Get Involved

One of the goals many students have each year is to get involved in the school or community.  I love that goal because being involved in sports, clubs, volunteer outreach, or other areas of interest helps connect you as students to our school and community.  

You have special gifts that only you can share and you can make a positive difference!  WKHS is very fortunate to have a wide range of opportunities available within the school setting for you to get involved.  There are 29 interscholastic sports, over 40 clubs, the school newspaper, video news team, yearbook and a wide variety of performance groups (choirs, bands, orchestra, and plays).  Here is the list of current clubs and the staff members helping to serve as faculty representatives so that you could reach out to join them if you are interested.  And, I know that there are already more clubs that are included on this list because I heard on announcements that Yoga Club is starting and I know Ski & Board Club is returning again this year, but this list will definitely give you a good idea of most of the opportunities available.

For underclassmen, being a part of a sport or club makes your transition to high school easier because you get to know older students and you find a place where you can belong.  For upperclassmen, being involved gives you the opportunity to demonstrate leadership and to grow in your areas of interest.  The reality is there is something for everyone... and if you have a new idea for a group that doesn't already exist then I encourage you to find a staff member to serve as a faculty representative and get a club started!  I have one student who has already started that process this year.  

It doesn't matter if you are participating in the same activity you have done since you entered elementary school or trying something new, I can't wait to see the impact you will have at Kilbourne this year!

Important Reminders

 

As the comic shows, senior stress is real and I'm already seeing some of that among my students.  Remember, I am here to help you through it, but that is also why we have presentations designed to help get students and parents on the same page with all of the college application steps and to guide students through the process.

Seniors, tomorrow night, Thursday, August 31st at 7pm in the Auditorium is the Student & Parent College Information Night.  If you are planning to apply to college this year, I'd strongly suggest you attend the presentation.  It's even better if you can also bring your parents to the meeting with you.

For those seniors who missed out on the 2 Common Application Workshops that we held earlier this month before school started, we have decided to add in one more session next week on Thursday, September 7th at 7:45am in Room 207.  If you are applying to college using the Common App and haven't alraedy attended one of these sessions, I cannot stress enough how helpful it will be for your application process if you join us that morning before school for this workshop.  Be sure to bring your chromebook or laptop so you can work on your own Common Application during our time together.

And then for Sophomore and Junior students and parents, don't forget that if you have not already signed up to take the PSAT, the deadline is next week, September 5th at 3:20pm.  As a reminder, the PSAT will be held at WKHS on October 10th.  The PSAT is available to 10th and 11th grade students free of charge and it is the test that, when taken junior year, can help you qualify for National Merit Scholarships.

Counselor Connection Forms

Tomorrow we have our first Pack Period of the new school year.  One of the main items that all students will be asked to complete is your Counselor Connection Form.  This form is tailored with questions to allow us to get to know you a little better.  There are different questions for each grade level and I promise that we read them all!

These forms are a great way for me (and the other school counselors) to learn more about you and they also help us to capture information about you that can be helpful later when you are trying to think about college applications, brainstorming essay topics, and more.  So I do ask that during the Pack Period tomorrow that you try to give me thoughtful, genuine responses because it really does make a difference for me.

And, for those of you who might not be sure what a Pack Period is... the Pack period is what we have instead of a traditional homeroom for students.  They are held approximately every other week, on Wednesdays,as an extended part of your 2nd period class.

The Pack Period is a time for students and staff members to forge stronger connections, share important information, and to build on student success skills for learning and for life.

We are on a different bell schedule to give you an extra 24 minutes to be in the Pack Period.  This also  means each class is 3 minutes shorter - so your 2nd period class will begin 3 minutes earlier than normal (a really important point to be aware of if you are a student with late arrival and no class during 1st period so that you're not late to 2nd period on Pack Period days.)

Thanks again, in advance, for filling out your counselor connection form!

College Rep Visits

Did you know that many college admissions representatives come to WKHS in order to visit with you? Stop for a moment and think about that – the schools are paying someone to come to Kilbourne in order to meet with you and showcase the opportunities available at their college. The visits to WKHS kick off next week and more colleges continue to submit requests to spend time in the building visiting with our students so the list is constantly changing and growing.

