Senior Reminders

This is a big week for seniors and so I have several importantly, timely reminders for you.

1.  Diploma presenter forms are due back tomorrow to the Co-Curricular office.  If you would like to select a Worthington staff member to present you with your diploma during the commencement ceremony, please make sure you get your form submitted tomorrow.

2.  Tomorrow afternoon are also Senior Teas at your home elementary schools.  For those students who attended elementary school in Worthington, this is your chance to go back and visit your elementary school.  You will be able to visit with former teachers, sit in your old desk, and wander the halls as you relive your elementary years and realize how much you have (literally) grown since you were in school there.

3.  Graduation will begin to feel even more real on Thursday and Friday when National Recognition Products are in the cafeteria distributing your caps and gowns!  Be sure to take it out of the package when you get home to let the wrinkles start to fall out of the gowns.  (You'll still have to iron it, but it will be a ton easier if you allow the gown to have time out of the package.)

4.  Many of the local scholarships are due back this week.  Each local scholarship has it's own deadline so be sure that you are paying attention to when yours is due back so that you don't miss a deadline.  It's not too late to apply - check out the list of local scholarships on the Counselor website at www.wkhscounselors.com

5.  Hopefully you have already taken care of submitting your senior picture to Mrs. Mullen so that it can be included in the Yearbook.  If you didn't get your picture taken or haven't provided one to the yearbook yet, please see Mrs. Mullen right away so she can help you with alternate arrangements.

Selfishly, I will also mention that having pictures of my seniors is something that I *LOVE*!  Each year I put together a small album featuring the seniors from that year's graduating class along with any notes or other mementos I wanted to save to help remember your year.  It will be a very sad album if I don't have your pictures!!!  So, if you are a senior student or parent reading this, I hope you will please consider giving me one of your pictures.

There are more senior deadlines and reminders that will continue coming your way as we get closer and closer to graduation, but for now, take care of all of these pieces for this week! 

Your Life Challenges

I had lots of time to think over spring break.  (Perhaps too much time...)  And I kept coming back to thoughts about how so many of you are dealing with really hard things in your lives.  The challenges may be big or small and the impact from them may last a day or a lifetime, but no matter what, each of you are facing your own unique battles.  What makes this even harder is that on the outside, you appear "FINE."  Perhaps you are fine most of the time, but that doesn't mean that there aren't moments that feel hard or more difficult.  And, in spite of the fact that this is something nearly all of you are dealing with, I suspect that most of you feel like you are the only one going through such challenges.

So here are some of my reflections.

1. Be nice.  Kinder than you think you need to be.  To others and to YOURSELF!  You are often your toughest critic and you deserve the same level of compassion that you are willing to extend to those around you.

2.  Seek support.  I am here to help you and so are your teachers, your friends and, of course, your family.  Asking for help and acknowledging that you are facing tough challenges in your world is the most courageous thing you can do.  I promise, if you come to me, I will NOT see you as weak and I will be thankful that you had the strength to share what it is that you are facing in your life.

3.  There is no such thing as too small.  If it is on your mind, if it is weighing on you, if it is frustrating or hurting or annoying to you -- then it matters!  Do not belittle how you think or feel.

4.  Take it one step at a time.  Part of the challenge of life and especially for teenagers today is that difficulties refuse to slow down and come one at a time.  In fact, quite often life shifts from total calm to middle of a massive storm in just seconds.  If your problems would line up and come one at a time, you'd be completely fine, but that isn't how life works.  And so, while you may not be able to solve all of the problems in front of you in an instant, you will be able to make progress by taking it one step at a time.  Be patient with yourself and if you can't solve the problem remember that there are hundreds of coping strategies that you can use to help manage until there is a solution.

5.  Try not to jump to conclusions or assume the worst.  I feel guilty even saying this one because I definitely have jumped to the worst possible scenarios on many occasions, but here is the thing - it made me a nervous wreck as I waited for the news and it didn't have any actual impact on how it all played out.  Try to remind yourself that the story you are telling yourself is just one possible story and remain open to the possibility that there are other reasons that something may be happening or outcomes which may result from this situation.

6.  Be real.  Have the courage to allow yourself to feel whatever it is you are feeling and to express those feelings and emotions.  Laugh, cry, celebrate, or scream - whatever you feel, lean into those emotions (at least with some of the people closest to you who you can trust with the real you).  It is ok to not be "fine" and it is ok to be far better than "fine" too. 

Please remember that whatever it is you are dealing with today in your life - significant problem or not - if you want the support and help or just a safe place to talk it through with someone then please remember that I am here!

Back to School

Can you believe we have reached the end of Spring Break?  Tomorrow we are Back to School! That means no more sleeping in, but I am excited to see all of you.  I am looking forward to hearing about your breaks and what you did during the week off so I hope you will try to swing by and update me.

I hope that you are also looking forward to getting back into the swing of things at school. We return to 5-day school weeks and the final push to the end of the year.  I may be wrong, but I am guessing that there are a *few* of you who procrastinated on getting school stuff done this week.  Hope that you are able to get everything done and still get some sleep tonight. :-) See you bright and early tomorrow!

Life Goes On

Are you enjoying your spring break?  We are officially at the half-way point of break and while I feel like it has gone fast, Lexi is BEYOND ready to get back to school.  (Truthfully, I am too as I miss seeing all of you as well, but I do love sleeping in!)  :-)

The nice thing about how our break fell this year is that all of the seniors who are awaiting admissions decisions from the highly competitive colleges are able to learn of their decisions away from the constant glare and attention of your peers.  The bad thing about it is that you are left on your own to try to come to terms with what this really means for you.  Every day I have been receiving emails from various colleges sharing updates on when they will be releasing their decisions and how competitive their classes are this year.  Statements like, "we had 6% more students apply than in the past for the same number of slots" are feeling common with each email I open.  I don't have any magical answers for why one student gets accepted and another seemingly comparable student does not.  And it makes me sad to think that there are students who are receiving notifications that you have not been accepted who would, unquestionably, be highly successful at each of these colleges.  But, sadly, that is part of the college admissions "game."  

