You Made It!

Congratulations! You have officially made it to the end of the 2025-26 School Year. It still feels like we just started the semester and we blinked and somehow here we are. We hope you are proud of how the year went and that you are pleased with how you finished the year academically. Enjoy the start of your summer and please stay safe!

Lexi & Exams

1 more day of exams!! Are you excited that you only have 2 exams remaining in your year? Most students have said their exams haven't been as bad as they had expected which is always encouraging news.

Do you know who is NOT excited that there is just 1 day of school remaining?  Lexi.  She is NOT ready for summer and NOT ready for everyone to leave her. In fact, this week has been quiet in the counseling center except for the breaks and lunch period and she has been acting so sad. It is kind of comical to watch and several of the students and staff who have been around have noticed. 

So tomorrow, with very little break time between your exams and then everyone leaving for the summer, I anticipate Lexi will be very sad to see you all go, but we will be at the doors so she can see as many people as possible to say goodbye and get one last "belly rub" before you all leave. But if you do have a few extra moments or are stressing with your exams, please stop by and see Lexi... and us too of course.

Summer School

If you fail a class in high school, you have to repeat that course before you can move on to the next level.  So, for example, if you fail Algebra 1 then you have to take Algebra 1 again before you move on to Geometry.  This is particularly challenging for students who fail English or Math since those courses each require 4 credits to graduate. If this applies to you, PLEASE be sure to sign up for Worthington Summer School ASAP! It will be held at WKHS, it is free and transportation is available if you need it. The way summer school registration works for credit recovery is that students are required to use a personalized email link for signing up for Worthington Summer School. The counselors are working to send links to all students who failed a class. We have sent out registration links to kids who failed 1st semester classes and, for 2nd semester, as we begin getting confirmation that students have failed a class this semester, we will send them out for this semester as well. (Please be aware that these emails come from a "no reply" email address and are sent to both the parent and the student so either of you can use it to register.)

Additionally, back in February when we were looking at your intended courses for next year many of you reported that you would be taking classes during the summer to get-ahead in your classes/ credits. That is completely acceptable - you just need to make sure you are taking your classes through an accredited school and then transferring that credit back to us by bringing in a copy of your transcript. Many students have found TRECA to be a cost effective alternative, but again, it can be any accredited school.

If something has changed in your plans and you will not be taking a class that you had previously indicated you were going to complete via summer school, please stop to see us or send us an email to let us know so we can adjust your schedule for next year.  (This goes with advanced classes and for classes you have failed.) We want to try to get as many of these adjustments made as possible before the school year ends so that your courses will be right in August when you pick up your schedule.

Exams & Test Anxiety

How are you feeling about final exams starting tomorrow?  It’s normal to feel a little bit nervous before and during a test. What is important is to learn how to deal with those anxieties so they do not become overwhelming. Below are a few key strategies for managing test anxiety that might be helpful to you during exams. If this is something that you struggle with, please feel free to stop in and see us so we can discuss additional ways to help manage your test anxieties now and in the future.

o Study. Being prepared is the single most effective way to help manage test anxiety. If you are confident that you know the material and have put forth your best effort to be prepared for the test, then you can relax and do the best you can.

o Learn from past quizzes and tests

o Ask the teacher for suggestions on how to best prepare for the upcoming test

o Don’t cram – that only adds to the stress and pressure of trying to “squeeze” everything in

o There are lots of study strategies available that can help students and we have a variety of ideas, so if you are interested, stop by and see us and we can talk about different techniques you can try to implement for various classes. There are also tips featured on the WKHS Counselor website.

- Stay Positive. Being confident and entering the test with a positive attitude will help you to achieve success. There are lots of strategies people use to help maintain a positive outlook –visualization (imaging yourself doing well on the test) and positive self-talk (we all talk to ourselves so instead of thinking that you are going to fail the test replace that self-talk with positive comments such as “I am prepared” or “this test will allow me to show how much I have learned”). Sometimes it is important to stay away from other people who tend to express their negative outlooks and opinions going into a test… those people who will just stress you out more with their panic about the test.

