Deadline Reminders

Just a few reminders about important deadlines:

- Tomorrow (May 1st) is the deadline for seniors to declare their college intentions. Please be sure that you do everything necessary to notify your college choice that you will be attending next year and also be sure to let the other schools know that you have decided to pursue your education at a different school.

- Tomorrow (May 1st) is also the deadline for students planning on participating in the PSEO program at OSU to submit their applications to OSU - this includes your official transcript, essay, and application fee.

- As you heard today during homeroom, class officer elections are now underway - don't forget to vote this week.

Wacky Weather

What is up with this weather?!?!? I knew it was a bad sign when I walked out of my house and saw the snow on the cars this morning before school, but tonight - sitting at the track meet... WOW! I was F.R.E.E.Z.I.N.G!!! It was senior night and I wanted to support "my" five seniors - Congratulations John Batchelder, Phil Bunting, Carolyn Cann, Ian Cook, and Alex DiBartola! When I finally stood up to leave and about fell over because I could not feel my legs and now (2 hours after getting home from the meet) that my toes are still purple from being so cold I think I probably could have just found them at school and told them that I was proud of them and skipped the frigid recognition. Oh well... :-) Congratulations to both the guys and girls track and field teams for their win tonight. Hoping for warmer weather - last I checked it is almost May and therefore it should be spring. :-)

Senior Survey

It's been announced in the senior class meetings, on the VIZ and announcements, and in the senior newsletter... yet, when I looked at the survey results submitted thus far only 12 of "my" students have completed their surveys. Please, take a few minutes to log into PrepHQ and complete your survey. The link to the survey is located in PrepHQ under the "My Organizer" section and is titled "Surveys." They are using the information about colleges and scholarships from this survey when creating your graduation program so it is very important that the information is accurate. If you cannot remember your PrepHQ password, come and see me and I can let you reset your password. As always, if you have any questions about your survey, stop in and see me.

Making the Final Decision

This is the final week for seniors who are trying to decide what college they will be attending next year. Remember, there is no right or wrong choice – it is all about what school is the best fit for you and your individual wants and needs in a college. Try to take a deep breath and relax as we head into this week. Trust yourself and know that you will be successful in the future – no matter where you end up!

As you are starting to think about your different schools and comparing and contrasting them, it is essential that you determine what you really want in a school and what is most important to you in a college. If you are still struggling with your choice, then chances are pretty good that the schools that you have narrowed your decision down to are probably relatively similar.

Take the time to go back and look at the same factors you considered when picking which schools you wanted to apply to and try to get really picky about the different factors that played into your choice. Perhaps creating a chart can help you clarify how important each factor is to you and how each school compares in that category. For example, think about the location of the school. How important is that issue to you in picking a college? The schools are likely within your comfort zone of a location from home, but when looking at two colleges consider how far or close they are from your family. What does it mean to you if the school is 10 minutes away, 4 hours away, or a flight away? How important is it to you to be able to come home for an evening, a weekend, or a holiday? You can also look at the size of the school. Consider the advantages and disadvantages of the different sizes of schools. For example, the larger school might provide additional choices and the smaller school may provide better teacher/ student ratios. What is more important to you? And if both are important to you then you will need to consider what you will do to adapt to make sure that the school will meet your needs. Consider the social life and activities on and around the campus. Is it what you picture for your college years? Most importantly, you need to figure out what categories and issues are critical to you and compare the school on those aspects.

If your school comparison charts are similar and you still can’t decide – go visit the schools again. Sit in on the classes and, if possible, arrange for an overnight visit (yes, you are running out of time for overnight visits). People watch and consider your interactions with the students on campus. Are the students friendlier at one school over the other? What about the professors that you talk to? Are they engaging and whose classes are you most interested in attending? How was school safety? What strategies are in place to help keep students safe? Which campus support staff (admissions, financial aid, etc.) is friendlier and more helpful? (While this is not necessarily a key factor it can give you an image of the school and a glimpse at their values as an academic institution.)

Ask yourself if the school will meet your academic needs, if you will have the social life you desire, and if your family can make the investment. As you are progressing through your decision making process, remember not to be shy about asking questions and getting them answered because you are entitled to feel confident in your decision. This is your choice. You are not a victim in this process – you are the key active participant. Remember that if you want to stop in and talk about your college decision I am always here for you, but know that I can’t make this decision for you – just like your family and friends can’t make this choice for you. The good news – the stress is almost over and you will be relieved to be able to finally answer the question that everyone asks endlessly of “Where are you going to college?”

