Summer School

A few quick, last minute reminders about summer school...

1. If you failed a class and are taking a class through Worthington Summer School, that started today! Hopefully you remembered and made it for your designated time slot (8-10 or 10-12) at Worthington Academy building. If you failed a class and didn't get signed up yet, please be sure to check your school email for the link to register and you will be able to be added to the waiting list. Rememer, Worthington summer school is free and is an important opportunity to stay on track for graduation.

2. If you were planning to enroll in an online get-ahead summer class through TRECA, don't forget that tomorrow, June 3rd at 11:59pm, is the deadline to sign up. There is a $95 fee for each 1/2 credit class. Your actual summer school work with TRECA won't start until next Monday, June 9th. By listing Worthington Kilbourne HS when you register, TRECA will automatically send your transcript to me at the end of the summer school term.

And then I want to also remind all of you that if something has changed in your plans related to summer school, I need for you to let me know as soon as possible. Email will be the perfect way to communicate your changed plans. Because I know that many students who were planning to take a get-ahead online class didn't sign up for it, you might be short of a graduation requirement in your course requests for next year or if you are no longer going to be attending the Worthington summer school session, your core class sequence likely needs to change and I need to try to do all of that before school starts again in August.

I hope that you all have a great summer and that if summer school is a part of your plans, that you will learn a lot and be able to make good, quick progress through the courses.

End of the Year Reflections

The end of the school year is always filled with lots of emotions. There is the stress of trying to finalize schedule conflicts and deal with failures, excitement for graduating seniors and all that is ahead of them, sadness to say goodbye to students (both those leaving for just the summer and seniors who are leaving WKHS for good), and relief to make it to slower days of summer where sleeping in becomes the norm.

Two weeks ago today was Kilbourne's graduation ceremony and it was a great day celebrating the students in the Class of 2025. But personally, it also ended up being a really special day for me too. I was surprised to be one of the staff members inducted into the Kilbourne Hall of Fame. I am not trying to make the seniors graduation day and celebration be about me, but I have to acknowledge how much this meant to me. There are so many teachers, along with many of my former students, who have been selected for the Hall of Fame and I admire and respect each of them more than I can express. They are truly the best at making a difference and so, to me, the concept that I would be among these other incredible people is simply indescribable. I don't know that I am actually worthy of this recognition, but I know that it certainly filled my heart.

The end of this school year was also different because for the first time in 19 years, I had to pack up my office to move. As you are aware, the construction on the 2nd floor is now complete, but the first floor is far from done. The administrative and counseling center area is going to flip locations with the library which means that my office will no longer be my office. I have to admit, this made me really sad. My office is where I have so many memories with so many students from all of the years. My office was our shared safe space to talk about the good and the bad. As I worked on boxing everything up I also knew that I needed to go through files and purge away stuff I no longer needed. One of those files ended up coming home with me to my "keep forever box." I had cards, notes, and even print outs of emails from literally the first month of working in Worthington (which, by the way, was before all of my students were even born!) and reading through these notes was so fun and helped me to remember that the connection I have had with students and their families throughout the years is bigger than just the space of my office. And, once again, it filled my heart with so much love and gratitude.

So even though the end of each school year is always filled with lots of emotion - this one has been special and different. My heart is full, my emotions are definitely at the surface, and my gratitude for each student and family that I have had the honor of working with is without measure.

Next Year's Schedule

Mrs. Backhurst has been working tirelessly on the master schedule for next year.  She has determined where each class will be held during the school day to meet as many student requests as possible. As of yesterday, the administrators have officially "locked" the master schedule into place. 

Unfortunately, now that the schedule is locked it becomes crazy for the counselors as we go through each of the schedules that didn't match and try to figure out if there is a solution and what possible options we can use to make a schedule fit together. We will spend hours pouring over schedules and will have to call down some of you to talk about back up choices based upon the conflicts in your schedule. This is never easy and I know can be disappointing when you don't get all of the classes that you wanted, so I promise that I am doing the best I can to make everything work together.

I started the process of calling kids down today.  In the coming days, if you get a pass, an email or a remind message from me to come see me during your lunch, off period or between periods, I am asking you to please make every effort to come at the day and time I am calling for you so we can look at your schedule together.  (And that specific timing is when I think I should be able to fit you in without making you wait for long.)  You definitely don't want me to be the one to make those tough choices for you, so we really do need to meet and look at the options together.

Inevitably, when everyone hears that the schedule is locked, students will be curious about the schedule and what their classes will look like for next year.  I am more than happy to talk about this with you, but not until all of the conflicts are resolved.  So, I ask you to please be patient with me and wait until the last three days of school (next week during your exams) to try to come and get a sneak peek at what your schedule will hopefully be for next year.  (Full disclosure though, all schedules are 100% up for revision and changes based on whatever has to happen with the master schedule as the summer progresses.)

Dear Seniors...

Dear Seniors in the Class of 2025,

Today was your last day of high school. With every senior that I saw and had the chance to talk with yesterday and today, the constant theme was reflecting back on how fast high school went. I completely agree with that sentiment! It doesn't seem like it has been 4 years since you all first came to WKHS and yet, here you are ready to graduate and take on the next adventures in your life.

I have done a lot of reflecting about your class and the word that comes to my mind most of all is RESILIENT. You have adjusted, adapted, overcome, endured, and through it all you have done it with joy, compassion, and kindness. In a lot of ways when I think of resilient students I think of this characteristic for the big aspects you have faced in school whether that was transitioning to high school with masks and then to no masks, dealing with the massive upheaval of construction, fighting for creative parking options, slugging through difficult content or challenging courses, balancing classes at WKHS and on college campuses, helping your friends, competing with your whole heart on athletic fields, and dedicating so much time to perform well on stage. But I also think of your resiliency in how you faced personal challenges - learning a new language, fighting cancer, dealing with the death of a parent or other beloved family member, struggling to find your place and where you belonged, moving to a new school, managing the stress of hard family situations at home, and so much more. 

