AP & IB Exams

IB Exams have already started and over the next two weeks many WKHS students will continue with IB exams and others will be taking Advanced Placement Exams. The AP and IB exams are held on designated days and will be in designated locations throughout WKHS.  I know that many of you have been spending an extraordinary amount of time studying to prepare for the exams. Good Luck!  You will do great!  Remember, you have spent the whole year learning all of the content that you need to know in order to take the tests to hopefully earn the college credit. Stop by sometime and let me know how you felt after the tests.

It's Not a Race

Have you heard the quote about life is a marathon, not a sprint?  I had always heard it and kind of blown it off because, yes, of course it is more of a marathon - it is long and exhausting and there are days that feel better than others.  But a few months ago, I heard something that resonated with me far more and I keep thinking about it so I thought I should share it with you in case it makes sense to you too.

Life is not a race at all!

Life is like white water rafting.  Sometimes there are calm, smooth peaceful water.  Other times the rapids are tossing you all over the place.  And that description definitely made sense to me.  But the point is bigger than that.  When you go white water rafting, and in life, you are with people that matter to you.  You are spending time with people you love and you're (hopefully) enjoying your surroundings.  Usually when you go white water rafting you have a good sense about where you're going to end up, but it's not all about getting to that desitnation.  It is about the experiences you are making and sharing along the way.

Powerful way to think about life, isn't it?  If you think about it in terms of high school, you know that you are going to come to school for 180 days each school year for 4 years.  You know that you're going to have work to do, stuff to learn, tests to take, and projects to complete.  You know that some days will be smooth, easy sailing and others will be filled with rough water that can feel scary and overwhelming.  But what makes high school (and also life) more meaningful and what you will ultimately remember most in the future are the friendships you make, the people who help you on a bad day, the teachers who support, guide and challenge you, and the journey that you are all on together.

So no, life is not a race.  You are on a white water rafting journey.  Try to enjoy the ride (and don't forget to put on your life jacket as self care is key and always remember that no matter what, just keep paddling through!)

Also, tomorrow is Arts in Action day!  I hope you will come outside to the bridge area to drum with us!  It is always so much fun!

College Essay - Topics to Avoid

It's been a few weeks since our Essay Brainstorming workshop for the juniors.  Have you continued to work on your blue sheet to come up with ideas that appropriately help describe you and can potentially transition into college essays for you in the future?  I hope so.  Don't let it slide too far into the back of your mind and continue to work on it periodically even if it is just 5-10 minutes a week to come up with some more "that's so you" stories or reflecting on times you have changed.

We talked a little about some of the cliche essays that you likely want to avoid because they are overdone and won't make you stand out. I wanted to share a few more "avoid this" reminders for you.

- Some essays are simply predictable.  Even if you're trying to make it unique, the colleges know better.  So, for example, if you write an essay with a 3rd person and then try to say the unique thing is the "twist" and it is really about you, they actually already knew that as they were reading it.  This is not a strategy that tends to work.

- If you focus only on the story without the reflection, you're writing about someone else who has impacted you, or you stay focused on something from a long time ago in the past without tying it back into you today, then you are missing the opportunity to give the college insight into who you are today.  You need to have the reflection and do it within the word count given.

- Remember that it doesn't have to be a BIG thing in your life.  Small moments are perfect.  This is an essay, not a life memoir or complete biography about yourself.  As a result, don't try to embelish the story to make it more dramatic.

- Watch your tone.  You need for the essay to sound genuinely like YOU.  Not a thesaurus, not AI, not your parents or your teacher.  You also need to make sure that it doesn't sound elitest (I am the greatest/ unlike other people), defeated (oh poor me), and that the way you're writing it translates to whomever is reading it.  This usually comes from having lots of people reading it to make sure that the tone is sounding genuine to you without rubbing people the wrong way.  (Which also means you have to be open to editing your essay lots before you ultimately submit it!)

As we discussed in the workshop, you CAN still write about one of these topics, but it just tends to be more challenging because if you are picking a common topic like these then you need to work to make uncommon connections.  If, on the other hand, you pick a unique topic that hasn't been overdone, you are safe to make common connections.

