Long Weekend Ahead

We have a 4-day long weekend ahead!  I am sure that many of you (like me) are excited about having a 4-day weekend.  I would like to challenge you to be intentional during the weekend and select just 1 thing that you will do over the long weekend to spend your time wisely in helping set you up for the long or short term future.

Want some ideas on what you can do?  If you are behind on work in any of your classes, then you can spend some time working on school stuff in order to get caught up.  You can relax and really focus on recharging so that you can mentally transition yourself to a better place.  You can do some of the career exploration inventories such as YouScience.  Or perhaps you would be able to start exploring colleges more either by searching their online information or going and making an actual college visit... colleges are still in session on Friday so that can be a great day to be able to see the campus while students are around and going to classes.

You don't need to do all of those things.  In fact, my whole point of suggesting that you pick 1 thing is the hope that you will be intentional about doing something that involves taking steps to help yourself.  If you try to do everything at once then it won't help you feel as if the long weekend was a restful experience and I do hope that it will be an enjoyable weekend even as you are focused on getting other things done.

February Students of the Month

This past Friday morning was the ceremony to recognize the February Students of the Month.  Students can only receive the award of Student of the Month once in their high school career and must be nominated by WKHS faculty and staff for their academic achievement, good citizenship, and/ or service to the school and community.

4 of "my" students were among the 14 students who received this special recognition.  This included: (left to right) Evan Blanton, Cora Bystrek, Isabelle Bradley, and (not pictured) Sam Cline.  I am very proud of what each of you have accomplished and the positive way you represent yourselves and WKHS.

Super Bowl and College

A lot of times when students are weighing their decisions about what college they would like to attend in the future it can feel as if this single decision will determine your success in life. I don't believe that is true. I think if you make the best decision for yourself, you can trust that, with hard work, you can find success. 

Tonight many of us will watch the Super Bowl. (Or the commercials or the half time show). But as you watch the athletes taking the feel in the Super Bowl you know that this is the peak of their athletic careers and goals. This game is what they have been striving for throughout the year (and arguably for all the years leading up to tonight too.) But for each of the athletes competing this evening, their path to success has been different and unique. They attended a wide range of different colleges and worked hard to achieve success in whatever path that they took to get to tonight. 

So, in your own life, remember, there isn't just 1 college that will determine if you will be successful in college or in life after college. You can make your college experience your own and achieve all of your dreams with hard work and possibly a little luck too.

Winter Formal

High school dances are one of the more memorable experiences that students tend to remember far beyond the time that they are in high school. Tonight is the Winter Formal. Student council members have been working hard to make sure that students will have a fun event tonight. If you are going to the dance, enjoy getting all dressed up, taking pictures, eating yummy food, and celebrating being a teenager at the dance with your friends. I hope it is a memorable evening and I can't wait to see your pictures and hear all about it next week!

Worthington Academy & Linworth

One of the things that I love about working in Worthington is that there are so many different opportunities available to students. Kilbourne is an amazing place and I truly believe that it is a school where every student can shine and thrive. For some students, it is the blend of Kilbourne along with one of the other specialized programs provided in the district that allows students to achieve at their highest levels.

Linworth and Worthington Academy are two such programs. Both require students to apply and go through an interview process for consideration. Both provide unique, personalized learning experiences to push, challenge and support students to learn and grow. And both are smaller environments centered on engaging students in creative ways.

At the Linworth Experiential Program, it truly is all about the experience and how your learning today will translate into the real world tomorrow. With classes designed to engage students and opportunities to participate in a variety of experiential learning experiences culminating in a semester long project during 2nd semester of senior year, this program allows students to thrive. Students take classes on a block schedule and can move back and forth between WKHS and Linworth for classes throughout the whole school day with a continual shuttle looping between the buildings all day.

At the Worthington Academy, students have the chance to adapt the curriculum to the time schedule that they need. The Academy is housed on the west end of Perry/ Phoenix Middle School building and it provides students with the opportunity to blend their learning with a mix of teacher instructed and online courses. This means that students are learning, in person, with online classes where they can also get help from teachers in the room if they are confused and need extra help. For students this means that they are able to move faster through classes that they understand and take more time on subjects that might be confusing to them. Students attend Worthington Academy for half the day - mornings or afternoons - and are at WKHS for the other half of their day. 

If you are interested in either Linworth or Worthington Academy, let's talk about it and we can work to get you connected with the application and staff of those programs to help answer any questions that you might still have.

Summer School

Let's talk about Summer School.  I have been talking with lots of students about the need for summer school to stay or get back on track for graduation when we were having our 1:1 meetings.

Worthington's summer school will be happening again this year.  There are 2 different sections of summer school offerings available in Worthington Summer School.  

1 - Students can register to take classes as credit recovery - meaning that if you had failed a class you can take the class over again in Worthington's summer school.  Credit recovery courses will be free of charge.  

2 - There will be a limited number of classes available for getting ahead in credits and those classes will have a fee associated with them.  

Worthington Summer school will run from June 2nd - June 26th at WKHS and free transportation will be available to students who need it.  Registration is completely online on the district website along with tons more information about summer school - check it out at https://www.worthington.k12.oh.us/studentsparents/learning-opportunities/summer-programs

Some students and parents have had questions related to taking summer classes through a different school district or through Online schools.  The basic answer is yes, you are allowed to take classes through any accredited school.  Please be sure that they are accredited before you sign up for their classes.  After you have completed your course, they will give you a transcript and you will need to provide that to us at WKHS so that we can transfer your credit.  

