Winter Break!

Hooray!  We have made it to winter break.  You have successfully finished your first semester of the school year and are now half-way done.  Lots of big accomplishments for so many students over the course of this first semester and I know many of you have big goals for the new semester ahead.

I hope you and your families have a wonderful and relaxing winter break.  If you will travel - be safe.  If you stay home - enjoy the extra down time.  And above all, remember that you are valued and appreciated and needed.  Have a great break and I will look forward to hearing all about it when we return.

The cracks that make you good enough

I read this and loved it so I wanted to pass it along to you as well.

Once upon a time there was an elderly woman who needed to walk down to the river every morning to fetch water for drinking, cooking and cleaning. She carried two buckets with her, filled them up at the riverbank, and walked back with them to her rural cottage home.

One of the buckets was newer, perfectly sealed, and held its water flawlessly. But the second bucket was older and contained a few thin cracks that would leak water onto the ground as the elderly woman walked. By the time she arrived home, typically about one third of the water in the second bucket had leaked through its cracks.

One day, on the walk down to the river, the cracked bucket – who had always felt like it wasn’t as good as the other bucket – said to the elderly woman, “I want you to know that I’ve been leaking water every morning for the past several years. I’m so sorry for being cracked and making your life more difficult. I understand if you need to replace me with a better bucket.”

The elderly woman smiled. “Do you really think I haven’t known about your cracks this whole time?” she asked. “Look at all the beautiful flowers that grow on the path from my cottage to the river. I planted their seeds, but every morning it’s you who does the watering.”

Feeling good enough in life, in work, in business, and in our relationships has everything to do with how we personally judge the cracks in our own bucket. Because we all have a few cracks!

But are they cracks that wreck us, that taint us, and that ruin our experience and desirability?

Or do our cracks water a trail of flowers we haven’t even stopped to appreciate?

Choose to see the flowers through the cracks in your own bucket – choose to see how it’s exactly those cracks that make you good enough.

College Majors

One challenge for all students is deciding what you want to do someday when you grow up.  For some students that means finding a job for straight out of high school that will feel rewarding and meaningful.  For others it is figuring out what you want to study in college as your major that will lead to the career you hope to pursue.  

Looking at information about different majors can be a helpful way to help inform your decisions.  Now, in saying that, I will point out that there are a lot of articles out there which put the emphasis on how much (or how little) money you will make in particular majors.  I don't think your decision should be based just on how much you will make.  For example, if you look at this article on the 10 majors with the highest starting salaries for college graduates, you will see that they are all VERY heavy in math, science, and engineering fields.  If you are a student who doesn't like those fields, you shouldn't pick those majors just because it will have a higher salary.  You need to find majors and careers that will both meet your financial stability needs in the future as well as be fulfilling and enjoyable to you.

The US News Guide to College Majors also includes a highest/ lowest starting salaries list, but it also features a majors quiz and some other tools and resources for investingating potential college majors that may be interesting for you.

Maybe during break you can spend some time exploring information about majors to see if any sound appealing to you.

Holiday Assembly

Yesterday we had the holiday assembly.  It has been SO LONG since we were able to all be together for an assembly and I have to say that yesterday made my heart happy.  The talent of our students was on display with the choir, orchestra and band performances.  WOW!  You all were amazing!  I know that you have put in such long hours perfecting your musical skills and it definitely showed.  Thanks for gracing us with such uplifting performances.  

I was also impressed and amazed to hear about the incredible generosity of our student body who donated money to the Adopt-A-Child campaign.  It really is such a cool project that will result in so many families having an incredible holiday next week.  Thanks to student council for your leadership in making this project happen.  

All of it is yet another reminder of how fortunate I am to work at WKHS and to be surrounded by all of you each day.  Only 2 more days of school before we break begins.  I know you have LOTS of tests coming up in these last few days so good luck studying this weekend!

Tomorrow's Bell Schedule

Tomorrow we will be on a very different bell schedule because we are once again returning to having the holiday assembly (which had been annual until COVID messed with life).  This will be a great way to celebrate the end of the first semester and a fun experience for so many students who have not yet had an assembly in the auditorium during their high school years.

Below is the bell schedule for your reference:

Period 1 - 7:45 - 8:29

Period 2 - 8:34 - 9:18

Period 3 - 9:23 - 10:58  (Students will be divided to spend 1/2 of the time in class and 1/2 in the assembly and then you will flip so that everyone gets 3rd period class time and to attend the assembly.)

