Senioritis

The number of seniors who have mentioned that they feel like "senioritis"  is taking over is too high to count.  While we understand that it can be a challenge to continue motivating yourself to finish your high school career strong, it is important!

With Seniors only having 4 weeks of high school left, the appeal of letting everything slide to just enjoy the remaining time seems to be very strong. We have even heard younger students claiming to feel “senioritis” early and this is definitely not a good thing.

Third quarter grades were rough (to say the least). This is particularly a concern for seniors as it can jeopardize graduation (a real fear for many) and it can also jeopardize your college future. For example, remember, the colleges reserve the right to revoke your acceptance if the grades you are earning are not on track with what they expected at the time of your application. They can also place you on academic probation and take back scholarship offers. Obviously, these would not be good scenarios, but it does happen across the country every year. 

So, while the weather is finally improving, senior tag, and "fun" days like Arts in Action in the coming weeks may make it hard to focus on the day to day responsibilities of meeting your classroom expectations, it is very important!  Please keep pushing to work hard in your classes!

Recommendation Letters

Recommendation letters are a time consuming process requiring a great deal of thought and time by your teachers (or counselor) who write them on your behalf. 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!

We will be hosting a Junior Seminar Presentation on Thursday morning (April 16th from 8:15-8:35am in Room 201) to address Rec Letters specifically.

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 we would suggest that you 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. 

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 2026, that will take place during lunch periods over the next 2 days. We love seeing the looks in seniors eyes as 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! We're 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.

Parent Lunch & Learn

On Friday, April 17th from 12-12:30pm we will host our final parent Lunch & Learn session of this school year. This quarter's topic is about choosing Careers and Majors.

For so many students, deciding what they want to be when they grow up and trying to figure out what path to take to get towards their end goal can be a challenge. Our hope is this lunch and learn topic will help parents as you work to support your children with their future exploration.

This brief, 30-minute session, will take place over zoom so that parents can grab their lunch, hop on the session, learn about choosing Careers and Majors, and continue on with your day. The zoom link will be emailed to all parents Friday morning and it will also be posted on the Counselor website.

If you are unable to join us online in person, we will post the video of the session to the Counselor Website within the next week.

Wait Lists

For high school seniors, the question that is asked over and over is "Where are you going to college?" It can be a exciting to share the answer when it is the school you had your heart set on for your future. It can be overwhelming when you still haven't decided and are still trying to figure out which school is the best fit for you. For some students though, this question still brings anxiety and uncertainty because the top school on their list didn't fully accept or reject them - they put them on their Waiting List. Being wait listed often feels like being in an emotional limbo.

We need to be brutally honest (even though we know you don't really want to hear this...) and say that there is not a lot that you can do to improve the chance of coming off the wait list and being accepted to the college. You need to make plans and start getting your mind set on attending one of the other schools who accepted you. If, in time, you find out that you have the opportunity to attend the school that had previously put you on their wait list, then you can re-evaluate and decide if you still want to attend. The reality is that very few students actually end up being selected off the wait list for acceptance. (Once again, this is why it is so important to tell colleges as soon as possible when you know that you will not be attending in the future so that they can make plans to potentially accept other students off their wait list.)

In the mean time, if you decide that you want to remain on a college's waiting list, be sure to follow their directions (usually filling out a form indicating your desire) and then you can also consider sending them a letter updating them about any new achievements, awards, or other information that you have accomplished since your application to their college so that might be able to take that into consideration when making their waiting list decisions. (Some colleges may specifically say that they do or do not accept that supplemental evidence - follow their directions!)

If you are struggling with a wait-list decision, please remember that we are here to talk about it with you.

Your Life Challenges

I had lots of time to think over spring break. (Perhaps too much time...) And I kept coming back to thoughts about how so many of you are dealing with really hard things in your lives. The challenges may be big or small and the impact from them may last a day or a lifetime, but no matter what, each of you are facing your own unique battles. What makes this even harder is that on the outside, you appear "FINE." Perhaps you are fine most of the time, but that doesn't mean that there aren't moments that feel hard or more difficult. And, in spite of the fact that this is something nearly all of you are dealing with, I suspect that most of you feel like you are the only one going through such challenges.

