Holiday Help

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

Except that for many people, it is not really the most wonderful time of year and can, in fact, be one of the most difficult times of year.  The holiday season often presents a challenging combination of high expectations, family drama, and school pressure with semester exams - all of which can result in unbelievably high levels of stress.  This is even more prevalent if you and your family are struggling to make ends meet this holiday season.  

My top recommendation for everyone is to try to keep a sense of perspective on what is reality.  It becomes very easy to get caught in the mindset that the holiday is supposed to be this picture-perfect celebration.  Yet, that is seldom the reality.  When watching TV it is nearly impossible to escape seeing commercials and holiday movies that depict images of snow gently falling, families coming together with smiles and excitement, food overflowing on the tables, loved ones unwrapping the perfect gifts, sleigh rides through parks decorated with holiday lights, and communities gathered together singing carols.  I enjoy the sentiments that the movies are trying to depict, but if we begin thinking that this is what life is really like then we are bound to be disappointed.  For example, in my family we have wonderful holidays, but we have never gone on sleigh rides or participated in community caroling and, if I am being completely honest, the wonderful moments are also mixed with stressful times of trying to get everything ready or missing those who are unable to be there for the holiday.  If I were to compare my real holidays with that perfect image seen on TV I would inevitably be disappointed.  

So, what can you do to help with the holidays?

Don't expect the holidays to be perfect. They NEVER are.

Focus on what you have, not what you don't. Ignore the commercials where the husband surprises his wife with a brand new luxury car or a diamond ring. This only leaves you wondering, "What about me?" Remind yourself that it's not the stuff that makes the holidays important.

The holidays can bring back memories of loved ones that have passed away. Give yourself permission to grieve, and deal with the loss in your own way. If you want to cry, go ahead. If you want to remember your loved one in a special way, do it - light a candle, put together a scrapbook, decorate the grave stone with flowers, or whatever else you find comforting.

Feel whatever you are feeling.  Sometimes people talk about “holiday blues” or feeling depressed by the holiday stress and others might feel excited, generous or disappointed.  Try not to over-analyze how you are feeling and just experience it – acknowledge it and try to live in the moment no matter the feeling.

Holidays can bring a great deal of joy and holiday spirit and I hope you will embrace that when possible.  This is most evident each year as I watch our school come together to help families in need with the “Adopt a Child” campaign.  It is heart-warming to see our student body unite together to help other students and families.  Knowing that you are helping to brighten the holiday for families experiencing financial and emotional stress is one of the greatest gifts you can give and helping others is often the best way to help make you feel better too.

However, for some students it is hard to focus on trying to brighten the holiday for other families when you are worrying about what you will have for Thanksgiving dinner or how you will eat during winter break.  I hope I can suggest some resources that you (or maybe a friend of yours) could use.  Below is a short list of places where you may be able to get help.

- One of the local churches, Worthington Presbyterian Church, is providing WKHS with all of the food for Thanksgiving meals so that we can distribute them to families in need.  If you need help with a Thanksgiving meal, please contact me ASAP so that I can try to arrange for a meal for you.

-  Community Cares Backpack Program:

     A group of dedicated, compassionate and incredibly thoughtful Worthington mom's do a variety of things to help our school community through the Activity Club.  One of those programs is to provide backpacks of food that students can take home with them over the weekend to add a little extra to their family's food supplies.  Every other week, we receive several backpacks that we can distribute.  If this resource is something that would be helpful for you, please let me know so that I can add you onto the list for future backpacks.  Please note that while this is provided by WKHS mom's, it is still confidential - they provide the backpacks to us and we distribute the bags to our students in need.

- Worthington Resource Pantry: www.worthingtonresourcepantry.org   614-985-1766

     Located at 6700 Huntley Rd., Columbus, OH 43229, the Worthington Resource Pantry provides families in our community with food and other resources of support.  Their hours are Mondays 10 - 2, Wednesdays 3 - 7, and the 3rd & 4th Saturdays of the month from 10 - 12.  

-  Dublin Food Pantry: www.dublinfoodpantry.org

     If you live in the 43016 zip code you could also utilize the Dublin Food Pantry.

