Academic Signing Day

This morning nearly 30 WKHS seniors participated in the academic signing day ceremony. Students are given the opportunity to participate in this ceremony if they have been awarded $4,000 in academic, merit or fine art scholarships. ($4,000 one time or $1,000 renewable for 4 years) Each student came onto the stage and announced the scholarship they had received, where they would be attending college and offered their thanks to people who have helped them during their high school career. This group of students was awarded over 2 million dollars! Congratulations on your accomplishments!

5 of my students were among those honored.  A special congratulations to (L to R): Neil Hedges, Hannah Vincent, Naomi Barker, Emily Cantrell and Lindsey Bauer.  I am so proud of each of you and grateful that I had the opportunity to work with you over the last 4 years!

Arts in Action

Arts in Action is always a fun day for WKHS students.  I hear you all talk about it in much the same way as elementary school kids talk about their end of the year field day fun.  And while it is meant to be fun, it is also a special way to showcase the many talents of the WKHS artists.  Kilbourne is certainly blessed with some amazing artists!  And I appreciate the fact that on Arts in Action day all the various art forms are celebrated and honored.  Throughout the day I was able to capture a few of my students creating art of their own.  Additionally, Nia Brown was recognized as the Top 2-D Kilbourne artist of the year!

 Anne Dargenio painting

 Dallas DeWitt and Jonathan Blake freestyle rapping

 Isabel Bensusan painting

 Jacob Bloom competing in the pottery throwdown competition

 Michael Calvert and Dom Brown (above) and Tori Eger (below) all work on the sand art display

And then my favorite part of the entire Arts in Action day... I guess technically it wasn't artistic, but it was definitely entertaining!  The deans agreed to assist the sophomore class in their fundraising efforts for next year's prom by participating in a competition to raise money.  Mr. Souder lost and Mr. Schirg was able to put a pie in Mr. Souder's face, but then Mr. Schirg graciously allowed a 2nd pie to be put into his face too.  It was very messy, but they were great sports about it and I give them both a ton of credit.  Clearly they would do anything for our students!  Here is one of the pictures I captured.

Also, since I didn't get these pictures up here earlier this weekend there are actually 2 posts today, so if you are a senior, be sure to continue scrolling down and take a look at the senior detail reminders in the next post.

Senior Details

For seniors everything is winding down... well, actually, everything but graduation parties... that circuit is just getting started. :-)

At this point in time you are hopefully finishing up your school projects and are prepared for your final exams and any other remaining academic requirements since you only have 4 days left. I wanted to make sure that you had taken care of some of the other last minute details...

* Finish strong: If you are not doing well in your classes, please make sure you do everything that you need to do to pass your classes with the highest grades possible. Above all, please make sure that you pass all of your classes that are requirements for graduation!

* Final Transcript: When you graduate from WKHS and move on to college the college will want a copy of your final transcript showing your 2nd semester grades and the fact that you did graduate. As is always the case we cannot release your records without your express written permission. We are covering the fee for this for you, but you need to make sure that the information you turned in on the post-secondary and final transcript form is accurate.  If you are one of my students who has changed their mind (and a few of you have done so), please make sure that you update the college who should be receiving a copy of your transcript.

* 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 before 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. The book room will be open for you to return your textbooks after you have finished with your exams and are done with your books.

* 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. This article provides good information and suggestions as you write your scholarship thank you.

* Submit your Commencement Agreement: If you have not turned in your commencement agreement form, you need to make sure that you get that turned in this week!  It requires both your signature and the signature of your parent.  Completed forms should be turned in to the co-curricular office.  If you can't remember if you turned in your form or not, there is a list posted outside of the co-curricular office that can tell you.

* Make sure you turned in everything else: In addition to paying your fees and submitting your commencement agreement, please double check to make sure you have submitted the other items that will help make your senior year memories special.  There are a few of you who haven't submitted your diploma presenter request forms yet and many who haven't turned in their senior pictures for the yearbook.  Do these things right away so that you are not left out!

* Stop by and see me: Selfishly, I would like to also add this to your list as I would love to have a few more minutes with you while you are still in high school. And, for those of you who still haven't given me a senior picture, I will remind you again that I would love to have one! :-)

A Lot of Reading

I have been collecting a lot of links lately and for many of them had the intention of writing individual blog posts related to their topics, but the reality is with the end of the school year approaching, it isn't doing you any good if I keep the list of links to myself.  So, here you go...  Happy Reading!

Targeted Test Practice

College searching tips from an Ivy League dean (video)

What are my chances

What should you do this summer

Columbia University struggles to decide who to admit

Why women should consider a women’s college

Cutbacks = Tuition Increases

How to probe for the right college fit

Should you study with your BFF?