There are no words that can adequately express how thankful I am that you have allowed me to walk alongside you in this journey. Thank you for opening up your hearts and your lives to me. Please know that you have made me a better person and I will always be grateful that I had the privilege to know and work with you for the last four years!

You have a very bright future ahead and I cannot wait to see the impact you will have. Congratulations!

Love, Miss Abbott

PS - Enjoy your day off tomorrow and I will see you all Friday afternoon for Graduation Rehearsal!

Sending AP Scores

Seniors, now that you know where you will be attending college in the future, it is important to remember that if you have taken an AP exam, you will also need to send those official scores to your intended college.

As you are likely aware, colleges each get to set their own protocol for what AP tests they will accept and what scores will result in earning credits at their school.  You can check out the AP Credit Policy using the search on CollegeBoard's website here: https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/getting-credit-placement/search-policies

One great aspect about sending the AP Scores is that they will send your current and past scores to the college with one report so if you have taken 5 AP tests, you don't have to pay to send 5 different scores.  

Here is the page that explains everything you need to know about sending your AP Scores: https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/sending-scores

I would also like to wish a very Happy Mother's Day to all of the WKHS moms!  I hope your sons/ daughters expressed their appreciation for all the big and little things that you do to help them, but never doubt that you ARE making a difference in their lives each and every day!  Thank you for allowing me to share in your children's lives as well!

Kilbourne Kindness Closet

The Kilbourne Kindness Closet is a place where current WKHS students, parents and family members can get free Kilbourne spirit wear to show your school pride and feel like a connected part of our community. 

We count on donations from Kilbourne students, staff and families to keep the Kilbourne Kindness Closet stocked with clothes. As you do spring/ summer cleaning and find clothes that no longer fits you or doesn't apply to you any more, please know that we would love to have those donations for other families. Additionally, seniors, you are just about a week away from being alumni of WKHS. As you get ready to purge your high school gear that you no longer want/ need, please be sure to drop it off at Kilbourne for future wolves to wear.

We appreciate the community's support in making this project a reality!

Senior Recognition Night

In just about 2 hours we will hold the Senior Recognition Night which kicks off the festivities of honoring seniors.  This week as we have been working to prepare for this awards ceremony I keep thinking about how impressive you are and all that you have accomplished. From impressive scholarships earned to the awards and recognitions you have received it is exciting to be able to honor you all.

Your class has contributed in positive and meaningful ways at WKHS.  And the reality is, even for those who weren't invited to attend tonight, each of you has made a positive difference at Kilbourne.  Whether it has been in the classroom, with a club, a sport, or simply being a friend to someone on a bad day, you help make Kilbourne such a special place.

Can't wait to start celebrating the Class of 2025 this evening!

Teacher Appreciation Week

This week is national Teacher Appreciation Week!  WKHS is blessed to have a staff of incredible teachers who are committed to their student's success - not only in the classroom, but also in life.  I can think of so many examples of teachers going the extra mile to help students.  They are often found: spending time before or after school reviewing material with students, cheering on kids at concerts and games, responding to e-mails and text messages on evenings and weekends to clarify questions, developing exciting and engaging learning experiences, writing beautiful recommendation letters, listening to a student who needs to talk after a bad day, and countless other examples that make an impact in ways big and small.

Looking back at my own life I remain grateful for the teachers I had - for what they taught me, the care they showed, and the impact they had on my life.  I remember those who gave us challenging assignments that pushed me and still impact how I look at life today.  I remember the teachers who believed in me and helped me to develop the confidence to chase after my dreams.  I'll be honest - I don't remember all of my teachers.  But I suspect that there are other students who fondly remember those teachers who I can barely recall.  I think that is the beauty of education - hopefully every student has at least 1 teacher who they feel believes in and cares about them and a teacher who holds them accountable and pushes them to learn and grow.

I suspect that you all have some teacher that has made a difference in your life.  I don't know which Kilbourne (or even elementary or middle school) teachers stand out to you most as being the ones who challenge you to be YOUR best every day, but I hope you will consider taking time this week to say thanks to at least one of the teachers at Kilbourne who has made a positive impact on your life.  You never know - maybe your kind words to them will be exactly the encouragement they needed today and your words will stay with them for years to come. 

Exams Approaching

Next week (Tuesday and Wednesday) the seniors will complete their final exams. Seniors will be on a regular bell schedule along with the rest of the school, so your teachers will likely be splitting lengthy exams over two days.

For underclassmen, your exams are just 2 weeks away. As with semester exams, your exams will be done in blocks over the last 3 days of the semester.

I know that the stress of having 10% of your grade in one test combined with the anticipation of finally being done with another school year can seem overwhelming at times. That is why it is so helpful to start preparing for your exams now. It always feels as if there will be a better time to study, but today is that better time. Cramming at the end only increases your stress and pressure. 

Try to start by getting yourself organized. Figure out what classes will have exams and which will have projects that you need to dedicate time towards completing. Get your notes organized. Start working on any study guide resource materials that have been distributed. Study your old tests and quizzes as those feature the most important topics that your teachers have covered throughout the semester. Work with the academic assistants as well as your teachers to help prepare for exams. And, of course, if you want/ need study strategy ideas remember that we have lots of that information posted on the WKHS Counselor Website.

May Socratic Society

On Friday morning we honored and celebrated students who were being inducted into the Socratic Society.  Staff members are given the opportunity to recognize students for excellence in one or more of the core Socratic values of Scholarship, Integrity, Personal Effort, Compassion, or Lifelong Learning. Students are only eligible to be selected for this honor one time during their high school career.

8 of the students selected for the Socratic Society were "my" students. A huge congratulations to (alphabetically): Leen Abusalha, Mohamed-Saeed Aden, Rose Aljafari, Stella Andon, Adrian Calel-Tzoc, Carmen Cervantes Hernandez, Kaleb Colegrove, and Eric Collier. I am proud of you all!

