College Admissions Decisions

College admissions decisions are already starting to come in for some students. Every senior looks forward to receiving college acceptance letters. It is an exciting time and reassures you that there is more ahead. Depending upon the schools where you are applying, it is possible that you will hear back quickly or you may be waiting to hear about your status on if you have been accepted or not until sometime in March. I do ask that as you begin receiving your acceptance or, sadly, even rejection letters, to please keep me informed about the decisions. For the vast majority of the colleges, the only way I know about your admissions decision is if you share the information with me.

Remember, the only way to receive an acceptance letter is to actually APPLY to the college! (Just a friendly little reminder for those of you who are struggling to get your applications finished.)

Counselor Website

I mention the Kilbourne Counselor website often, but I still feel like it deserves to have a post all of it's own.  When we created the counselor website we wanted to provide students and parents with an easy, one-stop place, to get as many of the resources and information answers that you regularly need.  

Have you visited www.wkhscounselors.com lately?  

We work really hard to keep the website current and so it is updated on a regular basis – often daily.  The site features information about succeeding academically, college/ career pursuits, and personal/ social information resources.  So often people ask me questions and I point them to the website for the answer because it is the easiest place to find the information over waiting until you are back at school and going and finding the paper version of the forms, etc.

Take a moment and check it out and please be sure to bookmark the site so that you can refer back to it often.  And, if there is anything that you think it should include but don’t see on the site, please let me know so that we can add it.

Of course, I have to acknowledge that none of the counselors are very website savvy and so while I have literally read a "Joomla for Dummies" book to try to help create the website, none of what you see would be possible without the expertise, know-how, dedication and countless hours of time that Mr. Estice from Phoenix Middle School (and Sasha's dad) has contributed.

Volunteering

Have you been donating your time toward community service?  Some students love finding opportunities to serve others and some have great intentions of wanting to help others, but struggle to find options for how they can get involved in meaningful ways.

As you begin applying to college and searching for scholarships there are many times that questions come up about what community service experiences you have had. And, even if not asked directly, if you had memorable experiences they can often be used to support your essay responses.

Your volunteer work doesn’t have to be a huge project or consist of thousands of hours of time – what is important is to get involved!  No matter what year you are, now is a great time to start working on volunteering – the experiences will help you in the long run.

Community service opportunities are as different as each individual who decides they want to help make a difference in the world around them. The sky is the limit and I encourage you to find something that inspires you.

Some volunteer ideas that could help get you started could include – community beautification projects (cleaning up parks or areas of the city), helping elderly neighbors, visiting nursing homes to perform music or talk with residents, homeless outreach, helping at the library, packing groceries for a food bank, assisting at the humane society or other animal shelters, wrapping and handing out gifts to those less fortunate, organizing and attending holiday parties for kids or the poor that would usually have nothing to celebrate, serving in a project for those who are disabled or ill (such as Make a Wish, A Kid Again, Adventures for Wish Kids, or the Special Olympics), fundraising or recruitment events, becoming the champion for a cause and helping with awareness (Diabetes, Cancer, Organ Donation), and the list literally goes on and on. Also, don’t forget that there are several co-curricular groups at WKHS that focus on community service such as Interact Club, REACH club, Project MORE and Wolves for Cubs and you are encouraged to look into those opportunities as well.  Also, if you are trying to volunteer during the school day at WKHS, don't forget that every semester we are looking for office workers to help out in the Counseling Center.

I am anxious to hear your community service stories and the ways you are working to make a difference!

Photos on Campus Visits

Over Thanksgiving break I spent time talking with my niece about making college visits.  I know that many of you are combining your holiday trips with visits to campuses.  If you are planning on making visits to a college campus, I encourage you to try to arrange with the admissions office the opportunity to participate in their information session and taking a formal tour.  Sometimes, especially during breaks, colleges will have limited availability for these sessions and tours.  As a result I encourage you to work on your visit plans early and try to register with the colleges so that you can make the most out of your experience on campus.  While you are at the college, I also want to ask you to please, take a picture of YOU somewhere on campus!  It doesn't have to be near a campus sign (although that is definitely a popular option).  I would like to have a copy of your campus visit photo - you can email it to me and I will print it out and post it on the "Oh the Places You'll Go" board during your senior year.

Countdown to Exams

The countdown is on... you have just 16 days of school left before semester exams begin. That means that you have 16 school days left in the 2nd quarter.  16 days to make sure your quarter grades are where they need to be prior to exams.  And yes, while I *know* some (or maybe all) of you don't want to hear this, with only 16 days left, it is also REALLY important that you start studying now for exams. 

