Winter Break!

Hooray!  We have made it to winter break.  You have successfully finished your first semester of the school year and are now half-way done.  Lots of big accomplishments for so many students over the course of this first semester and I know many of you have big goals for the new semester ahead.

I hope you and your families have a wonderful and relaxing winter break.  If you will travel - be safe.  If you stay home - enjoy the extra down time.  And above all, remember that you are valued and appreciated and needed.  Have a great break and I will look forward to hearing all about it when we return.

The cracks that make you good enough

I read this and loved it so I wanted to pass it along to you as well.

Once upon a time there was an elderly woman who needed to walk down to the river every morning to fetch water for drinking, cooking and cleaning. She carried two buckets with her, filled them up at the riverbank, and walked back with them to her rural cottage home.

One of the buckets was newer, perfectly sealed, and held its water flawlessly. But the second bucket was older and contained a few thin cracks that would leak water onto the ground as the elderly woman walked. By the time she arrived home, typically about one third of the water in the second bucket had leaked through its cracks.

One day, on the walk down to the river, the cracked bucket – who had always felt like it wasn’t as good as the other bucket – said to the elderly woman, “I want you to know that I’ve been leaking water every morning for the past several years. I’m so sorry for being cracked and making your life more difficult. I understand if you need to replace me with a better bucket.”

The elderly woman smiled. “Do you really think I haven’t known about your cracks this whole time?” she asked. “Look at all the beautiful flowers that grow on the path from my cottage to the river. I planted their seeds, but every morning it’s you who does the watering.”

Feeling good enough in life, in work, in business, and in our relationships has everything to do with how we personally judge the cracks in our own bucket. Because we all have a few cracks!

But are they cracks that wreck us, that taint us, and that ruin our experience and desirability?

Or do our cracks water a trail of flowers we haven’t even stopped to appreciate?

Choose to see the flowers through the cracks in your own bucket – choose to see how it’s exactly those cracks that make you good enough.

College Majors

One challenge for all students is deciding what you want to do someday when you grow up.  For some students that means finding a job for straight out of high school that will feel rewarding and meaningful.  For others it is figuring out what you want to study in college as your major that will lead to the career you hope to pursue.  

Looking at information about different majors can be a helpful way to help inform your decisions.  Now, in saying that, I will point out that there are a lot of articles out there which put the emphasis on how much (or how little) money you will make in particular majors.  I don't think your decision should be based just on how much you will make.  For example, if you look at this article on the 10 majors with the highest starting salaries for college graduates, you will see that they are all VERY heavy in math, science, and engineering fields.  If you are a student who doesn't like those fields, you shouldn't pick those majors just because it will have a higher salary.  You need to find majors and careers that will both meet your financial stability needs in the future as well as be fulfilling and enjoyable to you.

The US News Guide to College Majors also includes a highest/ lowest starting salaries list, but it also features a majors quiz and some other tools and resources for investingating potential college majors that may be interesting for you.

Maybe during break you can spend some time exploring information about majors to see if any sound appealing to you.

Holiday Assembly

Yesterday we had the holiday assembly.  It has been SO LONG since we were able to all be together for an assembly and I have to say that yesterday made my heart happy.  The talent of our students was on display with the choir, orchestra and band performances.  WOW!  You all were amazing!  I know that you have put in such long hours perfecting your musical skills and it definitely showed.  Thanks for gracing us with such uplifting performances.  

I was also impressed and amazed to hear about the incredible generosity of our student body who donated money to the Adopt-A-Child campaign.  It really is such a cool project that will result in so many families having an incredible holiday next week.  Thanks to student council for your leadership in making this project happen.  

All of it is yet another reminder of how fortunate I am to work at WKHS and to be surrounded by all of you each day.  Only 2 more days of school before we break begins.  I know you have LOTS of tests coming up in these last few days so good luck studying this weekend!

Tomorrow's Bell Schedule

Tomorrow we will be on a very different bell schedule because we are once again returning to having the holiday assembly (which had been annual until COVID messed with life).  This will be a great way to celebrate the end of the first semester and a fun experience for so many students who have not yet had an assembly in the auditorium during their high school years.

Below is the bell schedule for your reference:

Period 1 - 7:45 - 8:29

Period 2 - 8:34 - 9:18

Period 3 - 9:23 - 10:58  (Students will be divided to spend 1/2 of the time in class and 1/2 in the assembly and then you will flip so that everyone gets 3rd period class time and to attend the assembly.)

Period 4 - 11:03 - 11:47

Period 5 - 11:52 - 12:36

Period 6 - 12:41 - 1:25

Period 7 - 1:30 - 2:15

Period 8 - 2:20 - 3:05

I am looking forward to seeing all of my students who are participating as a part of the assembly tomorrow and I hear they have some funny challenges planned for the assembly as well.  (Don't forget that if you have late arrival that you need to adjust your arrival time so that you aren't late to class.)

