Find a career you love

Choosing what you would like to do for the rest of your life can be pretty overwhelming for most students. The idea that, as a high school student, you are expected to decide what career you will enjoy doing every day can seem scary. One of my students described his view of the future as endless 40 hour work weeks and while there is certainly some truth to this statement, the goal is that you will find a career you love. When you enjoy your job and find it fulfilling and rewarding, then every day will give you something meaningful.

It is fun to dream about your future and I hope you will ultimately find a job that is as meaningful to you as my job as a high school counselor is to me!

Don't hesitate to chase after whatever dreams you have for your future.  And, know that you are capable of making your dreams a reality.  While the jobs you might have during high school or the first jobs you have after graduating from high school aren't always your dream positions, working provides many valuable life skills.  Don't forget that juniors and seniors are invited to attend the Worthington Schools virtual job fair tomorrow morning in the library from 8:30-10am.  Who knows, it just may spark an interest for you and careers for the future.

Time flies

Time flies... and this year it's zooming.  :-)  Ok, cheesy, I know, but seriously, doesn't this year seem to be passing by unbelievably fast?  Seniors have just 14 days of class remaining and underclassmen have 20 days before summer break.

Obviously that means every moment counts if you are not doing well in your classes and you are trying to pull off a passing grade for the semester.  It is essential that you spend the remaining weeks taking care of your classes so that you do not jeopardize your future.

The truth is that this last month of the school year is essential for many WKHS students.

For seniors, I realize that there is a rampant case of senioritis running through the school, but I must remind you that next year most of you will be heading to college. You have already received your acceptance letters and decided where you will be attending school next year so it seems like your grades this last semester don't really matter... except they do! You must submit a final transcript to your college. If you go back and read the acceptance letters the colleges sent to you, you will notice the fine print points out that they can turn you down if you don't maintain the level of grades that they expect from you and your past performance. Historically, schools have turned away hundreds of students and I can't even imagine how hard it was for a student to believe they knew where they would be attending to suddenly find out that they couldn't go there any more because they blew off school during their final semester.  The other comment I hear from seniors often is that school doesn't matter now, but that next year, in college, when it matters they will turn it around and try. Well, while I would love to believe you (and I hope you are right), the reality is that it isn't always that easy. Bad habits are hard to break. Next year there won't be anyone bugging you about turning in homework or reminding you that a paper or project is due next week. They won't accept late papers. Most teachers won't check attendance and they don't really care if you want to throw your money away by not attending class. It is your introduction to the real world. At WKHS if you show up late to class and get a tardy or two you end up with a detention. In the real world, if you show up late for work you get fired. At WKHS if you can't manage to turn in a paper or project on time teachers take points off and it might hurt your grade, but in the real world the devastation of not following through and meeting the expectations of your boss are much more serious. I know, you think I am just nagging and I promise that I am not trying to lecture you, but I am worried. The last few weeks of high school need to be a time to practice developing some good habits. For many of you, you have taken a long enough break at the beginning of this quarter. Spend time studying. Work on your organization skills. Practice taking better notes. All of those things will help you in college and in the future.

For the underclassmen... it is far too early for you to be claiming senioritis (although I heard that from quite a few students recently). The classes you are taking now will impact your grades and grade point average. Having a higher grade point average doesn't guarantee you admission to the school of your dreams, but it does provide you with more options. For most of your classes - you need it to meet graduation requirements. (Even your elective classes as you need five credits of electives to graduate.) It always surprises me when students give up at this point in the year. I don't understand it. If I was faced with the option of working really hard for the last few weeks of school or taking the class for an entire semester (or year) again over the summer or next year there is no question that I would apply myself now. That is what so many of you need to do. Hopefully you realize there is a way you can still pass, but you must commit yourself now and not let a single point slip by without trying to earn it.  Every point matters! Talk to your teachers, get input from them on what you need to do differently in order to turn things around in your classes. Please, don't wait until it is too late. If you have already realized that there is no way to pass the class and your teacher agrees that there is no hope, please come and see me so that we can talk about what your plan is to make up the class. Are you going to take it during the summer? Are you going to take it next year? If you are taking it next year does that bump out any of your other classes because you are now missing the requirements? There is a great deal to consider. If you aren't going to be able to pass one class, please work hard to make sure that you pass all of the others. As soon as you realize that one class is a lost cause it doesn't mean that all of the others are gone too. Try to use your time wisely and put more effort into the ones that still have hope. Feel free to stop in and talk to me if you need help developing a plan on how to focus your energy and effort to passing your classes.

