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.