Senior Schedule Changes

Every year we have seniors come in asking to drop 2^nd semester classes from their schedules.  And every year when a senior approaches me with that request I tend to encourage the student to stay in the class.  If they really feel strongly that they want to make the change that they need to contact all of the colleges where they have applied to see if it will impact their admissions decision.  Students will frequently roll their eyes and think I am crazy for making that suggestion, but we consistently hear that message from colleges because it is so important.  This is from a college where many of our students apply and I am copying it for you just so you will realize that I'm not making this up:

"Because strength of curriculum is an important factor in our decision, we require students to notify us if they plan to change their senior year course schedule.  Please ask them to include the following information in the email: their current spring schedule as it appears on their original application, the change they would like to make, and the reason(s) for the change.  We will review and respond to all requests as promptly as possible.  If the student has already been offered admission, the Admissions Committee may choose to reconsider that offer based on the change of schedule.  If a student has been notified that his or her decision is being deferred, any course changes will be considered when the final admission decision is made."

So, as you can see, making changes at the semester – especially if you are looking to drop a class – is NOT a decision you should take lightly.

If you are struggling with your academic load and NEED to make a change, please come see me so we can talk about the options, but again, I strongly encourage you to maintain a rigorous schedule throughout your entire senior year.

Military

I spend a lot of time talking on my blog about college related topics because so many of the WKHS seniors will head to college after graduation, but tonight I wanted to pause for a moment and talk about the option of joining the military.

I have always had a great deal of respect for those individuals who decide to serve our country through the military.  If you have every been in my office you have likely seen the framed photos I have displayed from when I went to Parris Island, SC to visit where the US Marine Corps recruits go through boot camp. I know that the military isn't for everyone (I am definitely someone who doesn't have the strength or bravery to be successful in the military), and I think that is also why I have such a high level of respect and appreciation for those who do.  But for those students who feel as if the military is a part of their future career path, I want to remind you that I am also here to support you on that journey.

Just this past week I was talking with a sophomore who said that he wants to join the military after high school and I asked if he knew what job within the military he would want to pursue.  And he was stumped - and he definitely isn't alone in that!  Each branch of the military has their own job codes - for example in the Army and Marines they are called MOS's - Military Occupational Specialty - and in the Air Force they are called AFSC's - Air Force Specialty Codes - but essentially these are a military service members "major" and what their job will involve.  There are hundreds of these codes for the different jobs people can pursue.  I think that is one tihng so many people forget - that joining the military gives you lots of different possibilities of types of jobs that you can be trained to complete while serving in the military and beyond.

If you are interested in joining the military, it is really helpful to talk to the recruiters.  They are the experts whose jobs are to educate you about the options of joining the military.  Now, I will also remind you that they are just one source of information, so if you are unsure, be sure to ask lots of questions and don't feel pressured to make any decisions before you are completely comfortable and ready.  It is the same as with colleges - you don't want to make any rush decisions that you would later regret - so do your research, ask questions, seek input from a range of sources, and then trust yourself as you decide.  If you need support in getting connected with a recruiter for a particular branch you can always look online, but we also have contact information for the recruiters assigned to WKHS and you can find that information in the front of the counseling center and many recruiters will also visit the Commons during lunches to help answer questions for interested students.

While enlisting in the military is the most common avenue of service after high school, there are also other options related to the military such as ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) which is where you go to college, but also participate in the ROTC program so that when you graduate you are also an officer in the military and Service Academies which is where you go to college specifically focused on serving as an officer in your desired branch.  In fact, one recent WKHS graduate, Sean Kim, will be back at Kilbourne tomorrow to share insight and to answer questions from interested students about what it is like for him being at the US Air Force Academy.

The other thing that I think is interesting about the military that I want to make sure you know about is the similarities towards going to college.  Just like when you are applying to college, you have to research the different schools to see what is right for you.  When considering a future in the military, you need to research the different branches and avenues of service to find the best fit.  With college applications you need to take admissions tests.  With the military you have to take the ASVAB which is very similar to the ACT and helps identify various career possibilities depending on your score.  With colleges you have different college specific steps to complete which may also include interviews.  In the military, you will also have additional steps that you need to complete such as passing a physical exam and working with the recruiters to select the job that will be your future path.

Know that the military is a great path for some students and that if you are thinking about this for your future, that I would love to talk to you more about how I can support you as you work to make that goal a reality.

Self Care

There are a lot of questions I find myself asking students frequently... one of those is what do you do to help manage your stress or what do you do for self care.  (Same concept asked in different ways.)  And it is scary to me how much people struggle to answer, so I want to talk about self care for a moment.

Let's start off by addressing what self care is because a lot of time people think of self care and picture going for a massage or taking a bubble bath and then think, "I don't do self care because I don't do those types of things."  And while yes, those are examples of activities that could be self care for some people, there is no limit to the list of things which could be considered good, quality self care.  

