Take a deep breath

Breathing is important.  Obviously, you need oxygen and it happens without any thought - on average we each take about 960 breaths per hour (or 16 per minute).  And yet, it is something that we often don't do well... especially if we are stressed or upset!

When you are under a great deal of pressure, your body responds - again, without you having to think about it.  Your breathing often changes and your muscles will grow tense.  It is an automatic reaction that your body does in taking over functioning for you to prepare you to manage whatever danger is coming your way - think of it as your body going into an early "fight/ flight/ freeze" response.  But that is a challenge because your stress and frustration are not likely to need to prepare you to run from a lion or whatever other danger might have necessitated a fight, flight or freeze response and so we have to take back control over our body.

I have to acknowledge something.  I hate the concept of breathing as a stress reliever!  I. HATE. IT!  Except for the fact that it WORKS!

Even for me, when I am upset about something I often think to myself, "what would I tell my students right now" and the answer is always to slow down and take a few deep breaths.  And immediately I think again about how much I hate that answer because I always feel as if the problem I am facing is too big to be solved with by a few simple breaths.  But I do it anyway because that is what I ask each of you to do and then inevitably, it helps.  And, yes, as crazy as it is, it makes me mad that it works at the same time I am grateful that it is helpful.

Controlling your breathing is really important because it assures your brain that you are not in danger and it then allows your brain to be able to have the ability to think logically and talk about what is happening "left brain" rather than just staying in "right brain" mode of emotion.

But here is the reality, you need to practice deep breathing when you are calm and relaxed to help your body know how to relax itself and calm down with deep breaths when you are stressed out.  Again, I know it seems too simplistic and you are right, it is not going to make all of your problems go away, but it will help you to manage the challenges you are facing.

I also have lots of other breathing strategies (3/3/3, square breathing, double out, hot chocolate breathing, etc.) that we can practice together if you know that this is something you would like help focusing on to help with your emotional well-being.  I also like the breathing tool in the Virtual Hope Box app which you can download for free.

Pre-ACT Results

Your Pre-ACT scores are already back!  Your scores are available for pick up starting tomorrow in the Counseling Center.  You can pick up your score sheets during your lunch periods or before or after school from any of the secretaries at the front of the counseling center. 

One nice feature of the PreACT is that you will get your test booklet and the score summary written report.  You can use this information to help you determine what you did well on and what you want to improve on in the future.

Don't forget, these are just practice tests so they are giving you an indication of where you might expect to score on the actual ACT and you can use your results to help guide you in preparing to achieve college readiness.

I hope your scores were what you were expecting (or perhaps even better).  If you have any questions don't hesitate to stop by and see me.

Winter End of Course Tests

Let's talk about End of Course tests for a moment.  And no, I am not talking about your semester exams that count for grades in your actual classes.  The End of Course tests are those assessments required by the state of Ohio that all students must complete.  The tests are also how you will earn the various components that you need to graduate.

Next week is the winter testing window for the End of Course tests.  You will be taking these tests if you are currently in Government, if you took a tested class during the summer, if you took a tested class last school year but due to illness or other reasons you weren't able to complete the tests when the state testing window was open, if you need to try to improve your scores, or if you moved in from out of state and need to take the assessments.

All students are strongly encouraged to check your school email to look for information about End of Course tests.  If you need to complete a test then you will have received an email giving you information about what date you will complete your test and which room to go to for testing.

I know that it is really hard to miss class time for the testing (especially when you only have 17 days of classes left in the semester), but remember that because these tests play a role in you earing the graduation requirements you want to try to do your best on the tests when taking them.

Thankful

For at least the last 7 years, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving is better known in the Counseling Center as "Turkey Day" and it is one of the best days!

Worthington Presbyterian Church facilitates an outreach effort to raise the money to purchase food boxes for area families to be able to have all of the items they need to prepare their own Thanksgiving meals.  Members of the church purchase and box the Turkeys, potatoes, stuffing, etc and then give them to schools so that they can be passed along to families in need. 