As these courses are not coordinated or run by Worthington, I don't have a lot of details about various options, but a Google search for "online summer school" has been successful for students in the past.  (Some students also search for their intended course name to help make sure their search return gives them schools that offer that class.)  You can select any accredited program that works best for you - so look at their costs, learning experiences, expectations, and determine what seems to be the best fit for what you are seeking.

My top tip is to make sure you are signing up for their summer school classes because I do know that in the past students found there was a significant difference in the cost if they were taking a class online during summer school vs. taking a class online during the school year.  The school we receive the most transcripts from each year is TRECA, so that is one option to consider, but it is definitely not the only one out there.

We gave summer school information in your registration packet/ handout so you can use that as an additional reference.

CC+ Registration Reminders

Tomorrow I will start meeting with sophomore students before transitioning back to juniors next week.  One quick reminder to all students who are hoping to participate in CC+ classes at any time next year, you need to bring your completed CC+ forms with you to our 1:1 meeting.

That means you need to have:

- Attended the presentation in person or watched the video on the Counselor website

- Applied to the college(s): Columbus State for English, Psychology, Ethics, Government, or Sociology and Central Ohio Technical College for Math (there are detailed directions to complete this step on the Counselor Website)

- Filled out the Intent to Participate form and full packet (for the CSCC packet, that will include having your Cougar ID number which will come to you via email sometime between 2 days and a week after you have applied.

If you don't have those steps completed by the time we have your 1:1 meeting that is ok.  I will put your desired CC+ classes in as alternates and change your schedule once you have turned your forms in to me. Remember, the drop-dead deadline for turning in the forms is set by the state as April 1st. But if you want your CC+ classes to be considered when the administrators work on building the master schedule to give you a chance of getting your desired classes, I need to get those forms ASAP.

Everything is Training for Something

I have long believed that all of your experiences in life (good and bad) will contribute together to help you in the future.  A while ago I read the statement, "Everything is training for something."  It has a catchy phrase aspect to it that has stayed with me and resonates with my beliefs.

As a high school student, there are things that happen in your life that are preparing you for the future in so many ways.  Some of them are easier to see than others.  For example, when you are stuck in traffic you are learning patience.  When you are wrestling with a difficult math problem you are developing perseverance and logic.  When you are helping a friend through a difficult break-up, then perhaps you are also learning how it will feel when someone later breaks your heart.

I can look back now on my life and see how really big moments that I never wanted to have happen have helped to prepare me for a future I never imagined.  I will share one very obvious example with you... years ago, I would go every day after school to help care for my dying grandfather and feed him dinner and visit with him.  As he was getting closer to the time of his death, I communicated LOUDLY and FREQUENTLY to all of my family, the medical staff, and anyone who would listen that no matter what I did NOT want to be there when he died.  But, that wasn't how it worked out.  You may know that I now work part-time as a grief counselor with OhioHealth, but I can assure you that if I had never had my own experience of seeing death first-hand I wouldn't be as effective at what I do in that job.  When my grandfather died I had no idea where my life would take me in my future part-time job and there was NO part of me that was thinking, "well, at least this is training for something."  But the reality is, that is precisely what the experience ended up being in my life. 

And you have these moments all the time too.  As you are going through them, you will not always realize or imagine how they will help you in building the skills you will need in the future.  Whenever possible, if you can lean into the experiences you are going through and learn from them, you will be able to have the skills you have developed accessible to you or those around you in the future.

I am in the lucky position that I often get to see students pulling on strategies that have helped them in the past or working to build new skills that will undoubtedly help them in the future.  Stressed about a test, but you learn how to calm your body and remain focused - that will translate to stressful experiences in a job interview or key presentation you will have to give some day.  Feeling overwhelmed and wondering if this is even worth it, but then finding the courage to speak your truth and get help - that will translate into having the courage to be present with others who are struggling and to provide hope in a way that your life story becomes a lighthouse representating a beacon of hope for others that are struggling.  Your parents are fighting non-stop and you constantly feel as if you must walk on egg-shells to navigate things at home - this can lead you to developing a different approach to how you will parent your own children and what you want to make your home environment life for your own family some day.  Truly, the examples are endless.

Everything is training for something.  You are worthy of the training presented to you and you are capable of overcoming any obstacle which comes your way... especially if you realize that one aspect of the training is reaching out for help when needed.  I believe in you.  I can't wait to see what all of this training is preparing you for in the future and how you will change the world for yourself and for others.

The Week Ahead

This is definitely going to be a WILD week in the Counseling Center.

As a reminder, on Monday and Tuesday the counselors will meet with every freshman student during their English classes and on Wednesday and Thursday we will meet with every sophomore during their History classes.  The good news is that we will get to spend a little bit of time with a lot of kids, but the bad news is that there won't be any free time available during the day for us to see other students.

Friday will be focused on meetings to catch up with student meetings and, of course, the next two weeks will be filled with lots more junior registration meetings.

In addition to the happenings in the Counseling Center, this week Student Council is also hosting a Spirit Week ahead of Saturday's Winter Formal.  The theme for each day will be:

Monday: PJ Day

Tuesday: College Day

Wednesday: Pink Day

Thursday: Class Color Day (9th grade: Blue, 10th grade: White, 11th grade: Black, 12th grade: Gray). Thursday evening is also parent/ teacher conferences.

Friday: Jersey/ Sports Teams Day

Friday will also be a modified bell schedule for a pep assembly which is a student/ staff basketball game. (I'm sure the staff are hoping the refs will cheat to allow the staff to be able to compete with the students.)

Student Council will also be doing fundraisers and special connection opportunities in the Commons so be sure to participate and check it all out!

