.

Student of the Month is a recognition that can only be earned once during a student's time in high school.  This award is given as a way to acknowledge the impact of a student in the classroom or school community.

6 of "my" students were among those honored this week.  Congratulations to: Brianna Biehn, Brady Cloyd, Gavin Crozier, Joseph De La Torre, Jack Dougherty, and George Fang.  I am so proud of you all and thankful for the ways that you help to make Kilbourne a better place!

Government End of Course Exam

Before I start with tonight's topic, I want to wish a Happy Hanukkah to all of our students/ families who are celebrating starting tonight!

Juniors... if you are currently in Government (not AP Gov) this semester then next Monday and Tuesday are the End of Course Exams for your class from the state.  A few things you may want to know or have clarified...

1. The End of Course test does NOT count into your HS class grade.

2. The End of Course tests are the 7 state tests.  The tests are in: English 1, English 2, Math 1, Math 2, Biology, US History, and Government.

3. As juniors you have probably taken 6 of the tests already.

4. To graduate from high school you need 18 total points across those 7 tests.

5. Last spring, the state canceled the tests and used your course grades to substitute for your points.

6. You and your parents can see your current point totals by logging into the Portal, clicking on My Account at the bottom of the page and then selecting Student Graduation Status and then picking View Graduation Status.  Your State Graduation Testing Points is on the right side of the page.

My juniors students are in INCREDIBLE shape as far as points are concerned.  So, that means that most of you do NOT need to take the Government End of Course test unless you want to take it.  I am pointing this out because I have heard a lot of stress and concern from students and parents about coming into the building next week to take the test.  So, unless we have talked about the fact that you need the points for graduation, then you do NOT need to come in and take the test.  

However, we do need to plan for proper social distancing and appropriate staffing coverage for testing.  So the one request we have is that we want to know if you are not coming to test.  You were sent an email back on December 2nd from the administrators about the test and within that it gives you the option to defer your test which means that you are not planning to take it next week.  Please, if you are not planning to come to school on Monday (or Tuesday) to test, find the email in your box and fill out that form.  If you can't find the form, at the very least send me an email to let me know that you won't be testing so we are not trying to track you down or worry about you not being there.  Thanks.  I really do appreciate your help in that effort.

FYI - Monday testing is for students with the last names A-K and Tuesday testing is for students with the last names L-Z.  Good luck to all of you who will test next week!

Ohio Means Jobs

Tomorrow the Career Exploration Week Workshop will be on picking your college major.  I hope you will join us for it.  (Zoom link on the WKHS Counselor Schoology page.)

In addition to learning about the choice of college majors and sticking with the career theme of this week, I want to point out that the Ohio Means Jobs website features a student section to engage students to start thinking about their careers.  

If you go to the Ohio Means Jobs website you can take a guided tour on the site.  I encourage you to create an account so that you can save your information and refer back to it in one place in the future.  For example, if you complete career interest inventories or other assessments, the information is all saved in your “backpack” on the site.  All of your information on the site is saved for you so if you started using the site when you were in elementary or middle school it will still be there for you to access and reference when you are in high school.

There are cool features on the site including the opportunity to create a budget including rent or house payment, grocery costs and utilities.  The site also helps you know if the job areas you have indicated that you are considering will be adequate enough to meet your budget.

The site allows you to find out which colleges in Ohio offer majors in your areas of interest.  So, for example, if you are interested in studying architecture, you can get a list of all of the colleges which offer architecture.

There are practice tests for ACT, SAT, Compass, ASVAB and AP tests along with areas to help with your current classes.

It is a fun site to get on and explore and can help spark areas that might interest you in your career exploration.

Worthington Industries

Some WKHS students are not interested in pursuing college directly after high school.  Worthington schools has established a partnership with Worthington Industries to help meet the needs of students looking for a strong work option. 

In the Worthington Industries Workforce Experience program, seniors have the chance to learn in the classroom and through hands-on experiences the skills needed to be successful in the workplace today.  This would take place during the 2nd semester with the goal being that you would be able to work on the floor of one of their facilities before the end of the year.  In the end, the goal is that those students who have good performance reviews through the internship program will have the chance to receive an offer for full time employment after high school.  And, they also said that their starting salary would be $14.50... pretty good start for just graduating from high school.