And, yes, I know that when it is your dream college, none of it feels like a game, but I really want for you to try to think of it more in that regard because even the college may know that you would have been a great candidate with a lot to offer to their college, but it is all a part of the process.  I can tell you that I did not have a single student apply to colleges where I could not see you being successful.  And I believe, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that if you were to be accepted and attend that college that you would have been successful there!  BUT, I also believe that no matter where you attend college that you WILL be a success!  It is NOT the college that would make you successful, but rather it is your work ethic, your drive, your intelligence, your commitment, and the contributions you will make on whatever campus is lucky enough to have you joining their college which will make all the difference.

Try to remind yourself that not everyone will be accepted and that it is not a reflection of your potential for lifelong success.  Don't believe me?  I just did a google search to look for a few articles to showcase some successful people who were also rejected to their top choice colleges.  I am confident you will recognize many of their names.

7 famous people who were rejected by their dream colleges

Before they were titans, moguls, and newsmakers, these people were… rejected

15 celebrities who didn’t get into their dream colleges

If you are dealing with the frustration and disappointment of not being accepted, remember that it is ok to be sad just please be sure to reach out and talk about how you are feeling with your family members and/ or with me!  I don't want anyone to ever believe that this one college decision is a reflection of your value because there are plenty of other great schools that will be thrilled to have you as a member of their incoming class.  Eventually, after you have had the time to process through your disappointment, you will then be able to refocus on making the most of the opportunities available to you.  Believe in yourself and know that the college where you ultimately attend will be lucky to have you as a member of their class of 2022!

Spring Break

Hooray! Although the weather from this week certainly didn't make it seem like spring, we made it and are now officially on Spring Break! 

I hope that you have a wonderful and relaxing break. Good luck to all of the individuals, groups, and teams that will travel this week.  Don't forget, if you end up on a college campus, please take a picture for the "Oh the Places You'll Go" display. 

I will also be pausing on blogging over break so I wanted to say please have a great week and stay safe!

Let's Talk Careers

More than likely, when you start thinking about potential careers for the future, you will probably not have a lightbulb moment when suddenly walk away knowing exactly what you will major on and what your future career will be for the rest of your life. Quite honestly, it isn't that simple. Few people are in the exact jobs they imagined for themselves when they were in high school. Don't believe me, ask around - check with your parents, your teachers and other adults you know and trust.

And yes, it even applies to me! When I was graduating from high school I was 100% sure that I would be pursuing a future as a PT/ATC which means a Physical Therapist who is also a Certified Athletic Trainer. By the time I started college that was still my goal, but I was already starting to question having physical therapy as a part of my future as I found out that it would not be possible to complete the physical therapy program at the same time as the athletic training program.  I loved athletic training and would never have dreamed (at the time) of giving it up so I changed my major to education and continued with the athletic training.  My major was health education, my minor was psychology and my internship was athletic training. Up until the spring of my senior year of college and the start of my student teaching I was still certain that my future would be athletic training. I completed my graduate school applications, went on my interviews and was weighing my options when (during spring break) I realized I didn't really want this to be my entire future. (I know... parents everywhere are thinking "Do not do what she did!" and believe me my own mom had the same thought... actually, I believe her response was something more along the lines of, "If you would have listened to me a long time ago...") I did still go ahead and earn my athletic training certification, something that I was intensely proud of accomplishing even though I never used it in my working career. I loved teaching and working with students so I bailed on all of my previous plans and decided to search for a job in education. As most schools want health teachers who can also teach phys ed (totally NOT me since I lack all eye-hand coordination), finding a job was not easy. I ended up finding a job that I absolutely loved working for a non-profit health organization called Lifeline of Ohio which is an organization that deals with organ and tissue donation. I was there for 7 years and while there my job morphed and changed and my time with students decreased and my time with other special projects increased. I missed working with students and decided to return for my master's degree in school counseling. I left Lifeline of Ohio and worked for a year at Grove City High School as a counselor before being hired at WKHS. And, while working at WKHS I also went back to school again to obtain my community counseling license to go along with my school license (although I will point out that I have NO intention of leaving WKHS as I love it here)!  The point of that whole drawn out story is to show you that there is no way in a million years I could have ever imagined or predicted the way my life would have turned out or the career that I would pursue, but I cannot imagine being happier or more fulfilled in any job.

So, although I am hopeful that each of you will begin thinking about possible career ideas for your future, I do not want you to feel the pressure that this is when you should expect to determine what you will be for the rest of your life.

Common App Essays

The Common Application is a website that many colleges use allowing students to fill out one application that can then be submitted to various colleges.  The Common Application has announced their essay question prompts for next year's applicants.  So, juniors, take a look at these prompts and start brainstorming what your answers might be for each question.  After you list your thoughts for each question, look at which response tells the best story of who you are and will be the best introduction of you to the admissions committee.  Then it is time to start drafting and editing and drafting some more.  :-)  Students who utilize the common app will be asked to select and answer one question in 250-650 words.  (Please don't worry about word count on your first draft - it is always MUCH easier to cut words than it is to try to add more in later.)

Below are the common app essay questions to help you get started: 

1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

2. The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback or failure.  How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?

3. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea.  What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?

4. Describe a problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma-anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.

5. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and new understanding of yourself or others.

6.  Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time.  Why does it captivate you?  What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?

7.  Share an essay on any topic of your choice.  It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.