Confidentiality

It is very important to me that I work to earn your trust every day. During high school there are times when you may wonder if there is anyone who cares and is willing to listen to what you are going through and I want to remind you that I am here for you. Please remember that what you say to me is confidential between us unless you are a risk to yourself or someone else in which case I am required to report it.

If you want to meet with me - just drop by my office! That is honestly the BEST way to meet with me. You don't need to schedule an appointment in advance. I'm generally around before and after school as well as during your lunch or academic prep/ option periods for you to stop in and chat. You don't need a big reason to come down and say Hi. I am happy to see you even if you just wanted to tell me how well or how poorly you did on a test that day. If I am busy meeting with another student or parent - you can stop back down or leave a pass for me. If I don't know who you are and you have left a pass that leads me to search for you in the commons please try to help me out and let me know that "you" are the student. (I know, not always easy, but if you left a pass and I haven't tracked you down that day or the following day, chances are I can't find you in the commons - so please come back!)

Don't forget I have candy and toys in my office - so it is always worth just stopping by to say hello. :-) 

Office Workers

It is funny when people look at their schedules, what one person sees as a negative aspect, another views as a positive.  Over the last few days I heard those differences identified often.  Some students are thrilled to have academic prep 1st period and others prefer it later in the day.  Lunch early or late was another aspect of disagreement.  As people were discussing different aspects of their schedule, the idea of how the students were going to effectively use their "off" periods was emphasized by many.

Several times I found myself mentioning a volunteer opportunity that students can take advantage of during the school day within the comfort of WKHS and I want to make sure all of you know about it too.  We have office workers volunteer their time to help out in the counseling/ administrative offices. Our office workers each year have been amazing!  They helped run passes, update the bulletin board, put together packets or whatever else was needed.  Some days were busier than others and so there were days when they didn't have to do much of anything to help us other than be available.  (And Lexi would point out that on those days when you don't have much to do she is always there to hang out with you too.)  

We do have an application process to be selected as an office worker, but if you are interested, we'd love to have you!  And selfishly, I'd love to have more of "my" students helping as office workers because it is a nice treat to see you each day.  Students with a period of academic prep or options in their schedule would be eligible to apply.  (You would no longer have prep or options if you chose to work in the office.)  You will accumulate community service hours as an office worker.  Applications are available in the front of the counseling center.  No more than 2 students will be selected for each period of the day.  Please apply soon if you are interested so that we don't miss out on the opportunity to have you involved!

Last Day to Add Classes

Monday (August 19th) is the last day for students to add a year-long or first-semester class to their schedule. This is an important deadline to pay attention to for all students. You have 6 weeks to drop a class without it appearing on your transcript, but you can only drop a class if you will still have above the minimum required number of courses.  If you have any questions about your particular situation and if you would or would not be able to add or drop a class, please stop in and see me during your lunch or off period.

Get Involved

Being involved in sports, clubs, volunteer outreach, or other areas of interest help connect students to the school and community.  You have special gifts that only you can share and you can make a positive difference!  

WKHS is very fortunate to have a wide range of opportunities available within the school setting for you to get involved.  There are 29 interscholastic sports, over 40 clubs, the school newspaper, video news team, yearbook and a wide variety of performance groups (choirs, bands, orchestra, and theater).  While there is obviously no shortage of established groups that you can get involved with, if you have other passions that you want to focus on, don't forget that you can also help establish a new club.  As long as you can find a faculty member who is willing to help you with club oversight, Mr. Todd in the athletic office can assist you with the paperwork needed to establish a new club or organization.

For underclassmen, getting involved makes your transition to high school easier because you get to know older students and you find a place where you can belong.  For upperclassmen, being involved gives you the opportunity to demonstrate leadership and to grow in your areas of interest.  (And no, for the record, I don't think you should just get involved because it will look good on your college applications... you should be participating because it is meaningful and important to you, but yes, being involved is a plus for college applications too.)

First Day of School

The first day of school was a success! Hopefully you loved all of your classes, found everything without a problem, enjoyed re-connecting with your friends, and are looking forward to a great year ahead.  

