It's Summertime!

Wow, it doesn't seem possible, but we have reached the end of another very successful school year. I am sure that you are all breathing a sigh of relief that exams are over and summer has finally started.  Congratulations on making it through the year.  I know that with the PARCC schedules and the testing madness it was a challenging year for many of you, but you did it!  I hope you have a wonderful, safe and relaxing summer... without feeling bored.  :-)

Summer School

If you are contemplating summer school there are a couple of pieces of information I would like you to be aware of:

1.) Sign up soon! The first session of summer school begins a week from Monday, but you should be signed up prior to that point. You register online.

2.) Summer school will be held at WKHS.

3.) Most classes run from 8:00am – 12:20pm. That means that most days are like a week of school so you cannot miss a day – attendance daily is essential!

4.) The classes are just 3 weeks in length. The first session runs from June 8th to June 25th. The second session runs from July 6th to July 23rd.

5.) Most advanced credit courses cost $200. (Students on the free and reduced lunch program are allowed to attend for $50.)  All credit recovery courses are free.

6.) The first session of summer school correlates with the 1st session of the school year. So, if you failed a 1st semester of a course, then you would want to attend the 1st session of summer school.  (This is applicable if you are taking classes with an actual teacher rather than e-school courses.)

7.) The second session of summer school correlates with the 2nd session of the school year. So, if you failed a 2nd semester of a course, then you would want to attend the 2nd session of summer school.  (This is applicable if you are taking classes with an actual teacher rather than e-school courses.)

8.) There are some traditional classroom options with Worthington Summer School and also Worthington Online Summer School Credit Recovery. (Even if choosing the online option you still have to come to summer school daily and complete your work on the computers at the school.)

9.) One advantage of the online option is that students can take a semester class that they failed in a “different” session time. (This is very important to remember if you failed two classes during the same semester!) So, for example, if you failed both Math and Biology during the 2nd semester, then I would recommend that you sign up to take Biology via Worthington online credit recovery during the 1st session of summer school and take Math during the 2nd session of summer school with a teacher.

10.) Students who failed one or more sections of the OGT are strongly encouraged to re-take up to two sections of the OGT this summer. You must complete 10 hours of tutoring prior to taking the test though so it is important to log your hours so that you can take the test.  The OGT testing will take place at WKHS and there will be a OGT test-prep boot camp experience to allow you to gain your required 10 hours of tutoring beginning next week at WKHS.  If you failed one or more sections of the OGT, please take advantage of this free opportunity!

People frequently ask if they have to take summer school through Worthington and the answer is no.  You can complete your summer school through any accredited school.  This means that you can use surrounding districts or online programs.  For example, many students have used TRECA summer school.  If you decide to use a different school for summer school please be sure that you are signing up for summer school (for example, instead of searching "TRECA" search "Summer School TRECA"), make sure that they are accredited, and make sure you bring in a copy of your transcript after you complete the course so that we can add it to your Worthington transcript.

Congratulations Graduates!

Congratulations to the Class of 2015! Sunday was a beautiful day filled with many great moments. It was so exciting to see each student walk across the stage, receive their diploma and to celebrate their 12 years of education. As I watched "my kids" march out after the ceremony I couldn't help but think that you are now officially "former students" and yet I hope you know that I will always care about you. I was so proud and excited for Steven Borchers (class president) who did a great job with his graduation speech and was then inducted into the WKHS Hall of Fame! Congratulations Steven!

While I would have loved to have been able to capture pictures of every one of my students, that simply wasn't possible.  However several people asked me to share some of my pictures so here are some of the shots I was able to grab during the day.  (I tried to get pictures of all of you marching in and out, but you were moving too fast so most were just far too blurry to post - sorry.)

Grayson and Iric both got a shout out in Steven's graduation speech.

 

It's time to march into the ceremony!

 Steven presents an outstanding speech.

 Let the caps fly in celebration!

Honoring Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day.  Memorial day often represents so many things to us - the start of summer, a day off school to study before exams, or time to spend with family and friends, but the reality is that it is a day which means so much more than that.  We are incredibly fortunate to live in a free country, but that freedom has come at a cost for so many men, women and families.  Today, in the midst of your graduation celebrations and studying for exams, I hope you will also pause with gratitude to think of the bravery of the individuals who have made the decision to help serve in our nation's military and especially of those who lost their lives as a result of their service.  They and their families have sacrificed so much and I am grateful not just today, but every day.

So, tomorrow it will be back to being about Kilbourne and I will share some of the pictures I took from graduation, but for tonight, I am just focusing on being thankful for this great nation and the men and women who serve and sacrifice in the military.

It's Graduation Day!

Congratulations Class of 2015 - 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.  Check in and staging will take place in Ballroom 1.

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 - this is the first year we have had the Ballroom reserved and as it has been explained to me you will all march out and go all the way down to the ballroom and can meet your families there for pictures and to celebrate.  I realize that most of you haven't been to the site of today's ceremony, but I hope that going to the ballroom is going to help with the flow because I can assure you that in years past the most chaotic (worst) 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.  Congratulations, I am proud of you!

Baccalaureate Ceremony

Graduation weekend 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 luck as they move on in life toward the exciting activities and adventures ahead. 