Teacher Recommendation Letters

Juniors, remember when we talked in our junior meetings about the fact that I'd remind you when it was time to start asking teachers about possibly writing a recommendation letter on your behalf?  Now is the time.  :-)

Recommendation letters are a time consuming process requiring a great deal of thought and time. Juniors, as you finalize the list of schools where you will be applying next fall, it is important to determine if you are going to need a recommendation letter from a teacher (or two). Many of the Ohio schools - Ohio State University, OU, BGSU, Kent State, etc. do not require teacher recommendations.  Because rec letters are a time consuming process, if the colleges where you are applying do not require recommendations, then do not waste your teacher's time by requesting letters that won't be needed or used!

If you are applying to schools that need teacher recommendation letters, it is very helpful and beneficial to the teachers if you can give them as much time as possible to write your recommendation letters. That means, if you know now that you are going to be applying to a school which needs a teacher rec letter, then I would like for you to ask the teachers this spring allowing them to have the entire summer to write your letter. (These next few weeks are a great time to ask!)  After you ask your teacher(s), you will want to provide them with information that can help them as they write your letter. We have several handouts in the Counseling Center and on the WKHS Counselor website that you can use for this purpose. 

And yes juniors, this is also a reminder that you need to be working now toward finalizing a list of where you plan on applying to college because, as the seniors can definitely tell you - it goes by fast!

Deposits, Financial Aid and Wait Lists

I wrote a week ago about how complicated the college decision process is this year, but there are a lot of nuances that I want to go into a little bit more...

First, let's talk about deposits.  You are only supposed to put in your deposit to the ONE college that you have decided you will attend.  These are typically non-refundable and are due by the designated date for the college.  Historically, that is May 1st.  This year though, the universal decision and deposit deadline doesn't exist.  That is because of the craziness of the FAFSA that is limiting colleges from getting all of their financial aid offers out to students.  Now, some colleges still have a May 1st decision deadline while others have extended their deadlines to May 15th or June 1st.  That can be a particular challenge if where you will attend is dependent on your financial aid offer.

So what do you do if one of your colleges has a May 1st deadline because they have processed their financial aid offers and another one of your colleges has a later deadline and hasn't released their financial aid details yet?  If you're hoping to attend one of those other colleges with a May 15th or June 1st deadline assuming that financial aid comes through, then I would suggest calling the May 1st college and talking to their admissions office to find out if you can have an extension on your decision so that you can hear back from and compare all of your financial aid offers.  However, if you know that no matter what, you're going to attend the May 1st college, then absolutely pay now.  The same thing applies if you are set on attending a college with a May 15th or June 1st deadline.  If you know your financial aid information for them or if your decision doesn't rely on that financial aid decision and you know that you are going to attend that college then, by all means, go ahead and deposit now!  It will help the college know who to anticipate attending and will allow you to start moving forward with housing deposits and selection, getting orientation set up, and so much more that you'd rather do earlier than later to have the best options available.  I believe that the May 1st colleges will ultimately be flexible on their deposit deadlines if you call and talk to them, but if you're struggling with that and want to discuss it more, please stop and see me!

Now, the other big one is wait lists.  And this is totally different than what I talked about above.  If you are on the wait list then you still need to go ahead and make the decision about where you plan on attending from the colleges that have accepted you.  You need to pay your deposit and start the full process for attending there in the future.  At the same time, you can also move forward with the process with the college that has wait listed you.  You want to be sure to fill out and follow up with them on all of the pieces that they want to hear and know about you in a letter of continued interest.  But you still need to get your head and heart wrapped around the idea that you will, most likely, be attending the college where you are turning in your deposit.  And if you are sitting there thinking, "but I don't want to go there" then we need to talk about this some more.  The reality is that you applied to those schools that accepted you for a reason - there were things about those colleges that appealed to you.  And the college believes that you will be a good fit there.  So while it might not be your dream college, is it a place where you can go, be happy, find success and enjoy?  If not, it might be necessary to pause and consider other options for your plans and we can discuss that more individually if you come and meet with me.  For most students that are on the wait list though, they will feel good about one of their accepted colleges and can move forward with that as their plan.  If you later get accepted off the wait list (which this year will happen even later than usual due to all of the decision deposit deadlines being later than normal), then you can switch and make the college which has accepted you off the wait list.