- Take care of yourself. I *know* that you hate hearing things like this, but it is important to take care of yourself. Get plenty of sleep so that you are well rested and mentally alert for the test. Eat a healthy meal (breakfast/ lunch) because you don’t want to be sitting in class focusing on food or listening to your stomach growl and you also don’t want to be coming down off a sugar or caffeine high and be dragging the rest of the testing period. Allowing yourself time to exercise is also important as it is a physical release of stress and can reinvigorate you for studying as you prepare for the test.

- Be a “smart” test taker. Don’t panic! Read the directions carefully. Take a deep breath to relax. Answer the questions to the best of your ability and if you don’t know an answer, skip the question to return to it later and continue on to other questions that you are more confident in answering. Budget your time, but don’t rush to be the first finished – this is not a race. Stay focused. (Focus on answering the question – don’t allow yourself to get off track and worry about your grade or how others are doing – just continue to refocus on answering the next question.) If you start to become overwhelmed with anxiety during the test, take a few slow deep breaths, relax your muscles and remember that you are in control of dealing with these feelings so just take it one step at a time.

- After you are finished, give yourself a short break from thinking about the test, but also don’t forget to consider what worked well and what could have gone better and then make changes accordingly for the future. If you were able to manage your anxiety effectively then you can continue practicing these skills for future tests. If some of the strategies were not effective, then you can try to adjust and adopt new strategies to help manage the anxiety.

Remember, it is also important to keep the test in perspective. It is actually quite rare that a single test will make or break you. (And yes, this even includes the End of Course Exams/ SAT/ ACT tests because you can always repeat these tests again in the future.) Good luck on your exams!

Don't forget - tomorrow you have 1st, 4th, and 7th period exams.

Graduation Rehearsal Reminder

Tomorrow morning is graduation rehearsal for seniors. Don't forget, this is a mandatory requirement for all seniors who plan on attending the commencement ceremony. I'll be honest, it is a long and rather boring time - not at all like the excitement you will have during the actual ceremony on Sunday! The rehearsal is very important though and it will be worth it when everything goes well during the actual commencement ceremony. One of the most important details that seniors need to remember to pass along to their parents after the rehearsal is which side of the stage you will be on at the commencement ceremony. Trust me, your parents will be disappointed if they end up being on the "wrong" side and don't have a good view of you walking in and out during your special day. 

Rehearsal starts at 9:30am and you should be done around noon followed by a senior class sponsored fun day on the back fields. Don't forget, if you still have textbooks or your chromebook, you need to get them turned in before graduation rehearsal or else you have to pay for them to be able to walk in the commencement ceremony.

GPA Calculator

Many students are trying to guesstimate what they need to do in order to raise their grade point average. This link takes you to a GPA Calculator which will allow you to calculate what grades you would need to earn in order to achieve your desired GPA. (You will need to have your current GPA which you can find on your transcript in the documents area of Infinite Campus.) 

Sending AP Scores

Seniors, if you have taken an AP exam, you need to send your official scores to your intended college.

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

One great aspect about sending the AP Scores is that they will send your current and past scores to the college with one report so if you have taken 5 AP tests, you don't have to pay to send 5 different scores. And, if you are taking an AP test this year, you can still request your scores to be sent to 1 school for free if you log into your account and select your intended college before June 20th.

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

Senior Reminders

Seniors, Congratulations! Today was your LAST DAY of high school!  We have a few quick reminders about things you need to be sure that you take care of before graduation rehearsal on Monday.

Actually, I should probably start there. You have graduation rehearsal at WKHS on Monday, May 18th at 9:30am. You will be done around noon. This is mandatory if you plan on participating in the commencement ceremony on Sunday. You do not need to dress up or where your cap and gown to the rehearsal.  I will be honest, the rehearsal isn't anywhere near as exciting as the actual graduation ceremony will be, but it will be worth it when everything goes well during the real event Sunday.  Because the practice can get boring, I suggest bringing something to help keep you occupied in your seat.  (Fully charged phone, book to read, etc.) 

Other events this week include Senior Teas at your elementary schools on Thursday. Senior Recognition Night for those students who have earned awards/ scholarships/ recognitions. If you will not be attending, please be sure to let Mrs. McDaniel know by stopping to see her in the Counseling Center or sending her an email to kmcdaniel@wscloud.org so that she knows you will not be there to pick up your recognition materials and can make arrangements to get them to you separately. 