Mock Car Crash

On Friday morning the juniors and seniors had the opportunity to watch a mock car crash. This example of a serious car accident and the way that the police and fire departments respond was intended to help remind students of the importance of making good decisions and staying safe. Since standing there and watching the events of the day play out I haven't been able to get it out of my mind. (Probably part of the point of the entire assembly.) For me, this was seeing one of my biggest nightmares played out in person. I care about each of my students and I would never want anything bad to happen to any of you or your friends. It is important to make safe decisions and to not drink and drive or drive with anyone who has been drinking. Unfortunately, as the speaker, Mr. Kent, shared during the assembly after the mock car crash, sometimes you aren't doing anything wrong and someone else who has made the decision to drink and drive can cause injury or even death to innocent victims. I was grateful for the courage and the message that Mr. Kent shared so eloquently. Selfishly, I still hope that none of you will have to face the tragedy that he and his family and the friends of his son have experienced. The death of those three boys was senseless and could have been prevented if the friends of the young man who got behind the wheel drunk had stopped him from driving. As we head into prom week - and, for that matter, every day - please remember to stay safe and help keep your friends safe!

April Students of the Month

Earlier this month 20 WKHS students were honored as April Students of the Month. Students are nominated as students of the month by Kilbourne faculty and staff for their academic achievement, good citizenship, and/or service to the school or community. Students can only earn this recognition once in their high school career.

A special congratulations to "my" 5 students who were recognized this month - Ryan Armstrong, Adam Baybutt, Stacie Berg, Colt Carnahan, and Ben Groff. I am proud of each of you!

Writing Test

The college admissions tests (ACT and SAT) have included a writing section for several years, but in the past the results from the writing test were not factored into college decisions. Colleges across the country were utilizing the data from the writing tests and comparing it to entry level college English scores to determine how much value they would place on the test. Today we learned that next year OSU will begin factoring the writing test scores into their admissions decisions. Obviously, at WKHS that is a huge announcement since OSU remains our number 1 college for student applications. But I would also like to point out that chances are many other schools will make similar declarations before next fall's application reviews begin. As always, that means you will need to do your best on all sections of the ACT and SAT. It also serves as an important reminder that you need to take the writing test (even though it is technically optional on the ACT). If you have any questions, stop in and see me at school.

Basketball Hall of Fame

It was a very exciting weekend for my family! On Saturday night my (step) dad, Dave Hoover, was inducted into the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Many of you may not know that my dad was a basketball coach, but prior to when I started at WKHS he had been a coach for as long as I had known him – first at Westerville North High School and then at Canton McKinley High School. Basketball season was always a fun time and I tried to squeeze in as many trips to Canton to watch his teams play because I loved watching him coach. He is, without a doubt, a gifted coach and is passionate about the game of basketball.


He cringes when people start talking about his records and all that he has accomplished because he says it is all due to having talented athletes who worked hard, yet I think his accomplishments are worthy of highlighting...

- 3 State Championships! (All in Division-1. His first was in 1994, second was 2005, and the third was in 2006)

- 7 Final Four Appearances (Which also means 7 Regional Championships)

- 11 District Championships

- 5 OCC Championships and 2 Federal League Championships

- His Canton McKinley State Championship teams of 2005-2006 made McKinley the first school in 33 years to win back-to-back championships in the big school division and the first school in almost 40 years to win consecutive poll championships and state tournament championships.

- His 1994 Westerville North state championship team is still the only suburban school to win a big school title.

- He has been named conference coach of the year 7 times, district coach of the year 5 times and state coach of the year 3 times

Pretty impressive – don’t you think!?! Obviously my whole family is incredibly proud of him!

Saturday night’s induction celebration was fun, but also very long. Dave was one of 5 individuals inducted into the Hall of Fame. Here are some more pictures so you can share in our excitement.


Above is a picture of my family - left to right: Brad (brother-in-law), Macy (sister), me, Dave (hall of famer), my mom, and my grandmother.

Above is a picture of all 5 of the 2008 Hall of Fame inductees.

Timely Reminders

A few reminders for you today…

First – tomorrow (Monday, April 21st) is a Late Start day. Enjoy sleeping in a little extra!

Second – today is the last day for all freshman through junior students to vote for Student Body President and Vice President. Last Wednesday you heard the Student Body debates and voting takes place online through today. Visit the Worthington Website. In the column on the left side of the page you will see an area called “Classroom” – place your curser on that word and another menu will appear – click on “Student Survey.” You will then log in using your WKHS user id and password. Vote by clicking on the circle to the left of the name of your selection. Click on “Submit” to register your vote. You may only vote once.