Here are a few articles related to the wait lists:

What you can do if you're waitlisted

Do's and Don'ts of the Wait List

If you have decided - Congratulations!  I know that is a huge weight off of your shoulders.  If you are still weighing your options, I will also remind you that the senior mandatory graduation form that is due back by May 2nd does ask for where your final transcript should be sent.  If you change your mind or don't have a decision by then, know that we will need you to forward that information on to us as soon as you do have a decision finalized because all colleges will want a final transcript.

The End is Near

Seniors have just 13 days of school remaining and underclassmen have 18 days (15 days of classes plus the 3 exam days) before summer break.

Obviously that means every moment counts if you are not doing well in your classes and you are trying to pull off a passing grade for the semester.  It is essential that you spend the remaining weeks taking care of your classes so that you do not jeopardize your future.

The truth is that this last month of the school year is essential for many WKHS students.

For seniors, I realize that there is a rampant case of senioritis running through the school, and I must remind you again that next year most of you will be heading to college. You have already received your acceptance letters and many have (hopefully) decided where you will be attending school next year so it seems like your grades this last semester don't really matter... except they do! You must submit a final transcript to your college. If you go back and read the acceptance letters that the colleges sent to you, you will notice the fine print that points out that they can turn you down if you don't maintain the level of grades that they expect from you and your past performance. Last year schools did turn away students and I can't even imagine how hard it was for a student to believe they knew where they would be attending to suddenly find out that they could no longer attend there because they blew off school during their final semester.  The other comment I hear from seniors often is that school doesn't matter now, but that next year, in college, when it matters they will turn it around and try. Well, while I would love to believe you (and I hope you are right), the reality is that it isn't always that easy. Bad habits are hard to break. Next year there won't be anyone bugging you about turning in homework or reminding you that a paper or project is due next week. They won't accept late papers. Most teachers won't check attendance and they don't care if you want to throw your money away by not attending class. It is your introduction to the real world. At WKHS if you show up late to class and get a tardy or two you end up with a detention. In the real world, if you show up late for work, you get fired. At WKHS if you can't manage to turn in a paper or project on time teachers take points off and it might hurt your grade, but in the real world the devastation of not following through and meeting the expectations of your boss are much more serious. I know, you think I am just nagging and I promise that I am not trying to lecture you, but I am worried. The last few weeks of high school need to be a time to practice developing some good habits. For many of you, you have taken a long enough break at the beginning of this quarter. Spend time studying. Work on your organization skills. Practice taking better notes. All of those things will help you in college and in the future.

For the underclassmen... it is far too early for you to be claiming senioritis. The classes that you are taking now will impact your grades and grade point average. Having a higher grade point average doesn't guarantee you admission to the school of your dreams, but it does provide you with more options. For most of your classes - you need it to meet graduation requirements. (Even your elective classes as you need 5 credits of electives to graduate.) It always surprises me when students give up at this point in the year. I don't understand it. If I was faced with the option of working really hard for the last few weeks of school and kicking butt on the exams or taking the class for an entire semester (or year) again over the summer or next year there is no question that I would apply myself now. That is what so many of you need to do. Stop and think about it for a moment. Your 3rd quarter grade was worth 45% of your semester grade. This quarter's grade is worth another 45% of your semester grade and your final exam makes up the remaining 10%. That means that with your exam and this quarter you are dealing with 55% of your total points for the semester. Hopefully you realize that this also means that you can still pass, but you must commit yourself now and not let a single point slip by without trying to earn it.  Every point matters! Talk to your teachers, get input from them on what you need to do differently in order to turn things around in your classes. Please, don't wait until it is too late. If you have already realized that there is no way to pass the class and your teacher agrees that there is no hope, please come and see me so that we can talk about what your plan will be to make up the class. Are you going to take it during the summer? Are you going to take it next year? If you are taking it next year does that bump out any of your other classes because you are now missing the requirements? There is a great deal to consider. If you aren't going to be able to pass one class, please work hard to make sure that you pass all of the others. As soon as you realize that one class is a lost cause it doesn't mean that all of the others are gone too. Try to use your time wisely and put more effort into the ones that still have hope. Feel free to stop in and talk to me if you need help developing a plan on how to focus your energy and effort to passing your classes.

