The automatic emails from this site are no longer happening. You can receive posts from the new site - www.wkhscounselors.wordpress.com. I've written 3,951 posts since launching this site which is pretty crazy. I appreciate everyone who has followed along the way. The new site is a way for all WKHS students and families to gather the information and not just "my" families. So please, join us there. And know I appreciate you still coming back to read the updates.
No matter what grade you are in and what plans you have established for spring break, I'd like to encourage you to consider adding in at least one (if not more) college visits to your agenda.
For seniors, many colleges are in session during our break and so this is an ideal time to be able to visit the campuses of your top choices. Being able to compare your college choices and to make sure you are finding the school which will be your best fit before the May 1st decision deadline is helpful. You can also consider making an overnight visit at the colleges for a different opportunity that you have probably not had a chance to do thus far.
For freshmen through juniors, making college visits is a beneficial opportunity to start identifying what aspects you like most and least in a college. You will have the chance to actually walk around on a campus and imagine yourself being there in the future. People watch, explore opportunities, investigate academics, and engage with the admissions staff to help guide you in your future college application plans.
If you are planning to be in town, there are lots of local colleges that you can visit easily. If you will be traveling over break, you can still make college visits wherever you find yourself during break. Chances are good that there are colleges near or along your destination and even if it is not a school that you are considering for the future, it still gives you the chance to get another view of colleges... and this can be incredibly valuable as you ultimately determine what you want or don't want in a school.
There is no area that is changing faster and growing more rapidly than the influence of AI in college admissions. It is the area where we are watching the most webinars, reading the most articles, and listening to the more podcasts about over any other aspect of college admissions.
Can AI be a useful tool in supporting your college admissions process? Absolutely.
Can AI be mis-used and therefore hinder your college applications? Absolutely.
And that is why it is a tricky area.
Tomorrow, all junior students are invited to attend the Junior Seminar on AI & Admissions where we will spend 20 minutes talking about appropriate use of AI in applications. Juniors, as a reminder, the seminars take place before school from 8:15-8:35 in Room 201. We hope to see you tomorrow morning for this workshop!
There are some colleges that say students must cite any AI resource used in any aspect of their application. There are others that know AI can be a helpful tool in researching, brainstorming, or giving feedback. And nearly all colleges would say that you should absolutely NOT use AI to write your essay or complete your application as a whole.
The best rule of thumb we have seen and heard related to appropriate AI use in your applications is that if you would not ask a human such as your parent, teacher or counselor to do something for you then you should not be asking AI to do it for you! I think that is a key way to help reframe thinking about AI and your applications.
AI and applications is an exciting, interesting area of growth and we will all continue to learn together.
All students looking to earn free college credit in classes next year MUST turn in the College Credit Plus intent to participate form by April 1st! This is a firm deadline established by the State of Ohio and we cannot extend it. Since we are not in school after March 27th it is really important to be sure you get your forms turned in to us before spring break!
Just as a reminder, this is what gives you the chance to take CC+ classes next year on the college campus, online, taught by college instructors at WKHS (English, Psychology, Government, Sociology, Ethics), and/or the regular WKHS classes taught by the WKHS teachers which can get you college credit for the exact same class you may have already signed up to take (Pre-Calculus, Honors Pre-Calculus, AP Calculus AB).
If you have any questions about College Credit Plus - stop and see us or watch the video on the counselor website. (www.wkhscounselors.com). The intent to participate form packets which includes the video sign-off forms are also available on the counselor website.
The rest of this month tends to be big for college admissions decisions. Most of the colleges who have yet to announce their decisions will be releasing them over the next week or so. This can be a very stressful time for students. Try to take a deep breath and relax – you have done the best job to put yourself in the best situation possible with your applications. If you are stressing out awaiting the news, feel free to stop in and see me so we can talk about it.
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 Wednesday, in the Counseling Center Conference Rooms, 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.
All students who are 16 years old and over are invited to attend the Worthington Schools Job Fair on Friday, March 27th. There will be many employers looking for students who are interested in working summer jobs, part time jobs in the school year, and even some for soon-to-be graduates who are interested in working full time in the future. We hope you will take advantage of this opportunity if you are in need of a job. Check out the information and download the permission slip from the Counselor Website - www.wkhscounselors.com.
One of the questions I have had a few students ask me lately was about how to create a resume when you are a high school student with no job experience. It is a great question!
Interestingly, a webinar that I had attended talked about how as seasoned professionals with lots of years of experience, we still aim for resumes that are a page or, at the most, 2 pages long. And yet for high school students, all too often they feel as if they need to try to craft a resume that is 2-3 pages in length. Let me stop that myth right now. No, you do not. A one page resume is absolutely appropriate and more than adequate for a high school student!