Diploma Presenters

A reminder to all seniors - if you plan on asking someone to present you with your diploma at graduation - the deadline for submitting your presenter request form to the co-curricular office is tomorrow. I love the fact that you all have this opportunity as a way to make graduation an even more memorable experience. If you do not select someone to give you your diploma, an administrator from WKHS or central office or a school board member will present your diploma to you.

Sorry that I wasn't at school after 2nd period today. I anticipate being at school all day tomorrow. Hope to catch up with you then.

Student Body Debates

Tomorrow (Wednesday) we will be on a 3A/ 3B bell schedule in order to allow for a debate among the candidates for Student Body President and Vice President. All students in grades 9 - 11 will spend part of the time during 3rd period class in the auditorium listening to the debates between the candidates. The candidates will debate twice so that everyone in grades 9 - 11 have the opportunity to hear the discussion.

Seniors do not vote in this election (since you will be college students by the time these candidates will take their positions.) As a result the seniors will have a guest speaker about personal safety in the main gym while the underclassmen listen to the debate.

In case you want/ need the bell schedule for tomorrow it is as follows:

1st: 7:45 - 8:27

2nd: 8:32 - 9:14

3rd: 9:19 - 11:09 (Remember, this will be split by class and you will spend either the first or second half of the time in your regular class and the other half of the time will be in the appropriate assembly)

4th: 11:14 - 11:57

5th: 12:02 - 12:44

6th: 12:49 - 1:31

7th: 1:36 - 2:08

8th: 2:13 - 3:05

Panel Wisdom

Tonight was the Junior Student and Parent information night. As a part of the events this evening there was a panel presentation by senior students who have survived their senior year and are nearing the end of their high school career and a parent panel of senior parents to talk about their experiences in navigating the adventures of senior year. I must admit that I was INCREDIBLY impressed with both the student and parent panels. The participants did an outstanding job giving honest viewpoints about the upcoming year for the juniors and their parents.

A very special thank you to Kirsten P., Loren C., Clayton S., Ken G., and Sarah E. for their participation on the "Senior Survivor" panel. These students represented a variety of different college choices - different sizes of schools in different areas of the country . More importantly though, they represented WKHS in a poised and helpful manner.

In addition to the student panel were the parent panel participants - Sue Bobson (mom of Matt), Marla Hills (mom of Mackenzie), and Julie Rayis (mom of Chris). This was the first year to include a parent panel and I was THRILLED with how much they were able to share tonight. I truly believe that this was a wonderful addition to the evening's events. Thank you to the parents for sharing your knowledge and insight!

I was also excited to see so many of "my" juniors in the audience tonight along with your parents. Hopefully you have already figured out that I care a great deal about you as well as your experience along the "senior year journey." Remember that I am always here to help you in any way that I can.

One last final thanks to Loren, Ken, and Mrs. Bobson. I appreciate your help more than you will ever really know!

Junior Student and Parent Meeting

Tomorrow night (Monday, April 14th) is the Junior Student and Parent Information Night. I truly hope that all of my juniors attend and bring your parents with you. Last year, this program received the best feedback I have heard regarding any information night. The students and parents who attended last year's meeting expressed how much this helped them get started and move forward with the college search process and what to expect along the way. My portion of the presentation are two panels - one of current seniors (our "Senior Survivors") and one of parents of current seniors. I am excited to hear all that they have to share with us tomorrow evening. The meeting is from 7:00 - 9:00pm in the auditorium. Please, try to attend! You won't regret it!

Dispatch Recognition

Congratulations to Nick Beattie who is recognized in today's Columbus Dispatch. Nick is highlighted in the Dispatch's Weekly Wrap as being a top athlete in lacrosse. The entire lacrosse team is off to an outstanding start this year. Congratulations!

Local Scholarship Reminder

A last minute reminder to seniors... the local Worthington scholarships are due TOMORROW (Friday, April 11th) at 3:00 in the Counseling Center. You will give your completed scholarships directly to the secretaries. Please do not forget to get your forms turned in on time!

Report Cards

Report cards for the 3rd grading period will be distributed tomorrow (Thursday) during a walk-through homeroom which will be between 2nd and 3rd periods. You should already know what to expect on your reportcard, but I want to remind you that you have 9 weeks left plus exams. most classes function on a 40/40/20 principle which means that 40% of your grade is now finished, but you still have 60% remaining. Every point matters - so do your best to finish the school year strong.

Rubik's Cube

The puzzles, games, toys, and of course candy are pretty regular draws for students in my office. Over the past few days students have been discussing what toy is their favorite from the choices that are in my office. The Rubik’s Cube is one that frequently frustrates and yet appeals to a lot of students just the same. Here are some interesting Rubik’s cube facts according to the website listafterlist.com and the website recordholders.org.