In order for something to count as self care it needs to be Good for you and it needs to Recharge your batteries.  Anything that you do which meets both of those requirements would be considered self-care.  But in hitting those requirements that also means that self care is not all leisure/ recreational activities, it is not just everything which isn't school, and it isn't everything that is self-indulgent.  It is also important to realize that there are lots of unhealthy coping strategies such as numbing out by mindlessly watching TV or other activities that might be enjoyable, but wouldn't count as true self care because it isn't good for you.

For self care to be effective, you have to know what your body, mind and spirit need.  For example, a fun night with friends can fill you up if you’re feeling lonely, but it may exhaust you if you’re feeling run down.  So what will be self-care will vary by person and it also changes from moment to moment or day to day.  It is important to recognize and know what you need and respond to it intentionally and without guilt.  Self care is not selfish, wasteful or only for people who deserve it!  It doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive.  Self care is NOT a luxury or something you only do IF you have time.  

The more stressed and overwhelmed you feel, the more self care you need!  But the problem is that people tend not to use coping strategies until their hair is on fire.  It is much more effective to have coping skills as a part of everyday life.  The best are the ones that are so integrated into your life that you don’t even think of them as coping.  

One great strategy for trying to identify what can be self-care for you is to think about what things you are doing in your life when you tend to feel better and what things you notice in your life at times when you’re feeling worse. As you work on writing down the things that help you feel better and the things that make you feel worse, it is a great starting spot to look at how you can do the things that make you feel better more often and do the things that make you feel worse less often or avoid it altogether if possible.  So, for example, getting enough sleep helps me to feel better so I could take a nap or go to bed earlier to help meet that need as a form of self care.  At the same time, running late makes me feel worse so I can plan ahead, set my clothes out the night before, set a timer 5 minutes before I need to leave for practice so I can transition better, etc.  Those are real life, every day self care strategies.  It’s about being intentional and doing activities to meet your needs.

We can only manage so much at one time and our problems keep refusing to get in line so we are stressed... which means we all need to focus on self care.  So pause right now and ask yourself, "what do I need in order to have a better day today?" and then do it.  It might not make it a great day, but if it helps make your day at least a little bit better then it is a step in the right direction towards taking care of you.

Holistic Admissions

When we talk about college admissions and how each individual college has their own set of standards and goals for who they will accept you will often hear the phrase "holistic admissions" tossed around.  I am not sure if you know exactly what that means...

Essentially, holistic admissions means that the colleges are looking at you (the applicant) as a whole person rather than just looking at your grades and test scores and making a decision.  There are a lot of factors that can be considered as a part of a holistic admission review and they will vary on the level of importance and weight that they are given depending on the college and their priorities.

On this page of the WKHS Counselor website we highlight some of the various aspects that colleges may take into account as a part of their holistic admissions review.  But the one thing I want to remind you about admissions is that this is NOT a reflection on who YOU are as a person.  If you are not accepted to a college, it simply means that they didn't have enough seats to allow you to join their incoming freshman class - it doesn't mean that there aren't other options out there which could be viable alternatives nor does it even mean you wouldn't have been successful at that school had they had enough room to admit you.  So know that you have done your best and then try to relax and trust that you WILL find the college which is a good fit for you to attend in the future.

College Admissions Decisions

College admissions decisions are already starting to come in for many students (including OSU's first round of early action notifications which were released yesterday afternoon). Every senior looks forward to receiving their college acceptance letters. It is an exciting time and reassures that there is more to look forward to beyond high school. Depending upon the schools where you are applying, it is possible that you will hear back quickly or you may be waiting until sometime in March to find out if and where you have been accepted. 

I do ask that as you begin receiving your acceptance or, sadly, even rejection letters, to please keep me informed about the decisions. For the vast majority of the colleges, the only way I know about your admissions decision is if you share the information with me.

Also, remember, the only way to receive an acceptance letter is to actually APPLY to the college! (Just a friendly little reminder for those of you who are still struggling to get your applications finished and submitted.)

Volunteer - Do Something

Do Something, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering teens to participate in community service.  Volunteering has many benefits - not only to those who are helped by your acts of service, but also for you as well.  In the past the Do Something organization surveyed admissions officers of top colleges and universities in the United States. The purpose of the Community Service and College Admissions Survey was to understand the importance of community service in the college admissions process. As you can probably guess, the reality is that the admissions officers like to see community service. Here is what they wrote about the top five findings found in the survey.

Passion and Consistency Valued Most
When asked, “Which would you value more: four years volunteering at a local community center or one month helping orphans in Somalia?” 100% surveyed chose four years at a community shelter. This response indicates passion and consistency hold much higher value than a smaller, even more intensive program. This theme is reiterated in the entire study.