AP & IB Exams

IB Exams have already started and over the next two weeks many WKHS students will continue with IB exams and others will be taking Advanced Placement Exams. The AP and IB exams are held on designated days and will be in designated locations throughout the district (most taking place at WEC).  I know that many of you have been spending an extraordinary amount of time studying to prepare for the exams. Good Luck!  You will do great!  Remember, you have spent the whole year learning all of the content that you need to know in order to take the tests to hopefully earn the college credit. Stop by sometime and let me know how you felt after the tests.

Tomorrow's Bell Schedule

We will be having a Pep Rally at school tomorrow afternoon ahead of prom this weekend.  I wanted to make sure that you knew what the bell schedule will be for tomorrow.

1st Period- 8:40-9:19

2nd Period- 9:24-10:12

3rd Period- 10:17-10:56

4th Period- 11:01-11:40

5th Period- 11:45-12:24

6th Period- 12:29-1:08

Pep Rally- 1:12-1:52

7th Period- 1:57- 2:36

8th Period- 2:41-3:20

The Pep Rally will be a fun celebration to boost the connection and school spirit within the building.

And, on a separate note, congratulations to all of the seniors who have finalized their plans and are now breathing a sigh of relief to have a decision made. I am proud of you and loved seeing so many of you sporting your future college gear at school today!

Transcript Requests

Seniors, one of the steps that is required when you leave WKHS and head off to college is to request for your transcripts to be sent to your intended college. You are just a few hours away from the deadline to declare where you will be attending and submit your enrollment deposit which means now is a great time to request your final transcript.

We have made the final transcript request process as simple as possible. The mandatory graduation form that you were emailed last week is the form that you will fill out to tell us where to send your transcript. It is also the form where you will request who you want to give you your diploma at graduation and to fill out some other questions and feedback to help us honor you at senior recognition night and to improve the school in the future.

The one aspect that tends to be confusing to students related to final transcripts is that if you are a senior who took College Credit Plus (CC+) classes through CSCC or COTC last year or this year, you also need to be sure to request for your CSCC and/ or COTC transcripts to be sent to your future college. This is not done by WKHS and so we cannot take care of this process for you - you must request it directly from CSCC and/ or COTC.

If you are going to continue at Columbus State, then you don't have to do anything with your CSCC transcript (they already have that), but you would need to send them your COTC transcript.

If you are going to a 4 year college, then you will need to send them both transcripts... and again, this is in addition to us at WKHS sending them your final high school transcript.

We have posted the links for how to send your CC+ transcripts on the Counselor website so if this is something that applies to you, please be sure to request to have them sent.  

Advisory Council

Do you have people that you trust and can turn to for advice, guidance and direction? People who you know are going to be able to point out areas where you might need to change so you can grow and improve? And people who can encourage, support and celebrate your successes with you?

I firmly believe that having a trusted circle of people in your life is valuable to our growth as humans. And I also think it is important to have that feedback for our school counseling program. This was the second year of having an Advisory Council to help give feedback and ideas to help guide our school counseling team to help make our program and services the most impactful for our students as possible.

This year our Advisory Council members included (in alphabetical order by last name): Erica Backhurst, Dan Beck, Esther Boatemah, Sarah Cain, Kate Campbell, Kristen Collins, Noemi Garcia, Kaylee Guadalupe, Roshi Jamshidi, Rick Kellner, Tania Leal, Stephanie Matson, Angie Pope, Daniel Robey, and Tara Schumacher. They are parents, students, teachers and administrators who gave up their time to help learn about our programs and offerings and provide feedback, suggestions and guidance.

The Advisory Council met 4 times throughout the year and each time I was nervous about if our agenda would meet the needs and expectations of the committee members. And after each meeting I walked away excited and energized about the input and suggestions that they were sharing with us. Our counseling team does not take for granted the help and expertise from each of these valued stakeholders. 

We met for the final time this year last week and unfortunately the fire alarm went off and we had to cut our time together short, but we did try to grab a quick picture with many of the advisory council members as we were leaving to exit the building. And since we didn't get to formally say it at the end of the meeting, I would like to offer it here - THANK YOU to all of the Advisory Council members for taking the time out of your busy lives to meet with us! We are so grateful for your partnership and we thank you for helping to make us stronger because of your input!

Making College Lists

Having a good, solid, balanced, reasonable college list that meets your needs academically, socially and financially is an essential part of the college application process. Juniors, it is time that you are actively working on building that perfect (for you) college list.

To support students and parents in this process we have 2 events coming up this week all focused on building your college lists.

• On Thursday, May 1st, we will host the final Junior Seminar of this year in Room 201 from 8:15-8:35am to talk about creating a balanced, strong college list.
• On Friday, May 2nd, we will hold the final Parent Lunch & Learn session of the year from 12:00-12:30pm over zoom. As always, this meeting link will be emailed out to families on Friday morning and the session will be recorded and posted to the counselor website if you are unable to join us live.

I hope that you will make plans to join us for these presentations!

YouScience

YouScience is a great assessment tool that lets you learn more about yourself while also highlighting careers that would be a good potential fit.

YouScience is a measure of aptitudes.  Aptitudes are your natural abilities to do things.  It is not about saying you are good at math or science - it is more about the specific strengths that cross over to various subject areas.

When you take this assessment it is all online so you can do it from any computer or chromebook.  The entire process from start to finish is about an hour and a half, but you can split it up over however many settings that works best for you.  The assessment consistents of a variety of different small computer challenges (also known as "brain games").  Each of these challenges is timed and you just do the best you can on each one of them.  When you start any of those timed tests, you have to finish that piece before you could stop and save to return later.