The Fastest: 9.18 seconds by Edouard Chambon of France

The Fastest Blindfolded: 1 minute, 0.62 seconds by Alexander Yu of the U.S.

Most Cubes while Blindfolded: 10 by Dennis Strehlau of Germany

The Fastest One-Handed: 15.81 seconds by Thibaut Jacquinot of France

The Fastest with Feet Only: 39.88 seconds by Anssi Vanhala of Finland

Most Cubes Solved in 24 Hours: 3,390 by Zbigniew Zborowski of Poland

The Youngest Solver in Competition: Enxi Xie of China, 4.5 yrs old, solved in 1 minute 28.06 seconds

Underwater with no breathing equipment: Dan Harris, 6 cubes in 4 minutes, 10 seconds

So, while I find these facts interesting, I have to wonder – exactly WHAT were they procrastinating from doing?!? Seriously, how bored must you be to try to come up with the idea to solve a Rubik’s Cube with your feet or to take it underwater or to spend 24 hours non-stop trying to solve it, but whatever – it made my blog and plenty of other websites so I guess it was worth it. And the 4 and a half year old little kid who can solve it in less than a minute and a half… well, doesn’t that just make the rest of us who struggle to solve it feel stupid. :-) Oh well, it is still fun to try to figure out even if it is far far away from a world record.

(Thanks to Miss Schwartz for finding this Rubik’s Cube information…)

One additional note for seniors – tomorrow (Wednesday) you have a class meeting. All other grades will be on a regular bell schedule, but seniors will be released from 2nd period 10 minutes early and you will return to 3rd period about 20 minutes late.

Spring Weather

OK - so I feel a little bit like my step-grandmother who loves to talk about the weather, but FINALLY we have spring weather! :-) I am so happy to see the sun shining and to be able to enjoy time outside without freezing. With the warm weather finally here I hope that you took some time to enjoy it over the weekend. I am really looking forward to spending some time watching spring sports beginning this week. I told one of "my" students that I wouldn't come to his baseball games until it was warmer and not raining... finally looks like we will actually be able to find those warmer days. (Of course the rain may still be an issue, but it's still a step in the right direction.) As we begin the final grading period of the year, the warmer weather does have one potential downfall - it is another possible distraction from school work. Please try to stay focused on finishing the school year strong. Enjoy the beautiful weather!

Thank You Notes

A thank you note is a simple enough idea - let someone else know that you appreciate them. I don't know about you, but a lot of times I am terrible at writing thank you notes. It doesn't mean that my gratitude is any less, but... and that is where everything falls apart. If I don't express my gratitude to the person who has been a positive influence in my life or who has done something nice for me or gone out of their way to help me, then how do they know how much I appreciate it? See the problem?

And I am pretty confident that many of you face the same problem. So I want to remind you of the importance of thank you notes. They do not have to be long or flowery - simply thank the person who has helped you. This is especially important for teachers who have written recommendation letters for you. Many people do not realize the time and effort it takes to write a good recommendation letter. If you didn't thank your teachers at the time they wrote your recommendation letters, perhaps now - as you finish your high school journey - is the perfect time! Thank them for their help and support in your college application process. Let them know where you ended up being offered admission and what you have decided and make sure that they know how much you appreciate their help along the way. It won't take you a long time, but it will certainly mean a lot to them.

Before I close this post, I want to be very clear - I am NOT talking about writing to me! I do NOT need nor am I in any way hinting, asking for, or needing you to write a thank you note to me! I just figured we could all use a reminder in the importance of writing thank you notes and expressing our gratitude for those around us. Have a great weekend!

News, Notes, and Other Important Reminders

I have a variety of news, notes, and other important reminders for you today...

To start off with - one important reminder - you all have a LATE START day tomorrow! Enjoy sleeping in... I'm jealous! :-) With tomorrow being the end of the 3rd nine weeks, your teachers will be busy working on grades in the morning so that report cards can go home next week.

Anyone interested in participating in the PSEO (Post-Secondary Education Options) program MUST have their forms completed and turned in no later than next Monday, April 7th.

Juniors, there will be a Junior Student and Parent information night on Monday, April 14th at 7pm in the WKHS Auditorium. According to the e-mails I received after this presentation last year, this is the most useful/ informative evening that we host. I hope that you will plan to attend! And yes, I want you to bring your parents to this meeting and no, I don't want you to just send your parents instead... this is YOUR future and you are responsible for deciding the direction that you will take.