Time Spent Worth More than Money Raised
When asked, “Which would you value more: raising $100,000 for the homeless or spending a summer working at a homeless shelter?” 68% surveyed valued time spent over money raised. While raising such funds is admirable and impressive, time spent indicates the universality of volunteerism. Anyone can find a homeless shelter where they can volunteer, but not everyone has the ability to ask for money. Admissions officers “get it.” They are looking for evidence of actual service, not the ability to connect with wealthy people.

Community Service Ranks Fourth Amongst Valued Criteria
When asked to rank GPA, SATs, legacy, reference letters, extra curricular activities, and community service, 37.5% surveyed ranked community service fourth. While GPA and SATs are obviously the most valued criteria, community service ranks higher than then legacy and reference letters. Quite simply, hard academic numbers remain the most standard and significant factors of getting into a top college, but community services are noted and valued experiences.

Organizational Affiliations Don’t Matter
When asked, “Does being a member of a service organization like the Boy Scouts have more or less weight than an unaffiliated student volunteering?” 84% surveyed gave no weight to such affiliations. One admissions officer noted, "Service is service, that’s always a good thing."

Tell Your Story Well
When asked to list the three words admissions officers most like to see when students describe their community service, the most recurring words were “commitment,” “passionate,” and “dedication.” When asked to list the three words admissions officers least like to see, most recurring were “required,” “mandatory,” and “tedious.” Therefore, when describing community service, it should include positive and encouraging descriptors, rather than words of obligation.

So, if you are thinking about the volunteering, I would encourage you to get involved and help make a difference!  It will make a difference in the community and it can even benefit your future college applications.

Holiday & Grief Workshop

Holidays can be stressful in the best of circumstances.  But for those students who have experienced the death of someone important to them, the holidays combined with grief can be incredibly challenging.  In recognition of the difficulties that grief during the holidays can create we will be hosting a workshop next week on December 16th for students to join in to learn more about what to expect when grieving during the holidays and ways to honor the memory of a loved one during the holidays.  If you have been struggling with trying to manage your grief this holiday season, please reach out to me so that I can add you to the holiday & grief workshop list.

PSAT Scores Released

CollegeBoard has released your PSAT scores today.  Your 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" 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.

December Students of the Month

On Friday morning 19 students were honored as December's Students of the Month! Students can only earn this recognition once during their high school career.  

A special congratulations to "my" students who were honored as Students of the Month!  They included  Ian Abahazie, Naiima Abdi, Joe Ahmed, Yara Al-Akhras, Libby Alderman, Sean Carlin, Ava Chapman, and Kate Dougherty.

I am proud of you! Thank you for representing the best of Worthington Kilbourne High School.

CSCC CC+ Forms

The state legislature has made changes to some requirements that the colleges must verify in order for high school students to participate in CC+ classes starting in the spring.  As a result, any students who are planning to take English Comp 2, Sociology, Government, or a class on CSCC's campus, need to complete the two required forms IMMEDIATELY!  These forms have been emailed to your wscloud account by Mrs. Mann, they are on the counselor website, and there are hard copies available in the front of the counseling center.  Once you and your parent sign off on the forms, please return the completed forms to the tray in the front of the counseling center.  It is important to realize that these are brand new forms so none of you had done it prior to Mrs. Mann sending out the information.  (In talking to some students they were confused and thought it was the same thing as you had completed last spring and these are new requirements from CSCC.)  

Please take care of this ASAP!  If you have questions or problems with completing your forms, please feel free to stop and see me.

Suicide Prevention Lines

There are times when we can feel overwhelmed, lonely, stressed, sad and hopeless.  All of these emotions are normal to experience, but when they happen to come all at the same time it can be very challenging and leave people feeling lost and desperate.

Perhaps you or someone you know have had times with that type of darkness and possibly even experienced suicidal thoughts.  It is important to know that there is ALWAYS help available!  Reaching out for support is a critical step in helping to give yourself the hope that you will not always feel the way you might be feeling right now.

If you are having suicidal thoughts while at school, I hope you will come to tell me or share that information with another adult that you trust.  If you are away from school, I hope that you will reach out to your parents or some other adult who your trust.  But I know that sometimes the people closest to us can miss the level of pain we are experiencing and so I'd like to remind you that you can always call a suicide hotline and there will be someone on the other end ready and willing to talk to you who can help brainstorm next steps.  As you can see in the graphic, the national suicide hotline is 1-800-273-TALK or 1-800-273-8255.

Additionally, over the last few years, in recognition of how much our society has grown to depend on text messaging as a means of communication, there is also a crisis text line where you can reach out for help and support.  To contact the crisis text line you would send a message to 741741.  You can send them any message to get the conversation started.  And I know that it can be hard to even know where to start so remember, you can always reach out even with just one word such as "4hope" (which helps connect you to someone in Ohio) or even "help or hello" and before you know it you will be communicating via text with someone else who understands what you are experiencing and is ready and able to help you.