PE Waiver

The PE waiver provides the opportunity for students to waive having PE as a required class for graduation.  This option is available to students participating in high school athletics including cheerleading and marching band.  (For ease of explaining and writing this, when I refer to sports or athletics throughout this post, please know that it also includes marching band.)  All students must still earn the full 20 credits to graduate from high school, this waiver would simply mean that what has typically been required (1/2 credit of Physical Education) would not need to be included in the 20 credits earned and an additional 1/2 credit of Elective would be required instead.

The option to utilize a PE waiver is open to all students.  Please be aware that athletic participation during your senior year does NOT count toward the waiver.

In order to utilize the waiver, students must successfully complete two full seasons of athletics.  This can be 2 different sports in one year, it could be 1 sport over two years, or even 1 sport one year and another sport the other year.  So, for example, if I participate in both football and basketball in the same year, I could apply for the waiver.  If I participate in football as a sophomore and again as a junior, I could apply for the waiver.  If I participate in football as a sophomore and track as a junior, I could apply for the waiver.

In order to have your sport counted as one which can be used for the waiver, it must be an approved high school sport.  This means that your club sport participation, like club soccer or club volleyball, is not included in the waiver eligibility.  Also, dance team and the competition cheer team are all club teams and not high school sponsored athletics and so they are not eligible for the waiver option.  Additionally, team managers and statisticians cannot count their involvement as a season toward the waiver.

Students must complete a "full season" in order to have the sport count which is considered from the first practice through the last event or banquet.  If a student is "cut" from a team, quits, or has an athletic/ activity code violation which requires them to forfeit 50% or more of the season, then that season would not be able to be used to meet the two-season requirement.  If you were to get hurt, the injury will not eliminate the option of having the season count if the principal, coach and athletic director determine that the student actively participated and made contributions in spite of the injury.

Many students ask if it can be a partial waiver because they had already completed one of the PE required courses and would only have 1 season of sport eligibility and the answer is no, there is no ability to mix and match.  If you have already completed a PE course, you can still utilize the waiver to eliminate PE as a required course, but you must complete 2 seasons of sports in order to apply for the waiver.  The bottom line is that 0 seasons of sports = needs PE/ doesn't meet the waiver eligibility requirement, 1 season of sport = needs PE/ doesn't meet the waiver eligibility requirement, and 2 seasons of sports = meets the waiver eligibility requirement and therefore doesn't need PE classes.

The district has developed a system to track your athletic participation automatically and that happens at the end of each school year.  Even though it should catch your sports automatically, it never hurts to double check at the end of the year to make sure your waiver appears on your transcript.

Parent/ Teacher Conferences

I wanted to make sure that all parents know that Parent/ Teacher conferences are coming up soon and the online system for parents to sign up for a time to meet with teachers opened this morning.  Conferences will be held on Thursday, February 6th from 5:00pm - 8:40pm and Tuesday, February 11th from 4:00pm – 7:30pm.  Each conference will be scheduled in 15 minute time blocks.  Conferences allow parents the chance to learn about your student’s classroom performance from the teachers, it allows the opportunity for you to ask questions and they provide an opportunity to build a dialogue with the teachers regarding any thoughts and concerns you might have.

Conferences will be scheduled as people sign up for them, so if you want to make sure you have times that work well for you, I strongly encourage you to register right away.

Please follow the steps below to register for a parent/ teacher conference:

•    Go to http://ptcfast.com/schools/Worthington_Kilbourne_High_School This will take you to the conference scheduler.
•     Click on the teacher you would like to meet with for a conference.
•     Sign up by entering your child’s last name, first name, your name and your e-mail address and then click Submit.
•     The next screen will direct you to check your e-mail inbox for a message with the subject “Select Date/ Team for Teacher Conference Now.”
•     Open the e-mail and click on the link to select a conference time.  If you do not receive an e-mail, please check your junk/ spam folder.  Please note, you MUST follow the link in the email in order to complete the sign-up process.
•     The link will take you to a Time Picker.  Available time slots will appear on this page.  If there are no available appointments that suit your schedule, please e-mail the teacher directly to set up an alternate meeting time.
•     After submitting your time slot, you will be prompted to finish, schedule another appointment for the same student or register another student.  Once you have completed your reservations, you will receive an e-mail confirming the date and time of your conferences and a link by which you can make changes to your date or time if you need to do so.

Honors Diploma

For some students, earning an Honors Diploma is an important goal. I have to be honest, this is not a factor for the colleges because the honors diploma recognition isn't granted until you graduate so colleges are not considering it when making their admissions decisions. The requirements for the honors diploma are established by the state department of education.

One of the important things to know about the honors diploma requirements is that they are different for future students than they are for kids graduating this year. The interesting challenge is that kids have thought the honors diploma requirements were confusing at times, but for the Class of 2026 and beyond they are definitely more difficult to understand all of the nuances. 

Here is a link to the state's explanation of the Honors Diploma requirements.

Time Commitment & Balance

Hopefully you are ready to request your classes online (and thanks to all those who have already done so) .  Don't forget, you need to submit your online registration by Friday (January 31st) and, if you are a junior scheduled to meet with me this week, please be sure to complete your registration before our meeting. 