Seniors, don't forget that the deadline for all of the local scholarships is next Friday, April 11th. No late applications will be accepted.

Also for Seniors, I saw today that the WKHS Academic Boosters set out the Academic Signing Day forms in the Counseling Center. If you have been awarded a Merit/ Academic or Fine Art (Not Athletic) Scholarships that will be applied to the college you plan to attend AND the scholarship is worth at least $1,000 renewable for 4 years OR worth at least $4,000 for the first year, then you are eligible to participate in the Academic Signing Day. You must complete the form by May 8th in order to participate in the ceremony which will be held on May 14th at 7:30am. Stop in and see me if you have any questions.

Academic Honors Night

Tonight was the Academic Honors Night recognizing the students who have achieved consistently outstanding grades at WKHS. Approximately 400 students were honored as a part of tonight's ceremony. To qualify for the recognition of a Bronze, Silver, or Gold Key students had to have earned a cumulative grade point average of a 3.5 or higher for 3 (Bronze), 5 (Silver), or 7 (Gold) semesters. Congratulations to each of "my" 84 students who received this special recognition!

Elite Colleges Reporting Record Lows in Admission

I hope you had a nice April Fools Day without anyone "fooling" you. :-) Below is an article that I thought you would find interesting regarding the recent admissions decisions. I have seen happy faces and others disappointed as news came in over the past few days, but I hope this helps keep the admissions decisions in perspective because I believe in you and I *know* that there are great things ahead for you!


Elite Colleges Reporting Record Lows in Admission
New York Times
April 1, 2008

The already crazed competition for admission to the nation’s most prestigious universities and colleges became even more intense this year, with many logging record low acceptance rates.
Harvard College, for example, offered admission to only 7.1 percent of the 27,462 high school seniors who applied — or, put another way, it rejected 93 of every 100 applicants, many with extraordinary achievements, like a perfect score on one of the SAT exams. Yale College accepted 8.3 percent of its 22,813 applicants. Both rates were records.

Columbia College admitted 8.7 percent of its applicants, Brown University and Dartmouth College 13 percent, and Bowdoin College and Georgetown University 18 percent — also records.
“We love the people we admitted, but we also love a very large number of the people who we were not able to admit,” said William R. Fitzsimmons, dean of admissions and financial aid at Harvard College.

Some colleges said they placed more students on their waiting lists than in recent years, in part because of uncertainty over how many admitted students would decide to enroll. Harvard and Princeton stopped accepting students through early admission this academic year; that meant that more than 1,500 students who would have been admitted in December were likely to have applied to many elite schools in the regular round.

Many factors contributed to the tightening of the competition at the most selective colleges, admissions deans and high school counselors said, among them demographics. The number of high school graduates in the nation has grown each year over the last decade and a half, though demographers project that the figure will peak this year or next, which might reduce the competition a little.

Other factors were the ease of online applications, expanded financial aid packages, aggressive recruiting of a broader range of young people, and ambitious students’ applying to ever more colleges.

The eight Ivy League colleges mailed acceptance and rejection letters on Monday to tens of thousands of applicants. Students could learn the fate of their applications online beginning at 5 p.m. on Monday, so three of the colleges said they were not ready to make public their admissions data. But the expectation was that they would also turn out to have been more competitive than ever.

“For the schools that are perceived to have the most competitive admissions processes, there has been this persistent rise in applications,” said Jeffrey Brenzel, dean of undergraduate admissions at Yale.

Ten years ago, slightly fewer than 12,000 students applied to Yale, compared with the 22,813 who applied this year, Mr. Brenzel said. Yale’s admittance rate — the proportion of applicants offered admission — was nearly 18 percent in 1998, more than double the rate this year.
“We’re really happy with the class,” Mr. Brenzel said of the students offered admission. “On a day like today it’s also easy to be aware of the incredible number of fantastic students who you have to turn away, because you know they would be successful here.”

At Harvard, as at Yale, the applicant pool included an extraordinary number of academically gifted students. More than 2,500 of Harvard’s 27,462 applicants scored a perfect 800 on the SAT critical reading test, and 3,300 had 800 scores on the SAT math exam. More than 3,300 were ranked first in their high school class.

Admissions deans and high school guidance counselors said they spent hours at this time of year reminding students who had been put on waiting lists or rejected entirely that there were other excellent colleges on their lists — and that rejection was often about the overwhelming numbers, rather than their merits as individuals.

“I know why it matters so much, and I also don’t understand why it matters so much,” said William M. Shain, dean of admissions and financial aid at Bowdoin. “Where we went to college does not set us up for success or keep us away from it.”

By ALAN FINDER