When you develop your resume, this is one of the areas where many students will use AI or Templates that are readily available to help design your resume. I assume it goes without saying, but just to clarify, you should only list information in your resume that is accurate and truthful! Do not embellish to try to make yourself look/ sound better. Honesty is essential.
Your resume will often include aspects such as honors/ awards received, jobs (if you have had any - and yes helping babysit or take care of a neighbors pets counts), and activities you're involved in.
Here are a few videos about creating a resume without job experience that might be helpful to you as you work on developing your resume:
Tomorrow is Kilbourne's "Pathways and Possibilities" Day and I am so excited for it! During lunch periods all students will have the opportunity to interact with dozens of career professionals to learn about alternative pathways or possibilities for your future.
We have intentionally targeted inviting job representatives that do not typically require a 4-year degree in order to work in the profession. You might wonder why. Well, there is so much time and attention spent in helping students look at 4-year colleges that we want to make sure that ALL students are getting support even if continuing on to a traditional college isn't in their plan. But it is more than that. There are a lot of jobs that you can get a certificate or other credentialling and be able to begin working where you will make more money than you would in just the typical high school diploma jobs.
My niece, Carly, is a perfect example of this option. Carly is a senior at the University of Kentucky. During the summer between her freshman and sophomore years of college she got 2 certificates - one in phlebotomy (drawing people's blood) and one to be a nursing tech (CNA). Then, from her sophomore through senior years of college she has worked part time at the UK Medical Center making far more money (and requiring way less hours of her) than she would have earned if she worked at a restaurant or store. Even more importantly, this clinical experience helped Carly have an even more impressive application when she was applying to med school. Let's be honest, did she want to be a phlebotomist or nursing tech for the rest of her life? No. Are those great career paths for some people? Absolutely! But it still was an important part of Carly's journey and has opened up more great opportunities for her in the future.
My hope is that EVERY student will take a few minutes out of your lunch periods to walk through the tables which will be set up in the commons and hallways to talk with the different career professionals. You never know about the various jobs that might peak your interest. Perhaps you will find something that will be a great pathway for your future or there might be jobs that can give you better paying possibilities. At the very least, please take a moment as you walk past our guests to say Thank you to them for giving their time to come and share with all of us!
There is a famous Confuscious quote, "Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life." I suspect many of you have heard it. Confuscious is a famous philosopher and far smarter than me, but I have to tell you, I think he got it wrong with this quote.
I absolutely LOVE my job, but I work incredibly hard at it. In fact, because I love it so much I probably pour even more of my time, energy and effort into what I do each day. I have a part-time job that I also love. I can assure you - they both require hard work, time and dedication. But, they are both incredibly rewarding and meaningful. My guess is that was probably the point Confuscious was trying to make. The reality is that as human beings, we can endure almost any circumstance if we feel the end outcome will be worth it.
The reason I am even talking about this though is that I think there are a LOT of high school students (and probably some adults) who struggle trying to figure out what they want to do in life and are constantly searching for the job that they will love so that they don't have to work. And I believe that is setting you up for failure. Find a job that you will be good at, that you will feel you can contribute and use your personal gifts and talents to benefit others and pursue it with everything you have inside of you. But know that there will still be days or at least parts of the job that will most definitely be struggles and feel like hard, demanding work. (And even work that you don't enjoy.) Adjusting that expectation can change everything because if you are able to go into the work world with the awareness that you won't love every part of your job and that there will be hard days that you dread (and yes, I can assure you there will be plenty of both), then you will be far less likely to beat yourself up and fall into the mind trap that there must be some other job out there that will be better for you - that you won't feel like work.
There is already so much stress and pressure that you experience as high school students, adding the extra level of stress that you must find the PERFECT job that you love is a pressure you don't need to add. We have so many career exploration opportunities for you and I want you to do them all, but I also want you to understand that you are far from done learning and growing. You will find and explore new paths ahead of you and all of it will contribute to you finding your right place in this world. So try to take the pressure off and enjoy the learning process.
For now, start thinking ahead a little bit. For students in all grades, do you have plans for Spring Break? That would be a great time for you to head out and make college visits, but they are also ideal days to ask a neighbor, friend, or extended family member if you could spend a day shadowing them to learn more about what they do each day. The summer is also a great time to try to get some experience out shadowing and learning about what some of the job possibilities are that exist in the world today so you can start now thinking about what experiences you might like to observe. My hope is you will ask the people you are spending time with what they love about their jobs, what they don't like, and if they feel like they work hard at what they do... because I suspect you will find that in every job there is definitely a LOT of work involved!
When writing this blog, I don't always do themes because I tend to focus on whatever questions are coming to us as counselors at that time. But this week I want to spend some time talking about careers.
It can feel impossibly hard to imagine what you'd like to be when you grow up when there are so many jobs in the world that you know nothing about. It is part of what makes exploring options and learning about various careers so exciting. I will acknowledge that the sheer quantity of opportunities and avenues that you can pursue can be overwhelming, but it can also be energizing when you find a job that sparks your interest and excites you to learn more.