While meeting with a representative cannot replace the actual experience of walking on campus, seeing the people, and experiencing the classes, it can be a very important piece of your information gathering process. Possibly even more importantly, you are expressing your interest and desire to attend their college! The admissions representatives who are traveling to the schools keep track of who they see. Many colleges can go back and tell you exactly how many times a student has come to tour campus, contacted the admissions office, or had an official interaction with a representative of the school. You never really know what can make a difference when it comes to admissions or getting a scholarship from a school, so if you are able to attend a meeting with a representative, it can only help you.

We have a list of the upcoming college visits posted in the Upcoming Events calendar on the Counselor website so that you can see which schools are coming to WKHS. If there are schools that you'd like to meet with, please  click on the college visit time slot and then sign up using the Google Form.  Be sure to write down the dates and times of the college visit so that you remember to come to the Counseling Center to meet with the admissions rep.  When you get to the Counseling Center, a secretary will introduce you to the admissions representative and after your meeting with them is over they will give you a pass to return back to class.

Juniors and Seniors have unlimited opportunities to attend these sessions. Please be reasonable though. If a visit is scheduled during a time when you have class, you should get your teacher’s approval in advance of attending the information session. You are responsible for all missed work and teachers are not supposed to excuse you from tests, quizzes, or labs. 

Freshmen and Sophomores are also invited to attend the sessions with the college representatives, but are limited to participating in the visits during your lunch or Academic Prep periods. 

These are great opportunities to talk directly with the college admissions representatives so please take advantage of their visits!

CC+ Classes Begin

Just a reminder to all students who are taking a CSCC class through CC+, your classes begin this week!  These classes meet for 2 periods, but only twice a week.  So, those of you who are taking English Comp 1, you will have classes on Mondays and Wednesdays.  If you are taking Psychology, you will have classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  There are no CC+ classes on Fridays.

As we have talked about in the past, you will still have work to do for your college classes outside of your designated class time and those non-meeting days are an ideal time to stay disciplined at using for work time on those courses.

One important suggestion - because your CSCC professors will all use your CSCC email, I would strongly suggest you set up the automatic forward option on your emails to send it to a gmail account which you check regularly or set up your CSCC account to your phone.  Check out the details on CSCC's website for more information on how to do that.

Good luck as your start your college classes!

Office Workers

We have a great volunteer opportunity that students can take advantage of during the school day within the comfortable walls of WKHS.  We have office workers volunteer their time to help out in the counseling/ administrative offices. Our office workers each year have been amazing!  They helped run passes, update the bulletin board, put together packets or whatever else was needed.  Some days were busier than others and so there were days when they didn't have to do much of anything to help us other than be available.  We do have an application process to be selected as an office worker, but if you are interested, we'd love to have you!  And selfishly, I'd love to have more of "my" students helping as office workers because it is a nice treat to see you each day.  Students with a period of academic prep or options in their schedule would be eligible to apply.  (You would no longer have prep or options if you chose to work in the office.)  You will accumulate community service hours as an office worker.  Applications are available in the front of the counseling center.  No more than 2 students will be selected for each period of the day.  

I have had already had so many moments in the last few days when I wished we had office workers so that I could send a pass for a student to come see me.  So know that this is a service opportunity that is truly valued and appreciated.  Please apply as soon as possible if you are interested so that we can get you involved!

Senior College Information Night

The Senior College Information Night will be held one week from today, on Thursday, August 31st, at 7:00pm at WKHS in the auditorium. This is one of the most valuable meetings for senior students and parents to attend because there are so many college related questions that we will be able to answer.

We will be reviewing the college application process, the procedures for submitting your items to WKHS and to the colleges, and other information you need to know. I really hope you will make every effort to attend!  I strongly encourage both the seniors and their parents to attend this night.  Why?  Because the seniors are the ones who are actually applying to college and you need to know the steps and details involved specific to WKHS.  I think it is ideal for paretns to also attend so that they can help support you in your application and they don't ask you tons of questions that you will learn on this evening.