So here are some of my reflections.

1. Be nice. Kinder than you think you need to be. To others and to YOURSELF! You are often your toughest critic and you deserve the same level of compassion that you are willing to extend to those around you.

2.  Seek support. We are here to help you and so are your teachers, your friends and, of course, your family. Asking for help and acknowledging that you are facing tough challenges in your world is the most courageous thing you can do. I promise, if you come to us, we will NOT see you as weak and will be thankful you had the strength to share what it is that you are facing in your life.

3.  There is no such thing as too small. If it is on your mind, if it is weighing on you, if it is frustrating or hurting or annoying to you -- then it matters! Do not belittle how you think or feel.

4.  Take it one step at a time. Part of the challenge of life and especially for teenagers today is that difficulties refuse to slow down and come one at a time. In fact, quite often life shifts from total calm to middle of a massive storm in just seconds. If your problems would line up and come one at a time, you'd be completely fine, but that isn't how life works. And so, while you may not be able to solve all of the problems in front of you in an instant, you will be able to make progress by taking it one step at a time. Be patient with yourself and if you can't solve the problem remember that there are hundreds of coping strategies that you can use to help manage until there is a solution.

5.  Try not to jump to conclusions or assume the worst. I feel guilty even saying this one because I definitely have jumped to the worst possible scenarios on many occasions, but here is the thing - it made me a nervous wreck as I waited for the news and it didn't have any actual impact on how it all played out. Try to remind yourself that the story you are telling yourself is just one possible story and remain open to the possibility that there are other reasons that something may be happening or outcomes which may result from this situation.

6.  Be real. Have the courage to allow yourself to feel whatever it is you are feeling and to express those feelings and emotions. Laugh, cry, celebrate, or scream - whatever you feel, lean into those emotions (at least with some of the people closest to you who you can trust with the real you). It is ok to not be "fine" and it is ok to be far better than "fine" too. 

Please remember that whatever it is you are dealing with today in your life - significant problem or not - if you want the support and help or just a safe place to talk it through with someone then please remember that we are here!

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 

SAT Results

Juniors, your SAT scores from the March in-school 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 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.

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 Wednesday morning (April 8th) we will host our Essay Brainstorming Workshop in Room 205 at 10am to help you prepare for writing your essays. We hope to see you there!

This Week's Schedule

How was your spring break? Are you ready to be back at school? We have a busy, unique week ahead which will be a challenge for some and a nice transition for others. 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 test.

On Friday, students will take both sections of the Algebra 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 Wednesday, we will be hosting the essay brainstorming workshop from 10-11:30am in Room 205 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. We hope to see all juniors for this workshop!

Spring Break College Visits

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.

AI & College Admissions

There is no area that is changing faster and growing more rapidly than the influence of AI in college admissions. It is the area where 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.

Final CC+ Reminder

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.

Anxiously Awaiting Decisions

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.

CSCC Application 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 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.

Worthington Schools Job Fair

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.

Creating a Resume

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:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GU9pQFt7xms

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-z4v-Dw7n50

Pathways & Possibilities Day

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

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

My niece, Carly, is a perfect example of this option. Carly is a senior at the University of Kentucky. During the summer between her freshman and sophomore years of college she got 2 certificates - one in phlebotomy (drawing people's blood) and one to be a nursing tech (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!

It's Still Work

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!

Roadtrip Nation

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!

Socratic Society

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!

Junior Seminars

 

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!

Tomorrow's SAT Schedule

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!

4th Quarter Begins

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!

Cut Them Free

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.

Local Scholarships

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.

ASVAB

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!

Career Exploration Opportunities

 

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!

Tomorrow

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!

Scholarships

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.

Staying Organized

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.

National Eating Disorders Awareness Week

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.)

The Scheduling Process

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.

Chicago: Teen Edition

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!

Conversations About College

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!

AP Test Registration Reminder

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.

February Students of the Month

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!

Pass/ Fail & Drop Deadline

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.

College Visits

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.

Honors Diploma

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

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.

Super Bowl & Olympics

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.