Final Four Tonight

The Kilbourne Boys Lacrosse team won the regional championship last Friday night in an awesome win over Upper Arlington and that has earned them a spot in tonight's Final Four.

Their game is over in Dayton at 7pm tonight and hopefully they will have a good crowd of supporters to cheer them on to victory.

10 of the athletes on the varsity team are "my" students.  A special good luck to (Front left to right): Alec Bickell, Aidan Cameron, and Jacob Fisher (Back left to right): Eric Campbell, Adam Clay, Nick Clay, Sam Biglin, Jack Ellis, Max Anderson, and Will Alban.  I am so proud of how hard you have worked all season!

Best wishes and lots of luck to the entire Kilbourne Boys Lacrosse team tonight!

Diploma Presenter

Have I told you lately about the fact that I believe I have the best job in the world?  How many people are lucky enough to have a job where they get to go to work every day and be surrounded by some of the most incredible people?  And yes, of course, my colleagues are great, but I am referring to my students.

My students are each unique and different.  They have successes and struggles, talents and challenges, and courage beyond measure.  I am so thankful that they allow me to be a part of their lives.  Every day I get to learn from them - how I want to treat others, how I want to be treated, how to push on through difficulties, the power of positivity, the strength that develops from facing heartbreaking experiences, and forever the reminder that there is beauty in brokenness.  I can even admit that some of my students are the people I look up to and admire the most.

It is because of how much respect and appreciation that I have for "my kids" that I can share that one of the most heart-warming experiences I had the honor of participating in this year was to present diplomas to 10 of my seniors.  In case you're not aware, at Kilbourne, we have the tradition where every senior is allowed the option of picking any adult who has been a part of their Worthington educational career (teacher, coach, counselor, etc.) to present them with their diploma.  And of all of the people they could have chosen TEN of them selected me!  And here is the thing - this was incredibly meaningful and rewarding to me, but not because I was the one they selected, but rather because it meant that I got to be a part of their graduation day!  Here is the day that marks their transition away from Kilbourne and on to bigger and better things ahead and I was able to be a part of that moment with 10 of my students!  How incredible!  There is nothing better than being able to lock eyes and share in the pride with a graduate just as their name is about to be called and then to give them a big hug of congratulations before handing them their diploma.

Now, I will admit - one of the downsides is that I selfishly and desperately wanted to have a picture of all 10 of my diploma kids together to frame on my wall in my office.  Unfortunately, every plan to get a group picture ended up falling short.  And believe me... I tried!  (Part of me is still stunned that I wasn't able to pull off the group photo with how much effort the students and I all put in to try to make it a reality.)

And this is a little bit of a funny picture which is still meaningful because the 10 kids knew how badly I wanted the group picture and how miserably I was failing at that goal... so Sam and Jason suggested I take a picture of the 2 of them just in case I couldn't get the rest and they were actually really sweet and made me feel loved in their efforts.  So, in appreciation, I wanted to share that picture.  Thanks guys for being so kind.

After graduation I did end up being able to get a picture of 6 out of the 10 students which truly felt miraculous as it is chaos following the commencement ceremony.  Pictured Left to Right: Tre', Camryn, Jason, Ava, Sam, and Quentin.

And then I tried to get the other 4 kids to come back to school for a group photo on Friday and they all agreed, but then something came up and Mackenzie wasn't able to make it at the last second, but pictured left to right are: Alec, Deane, and David.

To my diploma kids (in alphabetical order) - Quentin Bartram, Mackenzie Bell, Alec Bickell, Sam Biglin, David Boord, Jason Bowen, Ava Burson, Tre' Caesar, Camryn Eagle, and Deane Elliott: Thank you so much for being such a special part of my life.  You have touched my heart in ways that you cannot even begin to imagine.  It has been my joy and my pleasure to be able to watch as you achieved so many goals over the last 4 years.  From achieving success in the classroom or athletic fields/ pool/ ice to applying to college and planning out your futures, I got to be a witness to some of your biggest fears and brightest moments.  Please know that I didn't take any of your experiences which you shared with me for granted.  I appreciate your positivity, kindness, compassion and love for those around you.  I respect your courage, strength, and ability to overcome struggles and disappointments.  I am thankful for the ways you have impacted my life and I cannot wait to see all of the amazing things that are ahead for each of you!  Always know that I believe in you, you are important to me, and I will continue to be here if you ever need me.  Congratulations and thank you, once again, for allowing me to share in your graduation day!

I'm still not completely sure how I got lucky enough to be able to work with kids who touched my life in such a big way that it makes me both sad for me and excited for them to watch them all leave.  It makes me think of the Winnie the Pooh quote, "How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard."  I am incredibly lucky and will forever be thankful that these 10 seniors as well as the rest of their senior class were a part of my life.  I know that bright days are ahead for you and in Worthington they talk often about helping students grow so that they can change the world... please let me assure you - you have already changed my world.  Congratulations and Best Wishes as you continue to spread your impact in the future!