It was so great to have you all back at school.  I can honestly say that the happiest "person" (dog) in the place had to be Lexi!  She was SO thrilled to have students fully back at school.  Lexi and I have both missed you this summer.  Lexi just didn't understand where all her friends went throughout the summer.  ;-)

Stop by to visit me (and Lexi) because I am anxious to hear about your summer.

Welcome Back

I hope you enjoyed your last day of summer vacation and are getting excited about coming back to school tomorrow. I am looking forward to seeing everyone again!

The freshmen students had their first day in the building today and they seemed to enjoy finding their way around. I'm sure that it was a bit scary for them, but tomorrow will probably be even more intimidating. Little do they know that all of you are, in fact, quite nice and helpful. (At least you have always been nice and helpful to me so I am confident it will be the same to the poor freshmen who are lost around the building.)  Throughout the day today I was so impressed with the Link Leaders who made the day fun, meaningful and welcoming to the 9th graders.  Thank you Link Leaders for your service and commitment.  

As we return to school tomorrow, I wanted to remind those of you who are taking College Credit Plus (CC+) classes through Columbus State (this includes English, Psychology and Mythology) that while your classes are listed on your WKHS schedule, they don't actually start until August 26th.  English meets on Mondays and Wednesdays.  Psychology meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Mythology is completely online.  So, for those classes you have another week and a half until they start.  In the meantime, please be certain that you have completed the required CSCC online orientation and accessed blackboard.  (CSCC has sent you emails about these requirements and we have also posted it on the WKHS Counselor website.)  And, of course, don't forget that you also have a mandatory meeting on the 23rd prior to your start on the 26th.

The CC+ classes through COTC  (which include math classes and Intro to Business) all begin tomorrow like regular classes as they are taught by your WKHS teachers.
I'm looking forward to seeing you all in the morning.  Sleep well!

New Names and Faces

Can you believe we are about to get the 2019-2020 school year underway?  One of the big differences for this year that you will find as school begins is that there are a lot of new names and faces to adjust to this year!

We are fortunate to have many new staff members this year.  Perhaps you will have some of them in class, but if not, make sure you say hi in the halls and welcome the following teachers to the Kilbourne community.

Mrs. Backhurst is the new dean.  She will be working primarily with the lower half of the alphabet as Mrs. Lippert was hired as an Assistant Principal in Upper Arlington.

We also have a new assistant principal at WKHS, Mr. Peterson has joined the WKHS Administrative team and is looking forward to getting to know students.

The Special Ed Department has many new staff teachers including Ms. McLaren, Ms. Bode, and Mr. Weyandt.  Additionally, working closely with the Special Ed department will include Mr. Chislom, a transition coach, and Mrs. Becker, a School Psychologist.

Mr. Taylor is officially a new Wellness for Life teacher, but many of you will recognize him as he was at WKHS during the 2nd semester last year.

The Science department added Mr. Ritchey as a teacher and Mrs. Terpenning as the Science Academic Assistant in the Teaching and Learning Center.  Ms. Diehl got married over the summer and is now Mrs. Davis.

Mr. DeFrancesco will be back at WKHS again as one of the band directors this year.

Mrs. Friedman has joined the English department.

The Foreign Language department has welcomed Ms. Gandelman as a new Spanish teacher.

Mrs. Haurani (who you may have met in the 4th quarter last year) will be the new Math Academic Assistant in the Teaching and Learning Center.

We have a new Safety Monitor in Mr. Vagnier.

And last but not least, there are several interns that will be helping out in the counseling center area including a school counseling intern, Mrs. Leatherman, who will primarily be working with Mrs. Lord, but you may also get to meet throughout the year, and Mr. Davis and Ms. Jackson will both be interns working with Ms. Wessell, School Social Worker.

Every day when I pull into WKHS or even as I drive past the building I think about how fortunate I am to work in a place that I love and to have so many students and parents who make Kilbourne such a special place.  I know that each of these new staff members will feel the same and will be proud to be a Wolf!