Believe me, I do understand that it is hard to focus right now. And yes, I admit that I don't always want to get up and come to school when there are other things that sound more appealing for the day. But we only have one today and the decisions we make today have a much bigger influence than we can imagine. Please make the most of today!

Prom

Tonight is prom night for WKHS juniors and seniors. This is an exciting and memorable night for students and I hope you have a great evening. Let's be honest, I also hope that it is a safe evening! You want prom to be memorable because it was a positive experience...

Hopefully you are looking forward to a fun night at both prom and at After-Hours. 

One last reminder about safety - please remember to talk with your parents before you leave tonight about what you will do if you end up in an unexpected situation and need help. Have a good time - be smart and please be safe!

Tomorrow's Bell Schedule

We will be having a Pep Rally at school tomorrow morning ahead of prom this weekend.  I wanted to make sure that you knew what the bell schedule will be for tomorrow.

1st Period- 8:40-9:20

2nd Period- 9:25-10:12

Pep Rally- 10:12-10:50

3rd Period- 10:55-11:35

4th Period- 11:40-12:20

5th Period- 12:25-1:05

6th Period- 1:10-1:50

7th Period- 1:55- 2:35

8th Period- 2:40-3:20

The Pep Rally will be a fun celebration of spring sports and to boost the connection and school spirit within the building.

Mandatory Senior Questionnaire

Today, all seniors received an information link for the Senior Information Questionnaire that we need for you to complete and submit prior to May 2nd.

Every year, the graduating high school seniors have the option of picking a teacher, coach, administrator, counselor, secretary, or other Worthington staff member who has played a significant role in their lives to give them their diploma.  This is one of my favorite traditions at Kilbourne!  It is a way to make the graduation ceremony much more personal and memorable.  You will select your 1st choice and 2nd choice diploma presenters on the form.

The form also allows you to request where you want us to send your final transcript.  When you head off to college or enlist in the military, they will all want a copy of your final transcript to confirm that you did officially graduate.  The information you submit on the form is what will enable us to make sure we send your transcript to the appropriate location.

We are busy working on preparing for the senior recognition and commencement ceremonies and we need additional information from you in order to put together the programs!  As you complete the senior questionnaire you will be asked to list what scholarships you received and are accepting and how much they were worth.

And finally, the form also allows for you to share some thoughts about your reflections related to high school because we value the insight and perspectives that our seniors share each year.

These forms are due back ASAP, but no later than May 2nd.  

If you have updates/ changes after you have submitted your form - such as you received an additional scholarship, please email that new scholarship information to Mrs. Focht at afocht@wscloud.org.  We will try our best to include your updated scholarships in the program, but it is possible that information received after May 2nd may not be able to be included if the program has already been printed.

Complicated College Decisions

Historically, colleges have all different deadlines for admissions, financial aid, and scholarships, but they have been a united front on May 1st as the National Decision Day deadline.  Until this year.  This year, things are complicated because of the financial aid fiasco and so many colleges not yet being able to report to students and families what the cost of attending their school will be.  This is a major problem for any student who needs to keep finances in mind when making the decision about what school will be their best fit and for where they will attend.

Colleges know that this is a problem and many of them have extended their deadlines to May 15 or June 1.  But not all have.  Which creates a challenge for students.

I will post more soon about navigating the struggles of how to handle your college decisions if you haven't received your financial aid package, but there is still a lot that seniors need to be thinking about now as you try to finalize your decision about where you will attend for college next year.

Remember, there is no right or wrong choice - it is all about what is the best fit for YOU!  As you start thinking about your different schools, it is essential to determine what you really want in a school and what is most important to you in a college.