Each year we have received 40-50 Thanksgiving meals to distribute and I have to tell you, it is so awesome!  First, it is powerful to see all of these meals that have been donated.  Second, it is a privilege to be able to hand the food over to families who might not have been able to afford the holiday food items easily.  And finally, it is a humbling reminder that we live in such a compassionate, caring, and giving community.

A huge thank you to Worthington Presbyterian Church for making this outreach possible each year!

Now that you all are officially on Thanksgiving break, I hope you have a great 5 days!  I hope you have safe travels, time to relax and unwind, and the chance to make positive memories with those around you.

Naturalization Ceremony

Working at Kilbourne has given me so many memorable opportunities.  I have had the joy of meeting incredible students and their families.  I have had the honor of presenting students with their diplomas at graduation.  I have learned and grown through a range of different experiences.  One of those experiences was at the Naturalization Ceremony held at Kilbourne last week.

This was the 3rd Naturalization Ceremony that I have had the privilege of witnessing and each time I am overwhelmed with emotion at the power of the event.  Kilbourne began hosting Naturalization Ceremonies as a part of a project by seniors to host an event to celebrate diversity, to honor inclusion and to recognize the importance of community.  This began under the direction of Mr. Johnson, a past Assistant Principal at Kilbourne and is now being facilitated by Mrs. Backhurst.

Last Thursday, Kilbourne's auditorium was transformed into a courtroom with two judges and many court officials present so that over 300 individuals could become United States citizens.  The courts still have COVID restrictions in place and so the people petitioning to become citizens could not have their family members in the auditorium with them, but hundreds of their loved ones packed the gymnasium to watch the event as it was livestreamed.  I know that many classrooms streamed the ceremony, but I elected to go down to the gym where I could watch alongside the families and it was so powerful and so emotional to witness.

Families were recording the proceedings on their phones of what they were watching on the televisions.  People were dressed up showing what a monumental day it was in their lives.  Some of the families were carrying huge "Congratulations" balloons and others held flowers to pass along to their loved ones.  The excitement and pride was palpable and it was contagious.

I cried as the 311 individuals took their oath becoming US citizens.  This is something that is so easy for me to take for granted and yet I am grateful for all of the privileges that I have simply because of the country where I was born.  Now, in the week of Thanksgiving, it is important that I pause and reflect on this more.

If you're interested in watching the ceremony and hearing the seniors present, I encourage you to check out the video on Worthington's YouTube channel.  I don't know if it will hold the same power as it did when I watched it in the gym, but I believe you will realize just how incredible it is that our students and staff had this opportunity.  A huge thank you to the seniors who did such a great job planning the event with Mrs. Backhurst.  It was a memorable, positive and exciting day!

DACC Application

On Friday over 60 WKHS students participated in the field trip to the Delaware Area Career Center. I want to remind you that even if you decide to attend the career center, WKHS students are always WKHS students. With most programs you will have the option of attending the career center for full days (where you would take your lab coursework which counts as elective credits and your academic courses all at the career center) or for half days (where you only take the lab coursework at the career center and then return to WKHS for the other half of the day for your academic classes). You will graduate from Worthington Kilbourne and continue to participate on our athletic teams - even if you decide that you want to attend the career center for the full day. 

I strongly encourage you to check out the programs because the hands on opportunities to learn something new while also gaining your required elective credits can be a very appealing option! If you didn't have the chance to participate in the field trip, or if your parents are interested in learning more and visiting DACC with you, there will be an Open House coming up on December 1st.  

Attending the Delaware Area Career Center is a competitive process and students must apply for consideration.  If you are interested, please make sure to start working on your application because it is now open and you'll want to get it submitted so that they can consider you for a spot in their program.  The priority application deadline for optimal consideration is January 13th.