When you are considering which classes you want to take it is really important to try to find a balance. You want to challenge yourself with courses that will push you and help prepare you for the future. At the same time you want to remember that it is high school and you need to be reasonable about your expectations for yourself. There is a balance that should be sought - between too many "easy" classes and too many "hard" classes. You know yourself best and what you can handle so while it may feel good to have every teacher recommend you for honors, AP, or IB classes it doesn't mean that it would be the ideal situation to load your schedule with 7 advanced classes. In the past I have even had students stop by proclaiming a plan to take 8 classes by skipping their lunch period.  I get it, there are a lot of incredible classes available at WKHS, but overloading your day and burning yourself out does nothing for your love of learning or your ability to successfully complete your classes.  I cannot stress enough how much I want you to think about the rest of your commitments.  

What sports, clubs, music groups, part-time jobs, and volunteer commitments do you have?  When will you have time to relax and breathe, spend time with your family and friends and, perhaps most importantly, still get a good night's sleep each night?

I completely understand that this can be hard to figure out the balance because you aren't at next year yet to be able to imagine what your days will feel like, but the Kilbourne staff created a Time Commitment Planning Calendar which can help you gain insight into what your intended plan will really look like.  You can find copies on the Kilbourne Counselor website - www.wkhscounselors.com - or there are hard copies available in the counseling center.  A student helped by completing a sample calendar so that you can see what a completed one looks like and that is also on the Kilbourne Counselor website.  I strongly encourage you to consider 2 of your busiest weeks and fill out the calendar so that you can have a realistic perspective for what the classes you are considering would provide a good balance for you - being both rigorous (particularly in any area of passion) and reasonable.

If you are struggling to find that balance, please talk to your parents about the classes you are considering and stop down to see me so that we can discuss it too.

New Courses

It is always exciting when new classes are rolled out to think about the opportunities that they provide. This year we have 2 new classes (both of which were discussed as a part of the registration presentation).

The new Math class is Probability and Statistics. This class is another course that is an alternative as an Algebra 2 equivalent class. So you can take this after Math 2 instead of Math 3 or QR. You can also take this class after Math 3 or after QR. So if you were in Math 3 this year, but don't want to move on to PreCalc next year, Probability and Statistics can be a choice. It should be a good class to give you an introduction to Statistics which could be helpful in the future if you are pursuing a career that is not math heavy as many of those fields require a stats class instead of a calculus class so it is nice to have been exposed to that content before you're in college.

The new Science class is Materials Science. This is a full year long science class that would come as a higher level science option. So after you have completed Physical Science and Biology you then have all of the other science class offerings - Chemistry, AP courses, IB courses, and the semester long science classes (Biomedical Science, Forensics, Astronomy, and Environmental Science). This is another class option for that time frame. It is a VERY hands on class with LOTS of labs. Which means if you are a student who frequently misses classes, this is NOT the class for you. But if you are someone who loves to learn from doing, then this is the perfect class for you. The class is designed to study the materials that make our world function and is likely a course that students interested in science or engineering fields would find appealing.

I recognize that being the first set of students to take a class can be a little scary, but these are great new offerings that you should consider if they sound appealing to you! Also, don't forget that tomorrow night is Curriculum Night from 7-8:30pm so if you want to talk to the teachers more about these two classes and what is the best fit for you along with your parents, come to Curriculum Night as the Math and Science teachers would love to discuss it with you!

Common Registration Questions

Since we distributed registration information last Thursday, I have had many similar questions and so I wanted to try to address those for you...

- If I am already a CC+ student, do I need to apply to the college again? No!  You do not need to apply again if you are already a CC+ student with that particular college.  So, for example, if you have already taken Comp 1 with CSCC and next year want to take Comp 2, then you are already a CSCC student and don't need to apply there again.  However, if you were in Math 3 this year and next year want to take CC+ PreCalculus, then you would need to apply to COTC because you are not already a student there.  It is important to note that even if you are already a CC+ student, you do still have to complete the CC+ registration packet each year!

- I missed the CC+ night, can I still participate? Great question. Thankfully a WKHS student came and recorded the presentation for us so that you can still have that as an option.  You and your parent/ guardian must still watch the presentation (video is linked on the counselor website) and fill out all of the forms and do the applications to the colleges.

- What do I do if I want to take summer school? There is a page in your packet with information about summer school. If you are needing credit recovery then in the coming month the counselors will get access to a registration form and be able to send you a link to sign up for free through Worthington summer school. If you were thinking of taking classes for get-ahead credit (not because you had failed) then you can check out the classes Worthington will offer on the district summer school website or you can also look at any accredited online school to take classes through them and transfer it back to Worthington. It is important to know that there are costs associated with get-ahead credit both through Worthington and through other online schools.

- What online summer school do most students usually use? Truly, you can use any accredited online school that meets your learning needs, but we definitely receive the most transcripts from TRECA each year. TRECA summer school registration opens in early April and ends at the start of June.

- Should I double up on science classes in my sophomore year? The key with your science classes if you are thinking about it from a college perspective is to take a science all 4 years. So it ultimately depends on what classes you want to take in your junior and senior year. If you are hoping for multiple AP or IB science classes, then you would likely want to double up on science in your sophomore year so that you can fit in more of those high level science classes. However if you are not really wanting to take more than 1 AP or IB science class, then no, you definitely should NOT double up in your sophomore year.

- What electives should I take? This is always a tough question for me to answer because it depends on you and your interests! What subject do you like best? What careers might you want to explore? What sounds fun and interesting to you? As you think about those questions, talk to your teachers about the classes they would suggest. If there is a class you really liked, ask that teacher what else might be similar that you could try taking next. And you should also consider attending Curriculum Night on Wednesday evening starting at 7pm. All of the classes will be represented in the commons and you can walk around and talk to the staff about the different classes. Fun hint to make the most of curriculum night... even though it runs from 7-8:30, I strongly encourage you to come at 7 to talk to the staff. That is because all of the current 8th grade parents will be in the auditorium from 7-7:30 listening to a presentation about 9th grade classes and then they will also be released to the commons to talk to the teachers so I anticipate it will be WAY more crowded starting at 7:30.

