Tuesday, August 6th:
9th graders, 11th graders & New to District (Last names A-K): 8:00am - 11:00am
9th graders, 11th graders & New to District (Last names L-Z): 12:30pm - 3:30pm
Wednesday, August 7th:
10th graders and 12th graders(All): 12:30pm - 3:30pm
Additional/Make up time for all students: 5:30pm-7:30pm
Don't forget, schedule pick up day is packed with lots of activities like getting your school picture taken, picking up your books, etc.
The process is paperless again this year which means that your emergency medical information, health forms, and athletic forms need to be updated online BEFORE coming through the schedule pick up lines. Those forms will all be on the Worthington Schools website (not counselor website).
I know that every year there are questions about what you should do if you are not available to attend on your designated schedule pick up time. If you cannot pick up your schedule and books on your designated time, then you can come to school on the other schedule pick-up day/ times. If you will not be able to attend any of the designated days/ times, then you will not be able to pick up your your books or get your student ID made until the 1st day of school, but schedules will be available online starting Monday, August 12th or you're welcome to come to school on either Monday the 12th or Tuesday, August 13th from 1:00 - 3:00pm. (No morning pick up's on those dates though because we are all in mandatory meetings both mornings.)
Each year schedule pick up days are two of the craziest days in my office, but I am looking forward to seeing you!
The workshops will be:
Thursday, August 8th at 11:00am
Monday, August 12th at 1:00pm
Both sessions will take place in Room 207. It is going to be the same content covered in both sessions so pick the one that works best for your schedule to join us. All seniors will need to be sure that you bring a laptop or chromebook with you so that you can actually work on filling out your application as we walk through the confusion points where students historically get information wrong when completing their applications.
I am looking forward to seeing you soon and helping you get started with your applications!
I have been reflecting on what it is about the Olympics that I love so much. Obviously, I love watching sports, but let's be honest, most of the year, I am not watching all of the random different sports that I will watch over the course of the coming few weeks. I think part of the appeal is knowing that the athletes are working to achieve a dream that they have spent an insane number of hours in training all to prepare for even the chance to be an Olympian. The level of respect I have for that kind of commitment, discipline and focus is beyond words.
Additionally, I think that the Olympics transcend sports alone. When you look at the Olympic Oath which includes the phrase, "in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and the honor of our teams." Or you read the Olympic Creed which states: "The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well." When I read both of those statements, I find such power in them. To focus on the greater good, the bigger picture than just the individual triumph and the fact that, win or lose, they have given it their best. So powerful. And so relevant to sports and to life.
I am sure that throughout the Olympics we will hear lots of inspiring stories of triumph, some heart-breaking stories of defeat, and, most likely, many moments of excitement throughout all the action. And in each of these, it is valuable to recognize that although we may never be an Olympian, each of us will face moments in our own lives where we will triumph, face heart break, or have excitement for successes in reaching our goals.
If you are not someone who has typically watched the Olympics in the past, I encourage you to turn it on and watch at least a little. And if you share in my enthusiasm for all things Olympics, know that I am always interested in talking about what you are watching and enjoying the most. But for everyone, I hope that the Olympics (and more specifically the Olympians competing) help inspire you to find the strength and courage within yourself to believe in your dreams and to chase them with unwavering focus.
The summer is an ideal time to try to job shadow because you won't have to miss school and most jobs have consistent responsibilities throughout the entire calendar year.
By spending time shadowing individuals who are working in fields that are potentially interesting, you will be gaining a behind the scenes look at what the career really entails. You will also have the opportunity to network and make connections with people who can, potentially, help guide and mentor you in your own future career path. But, because so few students actually take the time to arrange for job shadowing opportunities and follow through with it, what I like best about is that it allows you to have a leg up on everyone else when thinking about this as a potential future career. You know just a little bit more about what a day in the life would feel like, what the stressors and high points are in the job, and you will more clearly have an idea of if this is truly a good career fit for you.
If you are interested in setting up a job shadowing experience, start by identifying the job you would want to shadow. Consider asking family members and the family members of your friends if they know anyone working in that field to see if they could help give you a contact name to reach out to about spending a day following them to learn about their career. If you cannot find anyone who knows of someone within that job field, you can always contact companies that have that field as a career and asking blindly if they would allow you to shadow someone. If you are making a blind contact, you might start by reaching out to their Human Resources department.
When your day arrives to job shadow I have a few hints for you...
1. Dress appropriately for the job. (If you are unsure what approrpriate attire would be, ask when you are setting up the visit.)
2. Be on time. (This is your first impression. Don't blow it by being late.)
3. Smile, shake hands, look people in the eye and maintain a positive attitude. Ok, that is a lot in one hint, but the way you approach the people you interact with throughout the day will be important.
4. Leave your phone in your car. Seriously. I know, it is a challenge to have your phone far beyond the stretch of your arm, but here is the thing... you end up checking text messages, social media, or the time just out of mindless, random habit. You don't want to do that when you are shadowing. So, for this one day, leave your phone in your car. Or, if that truly is going to send you into withdrawl, then turn your phone OFF (not just do not disturb) and put it away and only turn it on during your lunch break or when you are in the restroom. But, again, please, let me stress to you the value of just leaving your phone in your car!