The most important reminder I would like to leave you with is that YOU MATTER!  You are not alone - there is always someone who would like to have the opportunity to talk with you and to help you.  If you are having thoughts of suicide, PLEASE, reach out for help today!

Application Deadline Reminders

I know many of you are still working on your college applications.  I wanted to remind you to please, watch your deadlines!  The December 1st deadline was last night.  If you are applying by Common App, I will answer the number one question I have received lately - you can submit up until 11:59pm on the day of your deadline.  But really, you shouldn't push it until the last second!

If you are looking at a January 1st/ 3rd deadline you need to 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 well 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."  And, in all sincerity, there is no such thing as a last-minute recommendation letter!  Your teachers put in a lot of time, energy and effort to write a strong letter on your behalf.  It is important to give them an adequate amount of time to successfully advocate for you as a student.  (Your goal should be to give them at least 30 days which means get them the forms TOMORROW at the latest!)

Also, don't forget that you need to complete your transcript release form and invite me through Common App to submit your transcript and this should be done no later than next Friday, December 10th, in order to make sure I can get it taken care of before break.  Like you and your teachers, I will not be here during winter break to get a transcript for you so you must plan ahead.  

Probably the biggest challenge I have seen students struggling with over this application season is not inviting me through Common App to complete your school forms which is how I submit your transcript.  We talked about this in depth during the Common App Workshops and at the senior college night presentation, but in the recommendation section, you will need to select me as your counselor and submit my email address.  Please be sure that you spell my name right.  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 come see me ASAP 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 stop by to see me!  And can I say it again - please, do not procrastinate on your applications!  

Career Related Opportunities

Recently I posted about the Delaware Area Career Center and the wide range of awesome opportunities that they have available for our students to consider.  Just as a reminder, tomorrow night, December 2nd, is the Open House at DACC.  I strongly encourage any students and parents who are interested in DACC to sign up and attend the open house to learn more and get your questions answered directly.

While the DACC is primarily for current sophomores (and some senior only programs are for current juniors), the next opportunity that I want to share with you is just for current seniors.  This program is the Worthington Industries Workforce Experience program.  This program is a great opportunity to get your foot in the door with an outstanding, reputable company with great opportunities for advancement over time.  I have more details about the Worthington Industries partnership in my office (as well as information on the counselor website), so I encourage you to come and see me and we can look at the information and see if it would be something that could work for you and your schedule.  I need to submit a list of students who would like to participate in the December 13th interviews that Worthington Industries will be holding within the next week so please stop and see me soon if you are at all interested in this option.

It's fun to try to think about what you might want to do as a job in the future, but even better through programs such as DACC and WI, students have the chance to learn and earn credit at the same time that you are learning skills that can help you in the future.

Winter End of Course Tests

Let's talk about End of Course tests for a moment.  And no, I am not talking about tests that count for grades in your actual classes.  The End of Course tests are those assessments required by the state of Ohio that all students must complete.  The tests are also how you will earn the various components that you need to graduate.

Today started the winter testing window for the End of Course tests.  You will be taking these tests if you are currently in Government, if you took a tested class during the summer, if you took a tested class last school year but due to illness or other reasons you weren't able to complete the tests when the state testing window was open, or if you need to try to improve your scores.

All students are strongly encouraged to check your school email to look for information about End of Course tests.  If you need to complete a test then you will have received an email giving you information about what date you will complete your test and which room to go to for testing.

I know that it is really hard to miss class time for the testing (especially when you only have 15 days of classes left in the semester), but remember that because these tests play a role in you earing the graduation requirements you want to try to do your best on the tests when taking them.

Most of the tests are this week - Government is next week - so please be sure to watch your email and remember to report to your test location on the appropriate days.

Pre-ACT Scores

Your Pre-ACT scores are already back!  I know that many of you picked up your scores last Tuesday or today, but if you haven't had a chance to do so, please be sure to stop by the Counseling Center to pick them up.  You can pick up your score sheets during your lunch periods or before or after school from any of the secretaries at the front of the counseling center. 

One nice feature of the PreACT is that you will get your test booklet and the score summary written report.  You can use this information to help you determine what you did well on and what you want to improve on in the future.

Don't forget, these are just practice tests so they are giving you an indication of where you might expect to score on the actual ACT 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 stop by and see me.

Also, on a separate note, last night started the Festival of Lights and so I wanted to pause and wish a very Happy Hanukkah to all of my students and families who are celebrating this week.

Get Organized

Here we go... as we start back to school tomorrow you have just 17 days left in the semester.  So, I strongly encourage you to pause tonight to try to get yourself organized and be geared up to finish out strong.

For some students, being organized comes easier than it does to others and the reality is that one system of staying organized doesn't always work for everyone else so you really need to think about what does or does not work for you. Sometimes the best way to figure out an organization strategy that will work for you is to stop and reflect back on what has NOT worked for you in the past. For example, if you are a person who always tries to keep things in binders, but then ends up with the little pocket areas in the front and the back of the binder stuffed to the breaking point then this system of organization really isn't working very well for you so it is probably time to try something different.

