New Classes

Each year the staff of WKHS are working not only to make sure that all students have the best possible experiences in your current classes, but also to anticipate the future needs and interests of students and to adjust or develop new classes that will interest our students.  As an outcome of this there are several new courses being offered in the coming year which may interest students.


Forensics - this is a Science semester-long elective course available to students in grades 11 and 12.  This class focuses on the collection, identification and analysis of crime scene evidence.  Emphasis will be placed on the methods that link suspect, victim and crime scene.  Labs will include fingerprinting, handwriting analysis, ballistics, blood typing, hair and fiber examination, and DNA analysis.  Case studies and current events will be explored.

Biomedical Science - this is Science semester-long elective course and is available to students in grades 11 and 12.  This course investigates concepts of biology and medicine as they explore health conditions including heart disease, diabetes, sickle-cell disease, hypercholesterolemia, and infectious diseases.  Students will be introduced to human physiology, basic biology, medicine and research processes.

Environmental Studies - is another semester-long Science elective course for 11th and 12th graders.  This course surveys key topic areas including the application of scientific process to environmental analysis, ecology, energy flow, ecological structures, earth systems, and atmosphere, land and water science.  Students will also learn about decisions impacting the environment and the use of resources.

Astronomy - this is also a Science semester-long elective course for juniors and seniors.  This class introduces students to the composition and structure of the universe.  Content includes historical astronomy, astronomical instruments, the celestial sphere, the solar system, the earth as a system in space, the earth. moon system, the sun as a star, and stars.

IB Math Studies - this is a new IB Math class that is a 1-year IB math course and is easier than the other IB math class - this class is going to be more similar to Pre-Calculus.

CC+ MET 1281: Engineering Design & Development - this is equivalent to the ED & D course already running at WKHS and the college class will still be taught over the year by WKHS teachers, but if you elect to sign up for this course you will automatically earn 2 credits from Sinclair Community College that you can use to hopefully transfer to your intended college.  Please note that because it is just a 2 credit hour class, you will not be able to count this class for athletic eligibility because it is equal to .66 credits for the year or .33 credits for each semester.

There are also some classes you won't find as options for next year...

AP French is no longer being offered - students are encouraged to take IB French instead.

Natural Systems Science (NSS) is no longer being offered - all of the other new science semester electives have taken it's place.

CC+ Honors PreCalculus is no longer being offered.  Students still have the option of Math 150 CC+ PreCaclulus, but not the honors precalc course.  But, remember, Students who take Math 150 (regular PreCalc) for 5 credit hours will then go to Calculus 1 for 5 credits the next year.  Students who take Honors PreCalc will then be on track to go to Math BC which is Calculus 1 and 2 which is also worth 10 credit hours of college classes so they both equate out to the same amount of college credits earned.

Law 2 is not running next year because they are trying to rotate this course into the offerings every couple of years and it ran this year, but don't worry, it will be back again in the future.

IB and Blended Classes

When we look at the learning options available to meet the needs of our students, sometimes it is the approach to the learning which varies and that is the case with the IB program and with the blended learning courses.  I wanted to spend a few minutes giving you highlights related to these options so that you are aware as you are scheduling your classes.

One of the top factors colleges consider when evaluating applicants is the strength of the academic schedule students take on during high school.  (And, of course, that they do well in those classes.)  One of the options that students can consider for selecting a rigorous academic schedule that also has the benefit of providing students with a global perspective and integrated learning to make connections across courses, is the International Baccalaureate (IB) program.

Students who are interested in completing the full IB diploma program will have specific IB courses to take along with completing the IB exams, an extended essay, and a community action service project along with a Theory of Knowledge course.  Even if students are not sure that they want to take on the full diploma program, you can still participate in IB courses!  You can take just a handful of classes (or even just 1) if that is what appeals to you.  For example, students interested in Psychology or History might elect to take just the IB Psychology course or just the IB History course.  And there is an IB partial program that you can explore if you fall somewhere in the middle.

As an IB World School, our students have the opportunity to participate in a rigorous group of classes to push themselves to learn and grow.  Students that are in the IB program are among the first to talk about how much they have enjoyed the program.  If you have questions about IB I definitely encourage you to talk with students in the IB program or to Ms. Goodwin who is the IB program coordinator.  And, of course, you can always talk to me too.