There are a lot of different resources students can use to try to learn about careers. Roadtrip Nation is one of those. You can sign up for a free account and then access tons of career information. Through the Start your Career Path option you will be able to select fields of interest and then an area that aligns with your values and it will give you information about careers that might be of interest for you to learn more about and as you explore you can continue to refine your searches.
Your future path will be yours and yours alone, so try to embrace the exploration with an open mind and a sense of curiosity. You have a bright future ahead and we need difference makers in our world!
Last Friday morning, 24 Kilbourne students were inducted into the Socratic Society. Students are selected for the Socratic Society based upon their display of the Socratic Core Virtues - scholarship, lifelong learning, compassion, integrity, and personal effort. Students are only eligible to receive this award once throughout their entire high school career.
Congratulations to the students recognized (alphabetically): Adam Al Kharyo, Finn Barker, Ryan Burke, Tyra Butler, Madisyn Genheimer, Malachi Green, Mayrin Gutierrez Gallegos, Kevin Henderson, Isabel Ludsin, Quinn McGlone, Marisabel Morales, Caitlyn Ohlemacher, Andrea Pelcastre, Anna Popkie, Afia Prempeh, Ayden Rambo, Luke Renneker, Matthew Richey, Liam Ryan, Michal Scott, Avery Tate, Brooke Todd, Camdyn Vantell, and McKenzie Wade. Congratulations to each of you! We are proud of you!
Thursday kicks off our Junior Seminars and I am really excited about the programming. On designated Thursdays, junior students are invited to attend brief, in-depth, workshops on a particular topic. Students can decide which workshops interest them and come to just those sessions. The seminars will be held in Room 201 from 8:15-8:35am just before the start of school so I hope you'll grab your breakfast or coffee and come to school 20 minutes early to participate in the sessions that interest you most!
March 12th: Choosing careers/ majors
March 26th: Using AI effectively in college applications
April 16th: Recommendation letters
April 30th: Creating a solid college list
Save those dates and we hope to see many of you Thursday morning!
We are on a VERY different bell schedule tomorrow!
Freshmen, Sophomores and Seniors - you will be functioning on a late-start schedule tomorrow. This means that you get to sleep in and relax a little bit in the morning. If you ride a bus, your bus will pick you up 90 minutes later than normal. If you walk or drive to school, you can determine what time you want to arrive just be sure to make it to school in enough time to be able to get to your 5th period class at 12:25pm. As I mentioned, with late start buses running 1.5 hours later than normal, this means that if you ride a bus that will likely mean you will arrive to school around 10:10am and you'll have that time until the start of classes to study, eat lunch, and hang out in the Aux Gym.
Juniors - you will ride the bus at the normal time and arrive to school like every other day. You will then report to your assigned testing location by 8:40am so that you can begin taking the SAT right away. The test will conclude in time for you to have a break for lunch before the start of classes.
And then everyone (9th through 12th grade) will proceed to afternoon classes with the following bell schedule:
5th Period - 12:25 - 1:05
6th Period - 1:10 - 1:50
7th Period - 1:55 - 2:35
8th Period - 2:40 - 3:20
I also have a few SAT Testing reminders for the juniors: This test is an official SAT so you are strictly bound to all of the restrictions and requirements set forth by SAT. Testing will begin promptly at 8:40am so you will need to report to your assigned rooms (check your email for location assignment). Please be sure to bring your district issued chromebook (fully charged!), your Student ID card, and, if you want, a calculator. And I would also suggest that you bring a watch. Cell phones are NOT allowed to be on in the testing room at all. You should have already completed the pre-registration steps so that you're all set to test. Good luck tomorrow! You will do great!
What is 1 small step that you could take that would help you to be a better student? Now that we are in the 4th and final quarter of the school year, that is a question I hope you will pause to ask yourself and try to think about what you can either continue doing or start doing differently to finish the year out strong.
The reality is that school is your job and so reflecting on what you're doing and how it is helping to get you to where you want to be is important. When I think about my students your individual strengths and struggles are so diverse. Some students struggle to show up to school on time every day while others have great attendance. Some students pick up on what teachers are saying when they just listen in class, but many others have to take detailed notes and write everything down. Some students are great about getting work completed on time and turned in fully finished and others are continually confused when teachers ask for assignments to be submitted having never even realized something was assigned.
Today your 3rd quarter grades were do and so you and your parents can all log into Infinite Campus to get an idea of where you stand academically at the half-way point in the semester. But I really do want you to forget the letter grades for a moment and think about yourself and the efforts and commitment you are showing in your classes.
Can you do better? If so, what can you try? Want me to help hold you accountable, I am happy to if you come and let me know about your goals and plan to improve.