Information about the open house and the application to attend DACC are all located on their website.  

Grief Awareness

Today is National Children's Grief Awareness Day.  In the United States, 1 in 14 students will experience the death of a parent or sibling by the time they reach 18 years of age and about 90% of children will experience the death of a close family member or friend.

Those are sobering statistics.

I think what stands out to me the most when I see and think about those numbers is how common it is and yet, when living through losses within your own life, nothing feels common.  Your grief is uniquely personal to you.  This often leaves grieving students feeling lonely and as if no one can understand what they are experiencing... but, look at those numbers.  Clearly you're not the only one feeling the hurt and sadness that comes when someone you love and care about has died.  

I wish none of you had to say good-bye to a loved one who has died.  There are no words that can take away the pain or make life return to the way it was, but I can promise you never have to walk through this experience alone.  I am here to listen and care and to support you as you learn to live life with grief.

As we head into the holiday season, for those students who have experienced the death of someone important to them, the holidays combined with grief can be incredibly challenging.  In recognition of the difficulties that grief during the holidays can create, we will be hosting a Holiday & Grief Workshop on December 5th for students to join in to learn more about what to expect when grieving during the holidays and ways to honor the memory of a loved one during the holidays.  If you are a student who is living with grief this holiday season, please reach out to me so that I can add you to the holiday & grief workshop list.  I'd love for you to participate with us!

Countdown to Exams

The countdown is on... we have just 19 days of school left before semester exams. I *know* some (or maybe all) of you don't want to hear this, but it is REALLY important that you start studying now for exams. 

With exams taking place again this year, it is important that you take a critical look at where you stand in each of your classes and what you need to do to fully prepare for exams.  If your grades are not where they should be at this point in time, please make use of the resources available to you - the academic assistants in room 209 and, most importantly, your teachers. I am also here to help you with study strategies and tips if needed. For many students, your final grade for the semester will come down to how you finish out this quarter and how well you do on semester exams. Please don't neglect this opportunity to make the most of the remaining time as a chance to start reviewing for exams.

College Decision Terms

We are in the earliest stages of college application decisions to start coming back.  I wanted to make sure you knew some of the terms you might see in your decision notifications.  If you receive an email or letter and are uncertain what it means, please feel free to let me know or to contact the college directly.

- Accepted: Congratulations - they are inviting you to join and be a part of their college/ university!

- Declined/ Rejected/ Not Accepted: For whatever reason the college did not feel that you would be a good fit. While it is understandably disappointing, please remember that there are lots of colleges and universities out there so don’t give up on finding a good match.

- Decision Deferred: The college is not sure yet… usually they will tell you what additional data/ information they are interested in receiving to help them make their decision. The most common piece of data they will look for are senior year grades at the semester time.

- Wait List: The wait list is not a denial, but it is not an acceptance either. Colleges use wait lists as insurance to make sure that their freshman class will be the appropriate size. If enough students decide to attend, the college will not accept anyone off of their wait-list.  We will talk more about wait lists later in the spring because this is a common response students will receive a bit later in the application season.

One of the realities of the college admission process is that not every student will be accepted to every college. The waiting game can often be one of the more frustrating aspects. With family members and friends consistently asking, "Where are you going to college?" the uncertainty present with each "I don't know" response can be overwhelming.  Remember, I am here to help support you in managing the stress related to admissions decisions.

4-year Colleges

How long will it take you to make it through college? Most people will quickly think to themselves "4 years" because most WKHS students are looking at 4-year colleges.

Unfortunately, that is not always the reality. While a college is a 4-year school, for many students it is not always realistic that their students will, in fact, graduate in 4-years. You may wonder why this matters now, but it is very important for you to look at the 4-year graduation rates when you are considering colleges for your future because the longer it takes you to graduate from high school, the more you will be taking on in costs for college as well as the longer it will take you to graduate and get out into the working world or to move on to grad school.

