Delaware Area Career Center

When students enter 9th grade, many are excited about the different choices and opportunities available in high school. Unfortunately, the reality is that the first two years of high school really don't have all that many choices. There is, however, a great deal of flexibility as students reach their junior and senior years. One of those options includes the possibility of attending the Delaware Area Career Center.

Today, all sophomores had a chance to listen to a presentation about the Delaware Area Career Center (DACC) and the programs they have available for students. Attending DACC is a great opportunity to earn your elective credits in an area that interests you rather than taking electives that you are selecting simply because they will fill up your schedule.  It was interesting to hear about all of the different programs that are available for students to explore. There are some unique experiences and opportunities available that can really stand out to colleges. 

If you are interested in participating in the field trip to the DACC, remember that there are 2 steps required to complete the process.  The first step is to fill out the Google Form by following the QR Code on the DACC packet.  The second step is to turn in your permission slip signed by a parent to participate in the field trip on Friday, November 22nd.  If you are interested in exploring this option more, please be sure to fill out your google form and return your permission slip to the tray in the front of the counseling center.

Transcript Requests

I wanted to remind everyone that if you are in the process of applying to college you need to make sure you fill out the transcript release form.  This process must be completed for EVERY college where you are applying!  The transcript release form is a Google Form and there is a link to it on the WKHS Counselor website. (Imagine on right side will take you to it and also if you hover over College/ Career it is a drop down option.)

If you are applying to schools utilizing the Common Application or Send EDU, your transcript will be submitted electronically.  You will need to report me as your school counselor on the Recommendation page so that I am assigned the transcript data responsibility and given access to submit them on your behalf.  If you are unsure how to do this, bring your common app username and password to school with you and we will fill out the invitation component together.  

Some students have asked me if you have to be done with your applications to request your transcript and the short answer is no!  But you don't really want us sending transcripts to colleges where you're not actually going to apply.  So if you are 100% sure that you are applying to a school, you can go ahead and fill out the transcript release form to give us that permission to submit the transcript on your behalf.

Also, I will give one more plug for tomorrow night's College Application Completion Workshop.  The counselors will be available from 5-6:30 in the Commons to help work with students on completing your college applications.  If you're not totally finished with your applications, I hope you will join us to get some focused work on your applications accomplished.

And, on a separate note, for all junior students and parents, don't forget, tomorrow night at 7pm in the auditorium we will host the Planning for College Information night!  I hope to see you there!

Early Decision

Seniors are in very different places regarding where they are with the college application process. A few of you have barely given a thought to where all you want to apply (for the record, this worries me, so if you are in that situation, please come talk to me). Others have already received their acceptances and are ready to kick back and enjoy senior year. The vast majority are somewhere in between the two extremes.

While I am always happy to help you in any way possible, there are some decisions that are for you and your family to make. For example, what schools you apply to and when you apply (assuming it is before the deadline) is entirely up to you. The other issue that has been weighing heavily on the minds of some students and their parents is the choice about if they should apply under Early Decision. Remember, as I explained previously, Early Decision is binding. If you are not 100% sure if you want to go to that school, then the choice about should you apply early decision or not is actually quite easy - no. Because it is a binding decision, you cannot wait and see and take more time to decide, so if you are not completely sure about your desire to attend that school, then applying early decision would not be a wise choice. The other aspect that you and your family must seriously consider is the financial impact that attending the school could involve as you are making a commitment to attend the school and that you will withdraw your applications at all of your other schools. This means you will not be able to compare financial aid packages to see which school will provide the best offer. 

Some of you may be wondering what the advantage is to applying Early Decision. Aside from getting your admissions decision earlier, there is a statistical advantage at some schools where applying as an early decision student can increase your potential to be accepted at the school. This is, in part, due to the fact that it eliminates the concern from the college's side of if you will choose to actually come to their college in the future or not.  The data on how many of their accepted students actually end up coming and attending their college in the future is one of the factors that impacts college rankings and therefore it is an important predictor for colleges. Please know though, that just because you are applying early decision wouldn't make up for the fact that you still have to be academically competitive for that college.

Remember, if you plan on applying early decision, I need to know ahead of time because there is a form I must sign off on indicating that I have talked to you and your parents to confirm that you fully understand the binding nature of applying early decision.

Reminders about Tomorrow

I have lots of reminders for all of you about tomorrow (Monday, October 14th):

1. Room Changes: The new science classrooms are officially completed and opening tomorrow.  That means all of your science classes will be moved into the new rooms.  The classrooms that had been meeting on the back bridge (primarily foreign language rooms although there are a few other as well) are being moved into the new rooms that the science department had previously been housed in so that the bridge classrooms can be remodeled next.  What does that mean for students?  It means that there are a LOT of classrooms that have changed location - including some academic prep rooms.  Please be sure to look at Infinite Campus to see the exact room locations for where your classes will be meeting as of tomorrow.  All of the room assignments are up to date in IC so you can see if you have any classes changing location.

2. Hallway Closure: Going along with the room changes, your typical hallway path throughout the building may also need to adjust because the back bridge hallway will be completely closed off to students while they work on remodeling of those rooms.  So, if you are moving from a math classroom to a science classroom, you won't be able to use the back hallway and will need to walk up towards the hall closer to the commons and across to get between rooms.