I know it is not always possible for every senior student and family to attend, but I hope you will try. Remember, with so many seniors, it can be really challenging if we are not all starting with the same foundation of information. This evening will answer all of your basic questions and then we’ll figure out the rest together as the year continues. I’m looking forward to seeing you on August 31st!

Meeting with Miss Abbott

Students, if you want to meet with me - just drop by my office!  That is honestly the BEST way to meet with me.  You don't need to schedule an appointment in advance.  I'm generally around before and after school as well as during your lunch or academic prep/ options periods for you to stop in and chat.

You don't need a big reason to come down and say Hi. I am happy to see you even if you just wanted to tell me how well or how poorly you did on a test that day. If I am busy meeting with another student or parent - you can stop back down, leave a pass for me, send me a message on Remind, or send me an email to let me know you want to see me. If I haven't tracked you down that day or the following day, chances are the pass I sent for you didn't make it to you or I can't find you in the commons - so please come back!

Don't forget I have candy and toys in my office - so it is always worth just stopping by to say hello. :-) 

Additionally, it is important that I remind you about confidentiality. It is very important to me that I work to earn your trust every day. During high school there are times when you may wonder if there is anyone who cares and is willing to listen to what you are going through and I want to remind you that I am here for you. Please remember that what you say to me is confidential between us unless you are a risk to yourself or someone else or if someone is hurting you in which case I am required to report it.

Parents, out of respect for your time and my schedule of trying to prioritize and maximize meeting with students during the school day, I do ask that if you would like to meet with me that you reach out via email or phone so that we can set up a time to meet in advance rather than just having parents attempt to drop by like students are doing.  Thanks for understanding.

Meet The Teacher Night

Tomorrow night, Wednesday, August 23rd, is this year's PTO Meet the Teacher Night. This is a night when your parents can come through school, follow your schedule, and meet all of your teachers. Meet the Teacher part of the evening will be over by 9pm. Each class will be 10 minutes in length and yes, your parents will have the same 5 minute passing time that you have during the day. (Hopefully they won't get lost and be late or else they could end up with lots of tardies!) :-)

Here is the schedule for the evening:

Welcome & Introduction in WKHS Auditorium by Principal, Aric Thomas: 6:45pm
1st period - 7:00 - 7:10
2nd period - 7:15 - 7:25
3rd period - 7:30 - 7:40
4th period - 7:45 - 7:55
5th period - 8:00 - 8:10
6th period - 8:15 - 8:25
7th period - 8:30 - 8:40
8th period - 8:45 - 8:55

Please make sure you give your parents a screenshot copy of your schedule or at least write down the room numbers for all of your classes so they know where they are heading for the evening!  Of course, parents, if your son/ daughter forget to give you a copy of their schedule, you can also print it off off on Infinite Campus.  We will not have schedules available to hand out so this is a really important step for families to make the most of Meet the Teacher Night!

Please make sure your parents know about this evening because I know many of them will want to attend and they usually like putting a face with a name so that if you are talking about a test in Mr. ____'s class or an assignment for Mrs. ____'s class they will be able to keep it straight.

Picture Make-Up Day

WKHS is committed to making sure that we have an updated photo for every student this school year.  This is also really important to you as a student because your digital id (with your photo) will be required to gain entry into Worthington sporting events for free.

All students who did not have their picture taken during schedule pick up days will have the opportunity to have your picture taken tomorrow, Tuesday, August 22nd, during the lunch periods.  Please listen to the announcements and follow the signs during your lunch period so that you can have your photo taken.

Last Day to Change Schedules

Do you feel ready for a 5 day week of school?  I am excited to start feeling like life settles down into more of a routine with all of you being established in your classes for the year.  Along those lines, I want to make sure that you all understand that tomorrow (Monday) is the last day to add a class for the first semester.  So, after tomorrow, you won't be able to drop and add something else into your day until we reach semester break at the end of December.  As a result, it is really important that you make sure you see me or email me tomorrow if you are wanting to drop/ add something in your schedule.  