You can usually find the 4-year graduation rates on college websites, but it isn't always easily accessible. This is a link to a US Department of Education website called College Navigator where you can search for schools and then by looking at the retention/ graduation rate area you will be able to see the statistics for each school in an easily accessible way.

Each school's 4-year graduation rates should not be your sole factor in making a decision, but it is another piece of the puzzle to help you. You should use the information to help you ask more questions about why their graduation rates are so low. Is it because it is too difficult to schedule classes when you need, is it because the costs are too expensive, is it because students change majors too many times so they end up with a lot of classes that do not help them toward their major, etc.

Happy Searching as you look for the school that is the best fit for you and your future.

Socratic Society

On the morning of November 4th, 30 students were inducted into the Socratic Society. Staff members are given the opportunity to recognize students for excellence in one or more of the core Socratic values of Scholarship, Integrity, Personal Effort, Compassion, or Lifelong Learning. Students are only eligible to be selected for this honor one time during their high school career.

Unfortunately, I was at a conference all day and so I didn't get to attend the ceremony.  I had 13 students in my part of the alphabet who were honored.  A special congratulations to "my" students who were among those recognized this month! (Alphabetically): Khalida Abdul Qadir, Nael Abuasi, Chelsea Afrivie, Joey Ahmed, Aya Aktarab, Evelyn Ambler, Alissa Azevado Aires Santana, Leela Bhowmik, Tori Blumer, Graham Brown, Sitara Courtney, Kate Dougherty, and Kyle Earhart. I am proud of each of you!

Honors Diploma

Every year we have questions from students and parents about the Honors Diploma and what is involved for students who are trying to earn this designation on their diploma at graduation.  Tomorrow, November 11th at noon, the WKHS Counselors will be hosting the next session in our Lunch & Learn Series to talk all about the Honors Diploma.  

This brief, 30-minute session, will take place over zoom so that parents can grab their lunch, hop on the session, learn about the Honors Diploma, and continue on with your day.  The zoom link will be emailed to all parents tomorrow morning and it will also be posted on the Counselor website.  I hope to see you online tomorrow to learn all about the Honors Diploma!

Pre-ACT Reminders

If you are taking the Pre-ACT tomorrow, you will report directly to the gymnasium when you arrive to school in the morning. You will need to bring your student id with you in order to check in. You will also need a number 2 pencil (no mechanical pencils allowed), a calculator, and I would recommend a watch. 

The test will begin promptly by 8:40 and you will most likely finish testing during 5th period.  (If you have lunch 4th period we will be sure you have time to eat and give you pass to go to 5th period.)

I was very happy to see so many of my students signed up to be taking practice test for the ACT and I wish you all good luck!  I hope it will be a meaningful practice opportunity for you in preparation for when you take the actual ACT in the future.

Good luck on the test!

Career Prep

Before I jump into talking about the purpose of my post tonight, I want to remind all students that tomorrow, Wednesday, October 9th we will be having the next meeting of Career Club and Everyone is Welcome!  Our guest speaker is Mr. Chilcoat who is a Sports Agent and the Founder of Sterling Sports Management.  You can join us during the last 20 minutes of 3rd period or the first 20 minutes of 4th period in the Auditorium.

When I have talked about the Delaware Area Career Center on past blog posts, I have typically been focused on the 2 year programs that current sophomores can apply to attend during their junior and senior years of high school.  But that isn't all that is available at DACC!

This year at DACC, they expanded their offerings to include senior only programs.  These are great for students that maybe weren't able to get into a program they wanted as a sophomore for junior/ senior year or because your interests have changed or the programs were not available as 2-year offerings.  And most of all, these programs are great for those students who want to have career prep opportunities so that they can start working in a job field right away.  These programs can help you to have a part-time job in a field of interest while you are working towards your college degree or simply to help you see if this is a job field area that interests you.