Tonight’s program featured many of my talented students.  Maddie Beal and Anne Dargenio were on the planning committee along with Ellen Baxter (mom to Ryan).  Jacob Bloom provided a variety of introductions for the event and introduced the parent speaker. Michelle Borchers performed the piano prelude as the ceremony got started. And several other of my students shared their beautiful voices including Anne Dargenio, Maddie Beal  and Grayson Brown.  Elizabeth Borchers was awarded an Activity Club scholarship and Maggie Baumgardner and Amy Cameron (mom to Grace) introduced several of the Wolves for Cubs mentors for this year including Grayson Biglin, Miriam Bassani, Maddie Beal, and Justin Souder.  (There may have been other students who served as Wolves for Cubs mentors up front but I am forgetting at the moment - sorry!)  I particularly loved seeing all of your baby pictures alongside your senior pictures!  You have grown into incredible young men and ladies... and you sure were cute babies/ little kids!  :-)

Each year I love Baccalaureate and tonight was no exception.  Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to put together such a special night!

A Letter to "My" Seniors

To “My” Seniors ~

Today marked your final day of high school.  Congratulations!  I still cannot believe this day has arrived so quickly.  Your first day of high school is a vivid memory for me.  I remember watching as members of your class tried to navigate the different obstacles.  In many ways, that day and my memories of your interactions with one another are symbolic of who I watched your class become over these last four years.  For example, one moment that stands out in my memory from that first day was when one of you quickly scaled to the top of the climbing wall in order to retrieve the rope that someone else in your class had accidentally let go of, sending it soaring to the top.  And today, as I look back on your class, what stands out to me most are all the ways I watched as you came rushing in to help support your classmates when something went wrong.  I also remember the feeling of excitement and energy you displayed on the first day as you faced the four years ahead.  And now, as your high school years come to an end, that same excitement and energy level is evident.  You made it!  You accomplished your goals, you made your impact and you leave as individuals ready to face any challenges which come your way.

It is kind of funny – you are randomly assigned to a counselor based upon the first letters of your last name.  You didn’t get a choice in who you were assigned to work with, but you made the choice to allow me into your lives.  I can never express to you how much that has meant to me.  I cherish the fact that you have allowed me to celebrate the joyful moments and share in the disappointments and heartbreaks which shaped your four years of high school.  For each of you there have been a range of experiences and memories that you will carry with you.  Recently the seniors who have stopped by to visit have been bombarded with my questions of what you will miss, what your best and worst moments of high school were, and what you are most excited about for the future.  Perhaps those are unfair questions since you were just trying to figure out how to make it through classes and the crazy PARCC testing schedules of this year in one piece.  However, I was interested in hearing what you would say and what you would miss most.

My answer to those questions about your class is easy.  What I will miss most is YOU!  I cherished the moments we were able to spend talking together in my office.  I loved being able to share in your lives.  You are leaders who have made a positive difference in the school and community.  Whether it was through adopt-a-child, fundraising events like the talent show and empty bowl, in the classroom or in competitions, you are some of the most impressive leaders I have seen.  Your leadership gives me hope for what the future holds because I know that you will continue to put forth your best efforts to make not only your life better, but also to help all those around you.  The mark of every truly great leader is being dedicated to serving others.  As I mentioned already, the compassion and dedication in supporting your fellow classmates is by far the most impressive trait you display.  And, let’s be honest, your class has faced some sad and scary days.  Perhaps it was being there to listen to a classmate or friend who was having a bad day, or tutoring someone in Physics, Spanish or Math, or encouraging a teammate after a bad play during a competition or game, or even shaving your head as a demonstration of solidarity, no matter what was needed – you helped step forward to fill the need.

You never cease to impress me.  You are bright, talented and full of curiosity.  It was incredible to watch as you took on some of the most challenging academic loads, worked to develop your passions and fostered relationships with mentors beyond the boundaries of the classroom which helped you to learn and grow.  It didn’t matter if it was through art, engineering, science, or medicine, you jumped in with both feet to embrace the moment and learn from the community members you had come into contact with through your activities.  On the athletic fields, you have pulled together to achieve goals (including a girls lacrosse state championship title last year) and you have shown up to fill the stands and cheer on your classmates in their efforts no matter the outcome of the games.  You have overcome illnesses and injuries from cancer to concussions, broken ankles to torn acl’s, and bad backs to mono.  Through all of it you remained positive and hopeful that better days were ahead.  And you definitely had lots of great days too.  Victories big and small were evident in an outstanding musical, a successful mousetrap car, a completed CAS project, a state championship, a robot that worked, a fun-filled prom, a Science Olympiad medal, and, of course, college acceptances and scholarship offers.  You have achieved so much throughout your high school years and should be proud of your accomplishments and the manner with which you have carried yourself along the way.

So even though it is time for me to say good-bye, I want you to know that I will always hold a part of you with me in my heart.  I am proud of you and so thankful for the way you have touched my life.  You have wonderful opportunities ahead of you and I cannot wait to see all that you accomplish.  Congratulations!

 

Best wishes for the future,

Miss Abbott

PS – Don’t forget that tomorrow is graduation rehearsal at WKHS.  You need to be in the auditorium by 9:00am.  You do NOT need to bring your cap and gown.  You DO need to bring your commencement agreement if you haven’t already turned it in.  (If you need a copy you can download it fromthe Worthington Kilbourne website.)  I will warn you – rehearsal is a relatively boring experience (except for looking at your school pictures each year – I was peeking at many of your photos earlier this week and those were very cute and entertaining).  I’d suggest you consider bringing something quiet to do (read, draw, play on your phone, etc.) while you are waiting.  Ultimately, the practice will be worth it so that you can be sure you will have a positive and memorable commencement ceremony on Sunday.  And you get free pizza at the end of the practice.  :-)