5. Come up with some questions you'd like to know about the career professional who you are shadowing and their job as a whole. Throughout the day, spread out those questions and give them the opportunity to share with you their career path and experiences. It's important to remember that your day there isn't just about interviewing them - they have a job to do, but having a few thoughtful questions or developing additional questions in response to things you are observing in the day is a good use of your time and of theirs.
6. Bring something (notebook and pencil) to jot down thoughts and questions as they come up throughout the day. Remember, no phone means you won't have access to the Notes app on your phone so you have to go old school on this one.
7. Keep track of anyone that you meet throughout the day - especially anyone who helps share insights or information with you that helps further develop your understanding of the job field. Most professionals will have business cards that they can share with you or you can write down their names in your notebook.
8. Later, after your visit is over, send a thank you note to the person who allowed you to spend the day shadowing them. But also consider sending a note to any of the people you identified in point number 7 above.
9. For yourself, jot down some notes - a few sentences or bullet points are fine. But take the time to reflect back on what you thought of your time at the job. Did you like it? What was the best or worst part to you? What surprised you? By having those brief notes, you will potentially be able to use it for yourself when you are writing a college essay, filling out your application, or trying to remember some piece of information a year or more from now related to the visit experience. I know that it seems as if you won't forget any of it, but I promise, it will not stay as fresh in your mind as you anticipate, so just write a few simple thoughts and reflections down before you leave the experience behind.
While you may not be able to fit it all in before we return back to school, don't forget that you can shadow several different jobs to get varying perspectives and ideas of different fields that interest you. Plus,there are so many careers (like nursing for example) that have drastically different settings and so even if you have picked out a career that you want to shadow you may be interested in learning from people in a range of different settings.
I can't wait to hear about your experiences as you go out and job shadow! Good luck and I hope you learn a lot.
But is July now... and my brain is starting to gear up for the new year. And yet, I can't possibly move forward without pausing for a moment to look back at graduation and the accomplishments of the Class of 2024!
I am so proud of the students in the Class of 2024. The idea of entering high school as a remote student and then an every other day blue day/ green day student is a freshman year that is hard to imagine as the introduction to high school. But you overcame all of those challenges. You drew together as a class during the course of your 4 years together. You learned together. You competed in sports together. You accomplished goals you had set for yourself. You created beautiful music and art. And you touched my life in a meaningful way.
As you may know, all students participating in the graduation ceremony are given the option to select someone to present them with their diploma at graduation. This is, by far, my favorite Kilbourne tradition. I love watching as students share that moment on the stage with the adult they have chosen. And, when I have the chance to be the one presenting a diploma to a student, there is nothing better than locking eyes with them as we meet on stage when I immediately think about all the times we have shared together during the previous 4 years, hug, and I get to whisper my words of congratulations.
This year, I had the honor of presenting a diploma to 13 of my students. They are pictured in the photo above and include (Left to Right) Back Row: Tai Crump, Alex Beyke, Zach Beck, Lily Banner, Rachel Baughman, Ugochi Anaraodo, Keidy Bueso Dominguez and Front Row: Marissa Dolciato, Alissa Azevado Santana, Bianca Ceron Leal, Isabelle Borchers, Alliyah Ahmed, and Thalia Weis.
To Tai, Alex, Zach, Lily, Rachel, Ugochi, Keidy, Marissa, Alissa, Bianca, Izzy, Alliyah, and Thalia - first, thank you for the honor of being able to share in your graduation day. It meant so much to me to be able to hand you your diploma and be the first to congratulate you as a graduate of Kilbourne. You have all had very different paths throughout your high school years with some of you attending Worthington for your whole education and some for just a few months. No matter what your journey was that led you to Kilbourne, you were able to make the most of your time at WKHS and you have even better dreams and goals in front of you! No matter what your future holds - work, college, or gap year, I hope you know that I am proud of you and wish you the very best of luck in the future! I am thankful that I had the luck and honor of being able to work with you as your school counselor and I want to remind you that although you may no longer be my student, you will always be important to me! Love, Miss Abbott
Hopefully you are feeling good about your summer assignments and how you are progressing on your summer work. If you haven't started, please get moving on it! If you have lost your summer assignments, please feel free to check out the WKHS Counselor website - www.wkhscouselors.com - as we have posted the assignments your teachers have submitted there as well.
And, for the record, if you do want to drop from an advanced
course to a regular class, please just email me at babbott@wscloud.org before
the end of the day on Monday the 15th and I will make the change for you the
next time I am able to drop by school.
If you are curious about the policy that colleges have on how they grant credit for AP Scores, the CollegeBoard (who run AP tests) maintains a searchable list for the college's policies. Here is the link.
Many WKHS students who took AP Lang were hoping to be able to use their scores to move directly to English 2367 (Comp 2) with CSCC next school year. Please make sure you have scored a 3 or higher on the AP Lang test in order for this to be an option. If I need to adjust your schedule to add you into Composition 1 because you didn't get the 3 as you had anticipated, or if you put Comp 1 into your schedule "just in case" and you earned the 3, please let me know so that I can adjust your schedule and remove the class you no longer need. Also, don't forget that you need to send your test results directly to the CSCC CC+ office so that they know you have met the prerequisites to jump directly to Composition 2.
And, in addition to the AP test scores being available, the IB test scores have also been released over the last few days and so you can access those results as well!
No matter which tests you took, I hope you are happy with your test results!