I took the assessment and was fascinated by all of the information it was able to say about me just from doing these fun tests.  At the end,you will receive an email with links to your results.  There were 3 main things I liked best about the results.  1, there is a multi-page personal summary that can be downloaded that talked about things that are easier or harder for you based upon your results.  2, there is a discussion summary guide which is a great resource to help you for use in recommendation letters, resumes and college essays.  3, the career specific information is interesting.  I really liked that the career information could be divided out so that you could look at it based upon which careers fit for people with your aptitudes, for careers with your interests, or for careers that overlap well with your aptitudes and interests.

Tomorrow, all 9th and 10th graders will be starting the YouScience assessment during your academic prep periods. If there are any 11th or 12th graders who want to take it, you are definitely welcome to do so - just be sure to stop and see me so I can give you an access code so that you don't have to pay to take it. I can't wait to hear about which brain games you thought were easier and which ones you thought were harder along, of course, with the results and what you think it says about you!

Mandatory Senior Graduation Form

Today, all seniors received an information link for the Senior Information Questionnaire that we need for you to complete and submit prior to May 2nd.

Every year, the graduating high school seniors have the option of picking a teacher, coach, administrator, counselor, secretary, or other Worthington staff member who has played a significant role in their lives to give them their diploma.  This is one of my favorite traditions at Kilbourne!  It is a way to make the graduation ceremony much more personal and memorable.  You will select your 1st choice and 2nd choice diploma presenters on the form.

The form also allows you to request where you want us to send your final transcript.  When you head off to college or enlist in the military, they will all want a copy of your final transcript to confirm that you did officially graduate.  The information you submit on the form is what will enable us to make sure we send your transcript to the appropriate location.

We are busy working on preparing for the senior recognition and commencement ceremonies and we need additional information from you in order to put together the programs!  As you complete the senior questionnaire you will be asked to list what scholarships you received and are accepting and how much they were worth.

And finally, the form also allows for you to share some thoughts about your reflections related to high school because we value the insight and perspectives that our seniors share each year.

These forms are due back ASAP, but no later than May 2nd.  

If you have updates/ changes after you have submitted your form - such as you received an additional scholarship, please email that new scholarship information to Mrs. Focht at afocht@wscloud.org.  We will try our best to include your updated scholarships in the program, but it is possible that information received after May 2nd may not be able to be included if the program.

ACT/ SAT Test Prep

Juniors, now that you have received your scores back from the school administration of the SAT it is time to come up with a plan for what comes next.  

Some of you may be perfectly content with your scores and not need to do anything else, but for many of you, I know that you are focused on improving your scores.  Statistically, many students are able to improve their scores when they repeat the tests because you are now familiar with the pace required to complete each section and what to expect from the tests.   As a result, I encourage you to consider signing up to take another college admission test this spring or summer.  You can take either the ACT or the SAT (or both).  If you're not sure which test you did better on and want to focus on re-taking, you can use the Concordance Table to compare your scores. Don't forget, while there are some test dates in the fall, you need to watch your timing so that you can get the tests completed before your earliest college application deadlines. Remember, a test prep plan is going to be important if you are applying to colleges that are no longer test-optional.

To register for the tests, please visit their websites.

ACT: www.act.org

SAT: www.collegeboard.com

And, yes, sorry, there are fees for the rest of the times you take the college admissions tests.  However, if you are a student who qualifies for free or reduced lunch, please stop to see me as I am able to help give you a fee waiver that can cover the cost of a test.

The other point we need to talk about is what you are going to DO between now and when you retake the test to help improve your scores.  There are a wide range of options that students can do to help improve their scores, but generally speaking if you don't do something different, you will typically not see a significant change in scores.  This list is in no way fully inclusive of all of your options, but it can help get you started on ideas...

- Look at your test and reflect back on what you remember from the test and review the areas that are weakest for you.

- Take free practice tests online.

- Use question of the day practice opportunities to regularly get adjusted to the types of questions you will see on the ACT/ SAT.

- Work with an individual tutor or sign up for a course.  These options will have a range of costs associated with them and so it is important to know that ACT and SAT will say that the best preparation is a rigorous curriculum.  However, many students have found that having someone that they are meeting with and having an appointment to work on preparing for the tests helps to hold them accountable so that they can master the strategies and truly show what they know when they take the tests.  We have many tutor resources available on the Counselor Website if you are interested and I also have business cards in my office from some of the tutors/ companies.

- Make use of websites such as Khan Academy that have free test prep sections.  The ACT and SAT websites also have resources and materials available for students to help prepare for their tests.

- Get one of the books with practice tests (you might even be able to find them at the library, but many students prefer to buy them so that they can write in the books).  

And that actually brings me to a key point that I hit on a little earlier - I can mention lots of different ideas and strategies, but these tests are so easy to procrastinate on and think "I'll work on that later..." but so often "later" becomes "never."  I know because I have been there.  So try to figure out what you are realistically going to be able to set up for yourself as a plan and then stick with it.  Have someone help hold you accountable and don't stop until you have reached your goals.

Good luck on your test preparation.  Most of all, don't stress about it - that will never help your scores, but do the best you can and it will pay off in the long run!

Free Healthcare Opportunities

There are certain healthcare related steps that all students must complete in order to comply with school requirements.

Probably most familiar to students and families is the sports physical.  Any student hoping to participate in band or a sport, must have a current, updated sports physical on file every year.  There are free sports physicals being offered by Grace Clinics on July 28th in Hilliard and on August 2nd in Delaware. You should text 740-816-7022 to schedule an appointment.

Additionally, the state requires all students to have an updated meningococcal vaccine by August of their senior year.  The requirement is that one dose of the Meningococcal (MenACWY) vaccine must be given on or after the age of 16.  Proof of vaccination is due prior to senior year by the State of Ohio.  In order to help students fulfill this requirement, a Free Vaccine Clinic will be held at WKHS this Friday, April 25th from 8:30am-12:30pm.  This is a free opportunity for students from the Columbus Public Health Department to get this requirement completed during a school day.  Parents do not need to be present, but a consent form is required.  Consent forms can be picked up from Nurse Julie in the health office at school. I hope you will take advantage of this free opportunity!