Stress is usually the outcome of not being organized. You forgot a homework assignment, can't find a paper that you need, or didn't realize that you were supposed to study for a test. By being organized you can help eliminate (or at least cut back a great deal on) stress. Let's be honest... you don't always like writing down all of your assignments in your planner, but there are so many other things going on in your day and such a wide variety of activities and events competing for your attention that it is hard to remember exactly which questions you were supposed to answer for homework for a particular class. Having one place where you write down the information that you are going to need to know and the deadlines are essential for good organization skills.

And, staying organized isn't just an important task when you are doing school work - this is also vital for your entire college application process and it will be important to you for the rest of your life.

Ms. Elliott, the English Academic Assistant, is outstanding with helping students get organized and you can also feel free to come by and talk to me if you need some help with organization strategies.

What a difference a year makes...

Happy Thanksgiving!  All day long I have been struck by how different today is compared to a year ago... at least it is drastically different in my life.  Last year COVID resulted in my family all staying separate to keep everyone safe.  I had been around students at school and so I couldn't be near my parents without putting them at risk - something I wasn't willing to do.  And so I was alone for the day.  Sure, I got delicious food off of my parents front porch and spent a little time on FaceTime and Zoom with different family members, but it definitely wasn't the same.  

At the time I remember thinking that it was quiet and weird, but not that bad...  And yet, I think I was able to keep that perspective because I knew that we were going to be remote learning leading up to December and so I would be able to quarantine so that I could safely be with my family for Christmas.  

Today was a complete and total opposite to the quiet and loneliness.  From the moment I woke up to even now as I write this it has been filled with noise, laughter, and togetherness.  (8 people and 5 dogs all under 1 roof will do that.)  And I am grateful for every second of it all!

I just wanted to pause and hop on here to wish you and your families a Happy Thanksgiving.  I am grateful for the honor of being able to work with you and know you.  I appreciate you sharing your lives with me.  So today as I celebrate with my family, I am also holding you close in my heart and hoping that your day is filled with joy as well.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Enjoy Your Break!

Woo-hoo!  It's Thanksgiving break.  I hope you have a wonderful and relaxing 5 days with lots of good food, family time, and positive memories on Thanksgiving.  If you are traveling over break, please be safe as we need you back at WKHS next week!

And then before I close for tonight, I have to say a HUGE Thank You to Worthington Presbyterian Church.  They donated all of the food to allow 40 WKHS families to enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving meal this holiday season.  We appreciate your generosity and kindness and it was such a privilege to be able to be a part of sharing that joy with others as we handed out the food today.

See you next week!  :-)

Financial Aid

Last Monday I was out of the building all day to attend a Financial Aid conference.  I have blogged about some financial aid related topics already, but I wanted to share a little more insight with you with information that I learned.

First, let's talk about Financial Aid Priority Deadlines... much like college admissions deadline dates, each college gets to establish the dates by which they would like to receive student's applications for financial aid (FAFSA and sometimes also CSS profile).  The priority deadline date is the day you would want to be sure they have your required forms completed by in order to put yourself in the position to get the maximum possible aid.  The colleges, as a whole, will continue to give out whatever available money they still have left over for those who submit their applications for financial aid later, but you are potentially dealing with less money being available.  They had a chart for us with Ohio FAFSA Priority Deadlines and I was stunned to see that there are a handful of colleges who ask for them by November 15th if students are also applying early action/ early decision.  Over a dozen more are asking for the FAFSA by December 1st... which means that if you and your parents have not yet filled out the FAFSA you may need to make that a priority in the coming week!

They also told us that with the new FAFSA families are running into problems if the student and parent haven't both requested their FSA ID in advance.  You can request an FSA ID while you are filling out the FAFSA, but they said they are hearing that it is kicking people out of the system, not saving information and then families have to start over again.  So go ahead and request your FSA ID at least 3-5 days before doing your FAFSA and please be sure to write down your user name and password because you will only use it 1 time per year and so it is likely you'll forget it later.  You can request your FSA ID by going to: StudentAid.gov/fsa-id/create-account

If you are trying to apply for financial aid, but are running into a challenge because your parents do not have a SSN, your parent will not be able to create an FSA ID so you will have to sign the forms via paper, but you can still submit the FAFSA.  Just enter all 0's for the SSN.  At the end of the FAFSA you will print the signature page, sign, and mail it in as a hard copy.

Selective Service Registration is still asked about on the FAFSA this year - all 18 year old males are required to register with the selective service.  For federal requirements, it is no longer required to have done this step in order to receive your financial aid money, but the state of Ohio still requires Ohio public colleges to confirm it so you will want to be sure you are taking care of that step as well if it is applicable.