Are you pleased with how things are going for you in classes? That's awesome! Be proud of your success and accomplishments. Try to think back on what you think has helped you the most to have this success and make sure you consider how you can continue with that moving ahead. Know that I'm also here to help celebrate those successes with you if you want to share with me what it is that you think has helped you most.
Finishing out this year strong is important and nothing is a lost cause because you still have half of the semester to go. Use your resources and apply yourself. You can do this!
Seniors, 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.
Seniors, now is the time to be working on submitting your applications for local scholarships!
Local scholarships are great because you are only competing against other WKHS students (for many) and, at most, against other students from Worthington or the Central Ohio area. These scholarships are all among the scholarships we have listed on the WKHS Counselor website and I strongly encourage you to take the time to check them out. To find the scholarship listings on the Counselor website - you can use the logo on the right side of the page or hover over the College/ Career tab and Scholarship Search will appear in the drop-down menu.
Many of the local scholarships have due dates that are just before or after spring break, but there are some with earlier or later deadlines so it is important to pay attention to those details so that you don't miss out on the opportunities. As you read through the scholarships available, look carefully to determine which ones you might be a good candidate for and therefore want to apply to try to receive. Please remember that time flies and many of the scholarships have requirements such as essays or recommendation letters so it is important not to procrastinate and to get your applications completed on time.
Yesterday I talked about 2 career exploration opportunities, but what if you don't know what fields you want to consider as possible jobs?
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 on Friday, March 27th at WKHS. If you are interested in signing up to take the ASVAB, please complete the interest form or see your school counselor.
On a totally separate note, good luck to the Girls Basketball team who will be competing tomorrow night in the Regional Semifinals game! This is their second year in a row to win and become District Champions! We are proud of you and wish you lots of luck in your game tomorrow night!
One of the exciting parts of high school is the chance for students to explore different career fields that could be possible for their future. There are 2 unique opportunities coming up that might be of interest to students.
First is the Performance Columbus Automotive Maintenance Pre-Apprenticeship Program. This is a year-long pre-apprenticeship program that is open for juniors and seniors. There are two opportunities for interested students and parents to attend an open house to learn more about the program. The open houses will take place on Tuesday, March 3rd and Thursday, March 19th at 5:30pm. Students and parents should try to attend together on whichever date works best for your schedules. The open house will highlight program expectations, scheduling and next steps. Here is a link to a flyer with more information.
Next is the Healthcare Career Summit Field Trip. The field trip will take place on April 30th, but the deadline to register is this Friday, March 6th. This field trip will allow students to learn more about healthcare careers including registered nurse, medical assistant, radiologic technologist, surgical technologist, medical laboratory technician, and respiratory therapist. Check out this handout for more information. We can only take 50 students so if you are interested, please be sure to complete both steps required to sign up right away.
If you're interested in either of these career fields, please be sure to take advantage of these opportunities!
There are lots of exciting happenings tomorrow related to WKHS students.
First, we are going to be on a 2A/2B bell schedule to enable all students to see a teaser of the Black History Month celebration.
Here is the bell schedule:
1st: 8:40-9:20
2nd: 9:25-10:50 (class and assembly)
3rd: 10:55-11:35
4th: 11:40-12:20
5th: 12:25- 1:05
6th: 1:10- 1:50
7th: 1:55-2:35
8th: 2:40 - 3:20
Then, tomorrow evening at 7pm, everyone is invited to the WKHS Auditorium to see the whole Black History Month celebration presentation. It is a free event and open to all students, parents, and community members who are interested. The students have been working really hard to make this a special evening and it should be fun!
And, as if that wasn't enough, tomorrow members of our girls swim team have qualified for the Swimming State Championships and will be competing in Canton, Ohio! Good luck to (in alphabetical order): Grace Baker, Keira Fidler, Caity Fuller, Abi Goodrich, and Madelyn Richner. We are so proud of you and will be cheering you on from afar. Go Wolves!
College is expensive! It is an investment in your future and finding financial options to help make it realistic to be able to afford to attend such as with additional scholarships is important. I know it can be a time consuming process, but it is worth it.
Most scholarship money does end up coming directly from your colleges, but there are so many other places to look for scholarships and you should consider all of the options to try to help make your college experience even a little more affordable! For example, do your parent's employers (or if you work, your employer) offer scholarships for dependent children? What about your place of worship? If you volunteer for an organization, do they offer scholarships for their student volunteers? There are also countless scholarship search websites where you can complete personalized searches for other qualities and characteristics that would be ideal for you. If you want to see some of these sites, please check out financial aid section (under colleges) on the WKHS Counselors website.