- I don't even know where to start at picking classes. Pause and breathe. You actually know far more than you think you do! Start with your graduation requirements. You know that you'll be taking an English and Math class. What is the next class in the sequence for you in those classes? That gives you 2 of your classes. You likely should be taking Science and Social studies classes so add those in next. Then it is time to add your Lunch and Prep/ Options. Now you have 6 of your 8 classes filled. So with the remaining 2 periods, are you involved in any fine art program (band, choir, orchestra or theater), if so, add that in. Do you want a foreign language class, if so, add that. And then with whatever room you have left, add in other electives. Again, keep in mind those graduation requirements - where are you with your health class? PE classes? Financial Literacy? Fine Art? 

- I go to Academy (or DACC or Linworth), how should I fill out my course requests? If you plan on continuing at Academy, DACC or Linworth, you can select Academy and DACC in your course selection sheet and then for all of those programs you are only selecting your other classes as the classes you plan on taking at WKHS. (So if you'll be full day at DACC you won't have any other classes.) If you are not currently a student at one of those programs, but have applied to them for next year, you are still going to fill out your schedule at Kilbourne as if you'd be here full day. When/ if you get accepted then we can adjust your schedule to cut it down to just the classes you'll be taking at WKHS.

- How does the AP vs CC+ schedule work and how do I know which one is better for me? The schedules are VERY different. So, let's say you're contemplating AP Lang and AP Gov vs CC+ Comp 1 and CC+ Government. All of those classes give you the same college credits. Both will take up the same amount of time in your school day. But that is where the similarity ends. AP Lang and AP Gov are taught by WKHS teachers and meet every day. You need to take a test at the end of the year to earn the college credit for the work you did in the class. For the CC+ classes, they are taught by CSCC professors who come into WKHS to teach you 2 days a week. You meet for the Comp class in 1st semester for 2 periods a day, twice a week and the Gov class meets for 2 periods a day twice a week in the 2nd semester. The grade you earn in the class throughout the semester is the grade you earn for both high school and college credit. How do you know which is better for you? It isn't really a better or worse. It is personal preference and comfort level as well as your future plans. If you are thinking of going to a highly selective type of college, you may want to take AP because those are widely known and recognized. If you are not a good test taker and know that you plan on attending college in-state, then CC+ might be the better option. If you are someone who does better by having a consistent, structured routine with a strong relationship with your teachers, then AP is likely the better path. CC+ requires a high level of independent learning and follow through. I'd encourage you to watch the CC+ video from the presentation to learn more about what some of the advantages and drawbacks of participating in the program would be to help you guide your decisions. One other point that is always important to keep in mind is that with CC+ if you were to fail the class, you are then responsible for paying for that class... where with AP classes if you fail you don't have to pay for the class. But my bigger point of emphasis is that if you are concerned on if you will pass the class or not, then perhaps you should be looking at other traditional college prep high school classes instead of AP or CC+.

- My teacher thinks I should take regular ___ class next year and I wanted to take the honors/ AP or IB version of the course, what should I do? First and foremost, talk to your teacher more about what you are thinking and why they are making the recommendation that they are suggesting. Your teachers are trying to set you up for success next year! Ultimately, if you and your parents disagree with their recommendation then you can use the Course Override Form on the counselor website to say that you want to take a harder class that wasn't recommended. Then, during your 1:1 meeting in February, I will change that class in your schedule if that form has been filled out.

Hopefully all of those answers help you if you have been wondering the same things.

How Many Classes?

As you start thinking about your courses for next year (and any subsequent years), it is important to be sure that you are taking enough classes, but you also don't want to over-extend yourself.

For most 9th, 10th and 11th graders, you will be taking 6 classes.  That would leave you with room for a lunch and an off period (prep or options or early release or late arrival).

For most seniors, if you are in good standing academically, you can drop to 5 classes.  Why do we give you the flexibility to drop to 5 classes?  Because the process of applying to college and applying for scholarships is time consuming and we want to be sure that you can give your best to your course work and also your future plans.  It is important for seniors to remember that 5 classes is the minimum required to be considered a Full Time student.  Being full time is important for a range of reasons - insurance, child support, good driver discounts, plus colleges definitely want to see you as a full time student.  So you definitely won't go below the 5 minimum classes in any semester.

While 5 to 6 classes is the minimum per year, if students are behind on earning credits due to failing classes, then it may be necessary to plan on taking more classes during a semester or the year.

Also, when planning out your classes over the next year, be sure that you double check and make sure you'll be taking enough classes to be eligible to participate in athletics and other co-curricular activities.  (Remember, any school sponsored activity that involves competition requires you to be eligible.  So this includes band, choir groups, Mock Trial, In the Know, etc.)  

In order to be eligible you must PASS at least 5 of the half credit courses each quarter.  IF you are signing up to take a Wellness for Life course or TOK, you need to remember that these classes are only worth .25 credits per semester so they do not count in the courses needed for co-curricular eligibility.  

If you have any questions about eligibility, please stop in the co-curricular office or stop to see me for additional clarification. 

Teacher Recommendations

One aspect of the registration process that can sometimes cause confusion for students related to selecting their classes is how to deal with teacher recommendations. (If you feel like this post is too long and you don't want to read it all my summary is - follow your teachers recommendations unless you feel like you have too many challenging classes recommended. If you want to override a teacher's recommendation to an easier class that is NO problem, we will do that in your meeting. If you want to take a harder class, be VERY cautious before you make that choice, but you can with the override form.)