We also offer a range of Blended Courses.  In the blended format, students will meet with the teacher for more traditional instruction, full class discussions, and learning activities a few days a week and then, depending on the class and how the teachers have it set up, on the other days out of the week students may be in the classroom working in groups or on their own or they may even have the flexibility to take more personal responsibility for their learning by completing online assignments, engaging in digital conversations, or completing other activities to push their learning forward.  As you are probably aware, Digital Art is a course that is only offered in the blended format.  Students also have the choice of selecting between regular or blended courses for AP English Language, English 3 and Contemporary Voices.   Blended Learning courses provide an exciting opportunity for many students, but it will not be right for all kids so please know that the traditional format for these classes will also still be available if that is what you prefer.  Please note that if you are choosing a class that is offered in a traditional format and a blended format the numbers are the same, but the blended course sections have a different ending to the course code so if you do want to enroll in one of the blended courses next year, be sure to select the proper code/ course.  If you want to learn more about Blended learning, check out the video the district created.

How many classes should I take?

"How many classes should I take?" It is a common question that students are asking and, in all honesty, the answer depends.

A general rule of thumb for students planning to attend college is that all freshman, sophomore, and junior students should plan to take at least 6 classes each semester. All seniors that are on track for meeting their graduation requirements can decrease the total number of courses each semester due to the demands of other requirements such as college and scholarship applications, but should still plan to take at least 5 classes each semester.

It is important though to remember that 5 classes is the minimum required in order to be considered a Full Time student.  Being full time is critical for a wide range of reasons - insurance, child support, good driver discounts, etc.  So you will definitely not want to be looking at less than 5 classes in any semester!

If students are behind on earning their credits, then it may be necessary to plan on taking more classes during a semester or the year.  In order to progress forward with your class, all freshman students must earn at least 5.0 credits to be classified as a sophomore. All sophomore students must earn at least 10.0 credits to be classified as a junior. And, to be classified as a senior, students must earn at least 15.0 credits. 

Also, please be sure that you double check and make sure you are taking enough classes to be eligible to participate in athletics and other co-curricular activities. (Remember, any school sponsored activity that involves competition requires you to be eligible. So this includes band, choir groups, Mock Trial, In the Know, Dance Team, etc.)

In order to be eligible you must PASS at least 5 of the half credit courses each quarter. If you are signing up to take a Wellness for Life course, you need to remember that these classes are only worth .25 credits so they do not count in the courses needed for co-curricular eligibility.

If you have questions about eligibility, please stop in the co-curricular office or to see me for additional clarification.

Meeting Madness

I wanted to let you know that over the next three weeks there are multiple days each week that will be very hectic with one-on-one meetings which means I will NOT be available in the same way as normal. If you have questions or would like to touch base about anything, I wanted you to be aware up front so that you could plan accordingly.

This week I am not available at all on Monday and Wednesday. Next week I will not be available on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. And the following week I will not be available on Monday and most of Wednesday. During each of these days I will be meeting individually with students regarding their course selections for next year and, for the juniors, also discussing their plans for life after high school.

Please understand that your concerns and needs are very important to me so I will work to see you around my scheduled individual registration meeting days.

Also, don't forget that the online registration is now open, so log in and complete your course registration!  Tomorrow night, Monday, January 29th is curriculum night so that students and parents can learn more about the various academic choices so if you're still not sure about which classes you want to select, please come to WKHS tomorrow night to learn more!

Balancing Your Classes

Hopefully you are ready to request your classes online (and thanks to all those who have already done so) .  Don't forget, you need to submit your online registration by this coming Friday (February 2nd) and, if you are a junior scheduled to meet with me this week, please be sure to complete your registration before our meeting. 

When you are considering which classes you want to take it is really important to try to find a balance. You want to challenge yourself with courses that will push you and help prepare you for the future. At the same time you want to remember that it is high school and you need to be reasonable about your expectations for yourself. There is a balance that should be sought - between too many "easy" classes and too many "hard" classes. You know yourself best and what you can handle so while it may feel good to have every teacher recommend you for honors, AP, or IB classes it doesn't mean that it would be the ideal situation to load your schedule with 7 advanced classes. This week I even had students stop by proclaiming a plan to take 8 classes by skipping their lunch period.  I get it, there are a lot of incredible classes available at WKHS, but overloading your day and burning yourself out does nothing for your love of learning or your ability to successfully complete your classes.  I cannot stress enough how much I want you to think about the rest of your commitments.  

What sports, clubs, music groups, part-time jobs, and volunteer commitments do you have?  When will you have time to relax and breathe, spend time with your family and friends and, perhaps most importantly, still get a good night's sleep each night?