-  Faith Mission: 

     If you are in need of a free meal, please join Faith Mission at the Community Kitchen (245 N. Grant Ave.) during the following times. Breakfast: Men – 6:30 – 7:15 (8:30 – 9:30 on weekends and holidays) Women and families – 7:30 – 8:15   Lunch: Women and families – 11:30 – 12:15 Men – 12:30 – 1:30   Dinner: Women and families – 5:30 – 6:15 Men – 6:45 – 7:45  See more at: http://faithmissionofohio.org/do-you-need-help/#sthash.hXbIieez.dpuf

-  Kroger Community Pantry:

     The Kroger Community Pantry is run in partnership with Mid-Ohio Food Bank.  The Kroger Community Pantry is located at 3960 Brookham Dr., Grove City.  Current hours are on Tuesdays from 12 – 5pm, Wednesdays from 4 – 7pm, Fridays from 9 – 2pm, and Saturdays from 9 – 1pm.  Please arrive at least 15 minutes prior to posted closing time.  Also, because the pantry relies on volunteers to remain open, the pantry may close earlier than posted times.  Please call 614-317-9487 before you arrive to hear any changes to the schedule.

-  Hands On Central Ohio: http://handsoncentralohio.org/get-help    By phone: 211

     Hands on Central Ohio is an organization dedicated to connecting those in need with resources.  While their Thanksgiving baskets have already been allotted, they do have a list of places that are providing prepared Thanksgiving meals for those who need them: http://www.211centralohio.org/MatchList.aspx?k;;0;;N;0;229912;Thanksgiving%20Meals~;Thanksgiving%20Meals;Partial;265234

      And they will schedule holiday baskets for those in need, so if you would like to request one, please call 614-341-2282 on December 9, 10th, or 11th.  More information is available at www.handsoncentralohio.org

-  Regular Monthly Meals:

     You may already know this because we have this resource is available year-round and is featured on the WKHS Counselor website, but several local churches provide meals to anyone in the community needing assistance.  This page highlights where and when these meals are available to families in need. 

I am fully aware that all needs are not just related to food.  Here are a few resources if you have additional needs.

-  Charity Newsies   http://www.charitynewsies.com/getting-help/

     Charity Newsies is an organization that provides clothing to students in need.  A parent/ legal guardian needs to arrange for the clothing to be provided, but they can provide a complete set of clothing needs for each student that qualifies and needs it.

-  Salvation Army:  Food and Toys

     Perhaps you have seen the red kettles that appear each year - these donations are used to help provide food and gifts for families in need.  Information about their Christmas assistance program is available here: http://co.salvationarmy.org/CentralOhio/christmas-assistance

     Registration for assistance will take place this coming week (Week of November 16th) and the week after Thanksgiving (Week of November 30th, excluding December 1st).  Specific details about times and locations as well as required documentation are available on the Salvation Army's website.  Once families have registered for food and toy assistance, you will then go to the Ohio State Fairgrounds on December 16, 17 or 18th to receive your toys and holiday meal.  If you have questions, you can contact them at 614-221-6561 ext. 600.

-  2 Hands:  Specific Needs

     This online resource helps connect Ohio families in need with those who are willing and able to help.  Families indicate their specific needs on the website and then others volunteer to help meet those needs.  Information about this resource is available at: http://www.2hands.org/online-christmas-help/in-ohio.php

-  Single Parents Alliance of America

     I heard that this organization also had resources to help support individuals who qualify, but I will be honest, I am not sure what those resources include.  It is worth looking into though if you are a single parent to see if it might be of help.  http://www.spaoa.org/splash/?gclid=CPTnge_tg8kCFQktaQodF9sNpA

As always, please stop by and talk if you are having problems this holiday season. If you need food, clothing or just want to talk about some struggles you are having, my door is open for you. I hope you are able to relax and enjoy this holiday season.

Transcript Release Reminder

I wanted to remind everyone that if you are in the process of applying to college you need to make sure you come in and fill out a transcript release card.  This process must be completed for EVERY college where you are applying.  The blue transcript release cards are located in Mrs. McDaniel's office in the Counseling Center.