The programs available for seniors include:

• Pharmacy Technician
• Nail Technician
• App Development & Programming Technician
• Healthcare Technician
• Digital Design Techniques (new for 23-24 school year)
• Facilities Pre-Engineering Tech (new for 23-24 school year)

HERE is a quick, 1 minute video that gives an overview of some of their offerings. 

These programs run from 2:45-5 PM daily. Students would need to have periods 7 and 8 off at WKHS in order to participate. 

Holiday Help

As we look ahead to the holiday season I realize that the needs in our community are great, so I wanted to make sure that you (or perhaps one of your friends) would be aware of some of the resources that could be available to help you.

School connected resources:

- One of the local churches, Worthington Presbyterian Church, is providing WKHS with all of the food for Thanksgiving meals so that we can distribute them to some of our families in need.  If you need help with a Thanksgiving meal, please contact me ASAP so that I can try to arrange for a meal for you.  We have a VERY limited supply available.

- Community Cares Backpack Program: a group of dedicated, compassionate, and incredibly thoughtful Worthington mom's do a variety of things to help our school community through the Activity Club.  One of those programs is to provide bags of food that students can take home with them over the weekend to add a little extra to their family's food supplies.  Every other week we receive several bags that we can distribute.  If this resource is something that would be helpful for you, please let me know so that I can add you onto the list for future backpacks.  

- WKHS Community Cares Closet:     The Activity Club also stocks a closet of toiletries and other items that any WKHS family in need can access.  There are a wide range of items available for you to take home with you including shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, soap, feminine hygeine products, lotion, deodorant, shaving cream, and more.  The closet is located in the Counseling Center and I am happy to show you where it is so that you can take whatever supplies you need.  Please note that if there are specific items you were searching for that might be out of stock when you stop by the community mom's are constantly refilling the closet and if you let me know what item you were hoping to access, I can make sure that they know it is currently out of stock and let you know once it has been added again.

Community Food Resources:

- Worthington Resource Pantry: www.worthingtonresourcepantry.org   614-985-1766     Located at 6700 Huntley Rd., Columbus, OH 43229, the Worthington Resource Pantry provides families in our community with food and other resources of support.  

-  Dublin Food Pantry: www.dublinfoodpantry.org     If you live in the 43016 zip code you could also utilize the Dublin Food Pantry.

-  Kroger Community Pantry:
     The Kroger Community Pantry is run in partnership with Mid-Ohio Food Bank.  The Kroger Community Pantry is located at 3960 Brookham Dr., Grove City.  Please check their website https://www.midohiofoodbank.org/get-help/ or call 614-317-9487 for information about hours and services.

-  Regular Monthly Meals:
     You may already know this because we have this resource is available year-round and is featured on the WKHS Counselor website, but several local churches provide meals to anyone in the community needing assistance.  This page highlights where and when these meals are available to families in need. 

I am fully aware that all needs are not just related to food/ toiletries.  Here are a few resources if you have additional needs.

-  Charity Newsies  https://charitynewsies.org/
     Charity Newsies is an organization that provides clothing to students in need.  A parent/ legal guardian needs to arrange for the clothing to be provided, but they can provide a complete set of clothing needs for each student that qualifies and needs it.

-  Salvation Army:  Food and Toys
     Perhaps you have seen the red kettles that appear each year - these donations are used to help provide food and gifts for families in need.  Information about their Christmas assistance program is available here: https://easternusa.salvationarmy.org/southwest-ohio/central-ohio/home/  Specific details about required documentation are available on the Salvation Army's website. If you have questions, you can contact them at 614-358-2622.  Here is the flyer for 2022.

-  Hands On Central Ohio: http://handsoncentralohio.org    By phone: 211
     Hands on Central Ohio is an organization dedicated to connecting those in need with resources.  