Next week will feature Baccalaureate on Friday night, May 22nd, at Worthington Christian Church and this is open to all seniors students and families and is always an awesome night each year.  And then, there is also this big event down at the Convention Center on Sunday, May 24th at 11am - GRADUATION!  :-)  It's going to be a busy and fun few days.

* Fees/ Fines: Some students still have outstanding fees and fines that you owe to the school. It may be a very small fee for an overdue library book or it could be a much larger fee for a lost textbook, but either way, please make sure that all of your debt is paid this week so that you will be able to participate in the commencement ceremony.

* Textbook/ Library Book Returns: You will need to turn in all of your textbooks as well as any library books that you still have. You can return your books to Mrs. Dominach in the Counseling Center.

* Scholarship Thank You's: If you received a scholarship, don't forget the importance of writing a thank you note to the individual, group or organization who is providing you with the scholarship.

* Iron your gown: Ok, this isn't a requirement, but I'm hoping you have at least taken your gown out of the package already so that some of the wrinkles have fallen away.  But I do strongly suggest you consider ironing your gown because you will look much nicer in pictures if you're not a wrinkled mess.  (And, I say that fully acknowledging that I pretty much iron once a year and that is for this exact event to iron my gown for the ceremony each year.)

Summer Plans

Summer is a great time to relax and unwind from the hectic schedule of homework, studying and the general day to day expectations of school. But your summer shouldn’t just be wasted away into day after day of doing “nothing.” The summer is a perfect time to explore your passions, investigate your interests and indulge in fun activities that you might not have time for during the regular school year. As we have just a few days of school left in the year, we want to encourage you to start thinking about what you will do this summer to make sure that you have a productive summer and don’t spend the entire break being bored.

So, what are some ideas of how you can spend your summer? Consider taking a class (or two) in summer school. This is especially important if you are behind in credits and not doing well in school. Success rates of summer school completion are very high – in part because you are able to focus on just one subject at a time and you generally have smaller class sizes so the teacher can focus more one-on-one time with each student. If you are planning on taking a class in summer school it is important to sign up as soon as possible to make sure that you will not be closed out of the class of your choice.

Perhaps you are looking for ideas that do not involve more school… Summer vacation is a great time to expand your resume and pursue your passions by volunteering or working a summer job.  If you're still looking for summer job opportunities we have a page on the Counselor website highlighting some organizations who have reached out because they are seeking employees. And, with regards to volunteering, many students don’t know where to volunteer and the truth is the sky is the limit – anything that interests you has the potential for being a volunteer service project. Get creative in your approach! For ideas about existing needs for volunteers you can visit HandsOn Central Ohio.  

If you are starting to consider different careers, perhaps you have a family member or friends that would allow you to shadow them for a day or two on the job to see what their particular career is really like as this will help you determine if that career is truly of interest to you.

Current juniors (Soon to be Seniors) – this summer is going to be busy as you prepare for your senior year. Hopefully you are taking the time to visit colleges from your list and getting an idea of what you think about different schools. You can also begin drafting your college application essays and preparing for the ACT and SAT exams.

Of course, there is always spending quality time reconnecting with your family and friends, going on vacation, reading, and even attending camps or other formal activities which can be a part of the summer for many. If you are interested in learning about some of the camp opportunities - many of which are offered on college campuses, please be sure to check out the camp opportunities page on the WKHS Counselor website as we continue adding summer enrichment experiences to the site as we receive them.

The bottom line is try to be productive this summer – at the very least it will give you great stories to share next fall when people ask you what you did over the summer.

Exam Schedule

Tomorrow and Wednesday are exams for seniors, but we are following a normal bell schedule.  Next week, however, we will be on a very different schedule for exams for the rest of the student body.

Below is the schedule for the final exams:

Day One - Tuesday, May 19th:

8:40 - 10:35: 1st period exam
10:45 - 12:40: 4th period exam
12:40 - 1:20: Lunch
1:25 - 3:20: 7th period exam

Day Two - Wednesday, May 20th:
8:40 - 10:35: 2nd period exam
10:45 - 12:40: 5th period exam
12:40 - 1:20: Lunch
1:25 - 3:20: 8th period exam

Day Three - Thursday, May 21st:
8:40 - 10:35: 3rd period exam
10:45 - 12:40: 6th period exam
12:40 - 1:20: NO Lunch Provided!
1:25 - 3:20: Make-Up Exams

A couple of questions that tend to come up each year at exam time...

