Senior Reminders

Seniors, Congratulations! Today was your LAST DAY of high school!  We have a few quick reminders about things you need to be sure that you take care of before graduation rehearsal on Monday.

Actually, I should probably start there. You have graduation rehearsal at WKHS on Monday, May 18th at 9:30am. You will be done around noon. This is mandatory if you plan on participating in the commencement ceremony on Sunday. You do not need to dress up or where your cap and gown to the rehearsal.  I will be honest, the rehearsal isn't anywhere near as exciting as the actual graduation ceremony will be, but it will be worth it when everything goes well during the real event Sunday.  Because the practice can get boring, I suggest bringing something to help keep you occupied in your seat.  (Fully charged phone, book to read, etc.) 

Other events this week include Senior Teas at your elementary schools on Thursday. Senior Recognition Night for those students who have earned awards/ scholarships/ recognitions. If you will not be attending, please be sure to let Mrs. McDaniel know by stopping to see her in the Counseling Center or sending her an email to kmcdaniel@wscloud.org so that she knows you will not be there to pick up your recognition materials and can make arrangements to get them to you separately. 

Next week will feature Baccalaureate on Friday night, May 22nd, at Worthington Christian Church and this is open to all seniors students and families and is always an awesome night each year.  And then, there is also this big event down at the Convention Center on Sunday, May 24th at 11am - GRADUATION!  :-)  It's going to be a busy and fun few days.

* Fees/ Fines: Some students still have outstanding fees and fines that you owe to the school. It may be a very small fee for an overdue library book or it could be a much larger fee for a lost textbook, but either way, please make sure that all of your debt is paid this week so that you will be able to participate in the commencement ceremony.

* Textbook/ Library Book Returns: You will need to turn in all of your textbooks as well as any library books that you still have. You can return your books to Mrs. Dominach in the Counseling Center.

* Scholarship Thank You's: If you received a scholarship, don't forget the importance of writing a thank you note to the individual, group or organization who is providing you with the scholarship.

* Iron your gown: Ok, this isn't a requirement, but I'm hoping you have at least taken your gown out of the package already so that some of the wrinkles have fallen away.  But I do strongly suggest you consider ironing your gown because you will look much nicer in pictures if you're not a wrinkled mess.  (And, I say that fully acknowledging that I pretty much iron once a year and that is for this exact event to iron my gown for the ceremony each year.)

Summer Plans

Summer is a great time to relax and unwind from the hectic schedule of homework, studying and the general day to day expectations of school. But your summer shouldn’t just be wasted away into day after day of doing “nothing.” The summer is a perfect time to explore your passions, investigate your interests and indulge in fun activities that you might not have time for during the regular school year. As we have just a few days of school left in the year, we want to encourage you to start thinking about what you will do this summer to make sure that you have a productive summer and don’t spend the entire break being bored.

So, what are some ideas of how you can spend your summer? Consider taking a class (or two) in summer school. This is especially important if you are behind in credits and not doing well in school. Success rates of summer school completion are very high – in part because you are able to focus on just one subject at a time and you generally have smaller class sizes so the teacher can focus more one-on-one time with each student. If you are planning on taking a class in summer school it is important to sign up as soon as possible to make sure that you will not be closed out of the class of your choice.

Perhaps you are looking for ideas that do not involve more school… Summer vacation is a great time to expand your resume and pursue your passions by volunteering or working a summer job.  If you're still looking for summer job opportunities we have a page on the Counselor website highlighting some organizations who have reached out because they are seeking employees. And, with regards to volunteering, many students don’t know where to volunteer and the truth is the sky is the limit – anything that interests you has the potential for being a volunteer service project. Get creative in your approach! For ideas about existing needs for volunteers you can visit HandsOn Central Ohio.  

If you are starting to consider different careers, perhaps you have a family member or friends that would allow you to shadow them for a day or two on the job to see what their particular career is really like as this will help you determine if that career is truly of interest to you.

Current juniors (Soon to be Seniors) – this summer is going to be busy as you prepare for your senior year. Hopefully you are taking the time to visit colleges from your list and getting an idea of what you think about different schools. You can also begin drafting your college application essays and preparing for the ACT and SAT exams.