Digital ID's

One of the big changes for the 2023-24 school year is that Worthington Kilbourne students will no longer have the traditional plastic ID cards.  Starting this year you will receive a digital ID that you can save to your phone or other device.

You will need your Digital ID to check into school if you arrive late or to gain free entry to home sporting events throughout the year.

If you didn't get your picture taken during schedule pick up days, please be sure to have your photo taken next Tuesday, August 22nd, during your lunch period.

It's a School Night!

Can you believe summer is over?  Tonight is a school night which means you are going to have to try to go to bed at a decent time so that you can function during the day tomorrow.  I hope you enjoyed your last day of summer vacation and are getting excited about coming back to school. I am looking forward to seeing everyone again!

The freshmen students had their first day in the building today and they seemed to enjoy finding their way around. I'm sure that it was a bit scary for them, but tomorrow will probably be even more intimidating. Little do they know that all of you are, in fact, quite nice and helpful. (At least you have always been nice and helpful to me so I am confident it will be the same to the poor freshmen who are lost around the building.)  Throughout the day today I was BEYOND impressed with the Link Leaders who made the day fun, meaningful and welcoming to the 9th graders.  Thank you Link Leaders for your service and commitment.  You set an incredible example for the Class of 2027 of what it means to be a part of our Pack. 

As we return to school tomorrow, I wanted to remind those of you who are taking College Credit Plus (CC+) classes through Columbus State (this includes English and Psychology) that while your classes are listed on your WKHS schedule, they don't actually start until August 28th.  English meets on Mondays and Wednesdays.  Psychology meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  So, for those classes you have a little longer until they start.  

The CC+ classes through COTC  (which are your CC+ math classes) all begin tomorrow like regular classes as they are taught by your WKHS teachers.

I'm looking forward to seeing you all in the morning.  Sleep well!

Common App Workshop Reminder

We had a great first Common App Workshop last Thursday and I wanted to remind all seniors that tomorrow, Monday, August 14th at 1:00pm in Room 207 is the last Common App Workshop opportunity!  Please be sure to bring your laptop or chromebook so that you can work on your application as we walk through Common App together.  It is also helpful if you have created your account before the workshop.

Because I have been focused on all things Common App lately, I thought you might be interested in the summary about essays that were submitted on Common App last year.  

• 27% used topic of your choice
• 22% wrote about adversity
• 21% focused on growth
• 19% shared about a background, identity or talent
• 6% highlighted intellectual curiosity
• 3% talked about gratitude
• 3% addressed when they had challenged an idea

This is particularly interesting data since the Common App essay prompts have continued to be the same for this year.  If you are wanting more information about the Common App essays, you can visit their website as they have information in both English and Spanish about approaching the essays.

Common App

The Common Application (better known as Common App) went live today for the Class of 2024!  Why does that matter?  Because for seniors, it means it is time to start applying to college!  

Common App is a website that over 1,000 colleges use to allow students to fill out one application that will then be sent to multiple colleges.  If you are applying to 4-year schools it is worth your time to explore Common App and see if the colleges you are considering use it.  There are 29 new colleges who have joined Common App this year including Ohio Dominican and Youngstown State from Ohio.

Because the vast majority of our students will apply using Common App we have learned a lot of the common questions students have when filling out their application and frequent errors you will want to be sure to avoid.  To help share that information with our students, the counselors will be hosting 2 Common App workshops so that you can pick the date/ time that best meets your schedule.

The workshops will be held on Thursday, August 10th at 11:00am and on Monday, August 14th at 1:00pm. Both sessions will take place in Room 207 and students will need to bring your Chromebook or laptop with you because you will be working on your actual application during our time together.

I am hopeful that ALL of my seniors who plan on applying to college will be at one of the workshops.  It will truly help you get a huge jumpstart on your applications!  (Last year, one of the students who came to the workshop said she was forced to come by her mom and she felt she didn't need it because she had already started working on her Common App and then found several things she didn't know or hadn't answered accurately... so I promise it will be worth your time!)