Period 4 - 11:03 - 11:47

Period 5 - 11:52 - 12:36

Period 6 - 12:41 - 1:25

Period 7 - 1:30 - 2:15

Period 8 - 2:20 - 3:05

I am looking forward to seeing all of my students who are participating as a part of the assembly tomorrow and I hear they have some funny challenges planned for the assembly as well.  (Don't forget that if you have late arrival that you need to adjust your arrival time so that you aren't late to class.)

Senior Schedule Changes

Every year we have seniors come in asking to drop 2^nd semester classes from their schedules.  And every year when a senior approaches me with that request I tend to encourage the student to stay in the class.  If they really feel strongly that they want to make the change that they need to contact all of the colleges where they have applied to see if it will impact their admissions decision.  Students will frequently roll their eyes and think I am crazy for making that suggestion, but we consistently hear that message from colleges because it is so important.  This is from a college where many of our students apply and I am copying it for you just so you will realize that I'm not making this up:

"Because strength of curriculum is an important factor in our decision, we require students to notify us if they plan to change their senior year course schedule.  Please ask them to include the following information in the email: their current spring schedule as it appears on their original application, the change they would like to make, and the reason(s) for the change.  We will review and respond to all requests as promptly as possible.  If the student has already been offered admission, the Admissions Committee may choose to reconsider that offer based on the change of schedule.  If a student has been notified that his or her decision is being deferred, any course changes will be considered when the final admission decision is made."

So, as you can see, making changes at the semester – especially if you are looking to drop a class – is NOT a decision you should take lightly.

If you are struggling with your academic load and NEED to make a change, please come see me so we can talk about the options, but again, I strongly encourage you to maintain a rigorous schedule throughout your entire senior year.

Military

I spend a lot of time talking on my blog about college related topics because so many of the WKHS seniors will head to college after graduation, but tonight I wanted to pause for a moment and talk about the option of joining the military.

I have always had a great deal of respect for those individuals who decide to serve our country through the military.  If you have every been in my office you have likely seen the framed photos I have displayed from when I went to Parris Island, SC to visit where the US Marine Corps recruits go through boot camp. I know that the military isn't for everyone (I am definitely someone who doesn't have the strength or bravery to be successful in the military), and I think that is also why I have such a high level of respect and appreciation for those who do.  But for those students who feel as if the military is a part of their future career path, I want to remind you that I am also here to support you on that journey.

Just this past week I was talking with a sophomore who said that he wants to join the military after high school and I asked if he knew what job within the military he would want to pursue.  And he was stumped - and he definitely isn't alone in that!  Each branch of the military has their own job codes - for example in the Army and Marines they are called MOS's - Military Occupational Specialty - and in the Air Force they are called AFSC's - Air Force Specialty Codes - but essentially these are a military service members "major" and what their job will involve.  There are hundreds of these codes for the different jobs people can pursue.  I think that is one tihng so many people forget - that joining the military gives you lots of different possibilities of types of jobs that you can be trained to complete while serving in the military and beyond.

If you are interested in joining the military, it is really helpful to talk to the recruiters.  They are the experts whose jobs are to educate you about the options of joining the military.  Now, I will also remind you that they are just one source of information, so if you are unsure, be sure to ask lots of questions and don't feel pressured to make any decisions before you are completely comfortable and ready.  It is the same as with colleges - you don't want to make any rush decisions that you would later regret - so do your research, ask questions, seek input from a range of sources, and then trust yourself as you decide.  If you need support in getting connected with a recruiter for a particular branch you can always look online, but we also have contact information for the recruiters assigned to WKHS and you can find that information in the front of the counseling center and many recruiters will also visit the Commons during lunches to help answer questions for interested students.

While enlisting in the military is the most common avenue of service after high school, there are also other options related to the military such as ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) which is where you go to college, but also participate in the ROTC program so that when you graduate you are also an officer in the military and Service Academies which is where you go to college specifically focused on serving as an officer in your desired branch.  In fact, one recent WKHS graduate, Sean Kim, will be back at Kilbourne tomorrow to share insight and to answer questions from interested students about what it is like for him being at the US Air Force Academy.

The other thing that I think is interesting about the military that I want to make sure you know about is the similarities towards going to college.  Just like when you are applying to college, you have to research the different schools to see what is right for you.  When considering a future in the military, you need to research the different branches and avenues of service to find the best fit.  With college applications you need to take admissions tests.  With the military you have to take the ASVAB which is very similar to the ACT and helps identify various career possibilities depending on your score.  With colleges you have different college specific steps to complete which may also include interviews.  In the military, you will also have additional steps that you need to complete such as passing a physical exam and working with the recruiters to select the job that will be your future path.

Know that the military is a great path for some students and that if you are thinking about this for your future, that I would love to talk to you more about how I can support you as you work to make that goal a reality.