If you are applying to schools utilizing the Common Application or Send EDU, your transcript will be submitted electronically.  You will need to report me as your school counselor on the School Forms page so that I am assigned the transcript data responsibility and given access to submit them on your behalf.  If you are unsure how to do this, bring your common app username and password to school with you after you have completed the majority of your application and we will fill out the assignment component together.  Transcripts uploaded to Common App and Send EDU are free of charge because we are not charged to use those systems.

If you are applying to schools that don't use the Common Application or Send EDU, we will send your transcript through an electronic system or by regular mail (depending on if they are a college that will accept them electronically or not).  There is a $1.00 fee for each of these transcripts you have requested.  

Some students have asked me if you have to be done with your applications to request your transcript and the short answer is no, but hopefully you will be close.  The one time that it doesn't matter if you are close or not is when we get close to winter break (which is rapidly approaching).  Remember, we are not at school over Christmas either, so if you are applying to colleges with a December 31st or January 1st deadline, you need to make sure that you have requested your transcript no later than December 10th to have to mail in before the college application deadline.

Demonstrating Interest

It is interesting to stop and think about all of the different factors that play into a college admission decision. When colleges are evaluating all of their applications, one of the aspects that may help set one student apart from another is the level of interest the students have demonstrated. The reason that demonstrating interest is important to a college is that they have a limited number of spots that they can offer for admission. They are trying to find a way to maximize the number of students who they accept that will actually attend their college in the future and they still want to find a way to get the most competitive, involved group of students that they can find.

So what are some of the ways that you can demonstrate your interest in a college?

Meeting with the college admissions reps when they come to WKHS is a great first step. I'll be honest, for this year, admissions officers visiting Kilbourne have pretty much come to an end with just a few visits remaining, but for the younger students, this is something you should keep in mind for next fall. The reason this is such a significant way to demonstrate your interest is because a lot of kids don’t take advantage of this opportunity so when you do take the time to come and meet with them, you will stand out.

Attend their community nights – many colleges will offer presentations at area hotels or community centers that students and parents can attend. Most of the time you will receive notification about these events directly from the colleges, but if we are notified about the events we also try to post these nights on the WKHS Counselor website. These events tend to be more common in the fall and spring months so you can always check our website and also the college's website for opportunities to meet with them.

Visit their campus! Visiting their school is probably the best way to demonstrate your interest in their college. Because the college visit is such a strong indicator of your interest you want to make sure that the admissions office knows that you are visiting.  The ways to do this are to register for the visit in advance, attend the college information system on campus and participate in the college tour.

I know it isn't always feasible to visit every single school that you are interested in applying to so find other ways to familiarize yourself if you can't make it to their campus. Visit their website. Follow the college on social media.  Read the admissions blogs. Don’t be a pest, but if you have questions, seek the answers by contacting admissions representatives. (And, for the record, you should make those contacts rather than having one of your parents call on your behalf!)

Some schools will offer alumni interviews in the area and if the school you are considering is among them, it would be wise to take advantage of this opportunity as it, again, demonstrates the sincerity of your interest in their college.

Here is an article you might want to read regarding demonstrating interest and campus visits.

What is demonstrated interest and why is it so important

Happy Veteran's Day

Even though at WKHS we celebrated Veterans Day last week, I wanted to pause today and express my gratitude for all of the men and women who have served our country.  The courage, bravery and sacrifice you and your family members showed are incredible.

My grandfather (pictured) was a WWII veteran.  (He died several years ago.)  His closest friends were also WWII veteran's and sadly there is only one of them left living today.  When I recently attended the funeral for one of my grandfather's friends, I was stunned to realize that he had been a Marine at Iwo Jima and that he was a Purple Heart recipient.  I have literally known this man for my whole life and I knew he was a Marine, but never realized those details.  Following his funeral my mom and I were looking through some of my grandfather's papers and pictures from the war and it is fascinating to read some of what my grandfather was doing and experienced during the war.  My grandfather graduated a semester early from Grandview Heights high school so that he could join the Army and the war.

I will always be grateful for all of our country's American heroes.  Each individual who makes the decision to dedicate part of their lives in service to help protect our country and the freedoms we so often take for granted are heroes and deserve our unwavering gratitude.  To each parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, cousin, or friend who has served in the military or are currently a part of our armed forces, THANK YOU!  And to all of my former students who have joined the military, I also want to express my gratitude and reminder to please stay safe.