Of course, there is always spending quality time reconnecting with your family and friends, going on vacation, reading, and even attending camps or other formal activities which can be a part of the summer for many. If you are interested in learning about some of the camp opportunities - many of which are offered on college campuses, please be sure to check out the camp opportunities page on the WKHS Counselor website as we continue adding summer enrichment experiences to the site as we receive them.

The bottom line is try to be productive this summer – at the very least it will give you great stories to share next fall when people ask you what you did over the summer.

Exam Schedule

Tomorrow and Wednesday are exams for seniors, but we are following a normal bell schedule.  Next week, however, we will be on a very different schedule for exams for the rest of the student body.

Below is the schedule for the final exams:

Day One - Tuesday, May 19th:

8:40 - 10:35: 1st period exam
10:45 - 12:40: 4th period exam
12:40 - 1:20: Lunch
1:25 - 3:20: 7th period exam

Day Two - Wednesday, May 20th:
8:40 - 10:35: 2nd period exam
10:45 - 12:40: 5th period exam
12:40 - 1:20: Lunch
1:25 - 3:20: 8th period exam

Day Three - Thursday, May 21st:
8:40 - 10:35: 3rd period exam
10:45 - 12:40: 6th period exam
12:40 - 1:20: NO Lunch Provided!
1:25 - 3:20: Make-Up Exams

A couple of questions that tend to come up each year at exam time...

Yes, you are REQUIRED and EXPECTED to be in all of your classes during an exam. (Even if you don't have an actual exam, the teachers are going to be working with you on projects, papers, or other learning related to their course.)

No, you do NOT need to be in school during your scheduled lunch period or during your Options or Prep periods. (Which means, for example, that if you have 3rd period prep and 6th period lunch that you do not have to come to school at all on the 21st.)

Good luck studying and preparing for your exams.  (Hint, please start that process NOW if you haven't already.) There is information related to study strategies on the Counselor Website in case you need it.

Honors, AP, & IB Summer Work

Students who have signed up for some of the Honors, AP, and IB classes for next year will have work to complete this summer. These teachers have been working hard to prepare meaningful learning opportunities to help you get a jump start during the summer months. Please pay attention to your school email because teachers are likely emailing you information about the summer assignments.  

Some of those assignments will also require you to check out a textbook for the summer so be sure to do that before you leave school. The teachers are working to make sure that they are conveying information about how you will complete and submit your work, when those assignments are due, information about how to access any Google/ Schoology classrooms if they are using those for the summer, what to do if you have questions or need support, etc. We will also be posting copies of the summer assignments that teachers have shared with us on the Counselor website so you can have easy access to them on the website.

It is also important for all students to be aware that there is a drop deadline of July 15th for all AP and IB classes. Prior to July 15th, students can drop the classes without penalty. After July 15th, the summer assignments are still required and the grades for the summer work will be transferred into the new class you will be joining in place of your AP/ IB course. So, it is important that you know what you will need to do for next year, and it is also equally important that you start working on the assignments - at least enough to make sure you feel confident that you are going to enjoy the course - so you will know by July 15th if you feel like you are going to need to request to change out of that class.

If you are not sure if your class will have summer work, you can always reach out directly to the teachers of that subject (or even your current teachers in that subject) to find out.

So Much to Celebrate

As the year winds down, there are so many reasons (and people) to celebrate and thank...

Socratic Society:

30 students were inducted into the Socratic Society earlier this month. Students were nominated by staff members because of how they demonstrated the principles of Integrity, Personal Effort, Scholarship, Compassion, and Lifelong Learning. Congratulations to: Lara Balles, Cole Beckett, Lauren Bialecki, Jose Cano Illescas, Saith Chance-Vachio, Hannah Cole, Ray DiSalvo, Chloe Eberly, Scarlett Elder, Annabelle Epling, Gabrielle Epling, Zoey Gearhart, Bella Hollback, Jacob Kostelnick, Kellen Louk, Brogan McGlone, Davis O'Brien, Gia Pastore, Sarah Pelzer, Logan Poe, Emma Radick, Claire Renneker, Shawn Rice, Declan Ryan, Lilly Schultheis, Whit Sheridan, Seren Slentz, Tessa Terpenning, Gavin Troiano, and Lyla Woerth. We are proud of all of you!