I admit it... I am a list maker. I have lists for just about everything you could imagine. I created a list of things I *MUST* accomplish before the end of the day, not to mention the list I already have at school of the "other" things I need to do. I also have a list of things to do at home, a list of "to do's" for next week, lists for other upcoming school related projects, a list of summer projects (yes, already) and even a list for "when I have time." So, sadly, I guess I could probably benefit from having a list of all of my lists. :-)
The reason I am mentioning it, is that lists work for me, but everyone needs some sort of a system to help keep your thoughts or your massive "to do piles" organized. It is much more difficult and demanding to try to hold something in your head than it is to refer back to it on paper. I heard once that your head is a good place to have and process ideas not to hold ideas and I believe that makes sense. It doesn't require a lot of time, but the payoffs are large as long as you stick with it. Personally, I love being able to cross something off my list knowing that I had achieved a goal - no matter how small.
Please work on staying focused and organized. What do you need to do to make sure that you will be able to end this quarter successfully? Remember, you only have 8 more days of classes this quarter. If lists are not your way to stay organized, that is OK, but find a system that works and use it.
Eating disorders are such a challenge for those who live with them because eating is essential and integrated into every single day of a person's life. This week is National Eating Disorder Awareness week. According to the National Eating Disorder Association 30 million Americans experience an eating disorder at some point in their lives. The emotional and physical toll that eating disorders have on those struggling with them as well as their family members and friends is significant. If you or someone you know is dealing with an eating disorder it is important to get help and to know that every BODY belongs. Resources are available and it will be worth it. For those of you who have pushed through the worst of your fight with your eating disorders, know that you are seen and valued and you serve as hope for those who are just entering their own eating disorder battle. And to all of you, remember that we are here if you need to talk about any concerns related to your eating concerns (or the concerns you have for your friends.)
One of the most confusing aspects to students when you are picking your classes is the desire to know where the classes will fall in the school day. And unfortunately, that is not an easy answer. So I thought it might help if I explained how the registration process, which is what we are currently wrapping up will eventually become the schedule for your classes for next year.
The expectation is that by the end of this week all of the counselors will have met with all of our 9th, 10th and 11th grade students to review your course requests for next year. And as soon as we complete those meetings it means our phase of the registration process is officially *DONE* and we will be so happy to have it completed.
But the process is still FAR from over...
Once all of the course requests are finalized we officially hand it over to the administration as the "final" registration requests. **This is your reminder that if you are applying for CC+ classes and want your CC+ courses included in your requests for the administrators to use when building the schedule, you need to get your forms turned into us by Friday of this week!** (But technically you do have until April 1st to submit the forms for the state's deadline.)
The administration (principal and assistant principals) will look at the numbers for all of the courses selected to determine what, if any, courses do not have enough students signed up to be able to offer the class. After they figure this out they will provide that information back to the counselors with a list of students impacted and we will then work with those students and their alternates list to find a suitable replacement course.
The administrators will also begin working to determine the total number of sections will be needed for each class (for example how many English 1 courses) to meet the demand. They will then work with computer services to create a schedule that will create the smallest number of conflicts possible. This is a MUCH bigger challenge than most people would imagine. For example, if a class like AP Computer Science is only offered 1 time in the day, then they have to figure out what students want to take that class and try to make sure that the time of day selected to offer the course will not conflict with any other classes - especially any other classes that are only offered once in a day (like Band, Choir, or AP Foreign Languages).
Eventually they will create a schedule and "lock" it in place. When that happens (hopefully this spring before school is out) they will then come back to the counselors with a list of all of the kids with conflicts in their schedules. In some cases, we are able to make minor adjustments to move a few classes around and make the schedule work. In other instances, we will have to work with the student to make tough decisions about what classes they do or do not want to take and use the alternates to find other courses that would work and still meet requirements toward graduation.
And that's it - we will ultimately get the schedule set just how we want it and hopefully all of you will pass all of your classes 2nd semester so that we don't have to go back and add anything into your schedule or change classes that you no longer meet the pre-requisites for, but all of those types of changes will happen after the final grades are submitted at the end of May.
Hopefully that helps you understand what is going on with the scheduling and registration process and why it will take so long.
This year's musical is Chicago: Teen Edition and the students and staff involved have been working SO unbelievably hard to prepare for the show! There will be 3 performances of the show - Friday night at 7:30pm, Saturday at 2:00pm and Saturday night at 7:30pm. You will not want to miss out on the chance to see the incredible talent and dedication of our WKHS students in action. Tickets cost $12 and you can register on the Worthington Hometown Ticketing website.
There are over 100 students involved in this production including those who will be featured on stage, those helping behind the scenes to organize the show and manage the effects such as light and sound, and, of course, the musicians who will be performing in the pit orchestra. No matter their role I know they have all been working tirelessly to bring this show to life.
I know many students were able to watch the teaser part of the show's opening today during 8th period and, like me, are excited to see the whole show. Good luck to everyone involved - you will do great!