Please be patient

Let me start off by acknowledging that I am *NOT* the most patient person on the planet!

I know that it can be frustrating waiting for something to happen. Waiting to hear news. Waiting for the next phase of your life. Waiting... waiting... and still more waiting.

But the reality is you need to be patient.

Right now the colleges are completely overwhelmed and back-logged with applications that they have been receiving. Each year at about this time we received notification saying that they are at least two weeks behind on getting everything processed and updated in the computer. They send that notice to us because they are also automatically generating letters that they are sending home to students to remind you that you need to send your transcript and test scores and a recommendation letter - or whatever that particular college requires. People tend to panic when they see that notice and want to send the materials again. They do not want that happening as that will simply back up their system even more. Unfortunately this is a very common occurrence at this time of year, but it does create a lot of panic in homes of seniors across the country.

Try to be patient. If you get one of these letters (from any college) take a moment and double check - did you send your transcript? Have your teachers written their recommendation letters and did you submit it? If your information was submitted and it is within a 2-3 week time-frame of when your materials were mailed, then take a deep breath and relax knowing that it is likely just because their system is backed up. Continue double checking on the college website (most will give you access to see your application status) and see if they have everything. If you are nearing the end of the 3rd week and they still don't have all of your items you can give them a call to double check. Chances are they just haven't made it there yet, but there are times where things get lost in the mail or filed in the wrong area. If items need to be sent again then we will work on taking care of that, but first make sure that they really are missing it.

As always, swing by my office to see me if you have any questions.

Study Strategies

Do you know how to study? I ask students that question a lot and, quite honestly, the most common response is "no." It really isn't a surprise though. The reality is that until high school gets hard enough that you hit the wall and it no longer comes easy to you, studying isn't something you typically have to worry about and spend a lot of time focusing on.

The challenging part of studying is that what works best for one person may not be what works best for someone else. And, even if you figure out what works best for you in one particular subject area, that still doesn't mean that this particular strategy will be most effective for a different subject.

The best news is that there are lots of different ideas and strategies that you can use to develop a study strategy that works best for you! For what it is worth, think of learning to study like you think of learning to run. You already know some skills that have helped you to know how to study and to be successful - just like you already know how to run, but if you practice and really train at running, you can improve significantly and studying will work just the same. Keep working at your study strategies, practice and continue refining your technique until you find the perfect combination that works for you.

If you are struggling to find strategies to try out, I encourage you to visit the WKHS Counselor website as their are lots of examples there.  You can also work with your teachers as well as the Academic Assistant's in the Teaching and Learning Center (Room 209) as they have a wealth of knowledge and helpful tips for study strategies that can help you in their particular subject areas as well as studying overall.  And, last, but not least, you can also stop in and see me and I can help brainstorm ideas that you could try.

Here is a studying article that may also interest you:

Study tips to stick to this fall

Gap Year

Have you heard of Gap Years? Without question, the majority of WKHS students move straight from high school to college, but this is not always the best option for every student. In the past few years I have had several students who elected to take a gap year which is a year off between high school and college. The one point that I would like to make though is that a gap year is not just hanging out at home, living in your parents basement, playing video games for a year. Students pursue lots of different options during gap years and colleges recognize that gap years can be a valuable opportunity for students to gain perspective, personal insight, and re-energize their love of learning before beginning their college careers.

Sometimes students elect to take a gap year if they haven't been accepted to a college where they feel like they will be happy to attend. In these instances students may decide to take a gap year and hope that their experiences during their gap year will enhance their applications for the following year when they apply the following year.

Other times, and perhaps even more frequently for Kilbourne students, is that students will still complete their applications during their senior year and then defer their acceptances for a year. If you are interested in pursuing a gap year opportunity, talk to your college admissions office to confirm if they will defer your enrollment date by a year (or a semester if you are taking a shorter time off between high school and college).

Want to learn more about gap year programs and opportunities? Here are a few articles that may interest you:

5 tips for taking a gap year before college

Pre-College gap years beckon for these 5 types of students

How I took a year off before college and why you should too