Summer is Here

Wow, it doesn't seem possible, but we have reached the end of another successful school year. I am sure that you are all breathing a sigh of relief that exams are over and summer has finally started.  Congratulations on making it through the year!  I hope you have a wonderful, safe and relaxing summer... without feeling bored.  :-)

Lexi and Exams

1 more day of exams!!  Are you excited that you just have 2 exams remaining in your year?  Most students have seemed to say that exams haven't been as bad as they had expected which is always encouraging news to me.

Do you know who is NOT excited that there is just 1 day of school remaining?  Lexi.  She is NOT ready for summer and NOT ready for everyone to leave her.  In fact, this week has been quiet in the counseling center except for the breaks and lunch period and she has been acting so sad.  It is kind of comical to watch and lots of the staff who have been around have noticed.  When the door of the counseling center opens she goes running thinking it might be a student there to see her.

So tomorrow, with very little break time between your exams and then everyone leaving for the summer, I anticipate Lexi will be very sad to see you all go, but we will be at the doors so that she can see as many people as possible to say goodbye and get one last "belly rub" before you all leave.  But if you do have a few extra moments or are stressing with your exams, please stop by and see Lexi... and me too of course.

2 days remaining

It is hard to believe that you have just 2 days remaining in the school year! Granted, you still have several exams to wrap up, but the end is definitely within reach. :-)  Don't get me wrong, I am as ready for summer break as anyone else, but it really feels as if we were just starting the school year and all of you were coming into my office to request changes to your schedule. (Perhaps that has something to do with the fact that my office seems to be a revolving door with people coming in to request changes to next year's schedule.) 

Getting schedules to work is a more daunting task than most would suspect and we do our best to meet all of your needs, but please be reasonable and realistic. It isn't always possible to get the "perfect" schedule and yet we are doing the best we can to get you into the classes that you selected in February.  If you have realized that you no longer want to take a class that you had previously registered for or if you and your parents have determined that you should be taking a different level of a course (honors instead of regular or vice versa), please stop to see me during lunch or a non-exam block in your day or at the very least send me an email with your requests and I will do the best I can to make your requested adjustments.

I hope your 1st day of exams went well - good luck tomorrow on your 1st, 6th, and 7th period exams!

Congratulations Graduates

I love graduation day! It is a celebration of all that you have accomplished - not only in high school, but really from your very first day of Kindergarten. There is such joy and excitement seeing all of you in your caps and gowns. I love to watch as you march in and try to search for your families in the stands and then, of course, watching when you receive your diplomas and are officially high school graduates. There are just so many reasons to smile!

It's funny - leading up to graduation I talked to lots of parents and kids about graduation day and many talk about anticipating that the day will be so sad and emotional with lots of tears, but that isn't how I have ever found the day to be - and today was no exception.  Of course, there is sadness underneath it all of thinking I will rarely to never see you all again and today there were even justifable tears as a student and I hugged and I was able to tell her how proud her mom is of her as she watched today from heaven.  But most of all - it was pride, joy, excitement and anticipation.  You worked so hard for today and it was worth it!  I hope you enjoyed the celebration and I hope you will always be proud to say that you are an alumni of Worthington Kilbourne High School!

I tried to get pictures of some of my kids, but it was a very chaotic day for me so as much as I wish I would have been able to I wasn't able to get everyone.

And, of course, I can't do a blog post about today's graduation festivities without also recognizing one of the newest inductees into the WKHS Hall of Fame - David Boord!!!  Congratulations David!  You are so deserving of this recognition and I am incredibly proud to know you and thankful that you have been a part of my life over the last 4 years.  You are already making such a difference in our world and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for you.




Underclassmen - 3 more days!  2nd, 5th, and 8th period exams are up tomorrow.  Hopefully you studied and are feeling prepared!

Graduation Reminders

Tomorrow we will be at the Battelle Grand in the Greater Columbus Convention Center for commencement.  If you didn't give your parents the information sheet that was distributed at yesterday's practice, please make sure you find it and hand it to them.

One of the most important details that seniors need to remember to pass along to their parents after the rehearsal is which side of the stage you will be on at the commencement ceremony. As a general rule, assuming you are one of my students, you will be on "Stage Right" which means that if you are standing on the stage you are on the right side or, put another way, looking at the stage you will be on the left side. This is the side where you will march into the Battelle Grand and around until you reach your seat on that half of the center aisle as well as the side where you will go up the stairs to receive your diplomas. Trust me, your parents will not be happy if they end up being on the "wrong" side and don't have a good view of your special day.

Don't forget that you need to dress up beneath your cap and gown and that you should be sure that you bring your cap and gown with you to the ceremony.  You need to be there around 11:00 to check in.  Check in and staging will take place the Ballroom.

For what it is worth, don't forget to iron your gown - especially if you are just taking it out of the package today.

Perhaps the best recommendation that I can give to you and your families is to pick a place where you will meet up.  I realize that most of you haven't been to the site of the ceremony, but after the ceremony you will want to meet with your family and friends for photos and to celebrate. I can assure you that in years past the most chaotic (worst) place to be as soon as the ceremony is over is anywhere near the bottom of the escalator because everyone who attended the graduation ceremony will be trying to leave and coming off the escalator to try to find and meet up with their families and friends.  

It is going to be a great day and I cannot wait to see all of you enjoying and celebrating your accomplishments of the last 4 years at WKHS.  Congratulations, I am proud of you!