In addition to the Meningococcal vaccine, they will also be offering Influenza, Tdap, and HPV vaccines for free to students who want/ need them.

Any questions about the free vaccine clinic or the meningococcal vaccine requirement can be directed to WKHS Nurse Julie at jgarner@wscloud.org.

Government End of Course Testing

Just a quick reminder that all students who are currently enrolled in a Government class (which includes regular Government, AP Government and CC+ Government), you will be taking the Government End of Course test tomorrow morning starting at 8:40am. Most students will be testing in the Main Gym. There will be a QR code posted in the hallway when you enter to check to see if you have an alternative testing location. Good luck on the test!

CSCC App Day

Are you planning on attending Columbus State Community College next year after you graduate? This is a great option for a lot of students because it allows students to transition from the high school to college expectations in typically smaller classes and for a fraction of the cost. 

Students attending CSCC have much later deadlines for admission and so it can be easy to procrastinate on completing the application.  This Friday, in Room 151 (right across from the main gym/ snack bar area), we will be hosting an admissions representative from Columbus State Community College for an Application Day.  Seniors, if you have not already applied to CSCC and want to have it as an option for you in the future, please take advange of this application day!  Students can come during lunch periods and should bring their Social Security Number so that your entire application can be completed on the spot.  

For students who are already technically CSCC students because of participating in College Credit Plus, you don't have to submit an application to attend full time next year, but there are steps that need to be completed and the admissions rep will be able to assist you with completing those requirements as well.

Even if you're not sure you're ready to go to CSCC right away or if you are still holding it as an option for financial reasons as you try to make your decision about college, you can also come and participate in the Columbus State Community College Application Day.  

Feel free to stop and see me if you have any questions.

National College Decision Day

Seniors, by now you are hopefully well aware of the fact that May 1st is national college decision day. This means that you have 2 weeks left with which to make your final college decision. The colleges have all united in the fact that they will not require you to make decisions about where you will attend prior to May 1st, but this is one of the deadlines that is firm. As you are aware, through the college application process each college has their own timeline and often have different application deadlines, financial aid deadlines, and announce their admission decisions at different times, but May 1st is a universal deadline among all colleges requiring students to declare their decision.  

Please remember that this not only means that you have informed the college of your choice that you intend to attend their college, but it also typically includes submitting a deposit. As you reach the final days of your decision making window, if you need to talk out your choice with someone, please feel free to stop in and talk to me.

Senior Survivors Panel

Juniors, just a quick reminder that tomorrow morning (Thursday, April 17th) we will have a panel of "Senior Survivors" to share as a part of the Junior Seminar. The seniors will share their insights, perspectives, and feedback on what worked well for them related to college applications and senior year as well as their struggles and challenges and what lessons they learned the hard way. I believe it is always so helpful to learn from your peers especially when it comes to college applications with how rapidly changing the college applications are from even just a few years ago. I hope that you will join us tomorrow morning in Room 201 from 8:15-8:35am for this presentation.

Every Point Matters

As we rapidly approach the end of the year (20 more school days for seniors and 23 days before exams for everyone else) it is important to remember that every point matters! In each of your classes you have opportunities on a regular basis to complete in-class work, follow through on homework, engage in projects, take quizzes and tests and with each of these activities there is the chance to earn points towards the grade in the class. 

It is always interesting to me when I am talking to students about how much of a difference a few points can make between passing and failing or between a B+ and an A-. For some students, it is a struggle to get all of your work done. I get that. Some days life gets in the way and it can be hard, but even if you're turning in a partially completed assignment, it is better to get a 50% on the assignment for work that you did complete than taking a 0% by just not turning it in at all.

If you are struggling in the class and in jeopardy of not passing, it is essential that you maximize the small assignments that might be "easier" to complete 5 or 10 point assignments so that your entire grade doesn't hang in the balance of your semester exam or a large quarter test. You have far more control over how you will complete and earn points on the daily in-class and at-home assignments than you do on the tests and quizzes because you can use your notes, textbooks, and the support from your teacher and the academic assistants to be able to complete these activities while your tests and quizzes depend solely on the information you have in your head about the material. So please, try to make sure that you are taking full advantage of EVERY point opportunity and submit all work, even if it is only partially completed to give yourself the best chance of academic success in your classes.

April Students of the Month

Earlier this month we had the ceremony to recognize the April Students of the Month. Students are nominated for this recognition by Kilbourne faculty and staff for their academic achievement, good citizenship, and/or contributions to the school or community. Students can only earn this award once in their high school career.

5 of "my" students were among those recognized this month. A huge congratulations to (L to R): Crystal Acheampong, Jack Bottari and Mehmet Can. Not pictured: Jaline Asongafac and Caroline Campbell. I am proud of each of you for the contributions and impact you have at WKHS. Congratulations on being named Students of the Month!

SAT Scores

Juniors, your SAT scores from the March 11th testing day have been released. Hopefully you have already received an email directly from CollegeBoard to share this news. But you can now log into your CollegeBoard account to see your scores. 

I do also have access to your scores, but I can just see the number whereas when you go into your CollegeBoard account it will give you a greater breakdown of how you did to help you determine where you might want to focus for future testing opportunities.

Remember, statistically speaking, students who repeat the tests perform better on them. So if you're not thrilled with your scores, you may want to go ahead and sign up now for an upcoming ACT or SAT test date. We saw issues last year where students had to drive to areas pretty far outside of central Ohio in order to be able to get a testing seat because they waited too long in order to register to test. We have been hearing some reports from other students that this is happening already again this year. So if you want to take a spring or summer ACT or SAT, I strongly encourage you to register for the test as soon as possible.

Cut Them Free

This is always such a fun and exciting time to see the news as seniors announce their decisions on where they will be attending college in the future. Seniors, remember that once you start narrowing down your college choices it is important to cut your other schools free. As you begin identifying which college or the few colleges that are still in the running, it is important for you to notify the other colleges that you do NOT intend to attend their school beginning next year. 