Office Workers:

Every year we ask for students to volunteer in the Counseling Center. We have to rely on students to deliver passes and help us with other projects. We are so grateful for the students who have served as office workers this year. And, remember, if you're looking for community service hours next year, we would love to have you volunteer with us next year.

Advisory Council:

Parents, staff members and a few students are invited to share their insights and perspectives as a part of our advisory council board. They help guide the counseling center with our programming and outreach efforts. We are so grateful for the assistance and guidance provided by: Aya Ahmed, Luisa Anaya, Steve Buck, Kelly Campbell, Bice Dolciato, Elizabeth Ferguson, Christie Holtzclaw, Kim Huff, Megan Humphrey, Shion Jamshidimehr, John Lundine, Tiena Miller, Liz Renneker, Linh Rhea, Aric Thomas, and Angie Vantell. We weren't able to get a photo of the whole group, but this includes a few of our members at the last meeting.

Drumming Circle and Activity Club:

We have a special parternship with Iggy Garcia who provides drumming circles for us at Arts in Action Day. This special experience allows everyone to be able to feel connected through the beat of the drums as the whole room participates in unison. It is a nice chance to be reminded that we are all connected.

The drumming circle (along with several other Arts in Action day activities) was made possible by the WKHS Activity Club. This incredible group of dedicated Kilbourne moms helps to make so many opportunities available for our students. They are the reason that we have a nice Kindness Closet, Food Bags for families in need, the Toiletries Care Closet, After Prom, and SO MUCH MORE. A hgue thank you to Activity Club for making our school so much stronger! We appreciate you.

Teachers:

     This past week was Teacher Appreciation week. Teachers (and the rest of the staff too) were recognized and celebrated for the impact they have on our student body and the community as a whole. It's so easy to take teachers for granted, but they impact not only your learning, but also creatinv a safe, supportive environment that makes Kilbourne such a special place to learn and grow. The teachers are encouragers, confidants, coaches, and the people who see the best that

Spring Cleaning

With the school year coming to an end and the rapid approach of your upcoming exams, you may decide to do some "spring cleaning" of your school materials. As you go through your bookbags and homework/ study areas there are a few things to keep in mind. Does your system work for you? Are you able to find everything you want and need without having to search? Do you spend more time organizing and looking for the piece of paper that you know has the answer than you do actually completing the project or assignment? Do you know what you want or need to save for the future? And yes, I am talking about more than just digging out of your room in case your parents decide to convert your room into a guest bedroom after you go to college... :-)

Keeping your notes organized and any study guides, equation summary sheets, as well as old tests and quizzes in a way that will allow you to pull upon that information in the future is very important. I can tell you from my experience in college, if I had not saved my notes from calculus in high school then there is no way I would have passed that class in college! Your notes can often be the most useful resource (assuming you take good notes each day) because you are re-writing the main topics in your own words and organizing the information in a manner that makes sense to you. Old study guides, tests and quizzes are all very useful when trying to study for an upcoming exam.

So, take a little time now to prepare for your upcoming final exams and (for the seniors) for college when you might want or need this information by getting organized today. If you need help with talking about some better strategies for organizing your materials, feel free to stop in and we can talk about some different ideas to see if one of them sounds like it could work for you.

CC+ Transcripts

If you are a senior who took College Credit Plus (CC+) classes through CSCC or COTC last year or this year, you need to be sure that you request for your CSCC and/ or COTC transcripts to be sent to your future college.

If you are going to continue at Columbus State, then you don't have to do anything with your CSCC transcript (they already have that), but you would need to send them your COTC transcript.

If you are going to a 4 year college, then you will need to send them both transcripts... and yes, this is in addition to us at WKHS sending them your final high school transcript.

We have posted the links for how to send your CC+ transcripts on the Counselor website so if this is something that applies to you, please be sure to request them to be sent.