Sometimes we can get so caught up in our own lives that we forget not everyone is in the same situation or feels the same way we do. How we talk about colleges is like everything else in life and we need to approach it with sensitivity and kindness.
What do I mean?
As college admissions decisions arrive, students will sometimes start announcing where they were accepted and their feelings on different schools, forgetting that other students are around. Being accepted is wonderful news and it is completely understandable that you want to shout it from the roof-tops when you have been accepted to a school, but it is also important to be sensitive to those around you and to remember that some of your friends and classmates are NOT being accepted into those very same colleges.
Receiving a college rejection letter is hard enough, but it is even more hurtful to hear someone else proclaim, "Oh, I was accepted to ___ (insert name of college) but I would never actually go there." Particularly if the school mentioned was the one where a student was recently rejected and had been their top choice college.
This also plays out when people are talking about colleges where they intend to apply. Students or parents saying things such as "I would never apply to _____." This is hard because that college is most definitely someone else's favorite school.
Please understand, in no way am I trying to dampen your excitement, but I just want to encourage you to please try to be respectful and aware in what you say about schools and how you "rate" colleges. Remember, no one school is perfect for every student and every student is not right for every college- it is important to find the right fit and I sincerely believe that every student WILL be able to find the college that is right for them!
Just a quick reminder that the late registration deadline to sign up to take an AP Test this spring is coming up this Friday, February 20th. So for those students who weren't prepared to make the decision on if you wanted to take an AP Test in the spring before the deadline back in the fall can reassess how you are doing in the classes you are taking and if you want to take the AP Test. Remember, the AP tests are a required step in order to try to be granted college credit for your AP classes. Each college sets their own policy on what classes they will grant credit for and what scores you must earn to receive that credit. You can search for the policy on the colleges you are considering on the College Board Website. Registering for an AP Exam now costs $140 ($100 for the test and $40 for the late fee) and you will complete the registration process on the My Payments Plus system.
Earlier this month there were 21 students honored as being Kilbourne's February Students of the Month. Nominated by WKHS staff, these students are recognized for demonstrating the characteristics that are the foundation of the Portrait of a Learner - Confident Communicators, Adaptable Leaders, Critical Thinkers, Responsible Collaborators, and Resilient Learners. Students are only eligible to receive this recognition once throughout their high school career.
Congratulations to the following students who were honored this month: Idir Ben Zaid, Ben Blankenship, Kenzo Burgher, Leandro Cobo, Sa'Kiyah Coleman, Murphy David, Layla Graeff, Hannah Karnai, Pierce Malinowski, Alex McCracken, Kelsey McFadden, Reese Miller, Henne Montooth, Andrea Pelcastre, Logan Poe, Jessica Pugh, Luke Renneker, Justin Serralde Romero, Addison VanLear, Cami Vantell, and Megan Vargas. We are proud of you all!
Each semester students have the first 6 weeks to be able to make adjustments to their classes. The options involve switching from traditional to pass/ fail grading. This option is not available for core classes, but can be done for many of the introductory level elective courses. Additionally, students who are currently taking above the minimum number of classes can drop a class before the 6 week mark and not have the class appear on their transcript.
This semester, 6 weeks is next Monday, February 16th, which, obviously, is a holiday. As a result, you have until 8am on Tuesday morning to drop your class or to switch to pass/ fail grading. The forms for both of these options are available in the front of the Counseling Center and on the Counselor website.
Just a reminder, you can take advantage of the fact that we have a long weekend coming up. For many students this is the perfect opportunity to make a college visit. Friday will be a traditional day at colleges where students will be going to class and engaging in activities like normal making it an ideal day to visit campus. Additionally, many colleges will host special visit days on Monday because they know high school students are off and so they often plan days to will allow students to learn more about the different programs and opportunities available on their campus. No matter if you are trying to decide what colleges you might want to apply to in the future or if you are a senior trying to decide which of the many schools you applied to will be your future home, I hope you will try to take advantage of the long weekend and make visits.
If you have no idea what colleges you might be interested in for the future, you can still make use of the long weekend by exploring colleges. You can, of course, begin your search online and try to find colleges that fit your interests, but more often than not, students tell me that they don't know what they want in a college. If that is you, then perhaps starting your college search by exploring some nearby campuses would be a valuable use of your time. As you walk around the campus, people watch and listen to the presentations by the college admissions representatives. From these observations and conversations you will begin to gain insight into various aspects of college life. These impressions will help you to start forming more of an idea about what you like and what you don't like in a college. These views will be extremely valuable to you as you start narrowing your college search.
And finally, a reminder that students should be the one to call the admissions offices to set up the college visits rather than having your parents do this for you. The good news is that many colleges have the visit appointments available online so you may be able to do it electronically, but if not the student should make the arrangements. Remember, you are trying to show the colleges that YOU are interested in their college and that you are mature and responsible enough to take this level of initiative.