If you are a student who has special circumstances, you will want to talk to the financial aid directors at your intended colleges.  This may be a parent's death since the tax year being submitted, significant changes in financial circumstances for your family, etc.  

Reminders:

- Parents must provide information for the FAFSA, but it does NOT obligate them to help pay for any of your schooling/ education

- If your parents are divorced and remarried, the information for the parent you live with most along with the step-parent in that home is the information which is submitted on the FAFSA

- There is a Data Retrieval Tool that can make it far easier to complete the FAFSA free of errors.  This tool also decreases the chances that you will be selected for verification.  (Verification means you have to provide lots of paperwork and copies of tax forms etc.  Colleges are given a certain number that they must verify each year and those are automatically flagged when students submit their FAFSA.)

- There are questions about student and parent assets.  When you fill out that information it is regarding your assets (Cash, Savings and Checking) as of the day it is being filled out.  So, for example, I might want to fill out that information on the day after I have paid all of my bills for the month vs the day I get paid.

- This year you are filling out the 2022-23 FAFSA and the tax information being pulled into it is the 2020 taxes.

- On the FAFSA it will ask if you want to be considered for Federal Work Study.  They encourage students to say yes.  You don't have to accept it, but it will be another possible opportunity for you down the road if you qualify.  They are not a guarantee of a job and it doesn't come off of your bill, but it can help you to earn money at various places (including professor labs, etc) to help pay for educational costs.

- When comparing financial aid offers, it is important that you really look closely at the full cost of attendance (not just tuition) and then compare the money being offered from each school based on what will have to be repaid, what won't and what will still be left over that needs covered in some way.

There was a ton more information shared as a part of the conference.  (As in they gave us 43 pages of notes plus other handouts!)  I can't share it all on the blog, but over the coming days/ weeks I will be adding even more information related to financial aid onto the Counselor website for you to be able to access and use as needed.

Student Shout-out's

Over the last few weeks two of my students have had big accomplishments that I wanted to pause to recognize and celebrate...

Kaden Emberton who is attending DACC full time was honored as a Student of the Month at the Career Center.  Their selection is to recognize a student who has gone above-and-beyond and I am so proud of Kaden for earning this award!

Evie DeCarlo has signed her National Letter of Intent to swim during college.  Evie will be swimming at Northern Michigan University.  Her signing to continue swimming is in recognition of years of hard work that Evie has put in both in her sport and in the classroom.  And even though I know she still has big goals for her senior year swim season, it is exciting to know that her career will continue beyond graduation.  Congratulations Evie and keep chasing after all of your dreams!

Every day in public and private ways, Kilbourne students are striving to make a difference and to have a positive impact... which is part of what makes WKHS so special.  Kaden and Evie, thanks for your positive leadership and impact.  I am proud of you both and thankful for you!

Delaware Area Career Center

Attending the Delaware Area Career Center (DACC) is a great opportunity to earn elective credits in an area that interests you rather than taking electives that you are selecting simply because they will fill up your schedule.  With over 25 different programs available, there are many unique experiences and opportunities available that can give you a jump start on a career and can also stand out to colleges. 

One thing to realize about the Career Center is that they partner with 15 different districts from across Central Ohio.  So by attending the Career Center you have the chance to meet new people who have similar interests.  Each student is still involved in the activities in their home school such as sports and clubs, but this just extends that network of friends and contacts.  I will also point out that while it is a huge advantage to have that many different schools all working with the career center, it also means that the 25 spots available in each program (except Digital Design which has 50 spots available) are going to be very competitive to apply and get a seat.  As a result, if DACC interests you, I encourage you to explore the websites, virtual tour and apply as soon as possible.

DACC will be hosting an Open House on December 2nd.  They will have 2 different sessions that span from 4:30-7:30pm and each student can register and bring one parent/ guardian with them for the visit to see the programs first-hand.  Please be sure to sign up for your preferred session ASAP so that you don't get closed out of the opportunity.

They also have an in-depth website that features virtual tours, videos of every program, and a great deal of information to help inform students and parents of the opportunities available.  

Their application went live yesterday and the priority application deadline is January 14th.

I strongly encourage you to check out the programs because the hands on opportunities to learn something new while also gaining your required elective credits can be a very appealing option! 

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.  (Sadly, I know that it is not an easy address to find but back in 2007 when I started the blog I didn't realize how much of a problem it would become.)

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 "Subscribe."  Once you do this you are all set and 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 tries to keep families up to date is through the Counselor Website.  We have recently made a lot of updates to the site so be sure to check it out at www.wkhscounselors.com.

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 from the district.  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, visiting the Counselor Website, plus reading the weekly newsletters and following @wkhswolves on Twitter/ Instagram, I believe you won't have any difficulty staying informed.