As you are considering your options, you can 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 schools on those aspects.

If your school comparison charts are similar and you still can’t decide – try to 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 culture and values as an academic institution.)

And of course, a harder factor to compare at this point is how do the schools compare regarding the costs?  What will the difference in costs mean to you over the long haul?  Ask yourself if the school will meet your academic needs, if you will have the social life you desire, and if you and 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 so as those offers of financial aid start coming in, look at them closely to see how they will influence your decision. 

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.

Caps and Gowns

Tomorrow and Wednesday during lunch periods the staff from Buckeye Scholastic will be at Kilbourne to distribute the Caps and Gowns to seniors.  Each year as seniors pick up their cap and gown, I always feel like that is a moment that makes it feel REAL that graduation is really going to happen in just over a month.

My biggest suggestion is that once you get your cap and gown home that you be sure to take it out of the package and let it hang.  The month of hanging will help make it a little easier to get the wrinkles out when you iron it.

Enjoy this milestone moment as you pick up your cap and gown!

Culture Day

Tomorrow at WKHS we will be celebrating all of the various cultural backgrounds that contribute to and shape the lives of our Kilbourne students and staff.  

As a component of this fun day, all students will have the chance to explore and engage with information and experiences during your lunch period.  This includes watching animated short films with popcorn and global hot tea, browsing trifolds and table displays, tasting foods, making bracelets, playing Mancala games, enjoying music and dancing and there will even be a henna station.  Additionally, since tomorrow is Earth Day, there will also be an interactive map exhibit.

I know that our students have worked really hard to put together a meaningful and impactful experience for all of our students.  There is no question that we are stronger because of our differences and the backgrounds which have shaped us into the people we are today.  I hope you will take the time to check out the exhibits and thank the students who have worked so hard to make this day special.

ACT/ SAT Test Prep

Juniors, now that (most of) you have received your scores back from the school administration of the ACT it is time to come up with a plan for what comes next.  

Some of you may be perfectly content with your scores and not need to do anything else, but for many of you, I know that you are focused on improving your scores.  Statistically, many students are able to improve their scores when they repeat the tests because you are now familiar with the pace required to complete each section and what to expect from the tests.   As a result, I encourage you to consider signing up to take another college admission test this spring or summer.  You can take either the ACT or the SAT (or both).  Don't forget, while there are some test dates in the fall, you need to watch your timing so that you can get the tests completed before your earliest college application deadlines.

To register for the tests, please visit their websites.

ACT: www.act.org

SAT: www.collegeboard.com

And, yes, sorry, there are fees for the rest of the times you take the college admissions tests.  However, if you are a student who qualifies for free or reduced lunch, please stop to see me as I am able to help give you a fee waiver that can cover the cost of a test.

The other point we need to talk about is what you are going to DO between now and when you retake the test to help improve your scores.  There are a wide range of options that students can do to help improve their scores, but generally speaking if you don't do something different, you will typically not see a significant change in scores.  This list is in no way fully inclusive of all of your options, but it can help get you started on ideas...

- Look at your test and reflect back on what you remember from the test and review the areas that are weakest for you.

- Take free practice tests online.

- Use question of the day practice opportunities to regularly get adjusted to the types of questions you will see on the ACT/ SAT.

- Work with an individual tutor or sign up for a course.  These options will have a range of costs associated with them and so it is important to know that ACT and SAT will say that the best preparation is a rigorous curriculum.  However, many students have found that having someone that they are meeting with and having an appointment to work on preparing for the tests helps to hold them accountable so that they can master the strategies and truly show what they know when they take the tests.  We have many tutor resources available on the Counselor Website if you are interested and I also have business cards in my office from some of the tutors/ companies.

- Make use of websites such as Khan Academy that have free test prep sections.  The ACT and SAT websites also have resources and materials available for students to help prepare for their tests.

- Get one of the books with practice tests (you might even be able to find them at the library, but many students prefer to buy them so that they can write in the books).  