A 4 day weekend is going to be great and we will be excited to hear about the various colleges you explore during the weekend and what your impressions are of the schools.
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.
Here is a link to the state's explanation of the Honors Diploma requirements. If it is something you are working towards, please check the requirements and make sure you are planning your classes so that you can earn at least 7 of the 8 required components.
I love watching sports. And, as a result, I absolutely LOVE watching the Olympics! It doesn't even matter what random sport is on, I am willing to watch. And tonight, I will shift gears and watch the Super Bowl too even though I honestly don't care who wins for that game either.
So why? Why do I care to watch when I don't know the athletes and for many of the sports, I don't even know the rules of what I am watching? Because, to me, it is about watching people chase their dreams. And yes, the vast majority of the competitors won't win the gold medal or hoist the Super Bowl trophy in the air at the end of the night, but they all dedicated themselves to a goal that at one time someone probably told them would never happen. And even if they don't win the ultimate prize as being the "best" I still believe that they have achieved their goals and therefore made it all worthwhile.
I suspect you have probably had similar experiences in your life. When you loved something or had a dream for yourself and your future. Maybe it was never so big as to be an Olympian or to play in a Super Bowl, but your own personal goal and dream for your life. I hope you never let anyone tell you that something is impossible. I hope that if you decide to shift your goal/ dream, it is because you have a new, better defined vision for yourself. And I hope that as you watch people chasing after their dreams you can pause, even privately in your own mind and heart, to cheer them on just as we all hope people will cheer for you as you take on your own challenges.
There is no question, these moments of glory - the standing on a podium or on the field getting applause can certainly feel good. But don't ever forget the hundreds of thousands of hours of work, commitment, dedication, and perseverance that was required before they ever reached this point in their lives. Your goals and dreams may (or may not) require that same level of commitment to achieve them and you might not have a crowd giving you a standing ovation when you reach the goal, but it doesn't mean it is any less meaningful if you set your mind to something and achieved it.
And, if you are not a sports fan, I get that too... hopefully if you end up finding yourself watching the Super Bowl or the Olympics you will find yourself inspired by the stories of the athletes, or captured by the creativity of the commercials, or at least able to enjoy some good food while you watch.
Do you ever feel like everything happening at school is about your future? I mean, I guess I hope that you think that all of the time as each of your classes is helping to create a foundation of knowledge to help you in the future. But this week in particular I think a lot of students are feeling the future focus in our conversations... in registration 1:1 meetings we have been asking about your future plans and making decisions about your future courses. And during Academic Prep periods the administrators have been working with prep teachers to help support all 9th and 10th grade students to complete their YouScience assessment if students hadn't already completed it.
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.
If there are any older students who haven't completed the YouScience assessment, I encourage you to do so! There is truly a wealth of knowledge available to you. You can access your YouScience tool for free using the link in HelloID. And, if you have completed it, this is a great time to hop back in and look at your results again and think about possible future career paths and if there are any classes you might want to try out next year to explore an area of interest. And, for what it's worth, 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!
Tomorrow we will start meeting with sophomore students before transitioning 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. We will put your desired CC+ classes in as alternates and change your schedule once you have turned your forms in to us. 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, we need to get those forms ASAP, but no later than the end of February.
This coming 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 Saturday, February 7th, from 1:00-4:00pm at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.
Admissions reps from over a hundred 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/26GreaterColumbus 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.
Tomorrow we will start meeting with every 9th grader and I'm looking forward to a busy, but meaningful day!
I also wanted to make sure that all parents know that Parent/ Teacher conferences are coming up next week and the online system for parents to sign up for a time to meet with teachers opened this morning. Conferences will be held on Monday, February 9th from 4:00pm - 7:30pm and Wednesday, February 11th from 5:00pm – 8:30pm. 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:
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.
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.
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.
Please be aware that athletic participation during your senior year does NOT count toward the waiver.
In order to qualify for 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 you participate in both football and basketball in the same year, you would qualify for the waiver. If you participate in football as a sophomore and again as a junior, you would qualify for the waiver. If you participate in football as a sophomore and track as a junior, you would qualify 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 completed 1 season of sport and so they only want to have to take 1 PE class 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 qualify 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.
When we are talking about registration for next year, it often leads students to think about some of the other learning program partnerships that are options available to you as Kilbourne students. I am specifically thinking of the Delaware Area Career Center (DACC), Linworth, and the Worthington Academy.
It is important to remember that the Delaware Area Career Center requires students to apply and even though the priority deadline has passed, they would still welcome your application. So, if you are interested in applying to DACC, please get your application completed and submitted online ASAP.
For current juniors who are already enrolled as students at DACC, as long as you are in good standing with your program then you are automatically eligible to continue in your program next year. So, when you register online you will select the 1/2 day or Full day option that you prefer and register only for the classes at WKHS that you plan on taking.