4 A's Stress Management

The Mayo Clinic promotes a stress management strategy known as the 4 A's: avoid, alter, accept, and adapt.  The goal is that in every stressful situation we can look at it from the mindset of how we can apply at least one of these principles.

Avoid: Believe it or not, a lot of stress can simply be avoided. Plan ahead, learn to say no, and ditch parts of your to-do list (low priority items).

Alter: Take inventory of whatever stressful situation you find yourself in, then consider ways you change or modify it for the better.

Accept: Sometimes we have no other option than to accept things the way they are. When this is the case, it is important to talk to someone, to forgive, to practice positive self-talk, and to learn from our mistakes.

Adapt: There are times when we need to adjust or revise the standards and expectations we set upon ourselves, which many times are unreasonable. What can help to change one’s perspective is to ask yourself, “Will this matter in a year or in five years?”

If you want to read more in depth about this stress management approach, you can check it out on their website.

And hopefully you took the opportunity to participate in Yoga today as a way to help with your stress levels some during the day.

Yoga Tomorrow

Tomorrow, Wednesday, November 17th, during the last 15 minutes of all 4 lunch periods all students are invited to the main gym to participate in Yoga.  This short session of Yoga is open to everyone - no experience is needed, no equipment is needed, no reservation is needed... just walk down to the main gym and join in!  It is a great opportunity for students to focus on self care and to have fun with other students during a part of your lunch period.  A special thank you to the Activity Club for making this opportunity possible.

Study Strategies

Do you know how to study? I ask students that question a lot and, quite honestly, the most common response is "no." It really isn't a surprise though. The reality is that until high school gets hard enough that you hit the wall and it no longer comes easy to you, studying isn't something you typically have to worry about and spend a lot of time focusing on.

The challenging part of studying is that what works best for one person may not be what works best for someone else.  And, even if you figure out what works best for you in one particular subject area, that still doesn't mean that this particular strategy will be most effective for a different subject.

The best news is that there are lots of different ideas and strategies that you can use to develop a study strategy that works best for you!  For what it is worth, think of learning to study like you think of learning to run. You already know some skills that have helped you to know how to study and to be successful - just like you already know how to run, but if you practice and really train at running, you can improve significantly and studying will work just the same. Keep working at your study strategies, practice and continue refining your technique until you find the perfect combination that works for you.  

There are just 23 school days left in the semester and so making the most out of preparing for each test and quiz will only help you to finish out the semester strong.  We have a large number of study strategies, resources, ideas and information on the WKHS Counselor website in the academic section so I hope you will check that out.

Sleep

Did you enjoy the extra hour of sleep we got this past weekend?  I definitely did... while I don't love how early it gets dark outside, I always like being able to have the benefit of the extra hour of sleep on the night of the time change.  The reality is I know that I am not the only one who needs more sleep.  I hear kids say,  "I'm so tired!"  over and over again each day.  Often, I share the exact same feeling and the reality is that sleep is one of the best things we can do for ourselves and yet it is also something we frequently push aside.

The research about the importance of teen's getting sleep has frequently been touted and yet, as I talk to you, it is shocking for me to realize how little sleep many of you are getting.  Lack of sleep is not only exhausting, but it decreases your immune system, makes it more difficult to regulate your emotions, and can mimic the signs of ADHD.  

I wish it was as easy as saying you need to go to bed earlier, but for many of you, your schedules are so packed with homework, studying, jobs, sports, clubs, and other activities that it is hard to make everything fit into the window of time that you have between the end of the school day and a "reasonable" bedtime.  Additionally, many students have talked about the fact that it is hard for them to go to sleep once they go to bed because their mind races, they think of "one more thing" they need to do, or they lose track of time while texting late into the night.  And, although it isn't easy, sleep is important!

I am NOT a morning person and, quite honestly, I don't think I ever have been.  When my sister and I were in high school my mom set 9:00pm as our bedtime.  Every now and then we would argue that we should be allowed to have a later bedtime like all of our other friends and she would agree and say, "No problem, as soon as you can wake up in the morning without me having to say anything to you to wake up, then you can stay up later."  (FYI, my mom is really smart!)  She knew there was no way in the world we could successfully wake up without extra help because we were tired and needed the sleep.  We couldn't argue with her because she wasn't having us go to sleep earlier as a punishment - she was trying to help us get the amount of sleep that we needed.  Later, when I was in college and was getting WAY too little sleep, I would call my mom stressed and upset and she, with all her perfect motherly wisdom, would simply say, "Stop what you are doing and go to sleep."  She knew that I was too tired to think straight and that I wasn't doing a good job with studying or homework or whatever else I might have been working on at the time because I was exhausted.

While I am certainly not your mom and in no way am I saying that 9:00pm is the right bedtime for you, I do think that you could benefit from getting more sleep.  So, at least for now, enjoy the bonus of the extra hour of sleep from this week and try to plan accordingly so that you can continue to get as much extra sleep as possible every night.