Please be sure to wait to notify the schools that you will not be attending until you are completely sure that you are no longer considering them. However, I realize that many of you have narrowed your choice to a smaller group of colleges and you have completely eliminated others from consideration. Those which have been completely eliminated are the colleges I am recommending you notify now. 

This is important because it allows the college to plan for their upcoming student body and to know if they have room to accept other students off of their wait-lists. Think about your classmates who might be on the waiting list for a school and they want to hear back from the schools as quickly as possible and there are other students across the country in the same situation. Colleges can't begin opening up additional slots until they know which students will or will not be attending. 

Additionally, if you received scholarship offers from one of the colleges that you have eliminated from the running, this can also potentially allow the college to offer that money out to other students which, again, can help people such as your fellow classmates. Believe me, the colleges will not be angry with you for deciding that you will not be attending their school - they understand that this is part of the process, so just go ahead and take a few minutes to let them know of your intent to attend a different college.

Common App Essays

The Common Application has announced that their essay question prompts for next year will remain the same.  In case you don't know, Common Application is an application website that many colleges use allowing students to fill out one application that can then be submitted to various colleges and is one of the primary methods that students will utilize when applying to college. 

Juniors, you can take a look at these prompts and start brainstorming what your answers might be for each question.  After you list your thoughts for each question, look at which response best allows you to tell the story of who you are and will be the best introduction of you to the admissions committee.  Then it is time to start drafting and editing and drafting some more.  :-)  

Students who utilize the common app will be asked to select and answer one question in 250-650 words.  (Please don't worry about word count on your first draft - it is always MUCH easier to cut words than it is to try to add more in later.)

Below are the common app essay questions to help you get started: 

1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

2. The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback or failure.  How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?

3. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea.  What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?

4. Reflect on something that someone has done for you that made you happy or thankful in a surprising way.  How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?

5. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and new understanding of yourself or others.

6.  Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time.  Why does it captivate you?  What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?

7.  Share an essay on any topic of your choice.  It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

Also, don't forget that tomorrow morning (April 10th) we will host our Essay Brainstorming Workshop in Room 201 at 10am to help you prepare for writing your essays. I hope to see you in the morning!

Online Summer School

Every year we get questions about taking online courses or classes in other districts during the summers and as long as it is an accredited school this is completely fine.  So, for example, if your parents are divorced and you go to spend the summer with a parent who lives in another state you can take your summer school class at the school near your other parent and then transfer the credit back to us.  Or for those students who plan on traveling a great deal over the summer, taking an online course might be more in line with your needs.  Again, in Worthington we try to be very flexible in helping all students meet their academic goals so, as long as the school you are taking classes from is an accredited school, we will transfer those credits to Worthington.

Students and parents often ask me which online schools they can use and again, if it is accredited it is fine.  The school we have had the most students utilize in the past has been TRECA due to the cost effectiveness of their credits.  But again, that can change from year to year and so I encourage you to search for the schools and programs that will best meet your individual needs.  I do know that TRECA summer school registration has now opened for the year, so if you were planning to take a TRECA summer school class, please be sure to get signed up for that soon.  Their website is: https://treca.org/programs/summer-school 

Columbus State Visit Day

Columbus State Community College is the most attended college that Kilbourne seniors transition to after high school. They are hosting a campus visit day for juniors and seniors this Friday, April 11th from 8:30am-12:00pm.  During this event you will have the chance to:

• Discover what it's like to attend Columbus State.
• Learn about transfer options to our four-year university partners.
• Hear about our expansive student services and learn what it's like to be a part of our college community.
• Consider a two-year fast track to a well-paying, in-demand career.
• Identify next steps to enrolling at Columbus State.

Here is the link you will use to register for the event if you are interested.

This week's schedule

We have a busy, unique week ahead.  Sophomores are going to be testing all week.  Freshmen and juniors will likely have some days of testing and some days of sleeping in and seniors get to enjoy the mornings off for the week.

Ohio State End of Course Tests:

This week we will have late starts for the Ohio State required End of Course tests.  We will be on a modified bell schedule where you have classes from 12:25-3:20.  On Monday, Wednesday and Friday you will go to your 1st through 4th period classes.  On Tuesday and Thursday you will go to 5th through 8th period classes.

On Monday and Tuesday, students will take the English 2 End of Course test which contains 2 parts.  Part 1 will be completed on Monday and Part 2 will be taken on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, students will take the Biology End of Course test.

On Thursday, students will take the US History or the Math tests.

On Friday, students will take both sections of the Math 1 or the Math 2 End of Course tests.

Here is a link to find the bell schedule for the week.  Good luck to everyone who will be testing!  And please, remember to bring your fully charged chromebook with you to school for testing!

If you are not testing, remember that buses will run 90 minutes later than normal. You will have some down time before lunch and then lunch will be offered from 11:30-12:20 for all students.

College Essay Workshop:

On Thursday, we will be hosting the essay brainstorming workshop from 10-11:30am in Room 201 for juniors who are planning to apply to a 4-year college in the future.  Please be sure to sign up if you plan to attend.  The link has been included on the email that was sent to you and it is also on the Counselor Website and you can sign up there - www.wkhscounselors.com. I hope to see all juniors for this workshop!

Teacher Rec Letters

Juniors, remember when we talked in our junior meetings about the fact that I'd remind you when it was time to start asking teachers about possibly writing a recommendation letter on your behalf?  Now is the time.  :-) And we have a Junior Seminar Presentation tomorrow morning (Thursday, April 3rd from 8:15-8:35am in Room 201) to address Rec Letters specifically.

Recommendation letters are a time consuming process requiring a great deal of thought and time. Juniors, as you finalize the list of schools where you will be applying next fall, it is important to determine if you are going to need a recommendation letter from a teacher (or two). Many of the Ohio schools - Ohio State University, OU, BGSU, Kent State, etc. do not require teacher recommendations.  Because rec letters are a time consuming process, if the colleges where you are applying do not require recommendations, then please do not waste your teacher's time by requesting letters that won't be needed or used!