Please take a critical look at where you stand in each of your classes and what you need to do to finish out the quarter and begin fully preparing for exams.  If your grades are not where they should be at this point in time, please make use of the resources available to you - the academic assistants in room 209 and, most importantly, your teachers. I am also here to help you with studying strategies and tips if needed. For many students, your final grade for the semester will come down to how you finish out this quarter and how well you do on semester exams. Please don't neglect this opportunity to make the most of the remaining time.

Pre-ACT Scores Released

Your Pre-ACT scores are already back!  I know that many of you picked up your scores before Thanksgiving, but if you haven't had a chance to do so, please be sure to stop by the Counseling Center to pick them up.  You can pick up your score sheets during your lunch periods or before or after school from any of the secretaries at the front of the counseling center. 

One nice feature of the PreACT is that you will get your test booklet and the score summary written report.  You can use this information to help you determine what you did well on and what you want to improve on in the future.

Don't forget, these are just practice tests so they are giving you an indication of where you might expect to score on the actual ACT and you can use your results to help guide you in preparing to achieve college readiness.

I hope your scores were what you were expecting (or perhaps even better).  If you have any questions don't hesitate to stop by and see me.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!  I have so much to be thankful for today and every day.  I hope you know that you are part of what I am grateful for and that I am thankful that you are in my life!  As I pause to give thanks I wanted to share a few of my Thanksgiving thankful thoughts with all of you.

I am thankful for:

- Lexi.  If you know me at all you know how thankful I am for the unconditional love, sweet morning snuggles, and crazy fun and laughter of playing keep away with her toys that she brings to my life each day.  She has filled a place in my heart that I didn't even realize was empty and she is pure, genuine love in action form with a wet nose and a wagging tail.
- My Family.  We are so lucky to be gathered together this holiday weekend.  Like my students who have divorced parents, my family will be splitting time between both of my parents homes for Thanksgiving.  (Which means lots of eating!)  I am particularly grateful for my niece Carly and my nephews Colton and Brady.  They always make me smile and I love being able to spend time with them.
- My mom's cooking.  Technically, I suppose this should still be under my family, but I was thinking about all the ways that my mom shows her love for us and her cooking is one example.  We are so spoiled - she takes care of the entire holiday meal each year and I love that we have the same Thanksgiving meal each year.  (Honestly, most years I don't even ask if she wants me to bring anything and this year I at least put out the offer - she just laughed and said no.  Thank God!)  :-)
-  My job.  I am so lucky to have a job that is rewarding, fulfilling, and that never gets boring.  No two days are alike and it is always exciting to see what will happen with each new day.
-  My students.  Let's be honest, the reason I love my job is because I have the best students!  I am so fortunate to be a part of your lives.  The fact that you choose to talk to me during difficult days and include me in your celebration on happy days means far more than you can imagine.  I consider it an honor to work with you and I learn so much from you.
-  The families of my students.  Not only do students welcome me into their lives, but many families do so as well.  The words of encouragement and appreciation you share mean a great deal to me.
- My friends.  I have many friends, but even more importantly are the small group that make up my "true friends" - those people who I can count on no matter what.  They bring such joy and love to my life.
-  My coworkers.  I am lucky to work with people who I consider friends.  They listen, support, encourage and believe in me.  I trust them without question and I am a better person and a better counselor because of them.  (Not to mention that they also love on, spoil, and help with Lexi at school every day too.)
-  My health.  I am aware of just how fortunate I am to be blessed with good health.  There are so many of my friends, students and their families that have been dealing with their own medical difficulties which helps me realize just how lucky I am to be healthy and reminds me that I shouldn’t take it for granted.
-  My former students.  There is no way that I can express how much it means to me when former students keep in touch.  E-mails, calls, text messages, or visits when they are home - each are priceless gifts to my heart.  I am so thankful that these students choose to stay in touch even though there is nothing that I can do for them anymore.
-  Generosity and compassion in action.  It is so inspiring to see acts of kindness, generosity and compassion being demonstrated in big or small ways.  I love seeing it directed toward those most in need and also appreciate the times when it has been shown to me as well.
-  Stability.  I am so fortunate to live a stable life.  I have a solid foundation of faith, food on my table, a roof over my head, the ability to take hot showers, and a warm bed to sleep in each night.  There are so many people in our world who pray for the things I tend to take for granted.
-  Freedom.  I am so blessed to live in this country and am thankful for all the men and women who have sacrificed so much to maintain our freedom.

It is a long list, but quite honestly, if I gave you more specifics this list would continue on and on because I am so blessed.  I hope that today you will find time to reflect on what you are grateful for this Thanksgiving.  And, if your life is feeling pretty rough and you don't have much to be thankful for, please know that you are in my prayers and that I hope things will improve.

Have a great day and a wonderful Thanksgiving!