Yes, you are REQUIRED and EXPECTED to be in all of your classes during an exam. (Even if you don't have an actual exam, the teachers are going to be working with you on projects, papers, or other learning related to their course.)

No, you do NOT need to be in school during your scheduled lunch period or during your Options or Prep periods. (Which means, for example, that if you have 3rd period prep and 6th period lunch that you do not have to come to school at all on the 21st.)

Good luck studying and preparing for your exams.  (Hint, please start that process NOW if you haven't already.) There is information related to study strategies on the Counselor Website in case you need it.

Honors, AP, & IB Summer Work

Students who have signed up for some of the Honors, AP, and IB classes for next year will have work to complete this summer. These teachers have been working hard to prepare meaningful learning opportunities to help you get a jump start during the summer months. Please pay attention to your school email because teachers are likely emailing you information about the summer assignments.  

Some of those assignments will also require you to check out a textbook for the summer so be sure to do that before you leave school. The teachers are working to make sure that they are conveying information about how you will complete and submit your work, when those assignments are due, information about how to access any Google/ Schoology classrooms if they are using those for the summer, what to do if you have questions or need support, etc. We will also be posting copies of the summer assignments that teachers have shared with us on the Counselor website so you can have easy access to them on the website.

It is also important for all students to be aware that there is a drop deadline of July 15th for all AP and IB classes. Prior to July 15th, students can drop the classes without penalty. After July 15th, the summer assignments are still required and the grades for the summer work will be transferred into the new class you will be joining in place of your AP/ IB course. So, it is important that you know what you will need to do for next year, and it is also equally important that you start working on the assignments - at least enough to make sure you feel confident that you are going to enjoy the course - so you will know by July 15th if you feel like you are going to need to request to change out of that class.

If you are not sure if your class will have summer work, you can always reach out directly to the teachers of that subject (or even your current teachers in that subject) to find out.

So Much to Celebrate

As the year winds down, there are so many reasons (and people) to celebrate and thank...

Socratic Society:

30 students were inducted into the Socratic Society earlier this month. Students were nominated by staff members because of how they demonstrated the principles of Integrity, Personal Effort, Scholarship, Compassion, and Lifelong Learning. Congratulations to: Lara Balles, Cole Beckett, Lauren Bialecki, Jose Cano Illescas, Saith Chance-Vachio, Hannah Cole, Ray DiSalvo, Chloe Eberly, Scarlett Elder, Annabelle Epling, Gabrielle Epling, Zoey Gearhart, Bella Hollback, Jacob Kostelnick, Kellen Louk, Brogan McGlone, Davis O'Brien, Gia Pastore, Sarah Pelzer, Logan Poe, Emma Radick, Claire Renneker, Shawn Rice, Declan Ryan, Lilly Schultheis, Whit Sheridan, Seren Slentz, Tessa Terpenning, Gavin Troiano, and Lyla Woerth. We are proud of all of you!

Office Workers:

Every year we ask for students to volunteer in the Counseling Center. We have to rely on students to deliver passes and help us with other projects. We are so grateful for the students who have served as office workers this year. And, remember, if you're looking for community service hours next year, we would love to have you volunteer with us next year.

Advisory Council:

Parents, staff members and a few students are invited to share their insights and perspectives as a part of our advisory council board. They help guide the counseling center with our programming and outreach efforts. We are so grateful for the assistance and guidance provided by: Aya Ahmed, Luisa Anaya, Steve Buck, Kelly Campbell, Bice Dolciato, Elizabeth Ferguson, Christie Holtzclaw, Kim Huff, Megan Humphrey, Shion Jamshidimehr, John Lundine, Tiena Miller, Liz Renneker, Linh Rhea, Aric Thomas, and Angie Vantell. We weren't able to get a photo of the whole group, but this includes a few of our members at the last meeting.

Drumming Circle and Activity Club:

We have a special parternship with Iggy Garcia who provides drumming circles for us at Arts in Action Day. This special experience allows everyone to be able to feel connected through the beat of the drums as the whole room participates in unison. It is a nice chance to be reminded that we are all connected.