If you are a sophomore or junior who has applied to the career center, then when you are completing the online course registration, you will fill out the request as if you are taking a full day at WKHS. Later, when you find out that you have been accepted to the program of your choice, then we will meet again and we will go back in and adjust your classes to reflect your half day or full day DACC preference.
Linworth is another incredible option for some of our WKHS students. While most students who attend Linworth start there as freshmen, there are limited opportunities for older students to apply and attend. If you are interested, we need to set up a time for you to visit and interview. For current Linworth students, please register online for just the classes you will take at WKHS. As always, you will set up your Linworth schedule at Linworth on the first day of school next fall.
Worthington Academy is another application based program available to WKHS students. The Academy is housed on the west end of Perry/ Phoenix Middle School and it provides students with the opportunity to blend their learning with a mix of teacher instructed and online courses.
Much like DACC and Linworth, students who are already attending the Academy and are in good academic standing can register for the Academy as a part of their registration process and then select only the classes you plan on taking at WKHS. Those students who are applying for the Academy for the first time will register as if you were going to be attending classes at WKHS for the full day. Once you are accepted, the Academy staff and the WKHS counselors will go in and update your course requests so that you have the Academy and only the classes you plan on taking at WKHS in your schedule.
Please know that there are limited seats available at the Academy, so if you are interested in applying you want to get your application in as soon as possible. If you have questions about the Worthington Academy, feel free to stop and see me or you can also contact the Academy Principal, Dr. Flynn, via e-mail at sflynn@wscloud.org.
Taking rigorous classes while in high school is one of the best ways students can prepare themselves for college. At WKHS we have lots of options available for students to do this most notably honors classes along with IB, AP and CC+ courses. Through these classes, students have the opportunities to push themselves and have the potential to earn college credits while in high school by taking AP, IB and CC+ classes.
One of the top factors colleges consider when evaluating applicants is the strength of the academic schedule students take on during high school. (And, of course, that students do well in those classes.) One of the options students can consider for selecting a rigorous academic schedule that also has the benefit of providing students with a global perspective and integrated learning to make connections across courses, is the International Baccalaureate (IB) program.
Students who are interested in completing the full IB diploma program will have specific IB courses to take along with completing the IB exams, an extended essay, and a community action service project along with a Theory of Knowledge course. Even if students are not sure that they want to take on the full diploma program, you can still participate in IB courses! You can take just a handful of classes (or even just 1) if that is what appeals to you. For example, students interested in Psychology or History might elect to take just the IB Psychology course or just the IB History course.
As an IB World School, our students have the opportunity to participate in a rigorous group of classes to push themselves to learn and grow. Students who are in the IB program are among the first to talk about how much they have enjoyed the program and the small cohort of students they study with in the program. If you have questions about IB, I definitely encourage you to talk with students in the IB program or to Mrs. Goodwin who is the IB program coordinator. And, of course, you can always talk to me too.
Students must pay to take the IB exams and, depending on the level of the class, how well you performed on the test, and the college you are attending, you may be able to earn college credit for the course. It is helpful in your planning to be aware that some colleges will not grant credit for individual SL classes - only Higher Level (HL) courses.
Advanced Placement (AP) classes are offered in a wide range of subject areas from core subjects like English and Science to the arts such as AP Studio Art and AP Music Theory. These classes are designed to fulfill the college course content and the teachers are following the curriculum requirements to prepare students for the AP exam at the end of the year.
Students must pay to take the AP exam and, depending on how you do on it and the policy of your intended college, you can earn college credit for the class.
College Credit Plus (CC+) is another rigorous option for students. The difference in a CC+ class is that students are earning the credit for the work completed across the semester instead of relying on a test at the end of the year.
It is important to realize that while CC+ is set up to be free to students, if you fail the class then you are responsible for paying for the class. Additionally, whatever grade you earn in your CC+ class that grade is on your college transcript. So, in comparison, for IB and AP classes, the grade you earn in the class doesn't have any bearing on your college transcript - you either earn the credit or not through the exams, with CC+ it is starting your college GPA. For example, if you decide to complete your Associate's Degree at CSCC and then transfer to OSU, that college GPA is going to impact your potential to be considered for particular majors or scholarships.
CC+ also requires more independent learning and follow through of students than traditional high school classes. You are moving through a full year's worth of content in a semester and you will be doing much of the work on your own time since the classes only meet 2 days per week. Students who need frequent reminders are likely not ideal candidates for CC+ classes.
There are advantages and disadvantages of all 3 rigorous course opportunities. The best news is that there isn't a bad decision about which classes to take - so think about yourself and your own areas of interest and decide what you think feels best for you.
Remember, all colleges get to set their own policies for what classes they will give students college credit for completing and what the qualifying score for AP and IB exams must be in order to earn that credit. You can usually find th
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