There are strong growth opportunities available within the company.  One of the young men who had been hired after completing the internship with Hilliard spoke to us and he LOVES what he is doing and said that he is fully confident he will remain at Worthington Industries for the rest of his life.  He has already focused on what he wants his next career move to be within the organization and is working hard to make sure that he is able to achieve that goal.  He talked about how some of his friends that graduated with him are currently working at restaurants or pet stores and making minimum wage and are bored in what they do.  He acknowledged that the entry level jobs are tedious, but he said he loves working with his hands, he loves the people he works with, and he never resents having to come to work.

One interesting aspect is that they work shifts much like many hospitals do in that they have 12 hour shifts.  During a shift the employees rotate to different stations so that they don't get totally burned out on doing one task the whole time.  Staff from Worthington Industries have talked about the plentiful opportunities for overtime and the fact that many employees like that a lot for the chance to be able to make even more money (time and a half or double time depending on how many hours are worked).  They also have profit sharing and bonuses that for employees.  But as I learned about Worthington Industries, it wasn't the wages, but the positive environment which stood out the most to me.

So, what are they looking for?  They are looking for dedicated students who have a desire to learn something new.  They are looking for someone who is willing to be a part of a team.  Someone who will show up consistently and try.  They prefer if you are willing to ask questions to help learn.  You must be in your senior year because ideally they'd like to hire you on for summer or beyond employment.  And you have to be able to pass a drug test.

This is an exciting opportunity for our students.  If you are unsure of what you want to do in the future, if you are not sure you want to go straight to college, if you want to get hands on work experience at a good pay to help fund your future college goals, then this might be the perfect program for you!  

There will be a virtual student information session with the Worthington Industries staff on Wednesday, December 9th at 11:20am during Connections time.  There will also be a virtual information session for parents on Thursday, December 10th at 6:30pm.  Links for both are in the WKHS Counselor Schoology page.  We believe that these sessions will provide a valuable chance to learn even more about the program and to see if this opportunity would be a good fit.

Working at Worthington Industries is a great opportunity for students to have a solid, well paying job with benefits after high school.  If you are not looking at college, please consider exploring this opportunity.

PSAT Scores

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

If you submitted your email account when completing your answer sheet then you should have received an e-mail from CollegeBoard notifying you that your scores are accessible. Even if you didn't receive an e-mail from CollegeBoard you can still access your scores.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Delaware Area Career Center

I mentioned yesterday that as a component of the career exploration week we would be hosting a DACC panel conversation with some of our WKHS students who are also DACC students.  Two of my students - Chase Dauphin and Joseph De La Torre - will be sharing information as a part of the time together.  I am excited to hear what they and the other panelists share during the conversation on Tuesday.  Don't forget to join us using the zoom link on the Schoology page.

As a reminder, don't forget that even if you decide to attend the career center, WKHS students are always WKHS students. With most programs you will have the option of attending the career center for full days (where you would take your lab coursework which counts as elective credits and your academic courses all at the career center) or for half days (where you only take the lab coursework at the career center and then return to WKHS for the other half of the day for your academic classes). You will graduate from Worthington Kilbourne and continue to participate on our athletic teams - even if you decide that you want to attend the career center for the full day. 

I also wanted to let you know that on Thursday, December 10th the Delaware Area Career Center will be hosting a virtual Open House. The open house will run from 5:30 - 7:00pm. This is a great opportunity for parents (and students) to learn more about the range of opportunities available at the career center.  Here is their website that highlights the Open House opportunity.

And finally, don't forget that it is time to apply now to DACC so if you are interested in having this as an educational option for you next year, please be sure to start working on your application.

Career Exploration Week

Next week, during Connections time, I hope you will will join us for Career Explorations Week.  We will hold workshops on various Career focused topics from December 7th through 10th.  Students are invited to join the workshops via zoom.  You can find the link on the WKHS Counselors Schoology page.  You do not need to register in advanced and you can join any or all of the workshops.

Finding your Personal Interests and Skills: Monday, December 7th from 11:20-11:50am

Finding your personal interests and skills that can help lead you to a career path is a part of the program YouScience.  This presentation will help WKHS students explore their own strengths and how those can impact your own future career options and choices.

Delaware Area Career Center Student Panel: Tuesday, December 8th from 11:20-11:50am

Current DACC/ WKHS students will share information about their experiences and programs at DACC.  All students interested in learning more about what it would be like to attend DACC should plan to join in on this panel conversation.

Worthington Industries Workforce Experience: Wednesday, December 9th from 11:20-12:15pm

This is a chance for seniors to learn about the apprenticeship program that Worthington Industries is offering for Worthington students.

Picking your College Major: Thursday, December 10th from 11:20-11:50am

Join the WKHS Counselors to explore the process of selecting your college major.