The drumming circle (along with several other Arts in Action day activities) was made possible by the WKHS Activity Club. This incredible group of dedicated Kilbourne moms helps to make so many opportunities available for our students. They are the reason that we have a nice Kindness Closet, Food Bags for families in need, the Toiletries Care Closet, After Prom, and SO MUCH MORE. A hgue thank you to Activity Club for making our school so much stronger! We appreciate you.

Teachers:

     This past week was Teacher Appreciation week. Teachers (and the rest of the staff too) were recognized and celebrated for the impact they have on our student body and the community as a whole. It's so easy to take teachers for granted, but they impact not only your learning, but also creatinv a safe, supportive environment that makes Kilbourne such a special place to learn and grow. The teachers are encouragers, confidants, coaches, and the people who see the best that

Spring Cleaning

With the school year coming to an end and the rapid approach of your upcoming exams, you may decide to do some "spring cleaning" of your school materials. As you go through your bookbags and homework/ study areas there are a few things to keep in mind. Does your system work for you? Are you able to find everything you want and need without having to search? Do you spend more time organizing and looking for the piece of paper that you know has the answer than you do actually completing the project or assignment? Do you know what you want or need to save for the future? And yes, I am talking about more than just digging out of your room in case your parents decide to convert your room into a guest bedroom after you go to college... :-)

Keeping your notes organized and any study guides, equation summary sheets, as well as old tests and quizzes in a way that will allow you to pull upon that information in the future is very important. I can tell you from my experience in college, if I had not saved my notes from calculus in high school then there is no way I would have passed that class in college! Your notes can often be the most useful resource (assuming you take good notes each day) because you are re-writing the main topics in your own words and organizing the information in a manner that makes sense to you. Old study guides, tests and quizzes are all very useful when trying to study for an upcoming exam.

So, take a little time now to prepare for your upcoming final exams and (for the seniors) for college when you might want or need this information by getting organized today. If you need help with talking about some better strategies for organizing your materials, feel free to stop in and we can talk about some different ideas to see if one of them sounds like it could work for you.

CC+ Transcripts

If you are a senior who took College Credit Plus (CC+) classes through CSCC or COTC last year or this year, you need to be sure that you request for your CSCC and/ or COTC transcripts to be sent to your future college.

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

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

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

ACT My Answer Key

One of the features that ACT offers, but SAT does not is the option to sign up to receive your test questions and answers for particular tests. They used to call this Test Information Release, but now it is simply called, the ACT My Answer Key.

Students can use this option on the October, April and June test dates. There is a $36 fee to sign up for this option.

Part of the reason that I am pointing this out now is that the deadline to sign up for the June ACT test date is coming up on Friday. So, if you are planning to take the June ACT and would potentially use your test answers to help you review for any future test attempts that you make, signing up to get the My Answer Key is a great way to make sure you can better understand your test strengths and work to build on those while also improving on any areas of weakness.

National College Decision Day

Seniors, by now you should all be well aware of the fact that tomorrow, Friday, May 1st, is national college decision day. The colleges are all united in the fact that they will not require you to make decisions about where you will attend prior to May 1st, but this is one of the deadlines that is firm.

As you are aware, throughout the college application process each college has their own timeline and often have different application deadlines, financial aid deadlines, and announce their admission decisions at different times, but May 1st is a universal deadline among all colleges requiring students to declare their decision. Please remember this not only means that you have informed the college of your choice that you intend to attend their college, but it also typically includes submitting a deposit.

As you reach the final hours of your decision making window, if you need to talk out your choice with someone, please feel free to stop in and talk to us. Remember to trust yourself. You will make the decision that is right for you!

Next Year's Schedule

Mrs. Travis (in partnership with the rest of the WKHS administrators) has been working on the master schedule for next year. They have determined where each class will be held during the school day to meet the most student requests possible. This includes running your requests through the computer to try to match as many of the requests as possible between what you had asked for and what is possible in the computers. As of this week, they have officially "locked" the master schedule into place. 