During the last few days of classes, your teachers (hopefully) reviewed the different classes offered within their departments as well as talking with you individually about the courses they would recommend for you to take next year.  Some of the core and foreign language teachers directly submitted their recommendations for what class they would suggest for you to take directly into Infinite Campus.

If you don't agree with what a teacher has recommended, you are not locked into that course.  For example, we know that there are MANY students who will be recommended for lots of honors or AP classes and not want to take all of them.  This is completely appropriate and acceptable... in fact, I would say that I absolutely WANT you to prioritize and schedule a balanced load that meets your interests and goals for the future.  (And your teachers and administrators want that for you too!)

The first place that we suggest you start is by talking with your teacher about their recommendation and the course that you would prefer to take.  Since your teachers know your learning style and approach they will have important and valuable information for you and your parents to take into consideration when selecting classes.  I encourage you to carefully take their recommendations into consideration - especially if they are suggesting you take an "easier" course than the one you were previously considering.

However, we also know that some students may not feel comfortable telling a teacher that they want to take a different class than the one the teacher was recommending.  I am anticipating that this could be the case if a teacher is suggesting their elective or core course and you wanted a different one and don't want to hurt the teachers feelings.  I get it, but I will also remind you that the teachers should NOT be pressuring you into anything!  This is YOUR future and YOU are the one who will be in the class and doing the work next year!  So, know that I am more than happy and willing to talk to you about what courses you would like to change and make adjustments for you.  If you and your parents have decided that it is not in your best interest to take a class that your teacher has recommended and you want an easier or comparable course, then that is what I can easily fix during our individual meeting.

If you have decided that you want a more difficult course than what was recommended by your teacher then you must complete the Course Override form (on the Counselor website) in order for me to change that in your schedule.  Before you decide to go with a more difficult course than has been recommended, please be VERY careful in thinking through all of the possible implications of doing that because your teacher's are recommending based upon what they know about your learning AND what they know about the classes.  They want to make sure that you are being recommended for classes that will help you to be successful in the future.

Students of the Month

Congratulations to the 19 students who were honored earlier this month as being WKHS Students of the Month. Kilbourne students can only be selected to receive this recognition once in their high school career.

A special congratulations to "my" students who were honored. This includes (pictured Left to Right): John Battle, Kate Campbell, Doaa Belgassam and not pictured Kiarra Blair.  I'm proud of you all!

On a totally separate note, don't forget that your window to register for your classes for next year is now OPEN! Please log into Infinite Campus and select the courses that you want to take. Remember, put in your best guess, we can always change or adjust your requests when we meet in February.

Graduation Requirements

Understanding the graduation requirements can feel daunting for students and parents because there are so many components involved.  With registration kicking off today, having an idea of what you need to complete is essential to selecting your classes, so I wanted to take a moment and give a quick overview of the requirements to graduate.  

Basic Academic Requirements:

• 4 credits of English
• 4 credits of Math
• 3 credits of Science
• 3 credits of Social Studies
• 1/2 credit of PE (or additional elective credit if earning the PE Waiver)
• 1/2 credit of Health
• 5 credits of Electives (anything other than the classes listed above count as electives
• 1 full year worth of Fine Art completed between grades 7-12
• Financial Literacy requirement (can be met through Personal Financial Management, Economics & Financial Literacy, Independent Living, and Financial Algebra)

Demonstrate Comptency in English and Math:

• For most students this will be done by earning comptency scores of 684 or higher on the English 2 and Math 1 state End of Course tests.  Students can repeat these tests as needed.
• There are a range of other options for how comptency can be demonstrated, but testing is the clearest path.  If you need other options, I will be working with you to identify what pathway would work and be a viable option for you in the future.

Show Readiness by earning 2 Seals:

• There are 12 seals (9 state seals and 3 local seals) that students can try to earn.  
• All students must earn 2 seals and one of those two seals must be a state seal.
• If you visit the counselor website and look at the graduation requirements page there is a link to information about all of the seals.  As you click on each seal you will be able to see the specific information about what is required to try to earn that seal.

National College Fair

I hope that you are enjoying our bonus days off!  While you are enjoying some down time, I wanted to give you a heads up that next weekend, WKHS students have the opportunity to attend and participate in a National College Fair.  This event, sponsored by the National Association of College Admissions Counseling, is FREE to attend.  It will be held on Sunday, February 2nd, from 1:00-4:00pm at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.

Admissions reps from hundreds of colleges will be available to speak one-to-one with students and parents about the college admissions process, including paying for college, admissions requirements, activities on campus and more.  The fair also features information on gap year and pre-college summer programming.

Students who plan to attend should register for the National College Fair online at: https://www.nacacattend.org/25Columbus and this website also has more information to help you make the most of your time at the college fair.

Don't miss out on this great opportunity to learn more about colleges and finding the schools that will the best fit for you.

• Sunday, February 2nd
• 1:00-4:00pm
• Greater Columbus Convention Center

Lots of Reminders

How lucky are we to get 2 cold days on top of our long weekend? I hope that you are cuddled up inside with a blanket, a cup of hot chocolate and a good book or shows to watch.  But, I have lots of reminders for you because this week also kicks off registration for next year's classes and more.