We are excited to be able to provide this series of workshops to our students and since all of school is ultimately about preparing you for your future and the careers that you will pursue some day, there is no better time to start exploring and considering what those jobs could possibly be in the future.  I hope to see you online this week!

Senior College App Reminder

A few quick reminders for seniors that are still working on applications with a January 1st deadline... 

1. You need to make sure that you have submitted your transcript request form (google doc on the WKHS Counselor website) by next Friday, December 11th.

2. Please double check that you have invited me to submit your information through Common App (if that is an application format that you are using).  This also must be done by December 11th to guarantee that it will be done prior to winter break.

3. Make sure that you have made arrangements with your teachers who will be writing your recommendation letters and provided them with all of the forms so that they can write your letter before we leave for break. Remember, your teachers will be off enjoying their holiday break too so they won't be around to write a last-minute recommendation letter for you if you just "forgot."  

I am 100% current on all of the transcript requests I have received so far so if you log into Common App and you see that I haven't uploaded your transcript yet then you need to invite me to submit your transcript or if you think you have already done that then you need to reach out to me because there is a problem with your request.

If you have any questions about your upcoming deadlines or where you stand in your application process, please email me and we can set up a time to meet via zoom.  

Avoiding Academic Distractions

Remote learning poses a lot of opportunities for distraction and this is a very real problem for some of you.  If you are struggling to achieve academic success because you are struggling with distractions, I want to give you a few hints to help make it through the next few weeks.

There are lots of strategies that can be effective to help eliminate distractions to help you sustain focus on studying. Turning off the tv or video games can be a good place to start. For many students the stronger attraction and distraction is on the phone and computer with Tik Tok, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook or Twitter. At the very least, turn off all notifications on your phone so that you don't get alerted constantly.

You can use apps and free online programs to set limits on what all you can access during set hours.  So, for example, during your school hours you could set them up so that you are fully there and engaged.  On iphones there are even settings options under Screen Time to set app limits and schedule downtime that you can use.  You can ask your family to help set limits - take your phone, take the power cord to your video game or all of the controllers, or change your password on your phone so that you can only access it with their help.

Sometimes the distraction comes because you haven't moved enough.  You need to get some physical outlets so that your body isn't antsy and negatively impacting your learning.  The same thing goes for food.  I know that the pull of the kitchen can be strong so make sure you eat something and take snacks and water with you to where you are working so that you aren't stopping and going back to the kitchen over and over again.  This is important because I often think of the saying (physics rule) that "an object in motion stays in motion and an object at rest stays at rest."  I see this often with students - when you are in the zone and working you are able to keep focused and get things accomplished.  Then, when you are up wandering or doing other things it can be harder to refocus and get back to work. 

And last, but not least, make sure you set up a specific area that is condusive to work and limits as many distractions as possible.  A floor is better than a bed.  A table or desk is better than the floor. Stop and think for a few minutes about when you are most productive.  That is typically what you want to try to replicate so please consider what you need to do to make sure you get things done effectively.  If you are having problems, don't hesitate to let me know and we can brainstorm specific ideas that you could try to be able to find success.

Gap Years

Have you heard of Gap Years? Without question, the majority of WKHS students move straight from high school to college, but this is not always the best option for every student. In the past few years I have had several students who elected to take a gap year which is a year off between high school and college. 

The one point that I would like to make though is that a gap year is not just hanging out at home, living in your parents basement, playing video games for a year! Students pursue lots of different options during gap years and colleges recognize that gap years can be a valuable opportunity for students to gain perspective, personal insight, and re-energize their love of learning before beginning their college careers.

Sometimes students elect to take a gap year if they haven't been accepted to a college where they feel like they will be happy to attend. In these instances students may decide to take a gap year and hope that their experiences during their gap year will enhance their applications for the following year when they apply the following year.

Other times, and perhaps even more frequently for Kilbourne students, is that students will still complete their applications during their senior year and then defer their acceptances for a year. If you are interested in pursuing a gap year opportunity, talk to your college admissions office to confirm if they will defer your enrollment date by a year (or a semester if you are taking a shorter time off between high school and college).  

I have to also add that due to COVID there are some students who have elected to put off going to school because it is not the "typical" college experience.  There have been concerns from students about what that will mean for students and admissions data.  What we have heard from colleges is that it will not significantly change their admissions rates.  Hopefully, COVID won't still be a factor for you next fall when you are starting college, but I figured it was worth mentioning that you can consider a gap year or gap semester should it still be a continuing challenge for a traditional college experience.