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

We are starting the process of calling kids down regarding conflicts. If in the coming days, you get an email or pass to come see us during your lunch, off period or between periods, we are asking you to please make every effort to come at the day and time we are calling for you so we can look at your schedule together. (And that specific timing is when we think we should be able to fit you in without making you wait for long.) You don't want us to be the one to make those tough choices for you so we really do need to meet and look at the options together.

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

Making College Lists

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

To support students and parents in this process we have a Junior Seminar coming up this week focused on building your college lists.

On Thursday, April 30th, we will host the final Junior Seminar of this year in Room 201 from 8:15-8:35am to talk about finalizing your college list.

We hope you will make plans to join us on Thursday!

AP and IB Exams

Over the next few weeks many WKHS students will be taking Advanced Placement and IB Exams. The AP and IB exams are held on designated days and will be in varying locations. I know many of you have been spending an extraordinary amount of time studying to prepare for the exams. Good Luck!  You will do great! Remember, you have spent the whole year learning all of the content that you need to know in order to take the tests to hopefully earn the college credit. 

Additionally, I want to remind you that IB exams begin at 8:30am and AP exams start at 8:00am. That means all students who will be taking AP tests next week need to make arrangements to arrive to school by 7:30am for morning AP tests. You will then get checked in and ready to go for testing to start promptly at 8:00am. Since this is different than our typical normal schedule you will want to make sure you have a plan for getting to school because the buses won't have you to school on time.  Also, since that is an hour earlier than you are probably arriving to school normally, it wouldn't be a bad idea to start waking up a little earlier so that your body (and brain) is prepared for the earlier start next week.

Mandatory Graduation Form

On Friday, all seniors received an information link for the Senior Information Questionnaire that we need for you to complete and submit prior to May 4th.

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

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

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

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

These forms are due back ASAP, but no later than May 4th.

If you have updates/ changes after you have submitted your form - such as you received an additional scholarship, please email that new scholarship information to Mrs. Focht at afocht@wscloud.org.  We will try our best to include your updated scholarships in the program, but it is possible that information received after May 4th may not be able to be included if the program.

Prom

Tonight is prom night for WKHS juniors and seniors. This is an exciting and memorable night for students and I hope you have a great evening. Let's be honest, I also hope that it is a safe evening! You want prom to be memorable because it was a positive experience...

Hopefully you are looking forward to a fun night at both prom and at After-Hours. 

One last reminder about safety - please remember to talk with your parents before you leave tonight about what you will do if you end up in an unexpected situation and need help. Have a good time - be smart and please be safe!

Tomorrow's Bell Schedule

We are on a very unique bell schedule tomorrow. The day will include a pep rally at the end of 6th period to kick-off prom weekend with the Powderpuff football game and a celebration of the spring sports athletes.

Here is the bell schedule:

• 1st: 8:40-9:19
• 2nd: 9:24-10:12
• 3rd: 10:17-10:56
• 4th: 11:01-11:40
• 5th: 11:45-12:24
• 6th: 12:29-1:08
• Pep Rally: 1:08-1:49
• 7th: 1:57-2:36
• 8th: 2:41-3:20

It's going to be a fun day and I hope that you will lean into the enjoyment of the festivities of the day.

Free Vaccine Clinic

Kilbourne will be providing a free vaccine clinic for students on Wednesday April 29th from 8:30 -12:30 with Columbus Public Health. This is a super easy, convenient option because parents do not need to be present, all vaccines are free and no one has to drive downtown to the main clinic location.

Registration can be completed online Vaccine Clinic Registration or consent forms can be picked up from Nurse Julie in the Health Office, completed and returned to school for students to participate. 

This is the perfect time for current 11th graders to receive the Meningococcal vaccine which is a requirement for starting senior year.

If you have any questions, please stop by the health office and ask Nurse Julie between now and next Wednesday.

Culture Day

Tomorrow at WKHS we will be celebrating all of the various cultural backgrounds that contribute to and shape the lives of our Kilbourne students and staff.  

As a component of this fun day, all students will have the chance to explore and engage with information and experiences during your lunch period. We know the students have worked really hard to put together a meaningful and impactful experience for all of our students.  There is no question that we are stronger because of our differences and the backgrounds which have shaped us into the people we are today. I hope you will take the time to check out the exhibits and thank the students who have worked so hard to make this day special.