- For seniors, don't forget that Friday, January 31st is the deadline to order your cap and gown! Graduation is coming that fast.  You will order it online at https://buckeyescholastic.com/worthingtonkilbourne/

- For all students who are even remotely interested in participating in CC+ next year, the information night for you and your parents/ guardians is still on tomorrow night at 7pm in the WKHS auditorium.  This is a night for both WKHS and TWHS families so anticipate a full crowd.  All of the area colleges are also planning to be there for individual conversations specific to their schools as the formal presentation in the auditorium wraps up.

- Registration information was supposed to kick off tomorrow, but the modified 2A/B/C schedule will be pushed to Thursday so know that you will be under a very different bell schedule when we return on Thursday so taht all of the students in grades 9-11 hear the information about selecting your classes next year.

- Junior students and parents - I sent out an email over the weekend to "my" student's parents inviting you to sign up for our 1:1 junior meeting.  Every counselor will meet with their junior students for individually scheduled 30 minute meetings.  I also invite parents to join in on those sessions if interested.  If you are a junior or the parent of a junior, please use the calendar link I sent this weekend to the parent email address to sign up for your session.  I will explain more about those meetings durnig the registration presentation on Thursday.

- Remember, EVERY student will meet with me 1:1.  We will see freshmen out of your English classes and sophomores out of your History classes.  Juniors are the only ones who will need to schedule individual meetings on their own based on their off periods.

Enjoy your cold day tomorrow and of course, stay home, stay warm and stay safe!

Deferrals

Decision Deferred... When you receive your college admissions decision and you read that your application has been defered it can often create a lot of questions.  A deferral is not a "yes" and it is not a "no." It is what a college will do when they need more time to make a decision on your application which means that your wait for a final decision continues.  The college knows that you would be successful on their campus, but they're not sure if they will have room based upon all of the other applicants and their institutional goals so they need more time, and often more information, to help them make the final decision.  Most colleges who offer deferals will tell you what additional data/ information they are interested in receiving to help them make their decision. The most common piece of data they will look for are senior year grades at the semester time.

So, what should you do if you are deferred?

One of the first steps should be to stop in and see me so that we can talk about the college decision and develop a game-plan for your next steps.

The other critical step is to closely read the information that the college has shared along with their deferral about what additional information and material they would like to help them as they make their final decisions.

If a college didn't provide any guidance and I were trying to simplify the process, then I would suggest that you consider calling the admisisons office and talk directly with the admissions officer who is in charge of our region. Talk to him/ her about where you stand and what they would like for you to do to be a more "ideal" candidate.

Draft a letter with any updates and information that you can share with the admissions staff. In particular, let them know that of any new experiences that you have had or recent accomplishments that they weren't previously aware of when you first applied. Updating them on your new activities and accomplishments is important because it is your effort to help give the college a reason to select you and add your application to the "accepted" pile. 

Send them an updated copy of your transcript. (I have already uploaded mid-year transcripts to Common App for the colleges that require them as a standard practice, but if you have a deferral and want to send in your transcript, please fill out the transcript form AND come see me so I know that a mid-year report is actually needed.)

If you re-took your ACT or SAT exams and haven't forwarded your most recent scores to the college, request for the scores to be sent directly to the college of your choice.

Consider other outreach efforts to communicate your strengths with the admissions office such as an additional teacher recommendation letter.

Although no one likes to be deferred, remember that this is not the end of the world and there is still plenty of time to communicate your strengths to the admissions committee so that you will hopefully be accepted to their school.

Earning Credit

This week a large part of my time has been trying to explain to students about how you earn credits in high school.  It is a valuable reminder for everyone.

High school is different than elementary and middle school.  In middle school, you take classes and each year you move on to the next grade and take all the classes for that grade.  In high school, you must earn credits for specified classes and the way you earn credit is by passing each semester of the class. 

So, for example, all students must earn 4 credits of English to graduate.  When you pass both semesters of English 1 during your freshman year, you move on to English 2 during your sophomore year.  If, unfortunately, you failed one of the semesters of English 1 then you are going to have to make that particular semester up before you can progress on to English 2.  Students who failed a semester will be able to make up the course either by repeating the class in summer school, repeating the class through credit recovery or repeating the class by retaking it during your sophomore year.  The bottom line is that you must REPEAT the class in some format.

Some classes (like English) have pre-requisites that students must meet in order to move on to the next level.  Other classes, like Science and Social Studies, do not have pre-requisites to move on to the next level so we will potentially allow you to move from Physical Science to Biology or from World History to US History without first repeating the freshman year class.  Don’t misunderstand though, you will still have to repeat the class at some point, but if you are not making it up during summer school, then you will likely be taking a freshman year class during your junior year.

In order to earn sophomore status, students must have earned at least 5 credits.  To become a junior you will need 10 credits.  To be classified as a senior, you must have earned at least 15 credits.

If you have any questions about where you stand with the credits you have earned or what still remains, please don’t hesitate to stop by and see me.

ASVAB

The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) is a test that serves as a qualifying exam for students interested in a military career and is also a helpful career based assessment to help students identify personal strengths and areas of interest for the future.  Information about the ASVAB is available at: https://www.asvabprogram.com/.

While many people know the ASVAB is a test used for military enlistment and classification, the ASVAB Career Exploration Program (CEP) is much more than a military test. The ASVAB CEP can be taken by all students in 10th grade and above, regardless of their future career plans. Students can have no intention of entering the military and still take the ASVAB as a career exploration tool!

The ASVAB will be administered to interested students next Friday, January 17, 2025 at WKHS.  If you are interested in signing up to take the ASVAB, please see me or complete the interest form that is linked on the counselor website.

