Good Luck!

Today the Varsity Girls Lacrosse team will compete in the State Final Four Tournament games!  Game time is 5:15 at Thomas Worthington High School and I hope to see many of you there supporting the lady wolves.  Good luck to the entire team, but especially to "my" students who will be competing - (L to R): Maggie Baumgardner, Addy Boyles, Miriam Bassani, and Grace Cameron!

School's Out

Congratulations! You have successfully completed another school year. I hope exams went well and that your grades for the 2nd semester will be strong. Teachers will be in the building tomorrow working on finalizing grades and I will still be working through part of next week. Have I mentioned lately how jealous I am that you get to sleep in and enjoy your summer vacation already? :-)

Words of Wisdom

Over the last few weeks seniors (now graduates) have spent time talking about their thoughts and feelings related to high school.  There was a great deal of similarity in what I have heard from all of you.  I heard often that it was hard to believe how fast the last 4 years had gone.  You are ready to move on to the next stages of your lives and there is excitement about finishing high school, but for many of you there was also a bitter-sweet feeling about leaving your friends and the familiarity of high school behind.

As you spend time over the next few weeks reflecting back on your high school career, please consider passing along some of your words of wisdom.  You have created a positive impression and many of the younger students look up to and admire you.  I'm sure you can remember some of the older students who made an impression on your life and this is your opportunity to pass along the gift of your wisdom to those who will continue in high school.  Let the younger students know what you are glad you did, what you wish you would have done differently, and other suggestions and tips for being successful and making the most of their high school years.  As you share your insights, you may never fully realize the difference that you have made, but you can be sure that your legacy will continue to make a positive impact in the years ahead.

Tomorrow are the last 2 exams for everyone - good luck and please finish strong!

Congratulations Graduates

I love graduation day! It is a celebration of all that you have accomplished - not only in high school, but really from your very first day of Kindergarten. There is such joy and excitement seeing all of you in your caps and gowns. I love to watch as you march in and try to search for your families in the stands and then, of course, watching when you receive your diplomas and are officially high school graduates. There are just so many reasons to smile!

Although I wasn't able to get a picture of each of my students, I wanted to share a few of the pictures that I was able to capture...

(L to R): Alexa Dauphin, Paris Cyrus, Jamie Cosner, Conor Corcoran, Hunter Coldiron, Michael Coen, and Raeshawn Cason

(L to R): Liz Bates, Paul Barrie, Jimmy Barbin and Patrick Archambeau

(Front to Back, Left to Right): Ashly Butler, Brianna Bare, Lea Araya, Justin Anthony, Nick Anderson, Chelsea Brooks, Anna Bright, Hunter Bonvillain, Alexa Dauphin and Paris Cyrus

"My" Graduates with Highest Honors - (L to R): Emily Cantrell, Jenna Boue, Lauren Barnhart, Lindsey Bauer, Naomi Barnhart, and Katie Dyer

(L to R): Justin Anthony, Nick Anderson, Nick Ambrozich, Zach Alexander, Ryan Adolph, Tosin Ademodi and Sarah Adams

(L to R): Lauren Barnhart, Ryan Adolph and Lindsey Bauer

(L to R): Chelsea Brooks, Anna Bright, Hunter Bonvillain, Lexi Bond, Austin Bollinger, Luke Bogatay, Izzy Benzegala, Sean Baumgardner, and Jimmy Barbin and in the row behind them, but making an appearance: Conor Corcoran and Hunter Coldiron

Grace Ellis and Nate Deagle

What an awesome day to celebrate your accomplishments!

Ms. Schwartz was on the other side of the room, but I liked this picture she took as you all tossed your caps into the air as your ceremony concluded.

2 of Kilbourne's most recent alum's - Rosan Eldadah and Katie Dyer

Jimmy Barbin shows off his diploma

And last, but certainly not least, Michael Dillow, a 2013 Hall of Fame Inductee

Congratulations to the entire class of 2013!  I am so proud of you all!

Memorial Day and Exams

I hope that you had a relaxing Memorial Day spending time with your family and friends. I also hope that you had the chance to pause and reflect on the meaning behind this holiday. Today I am thinking not only of those who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom and for the families they left behind, but also for all who have proudly served to make us the home of the brave. God Bless America and all who have made the choice to serve! 

I also hope that you spent time over the long weekend studying for exams!  My assumption is that you know the exam schedule for the next few days, but if you have misplaced it - check out my post from last week for the exact schedule.  Good luck on your exams tomorrow!

It's Graduation Day!

Congratulations Class of 2013 - today is your day!

In just a few short hours we will be at the Battelle Grand in the Greater Columbus Convention Center for commencement.  If you didn't give your parents the information sheet that was distributed at Friday's practice, please make sure you find it and hand it to them.

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. As a general rule, assuming you are one of my students, you will be on "Stage Right" which means that if you are standing on the stage you are on the right side or, put another way, looking at the stage you will be on the left side. This is the side where you will march into the Battelle Grand and around until you reach your seat on that half of the center aisle as well as the side where you will go up the stairs to receive your diplomas. Trust me, your parents will not be happy if they end up being on the "wrong" side and don't have a good view of your special day.

Don't forget that you need to dress up beneath your cap and gown and that you should be sure that you bring your cap and gown with you to the ceremony.  You need to be there around 3:00 to check in.  

For what it is worth, don't forget to iron your gown - especially if you are just taking it out of the package today.

Perhaps the best recommendation that I can give to you and your families is to pick a place where you will meet up - and more specifically, a place that is NOT near the bottom of the escalator.  I realize that most of you haven't been to the site of today's ceremony, but I can assure you that the most chaotic place to be as soon as the ceremony is over is anywhere near the bottom of the escalator because everyone who attended the graduation ceremony will be trying to leave and coming off the escalator to try to find and meet up with their families and friends.  

It is going to be a great day and I cannot wait to see all of you enjoying and celebrating your accomplishments of the last 4 years at WKHS, but really of your entire educational careers.  Congratulations, I am proud of you!

Baccalaureate

I suspect that it is not a huge surprise to those of you who follow my blog with any level of consistency that any activity or accomplishment that “my” students are a part of is something that brings me great pride and excitement. Reaching the end of the school year and all of the graduation related festivities are among some of the most special moments for high school students and their families.

In my opinion, graduation weekend truly kicks off each year with the Baccalaureate service. Held annually at a local church, this activity is sponsored by the Activity Club and celebrates the accomplishments of the WKHS seniors, honors the impact they have left on the school and community, and wishes the seniors good luck as they move on in life toward the exciting activities and adventures ahead.

As a part of the inspirational service, one of my students, Naomi Barker, put together the photo slide show which was so fun to see.  It is amazing to look at the baby pictures and the pictures of each senior now and think about how far you have come and all you have been through.  Add in the fact that the video was to music and it was a special part of the ceremony.  Additionally, the parents of one of my students, Kelly Baumgardner, (mom of Sean) was the parent speaker and she gave a wonderful and touching talk!  I loved what she shared and wondered how many seniors thought to themselves, "wait, I've heard Miss Abbott use that quote too" when she quoted Steven Furtick about we compare our behind the scenes with other people's highlight reels.  Very true and a wonderful message from a passionate, caring and dedicated mom.

Throughout the service I am confident in saying that I was not alone in thinking of special moments and memories with the seniors and offering up prayers of gratitude for the people you are today and the impact you will make on this world in the future! I wish all of you the best and hope that this was just the start of a wonderful and memorable weekend.