And that actually brings me to a key point that I hit on a little earlier - I can mention lots of different ideas and strategies, but these tests are so easy to procrastinate on and think "I'll work on that later..." but so often "later" becomes "never."  I know because I have been there.  So try to figure out what you are realistically going to be able to set up for yourself as a plan and then stick with it.  Have someone help hold you accountable and don't stop until you have reached your goals.

Good luck on your test preparation.  Most of all, don't stress about it - that will never help your scores, but do the best you can and it will pay off in the long run!

Senioritis

I can't even begin to count the number of seniors who have stopped in and shared that they are feel like "senioritis"  is taking over.  While I understand that it can be a challenge to continue motivating yourself to finish your high school career strong, it is important!

With Seniors only having 4 Mondays of high school left, the appeal of letting everything slide to just enjoy the remaining time seems to be very strong. I even have younger students who are claiming to have “senioritis” early and this is definitely not a good thing.

Third quarter grades were rough (to say the least). This is particularly a concern for seniors as it can jeopardize graduation (a real fear for many) and it can also jeopardize your college future. For example, remember, the colleges reserve the right to revoke your acceptance if the grades you are earning are not on pace with what they expected at the time of your application. They can also place you on academic probation and take back scholarship offers. Obviously, these would not be good scenarios, but it does happen every year. 

So, while the weather is finally improving, senior tag, and "fun" days like Arts in Action in the coming weeks may make it hard to focus on the day to day responsibilities of meeting your classroom expectations, it is very important!  Please keep pushing to work hard in your classes!

April Students of the Month

Last Friday was the ceremony to honor April's 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 contributions to the school or community. Students can only earn this recognition once in their high school career.

A huge congratulations to "my" students who were recognized during the ceremony including (L to R): Estefani Cuberos Torres, Georgia Brinegar, Hailey Brooner, Grace Glaros, Alyssa Carson, Roslymar Carrero Ramirez, Jade Bishop Stargell, and (not pictured) Summyr Abuzeide.  I am proud of you all!

Free Healthcare Opportunities

There are certain healthcare related steps that all students must complete in order to comply with school requirements.

Probably most familiar to students and families is the sports physical.  Any student hoping to participate in band or a sport, must have a current, updated sports physical on file every year.  There are free sports physicals being offered by OhioHealth Sports Medicine.  These will take place on May 20, 21, and 22nd in Grove City, Westerville, and Dublin.  You can use the QR code on this page to access the full list of locations, times and to sign up.

Additionally, the state requires all students to have an updated meningococcal vaccine by August of their senior year.  The requirement is that one dose of the Meningococcal (MenACWY) vaccine must be given on or after the age of 16.  Proof of vaccination is due prior to senior year by the State of Ohio.  In order to help students fulfill this requirement, a Free Vaccine Clinic will be held at WKHS on Friday, May 3 from 8:30am-12:30pm.  This is a free opportunity for students from the Columbus Public Health Department to get this requirement completed during a school day.  Parents do not need to be present, but a consent form is required.  Consent forms can be picked up from Nurse Julie in the health office at school.  It is important to note that the consent forms are due back by this Friday, April 19th so that the Columbus Public Health department has time to process the forms.  So, if you are going to take advantage of this free opportunity, you need to act right away!

In addition to the Meningococcal vaccine, they will also be offering influenza, Tdap, and HPV vaccines for free to students who want/ need them.

Any questions about the free vaccine clinic or the meningococcal vaccine requirement can be directed to WKHS Nurse Julie at jgarner@wscloud.org.

This Week's Schedule

We have a busy, unique week ahead.  Sophomores are going to be testing all week.  Freshmen and juniors will likely have some days of testing and some days of sleeping in and Seniors get to enjoy the mornings off for the week.

End of Course Tests:

This week we will have late starts for the End of Course tests.  We will be on a modified bell schedule where you have classes from 12:25-3:20.  On Monday, Wednesday and Friday you will go to your 1st through 4th period classes.  On Tuesday and Thursday you will go to 5th through 8th period classes.