Government EOC Test

Just a quick reminder that all students who are currently enrolled in a Government class (which includes regular Government, AP Government and CC+ Government), will be taking the Government End of Course test tomorrow morning starting at 8:40am. Most students will be testing in the Main Gym. Check your school email to verify your testing location. Good luck on the test!

SAT/ ACT Test Prep

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

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

To register for the tests, please visit their websites.

ACT: www.act.org

SAT: www.collegeboard.com

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

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

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

- Take free practice tests online.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Students of the Month

Friday was the ceremony to honor Kilbourne's April Students of the Month. 32 students were nominated by WKHS staff in recognition 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: Ben Blankenship, Mia Calcara, Leandro Cobo, Ella Cottell, Allison Davis, Michael Dolciato, Ikrame Eddahraoui, Gavin Exclusa, Kayden Gates, Laney Grant, Lillian Griffith, Scarlett Haase, Cylie Holman, Fatin Juniad, Mia Kim, Hawthorne Kitay, Joshua Krebs, Elena Lively, Isabel Ludsin, Alex McCracken, Reese Miller, Angel Morales Ramirez, Amanda Riberio De Barros, Nayla Riberio De Barros, Brayden Rippel, Justin Serralde Romero, Brooks Tweedle, Addison VanLear, Sophia Wang, Amauri Williams, Traiden Winegar, and KaMaila Woodson-Levey. We are proud of you all!

Making the College Decision

Seniors have 2 weeks left to decide what college they will be attending next year. Remember, there is no right or wrong choice – it is all about what school is the best fit for you and your individual wants and needs in a college. Try to take a deep breath and relax as we head into the final countdown. Trust yourself and know that you will be successful in the future – no matter where you end up!

In talking with some of my students who are stressed about trying to pick which college they will attend, it has become obvious that part of the struggle is even in determining how to compare and contrast them.  As you are starting to think about your different schools, it is essential that you determine what you really want in a school and what is most important to you in a college. If you are still struggling with your choice, then chances are pretty good that the schools that you have narrowed your decision down to are probably relatively similar.

Take the time to go back and look at the same factors you considered when picking which schools you wanted to apply to and try to get really picky about the different factors that played into your choice. Perhaps creating a chart can help you clarify how important each factor is to you and how each school compares in that category. For example, think about the location of the school. How important is that issue to you in picking a college? The schools are likely within your comfort zone of a location from home, but when looking at two colleges consider how far or close they are from your family. What does it mean to you if the school is 10 minutes away, 4 hours away, or a flight away? How important is it to you to be able to come home for an evening, a weekend, or a holiday? You can also look at the size of the school. Consider the advantages and disadvantages of the different sizes of schools. For example, the larger school might provide additional choices and the smaller school may provide better teacher/ student ratios. What is more important to you? And if both are important to you then you will need to consider what you will do to adapt to make sure that the school will meet your needs. Consider the social life and activities on and around the campus. Is it what you picture for your college years? Most importantly, you need to figure out what categories and issues are critical to you and compare the schools on those aspects.

If your school comparison charts are similar and you still can’t decide – try to go visit the schools again. Sit in on the classes and, if possible, arrange for an overnight visit (yes, you are running out of time for overnight visits). People watch and consider your interactions with the students on campus. Are the students friendlier at one school over the other? What about the professors you talk to? Are they engaging and whose classes are you most interested in attending? How was school safety? What strategies are in place to help keep students safe? Which campus support staff (admissions, financial aid, etc.) is friendlier and more helpful? (While this is not necessarily a key factor it can give you an image of the school and a glimpse at their culture and values as an academic institution.)

How do the schools compare regarding the costs? What will the difference in costs mean to you over the long haul? Ask yourself if the school will meet your academic needs, if you will have the social life you desire, and if you and your family can make the investment. As you are progressing through your decision making process, remember not to be shy about asking questions and getting them answered because you are entitled to feel confident in your decision. This is your choice. You are not a victim in this process – you are the key active participant. 

Remember, if you want to stop in and talk about your college decision we are always here for you, but know that we can’t make this decision for you – just like your family and friends can’t make this choice for you. The good news – the stress is almost over and you will be relieved to be able to finally answer the question that everyone asks endlessly of “Where are you going to college?”

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!