-  2 Hands:  Specific Needs

     This online resource helps connect Ohio families in need with those who are willing and able to help.  Families indicate their specific needs on the website and then others volunteer to help meet those needs.  Information about this resource is available at: http://www.2hands.org

As always, please stop by and talk to me if you are having problems this holiday season.  If you need food, clothing or just want to talk about some struggles you are having, my door is open for you.

And, on the flip side, if you are looking for opportunities to help someone in our community, please know that our students will be conducting an "Adopt a Child" campaign where they will be providing gifts for many Worthington elementary school students so you can make donations through and with your kids.  A new 501(c)3 organization, Elves of Central Ohio, have committed to adopting about 90 Worthington families for the holidays and they are seeking volunteers to help provide for those needs.  And finally, the Activity Club helps to provide many opportunities for our families and they are always accepting donations.

Week Ahead

This is a BUSY week ahead with lots of activities you will want to know about...

1. On Monday (November 7th) Mrs. Schnell returns to the Counseling Center and her sub (Mrs. Gratz) will be leaving.  (I realize that for my students, this won't matter, but for any students/ parents off-alpha who are reading my blog, this is a big transition back.

2. Tuesday (November 8th) is Election Day.  If you are 18 or over, please vote!  But, for students, the important reminder is that you don't have school on Election Day.  This is to make sure that there are no safety concerns with so many schools (like Kilbourne) also being polling locations.  The staff will still be working on Tuesday, but kids are off.  However, I will remind all students that this is a great day to try to knock out the work you might have fallen behind on or to review concepts that have been causing you trouble.

3. On Wednesday (November 9th) we will host the next meeting of the Career Club.  This will take place the last 20 minutes of 3rd period and the first 20 minutes of 4th period.  So if you have lunch, prep, options, or learning center during 3rd or 4th period, I hope you will join us in the Auditorium for the Career Club Speaker.  This week we are excited to welcome Mr. Jeff Chilcoat (dad of Owen- "voice of Kilbourne") to be our speaker.  Mr. Chilcoat is a Sports Agent and the Founder of Sterling Sports Management.  If you are interested in sports, law, or just want to work towards the student engagement seal by participating in a club, this will be a great presentation to sit in on.

Also, your History classes may be taking you to the Library on Wednesday as WKHS will be celebrating Veteran's Day early with small group conversations with many local area Veteran's.

4. The fun continues on Thursday when we will be administering the Pre-ACT to all Sophomores and Juniors who registered for the practice test.  The test will begin 1st period so please be aware that the majority of the day I will be tied up with testing responsibilities.

5. And finally, on Friday, for parents, we have our next session of the Lunch & Learn Series at Noon.  The topic is the Honors Diploma.

A VERY busy week for sure, but it will be a GREAT week as well!

November 1st!

It's November 1st!  Phew!  I am exhausted... and I know many seniors are feeling the same way as the push to this first huge college deadline was a massive sprint for some of you.  (Somehow I anticipate we will have lots of Seniors recommending to underclassmen to prepare ahead of time and don't procrastinate until the last minute as I know this has created a LOT of stress among the seniors.)

Here is the one major point I would like to remind you about... after you push submit, it is VERY common for colleges to quickly come back to you with a reminder email saying that they need your transcript.  Why?  Because it is one of the steps so many students forget to complete.  (Remember, you must complete a transcript request form for every college where you are applying and you do that from the WKHS Counselor website - www.wkhscounselors.com .)  As long as you have requested your transcript to be sent using that form, then we have sent your transcript.  But, you don't need to take my word for it... and you don't have to email me or contact Mrs. McDaniel, our Registrar... you can check on your own!  Log back into Common App, you will be able to see the exact date when you submitted your materials and when they were downloaded by each individual college.  As you are looking at that information you will also see when they downloaded your School Report - your school report are the forms with your transcript.  So, if they have downloaded your school report, then they have your transcript and you don't need to worry!

Congratulations to all of you who have your first wave of applications complete.  Keep focus and keep pushing as you finish out with the rest of your application deadlines!