I completely understand that this can be hard to figure out the balance because you aren't at next year yet to be able to imagine what your days will feel like, but the Kilbourne staff created a Time Commitment Planning Calendar which can help you gain insight into what your intended plan will really look like.  You can find copies on the Kilbourne Counselor website - www.wkhscounselors.com - or there are hard copies available in the counseling center.  A student helped by completing a sample calendar so that you can see what a completed one looks like and that is also on the Kilbourne Counselor website.  I strongly encourage you to consider 2 of your busiest weeks and fill out the calendar so that you can have a realistic perspective for what the classes you are considering would provide a good balance for you - being both rigorous (particularly in any area of passion) and reasonable.

If you are struggling to find that balance, please talk to your parents about the classes you are considering and stop down to see me so that we can discuss it too.

Parent/ Teacher Conferences

Parent/ Teacher conferences are coming up soon.  Conferences will be held on Monday, February 5^th from 5:00pm - 9:00pm and Thursday, February 8^th from 3:30pm – 7:30pm.  Each conference will be scheduled in 20 minute time blocks.  Conferences allow parents the chance to learn about your student’s classroom performance from the teachers, it allows the opportunity for you to ask questions and they provide an opportunity to build a dialogue with the teachers regarding any thoughts and concerns you might have.

Parents, if you are interested in arranging to meet with one of your son or daughter’s teachers during conferences, you will be able to sign up now.  Conferences will be scheduled as people sign up for them, so if you want to make sure you have times that work well for you, I strongly encourage you to register right away.

Please follow the steps below to register for a parent/ teacher conference:

•      Go to http://ptcfast.com/schools/Worthington_Kilbourne_High_School.  This will take you to the conference scheduler.
•       Click on the teacher you would like to meet with for a conference.
•       Sign up by entering your child’s last name, first name, your name and your e-mail address and then click Submit.
•     The next screen will direct you to check your e-mail inbox for a message with the subject “Select Date/ Team for Teacher Conference Now.”
•     Open the e-mail and click on the link to select a conference time.  If you do not receive an e-mail, please check your junk/ spam folder.  Please note, you MUST follow the link in the email in order to complete the sign-up process.
•      The link will take you to a Time Picker.  Available time slots will appear on this page.  If there are no available appointments that suit your schedule, please e-mail the teacher directly to set up an alternate meeting time.
•      After submitting your time slot, you will be prompted to finish, schedule another appointment for the same student or register another student.  Once you have completed your reservations, you will receive an e-mail confirming the date and time of your conferences and a link by which you can make changes to your date or time if you need to do so.

Career Searching for Future Planning

Sometimes students will talk about being stressed, overwhelmed or worried when thinking about the future and trying to decide what they want to be when they grow up.  I get it, but I have to admit – this kind of makes me sad.  I think that the process of exploring potential careers for your future should be fun and exciting.  It should provide you with the chance to learn more about yourself – what you like, what you don’t like, what you are interested in learning more about, and how you can contribute to make the world a better place in big or small ways.

Yes, I realize that this all sounds like pressure and that is not what I intend.  Let me be clear – I am not asking you to decide today what you will do for the rest of your life.  I’m just hoping that you will consider doing some career exploration and using that information to help you as you select your courses for next year.  Even a little bit of exploration now while you are in high school can help give you insights into possible fields to investigate.  We specifically gave this information to juniors as a part of their registration packet, but I think it can be helpful and interesting to students of every age.

Some students have done a Myers Briggs personality test and the codes of your personality can be connected with potential career fields.  If you have never taken a Myers Briggs type test, today is the day!  This website provides a free version of the test.  It takes 12 minutes to complete… what are you waiting for?  In case it entices you to complete the test, the results will not only tell you about potential career paths you might like it will also highlight some of your strengths and weaknesses, styles of interactions and needs with others, and work habits.  Plus, once you have your Myers Briggs code type (it will be 4 letters) you can do a Google search to find information about top careers for your personality type and that will result in much more detailed, specific career related information.  I also have a cheat sheet of different careers that might fit well based on your personality type.

If a personality test seems too abstract for a career interest inventory, then I also have another free career test that you might like.  This is a quick 56 question test where you indicate how much or how little you are interested in various areas.  It isn’t the “prettiest” site, but the information is good – when you get to the results page just scroll down below the video to see what it indicates as being your results.

After you have done either or both of these tests I hope that you will save or print your results and bring them in so that we can talk about them and what you think based upon your own interests for your future and if you agree or disagree with the results.  And yes, it is ok to disagree… a quick simple test online cannot replace your own thoughts, feelings, interests, and insights!