3. Full Scale Evacuation Drill: Every 3 years Worthington schools and the local EMS/ Police departments all partner together to participate in a full-scale evacuation drill.  That drill will take place tomorrow during 2nd period.  You will be on a modified bell schedule with most classes being 37 minutes in length in order to give time for the evacuation drill.  Remember, we participate in drills like this because we want to make sure that ALL of us know what we would ever do if there was a crisis that required an evacuation of the building and because YOUR safety is of the utmost importance to us.  So it is always helpful to practice something so that, heaven forbid, something would ever happen at WKHS, you'd know what was being asked of you in an evacuation.

4. Parent/ Teacher Conferences: Tomorrow evening kicks off Night 1 of Parent/ Teacher conferences.  Students, if you think it would be beneficial for you and/or your parents to meet with your teacher, ask your parent to set up a conference for tomorrow or Wednesday and then you can participate in the meeting with your parent (or just send in your parent).  Parents, this is a GREAT opportunity to learn more about what your son/ daughter is doing in class, what their strengths and weaknesses are, and identify strategies that you can use to help them at home as well as sharing with the teachers any feedback about what might help them to better connect with your child.  Conferences play a vital role in the connection between the school and parents so I hope you'll take advantage of them.

5. Pre-Apprenticeship Partnership Presentation: And last but certainly not least, the counselors are hosting an information night for students and parents about the Pre-Apprenticeship programs that Worthington Schools have partnerships with so that students can learn about these hands-on learning opportunities and how they can translate into job prospects for after graduation.  This is an important evening for anyone hoping to participate in a Pre-Apprenticeship either this year or next year.  Join us at 6pm in the WKHS Auditorium.

Clearly, it will be a busy day, but it will be a great day too!

College App Completion Workshop

It may seem scary how fast time flies and that college application deadlines are rapidly approaching.  I don't want you to be haunted by your applications!  Even though it may be getting dark outside, on Wednesday, October 16th, from 5:00 - 6:30pm, the counselors will be in the Commons to assist you.  The most important trick is to bring your information with you.  Sometimes the essays may seem spooky and common app can be ghastly, but do not be afraid - the counselors are here to help!  No costumes are required, but we will have some treats.  You don't want to boo hoo because you miss it.  :-)

Students are in very different places in their application process.  A few of you still haven't started and so this will be a great opportunity for you to get started with your applications with our support and assistance.  Most of you have started, but are struggling to get finished and so if you need help finalizing your essays or just finding the time to be able to work through your application and get it finished, this is the perfect opportunity to complete your applications.

While I understand that coming back to school or not leaving after practice isn't very appealing, the reality is that it will make a difference.  By spending an hour and a half on focused application work, I am confident you will find the progress you make on your applications worth the sacrifice.  So, unless you have finished 100% of your applications, I hope you will join me and the rest of the counselors in the Commons on Wednesday the 16th to work on finishing them!

ACT/ SAT Score Submissions

I feel like this week has been filled with conversations about testing... even the blog has highlighted PSAT and Pre-ACT this week.  So I am just embracing the theme and continuing it tonight.

Seniors, if you are planning on applying to colleges and having them consider your test scores from the ACT or SAT, it is important that you have sent your scores directly from the testing agencies to your colleges.  This is a step that can be done far in advance, but because there isn't a key timeline for getting it done ahead of the deadline, it can be a step that inadvertently gets forgotten and then causes problems with applications being marked as complete so that they can be processed.

Your test scores are NOT on your transcript so the only way that the colleges will have access to your scores is if you arrange for them to be sent from the testing agency directly.  You received the option to send your scores to 4 colleges free of charge when you signed up to take the test.  There is an additional charge for any additional tests beyond those 4 that you want to send your scores to for consideration.  

You can log into the ACT and SAT websites to review your scores including where they have already been sent and make sure that every college you are considering that you want to see your scores has received a copy of your test results.  And, it is also directly on the ACT and SAT websites that you will pay to have your scores sent to any additional colleges.

I do strongly encourage you to just get this step taken care of and crossed off your list so that you're not scrambling at the last minute or missing the early action deadlines because you didn't send in your scores in time.

Pre-Apprenticeship Opportunities

Are you someone who isn't actually sold on the idea of college being your next direct step after high school graduation?  There are a lot of students who don't love school and can't imagine going directly on to college, but don't always know the options that are available in our community that isn't a direct to college pathway.  This year, helping make sure students and parents know of the range of opportunities available is a goal for us.

To help start sharing that information with students and families, next Monday, October 14th at 6pm in the Auditorium we will have a Pre-Apprenticeship Night.  

The Pre-Apprenticeship Night will allow families to learn about, hear directly from, and meet the staff at the Pre-Apprenticeship locations which Worthington Schools have a partnership with for students to be able to work and earn credit at the same time.  These locations include: Worthington Enterprises, Worthington Steel, Simpson Strong Tie, and Performance Columbus Drive Direct.

Current seniors can explore the options from Worthington Enterprises, Worthington Steel, and Simpson Strong Tie for the 2nd semester of THIS year! (They are semester only programs.)

Performance Columbus' Drive Direct Pre-Apprenticeship program is a full-year long program and so current Juniors who are interested should attend to learn about this program for next fall.  (Applications and interviews will be held in the 2nd semester of this year.)

We are excited and grateful for these partnership experiences that are available to our students.  If you have ever thought about something like a pre-apprenticeship or, maybe you haven't but are curious to try to see if it might be a fit, I strongly encourage you (and your parents) to come and check out the presentation next Monday night.  I look forward to seeing you there!