Record your notes for reinforcement

What college majors will match your personality?

Why you need a balanced college list

Insider Information on admissions from the collegesthemselves

What are you willing to get good at?

Playing the wait list game

How “Yield” figures into the admissions equation

The realities of athletic scholarships

9 questions unhappy people never ask

7 positive things you should say today

5 ZZZZZeasons why your teen should put tech devices away at nightand go to sleep

10 tips to prevent cyber-bullying

Getting over SAT and ACT test anxiety

Don’t wait to get off a college waitlist: 10 proactive tips

The college essay – 6 tips to finding your voice andsurviving the process

Before you’re a freshman – learn how to deal with collegestress

What is a holistic admissions policy?

AP Classes – why they matter

No acceptance letters? What now?

Advice for smart students on succeeding in college

Colleges report 2013 acceptance rates

Space Availability Survey Results 2013  (This is a list of colleges who are still accepting applications even though we are beyond the May 1st deadline.)

The odds of a full ride athletic scholarship

7 ways to help teens cope with stress

Advice from a Dean of Admissions on Selecting high school courses

7 Reasons to avoid senioritis

3 Specific ways to reduce anxiety

Advice for students on the wait list

Take 4 steps for scholarship seekers this summer

Inside the room during a college admission decision (video)

Creating a persuasive personal statement

Who reads your college applications anyway?

How to decide between college acceptances

How to demonstrate interest in a college

Stress one-upmanship: Unhealthy competition and how to avoid it

Next time you skip class, consider how much money it’s costing you

Hey, High Schoolers! What are you doing this coming summer?

On College: Admissions for Student Athletes

SAT Tip: How do the ACT and SAT tests differ?

Timing tips for the ACT and SAT

4 ways to make your scholarship essay stand out

Making your campus visit effective

Admissions 101: Learning from your campus tour mistakes

College Admissions: High School classes colleges look for

Tip Sheet: 5 study strategies for the SAT

23 science-backed study tips to ace a test

College Choices: 10 iPhone apps to help manage your college search

Senior Recognition Night

Tonight was the Senior Recognition Night - a time when graduating seniors are honored for the contributions and awards received over the last four years of high school.  29 of "my" kids were among those being recognized tonight. I am proud of all of you and was honored to participate in your evening of well-deserved recognition.

With so many of "my" students being recognized tonight there was no way that I could try to get the entire group together for a picture, but I was able to grab these groups of students who happened to be near one another after the ceremony.  Above (L to R): Grace Ellis, Ryan Adolph, Sarah Adams, Naomi Barker, and Austin Bollinger.  Below (L to R): Hannah Vincent, Sean Baumgardner, and Lindsey Bauer.  

Congratulations to all of the seniors honored tonight!

Spring Cleaning

Another school year is winding down (but it is not over so you still need to apply yourself fully and finish school strong) and the spring weather and upcoming exams are two likely reasons that 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, seniors, 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 that from my experience in college, if I had not saved my notes from calculus in high school then there is no way that 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.

Summer Volunteering & Scholarship

Looking for a great Summer Volunteering opportunity?

iCanBike (formerly called Lose the Training Wheels) will be held on June 3 - 7th at WKHS. This is a week long opportunity for campers with disabilities to learn to ride two-wheeled bikes. Students who have volunteered in the past have shared how fun and rewarding this experience has been for them as well as for the campers who are learning to ride their bikes. Students interested in volunteering should register online at http://icanbikecbusvol.eventbrite.com or call 614-314-1834 with questions.

Additionally, JA BizTown has a unique volunteer opportunity this summer. There will be two weeks of Summer Camp, June 10-14 and June 17-21. High school students can serve as junior counselors for the camp. Each volunteer will work from 9 - 3 all 5 days of their assigned camp. The junior counselors will be assigned a small group of kids to work with for the week learning about the importance of financial literacy. Kids "design a town", interview for jobs, work on business ideas and preparation, then work in our "town" for two days of each camp.

Their website is www.jacols.org and the summer camp information is on this page: http://jacols.org/ja_biztown/ja_biztown_summer_camp

Interested volunteers may contact Mr. Crozier at pcrozier@jacols.org.

Also, seniors, there is still time for 1 more local scholarship - the Insight Bank Scholarship!  Students with a 3.0 GPA or higher who will be attending college full time at a school in Ohio and majoring in business, banking, or finance are eligible.  The submission deadline is no later than next Wednesday and as of today there were no applicants.  Don't miss out on this $1,000 scholarship opportunity!