If you are applying to schools that require teacher recommendation letters, it is very helpful and beneficial to the teachers if you can give them as much time as possible to write your recommendation letters. That means, if you know now that you are going to be applying to a school which needs a teacher rec letter, then I would like for you to ask the teachers this spring allowing them to have the entire summer to write your letter. (These next few weeks are a great time to ask!)  After you ask your teacher(s), you will want to provide them with information that can help them as they write your letter. We have several handouts in the counseling and career center and on the WKHS Counselor website that you can use for this purpose. 

And yes juniors, this is also a reminder that you need to be working now toward finalizing a list of where you plan on applying to college. (And we will have a junior seminar presentation on May 1st to talk more about finalizing those college lists too.)

Caps & Gowns

The reality of high school coming to a close for seniors often starts to set in when caps and gowns are distributed and for the Class of 2025, that started today and will continue tomorrow during lunch periods.  I always love seeing the looks in my seniors eyes when they walk away from the tables carrying their cap and gown package.  This is such an exciting time in your lives and you have worked hard over the last 13 years to get to this point.  Don't forget to keep pushing academically, but also know that it's ok to pause as you pick up your cap and gown and realize that this is part of what your efforts have been for - to reach this milestone in your life!  I'm proud of you and excited for you.  

Also, one other hint from years of seeing seniors pick up their caps and gowns - when you get home, take the gown out of the bag and hang it up!  There will be TONS of creases in your gown and you'll still have to iron/ steam it to try to get them all out, but giving gravity a chance to help is always a plus as well.

Lunch & Learn for Parents

Every year we have questions from students and parents about the Honors Diploma and what is involved for students who are trying to earn this designation on their diploma at graduation.  On Friday, April 4th at noon, the WKHS Counselors will be hosting the next session in our Lunch & Learn Series to talk all about the Honors Diploma.  

This brief, 30-minute session, will take place over zoom so that parents can grab their lunch, hop on the session, learn about the Honors Diploma, and continue on with your day.  The zoom link will be emailed to all parents Friday morning and it will also be posted on the Counselor website.  I hope to see you online this week to learn all about the Honors Diploma!

Final CC+ Reminder

First, I hope you had a great spring break! I am looking forward to seeing you and hearing about your time off from school.

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

Just as a reminder, this includes college classes on the college campus, online college classes, college classes taught by college instructors at WKHS (English, Psychology, Government, Sociology, Ethics), and the regular WKHS classes taught by the WKHS teachers which can get you college credit for the exact same class you may have already signed up to take (Pre-Calculus, Honors Pre-Calculus, AP Calculus AB).  

If you have any questions about College Credit Plus - stop and see me or watch the videos on the counselor website.  (www.wkhscounselors.com).  The intent to participate form packets which includes the video sign-off forms are also available on the counselor website.

Spring Break!

We made it and are now officially on Spring Break! 

I hope that you have a wonderful and relaxing break. Good luck to all of the individuals, groups, and teams that are traveling this week. 

Have a great week and stay safe!

Impressive Students

This month we had the opportunity to celebrate students at two separate ceremonies. Unfortunately, due to some other circumstances in the district, I wasn't able to attend either event, but I wanted to still give a well-deserved shout-out and recognition to my students who were recognized.

On Friday, March 7th there were 31 WKHS students inducted into the Socratic Society. The Socratic Society recognizes students for dispalying Personal Effort, Compassion, Lifelong Learning, Integrity and Scholarship. Students can only be honored once during their high school career for inclusion into the Socratic Society. During the ceremony, 7 of "my" students were among those recognized. A huge congratulations to: Leen Abusalha, Mohamed-Saeed Aden, Brady Baringhaus, Ella Beymer, Mackenzie Cain, Kaleb Colegrove, and Eric Collier. 

And then on Tuesday, March 11th, approximately 360 Sophomores and Juniors were recognized as a part of the Academic Honors Celebration with bronze and silver keys. Students earn this recognition based upon their grades. 

Bronze Keys are awarded to students who have achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher at the end of 3 full semesters. Congratulations to "my" students who accomplished this: John Abbott, Ibrahim Ahmed, Amani Alash, Micah Anderson, Isatta Bah, Gus Baugh, John Beachy, Colin Beckstedt, Rylee Bindel, Adriana Black, Madison Bockrath, Dihan Bouhamidi, Gavin Brown, Alex Bussard, Caroline Campbell, Jose Cano Illescas, Isabell Chen, Vivian Cowan, Michael Dolciato, and Mahmoud Eldresi.

Silver Keys are awarded to students who have achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher at the end of 5 full semesters. Congratulations to "my" students who earned this recognition: Charlotte Aagenas, Lacey Abbott, Callen Acheampong, Joseph Adrian, Aya Ahmed, Sydney Allwood, Esad Alpay, Ama Ampem, Jake Arens, Cameron Armstrong, Gia Aschenbrand, Finn Barker, Emily Bartlett, John Battle, Grace Beattie, Ali Becht, Gray Beckett, Rowan Beckner-Evans, Elizabeth Bennett, Callie Best, Ella Beymer, Sophia Bollentino, Julia Borchers, Safaa Bouhamidi, Akira Boyd, Kaitlyn Bradshaw, Zach Brown, Ryan Burke, Ellie Buterbaugh, Tyra Butler, Kate Campbell, Brayden Capperes, Mallory Carlin, Palmer Cavicchia, Jacob Caviness, Camille Chabannes, Nora Cheslik, Nikos Chimbidis, Sa'Kiyah Coleman, Nathan Corn, Quention Cost, Eliose Cotterman, and Grace Glaros.

I am proud of you all!

AI & College Admissions

There is no area that is changing faster and growing more rapidly than the influence of AI in college admissions. It is the area where I find I am watching the most webinars, reading the most articles, and listening to the most podcasts about than any other aspect of college admissions. 