Believe me, I do understand that it is hard to focus right now. And yes, I admit that I don't always want to get up and come to school when there are other things that sound more appealing for the day. But we only have one today and the decisions we make today have a much bigger influence than we can imagine. Make the most of today!

Cap and Gown

Seniors, exactly 1 month from now we will all be gathering together in order to watch as you graduate from high school.  And, did you hear the news that was just released tonight?!?  Your graduation will be able to continue as planned at the Schottenstein Center on OSU's campus.  I am so excited about that because it will allow each student the chance to have 4 tickets for graduation.  (Yes, I know that some of you would have liked to have more tickets, but the Schott definitely will fit more than we could have safely had in the WKHS stadium and they will also be live-streaming the event for your extended family to be able to watch.)  This is such a wonderful time and I suspect that the excitement will truly start picking up this week when you get to pick up your cap and gown.

On Thursday and Friday of this week during lunch periods, representatives from Buckeye Scholastic, will be in the Commons to distribute caps and gowns, as well as announcements and any other materials you ordered.

Don't miss out on picking up your cap and gown later this week!

National Decision Day

Seniors, by now you are hopefully well aware of the fact that Saturday, May 1st is national college decision day.  As you are aware, through the college application process each college has their own timeline and often have different application deadlines, financial aid deadlines, and announce their admission decisions at different times, but May 1st is a universal deadline among all colleges requiring students to declare their decision.  Please remember that this not only means that you have informed the college of your choice that you intend to attend their college, but it also typically includes submitting a deposit.  As you reach the final days of your decision making window, if you need to talk out your choice with someone, please feel free to stop in and talk to me.  You can, of course, also use my books and the resources that I have in my office to help guide your decision making.

Also, as you finalize your future decisions, don't forget to share your plans to the WKHS Class of 2021 Instagram account.  Some in the senior class are compiling future plans to post on the WKHS Class of 2021 instagram page.  If you are on IG, please DM them with your name, a picture of yourself, your college (or other) future plans, and you can even include your major/ minor and any athletic or academic commitments.  They are then creating it into an IG post.  We are excited that these photos will also be shared with us to be able to feature so we want to be sure that all of the seniors are included!  If you are not on Instagram, you can still submit your information through their email account: wkhsclassof2021@gmail.com so that you can be included.

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).

Here is an article about gap years:

Advantages of taking a gap year

Prom

Tonight is prom night for WKHS juniors and seniors. This is an exciting and memorable night for students and I hope you have a great evening. Let's be honest, I also hope that it is a safe evening! You want prom to be memorable because it was a positive experience...

Hopefully you are looking forward to a fun night at both prom and at After-Hours. 

One last reminder about safety - please remember to talk with your parents before you leave tonight about what you will do if you end up in an unexpected situation and need help. Have a good time - be smart and please be safe!

Worthington Job Fair

Juniors and Seniors, are you looking for full or part-time employment?  In addition to those of you who might be seeking summer job opportunities, I know that there are several students who are hoping to work before starting college because of the need to save money or they only plan to attend school part time so that they can work and earn money while going to school.  There are many competitive employers in the central Ohio area who are interested in meeting those soon-to-be graduates from Worthington to see if you might be a good fit for working at their organization.

On Friday, April 30th from 8:30-10am there will be a virtual Job Fair for Worthington juniors and seniors.

Students are expected to have a resume, dress professionally and be ready to interview with potential future employers.  There will also be the opportunity to complete job applications on the spot.

A few of the employers who we anticipate being present at the Job Fair include: Worthington Industries, Kenneth's Hair Salon and Spa, Cardinal Health, Ace Hardware, Cintas, Columbus Zoo & Zoombezi Bay, Giant Eagle, Hilton Polaris, TJ X Companies, Safelite, Spectrum, Panera, Lowe's, Bob Evans, and UPS.

Juniors and seniors will be welcomed to the WKHS Library a week from tomorrow to participate in this awesome virtual experience!  If you have questions, please see me.