College Credit Plus Information Night

In addition to the wide range of traditional high school courses we have available at WKHS, there are other academic options available to our students.

The College Credit Plus (CC+) program is an opportunity for high school students to take college courses while still enrolled in high school. Students have the option of completing courses on a college campus, online, or at WKHS.  College classes at WKHS include both classes that are taught by WKHS teachers who are eligible to serve as adjunct faculty at colleges and classes where CSCC instructors are coming to Kilbourne to teach our students.

Classes that we anticipate being taught at WKHS (dependent on enough students enrolling in them) include: Pre-Calculus, Calculus 1, English Composition 1, English Composition 2, Intro to Psychology, Intro to Sociology, Intro to American Government, and Ethics.

There are a lot of details involved in participating in the CC+ program and students must complete and submit the paperwork before April 1st to indicate their intent to participate in the CC+ program in the following school year.  CC+ is also available for students to take classes during the summer in addition to during the school year.

In order to explain all of the details of the program and to provide you with the forms necessary, ALL students and parents interested in participating in this program must plan to attend the Academic Options night which will be held 2 weeks from tonight on Wednesday, January 22nd at 7:00pm in the WKHS auditorium.  This will be a joint meeting for all of the students and parents in Worthington.  Every college in a 30 mile radius was invited to participate in the meeting.  

One thing that is important for students and parents to realize is that we are now back to the post-COVID requirements for CC+ and so this is a state requirement that you must participate in an information session.  As a result, please see me if you are unable to attend this meeting so we can explore other options for sessions being provided at local colleges which you can attend if you can't make it to the Worthington meeting.  Let me stress this again - this is a mandatory meeting for any students who want to participate in CC+ next year!

Credit Flexibility is another program we will highlight during the Academic Options night.  Credit flexibility allows students to earn credit based on a demonstration of subject area competency, instead of, or in combination with, completing hours of classroom instruction. Students are able to customize aspects of their learning around their interests and needs. It encourages student self-direction and motivates learners to develop new skills and fulfill their potential. Examples of credit flexibility opportunities include, but are not limited to, independent study, online learning, and demonstration of course proficiency.

If you have any interest in learning more about College Credit Plus and Credit Flexibility, please plan to join us January 22nd!

Lunch & Learn: Registration Process

The WKHS Counselors will be hosting our next Lunch and Learn Series for parents this Friday, January 10th.  This session will provide information about the upcoming Course Registration/ Selection Process.

As a reminder, the lunch and learns are brief presentations on a particular topic over zoom during lunch time so that parents/ guardians can join and listen in from home or work while eating their lunch.  The goal is that the presentation will take about 15 minutes and then that will give about 15 minutes for any other questions that families might have that we could address as a whole group.  We are excited about this opportunity to leverage technology and to meet families where they are so that you can get the most up to date information that we can share with you.

The session will begin at noon on Friday, January 10th.  The zoom link will be emailed to all parents and we will also post it on the Counselor Website on Friday morning.

We know that the idea of making sure that your son/ daughter is selecting the right courses for next year can feel overwhelming, so I hope you will make plans to join us online over zoom so we can help introduce you to the process as well as review the requirements your son/ daughter must meet in order to graduate as that is always the fundamental core of course selection.

Snow Day Joy

Did you enjoy having the snow day today?!? It was definitely a nice bonus day following the holiday break and hopefully just having a 4 day week will make the transition back to school a little easier.

Another reminder, as we start this new semester, please take a moment and make sure that you are ready to hit the ground running.  Spend a little bit of time tonight to clean out your bookbag, organize your notes, get new supplies if needed, find your planner and start filling it out, and make the most out of each day in front of you.  I am excited to see what you will accomplish in the classroom and beyond over the next few months.  As always, if you need help in your classes, please reach out to your teachers, utilize the support from the Academic Assistants, and see me for additional resources.

I am excited to see you tomorrow.  For the record, Lexi is even more excited than anyone can imagine as she has desperately missed being around all of you!  I hope you will stop by and see me to check in and let me know how your break went... it feels like it has been so long since I have had the chance to talk with all of you and to hear about your lives.

And, for tonight... get some sleep!  It is going to seem REALLY EARLY tomorrow when the alarms start going off!  (That is the only thing I am not looking forward to about being back at school tomorrow.)

Time for 2nd Semester

How was your winter break?  I hope that you are feeling relaxed, refreshed, and... ready for a snow day?!?  :-)  I know, we just had 2 weeks off, but a snow day is always fun to hope for at any time.  I share that feeling.  I love the added bonus of a day off that is unexpected.  My favorite snow day tradition is drinking hot chocolate with a good book, cuddled under a blanket with the fireplace on.  No matter what happens tomorrow I will take it as a win/ win.  I miss seeing all of you and am excited to hear about your breaks, but I also would love to have the bonus of a snow day.

The start of 2nd semester is a fresh start for you academically.  Everyone is back to a clean slate academically and you can make this semester whatever you want it to be... and hopefully it will be a great one!  Just 90 days of school left until summer break... it will go faster than you think.

One of the questions I always receive as we start the new semester is "can I change my schedule?" and the answer depends.  If you have semester long classes and there is another semester long course that is offered and available that fits in your schedule then sure, I am happy to make that adjustment for you.  But if you want to drop a year long class or change a year long course to a semester long class, then those changes will require your parent's signature as well as the acknowledgement signature of your teacher on the add/ drop forms.  Those forms are located in the counseling center office on the bookshelf.  I will need the form signed and submitted no later than Wednesday to make any other schedule changes for you other than semester long elective class switches.

Looking forward to seeing you soon...