Can AI be a useful tool in supporting your college admissions process? Absolutely.

Can AI be mis-used and therefore hinder your college applications? Absolutely.

And that is why it is a tricky area. 

Tomorrow, all junior students are invited to attend the Junior Seminar on AI & Admissions where we will spend 20 minutes talking about appropriate use of AI in applications. Juniors, as a reminder, the seminars take place before school from 8:15-8:35 in Room 201. I hope to see you tomorrow morning for this workshop!

There are some colleges that say students must cite any AI resource used in any aspect of their application. There are others that know AI can be a helpful tool in researching, brainstorming, or giving feedback. And nearly all colleges would say that you should absolutely NOT use AI to write your essay or complete your application as a whole.

The best rule of thumb that I have seen and heard related to appropriate AI use in your applications is that if you would not ask a human such as your parent, teacher or counselor to do something for you then you should not be asking AI to do it for you! I think that is a key way to help reframe thinking about AI and your applications.

AI and applications is an exciting, interesting area of growth and we will all continue to learn together.

Pathways & Possibilities Day

Tomorrow is Kilbourne's "Pathways and Possibilities" Day and I am so excited for it! During lunch periods all students will have the opportunity to interact with dozens of career professionals to learn about alternative pathways or possibilities for your future. 

We have intentionally targeted inviting job representatives that do not typically require a 4-year degree in order to work in the profession. You might wonder why. Well, there is so much time and attention spent in helping students look at 4-year colleges that we want to make sure that ALL students are getting support even if continuing on to a traditional college isn't in their plan. But it is more than that. There are a lot of jobs that you can get a certificate or other credentialling and be able to begin working where you will make more money than you would in just the typical high school diploma jobs.

My niece, Carly, is a perfect example of this option. Carly is a senior at the University of Kentucky. During the summer between her freshman and sophomore years of college she got 2 certificates - one in phlebotomy (drawing people's blood) and one to be a nursing tech. Then, from her sophomore through senior years of college she has worked part time at the UK Medical Center making far more money (and requiring way less hours of her) than she would have earned if she worked at a restaurant or store. Even more importantly, this clinical experience helped Carly have an even more impressive application when she was applying to med school. Let's be honest, did she want to be a phlebotomist or nursing tech for the rest of her life? No. Are those great career paths for some people? Absolutely! But it still was an important part of Carly's journey and has opened up more great opportunities for her in the future.

My hope is that EVERY student will take a few minutes out of your lunch periods to walk through the tables which will be set up in the commons and hallways to talk with the different career professionals. You never know about the various jobs that might peak your interest. Perhaps you will find something that will be a great pathway for your future or there might be jobs that can give you better paying possibilities. At the very least, please take a moment as you walk past our guests to say Thank you to them for giving their time to come and share with all of us!

Admissions Decisions Coming Soon

In the world of college admissions, there are several key points in time - the mad rush to finish applications before the deadline and months of waiting - and now, finally, the point when you find out if a college has accepted or rejected you for admissions. It can be a time filled with frustration, excitment, heart-break, and pretty much every other emotion in between.

The next few weeks will be big as students finally receive the college admissions decisions that you have waited months to receive. Most of the schools that have yet to announce their decisions will be releasing them over the next couple of weeks. This can be a very stressful time for students. Try to take a deep breath and relax – you have done the best job to put yourself in the best situation possible with your applications. If you are stressing out awaiting the news, feel free to stop in and see me so we can talk about it.

The reality is that some of the most selective colleges were able to be even more selective than in the past and the percentage of students who were accepted continues to shrink at many schools. This is, in part, because so many students are choosing to apply to a LOT of colleges which means applications are up at many of the schools. OSU recently announced that they had received over 88,000 applications! That is crazy and is a huge jump from the previous high last year which had also been a record so the trend just continues to spiral out of control.

Getting the decision can be hard enough, but often the more difficult aspect is being asked, “Did you get accepted?” by well-meaning friends. Trust me on this one, if they get accepted to their dream school, the students will be telling everyone – you won’t need to ask. If they don’t offer up the news sharing if they were accepted or not, then be sensitive to the fact that more than likely they still don't know or they did not get accepted. Be kind and don’t ask about it as it puts students on the spot to share potentially disappointing news.

Senior Pictures

It's a "Senior Sunday" which means it's a good time to remind all seniors... the deadline to submit your Senior Picture for the yearbook is this Friday, March 21st.  All seniors are invited to turn in a preferred photo to Mr. Balogh at this link to have your picture included in the yearbook.  For students who do not submit a photo before the deadline, the school pictures by HR Imaging that you had taken in August will typically be used for the yearbook.  If you have any questions, please stop and see or email Mr. Balogh.

Spring Break College Visits

With just a week of school left before spring break, many of you have already started focusing on what all you are hoping to do over break.  No matter what grade you are in and what your plans you have already established for spring break, I'd like to encourage you to consider adding in at least one (if not more) college visits to your agenda.

For seniors, many colleges are in session during our break and so this is an ideal time to be able to visit the campuses of your top choices.  Being able to compare your college choices and to make sure that you are finding the school which will be your best fit before you the May 1st decision deadline is a helpful choice.  You can also consider making an overnight visit at the colleges for a different opportunity that you have probably not had a chance to do thus far.

For freshmen through juniors, making college visits is a beneficial opportunity to start identifying what aspects you like most and least in a college.  You will have the chance to actually walk around on a campus and imagine yourself being there in the future.  People watch, explore opportunities, investigate academics, and engage with the admissions staff to help guide you in your future college application plans.  If you are planning to be in town, there are lots of local colleges that you can visit easily.  If you will be traveling over break, you can still make college visits wherever you find yourself during break.  Chances are good that there are colleges near or along your destination and even if it is not a school that you are considering for the future, it still gives you the chance to get another view of colleges... and this can be incredibly valuable in determining what it is you want or don't want in a school.