On Monday and Tuesday, students will take the English 2 End of Course test which contains 2 parts.  Part 1 will be completed on Monday and Part 2 will be taken on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, students will take the Biology End of Course test.

On Thursday, students will take the US History or the US Government End of Course tests.

On Friday, students will take both sections of the Math 1 or the Math 2 End of Course tests.

Here is a link to the bell schedule for the week.  Good luck to everyone who will be testing!  And please, remember to bring your fully charged chromebook with you to school for testing!

Essay Workshop:

On Wednesday, we will be hosting the essay brainstorming workshop from 10-11:30am in Room 207 for juniors who are planning to apply to a 4-year college in the future.  Please be sure to sign up if you plan to attend.  The link has been included on the email that was sent to you and it is also on the Counselor Website and you can sign up there - www.wkhscounselors.com

Senior Project:

9 of my seniors will be starting their Senior Project experience tomorrow.  Good luck to each of these students as they complete an internship on a job site in an area of future career interest.  I can't wait to hear your stories!

Cut Them Free

Seniors, as you start narrowing down your college choices it is important to cut your other schools free. As you begin identifying which college or the few colleges that are still in the running, it is important for you to notify the other colleges that you do NOT intend to attend their school beginning next year. 

Please wait to tell the schools that you will not be attending until you are completely sure that you are no longer considering them. However, I realize that many of you have narrowed your choice to a smaller group of colleges and you have completely eliminated others from consideration. Those which have been completely eliminated are the colleges I am recommending you notify now. 

This is important because it allows the college to plan for their upcoming student body and to know if they have room to accept other students off of their wait-lists. Think about your classmates who might be on the waiting list for a school and they want to hear back from the schools as quickly as possible and there are other students across the country in the same situation. Colleges can't begin opening up additional slots until they know which students will or will not be attending. 

Additionally, if you received scholarship offers from one of the colleges that you have eliminated from the running, this can also potentially allow the college to offer that money out to other students which, again, can help people such as your fellow classmates. Believe me, the colleges will not be angry with you for deciding that you will not be attending their school - they understand that this is part of the process, so just go ahead and take a few minutes to let them know of your intent to attend a different college.

Essay Workshop

For most students, writing your college essay is one of the most stressful aspects of the college application process.  In order to try to help better prepare juniors the counselors will be hosting a workshop about selecting a topic for writing your college essay.

The Essay Brainstorming Workshop Session will take place one week from today, on Wednesday, April 17th, from 10:00am - 11:30am in Room 207.

We are really excited to be able to offer this workshop during the late-start time when younger students will be taking their End of Course exams.  This workshop is just for junior students (and not parents) as it is the student's essay and your voice is what admissions officers want to hear!  This session is optional and is ideal for those students who will be applying to a 4-year college.  (Those who will be starting at a 2 year program like Columbus State will not have to write an essay so you will not need the information covered in this session.)

So that we can plan for how many students to expect, we ask that you please RSVP using this link.

Believe me, the essays are such a critical part of the application process that this won't be the only time I talk about them on my blog, but it is also a fun and creative opportunity to introduce yourself to the admissions officers and so it is worth the time you will put into making it a great essay.  I hope you will give up a little bit of your sleeping in time and join us for the workshop!

Parent Lunch & Learn

On Friday we will host another Lunch & Learn for parents.  This month's topic is understanding the Kilbourne Grade Point Average (GPA).  What all counts in the GPA, what is weighted and what is not, how much the weights are, and how students can work to improve their GPA is all a part of our planned conversation for Friday.

As usual, the Lunch and Learns are quick, 30-minute zoom meetings over 1 specific topic to educate parents and to answer your questions on a particular topic.  Because the meetings are virtual from 12-12:30pm, parents are invited to grab your lunch and listen in on the presentation.  Zoom links are emailed out on Friday morning ahead of the session and the link is also posted on the Kilbourne Counselor website.  

I hope you will join us on Friday, April 12th, at noon!

Eclipse

Today was a cool day... obviously it was nice to have a 3 day weekend and, I will be honest, I wasn't sure how exciting the eclipse would be this afternoon.  But I was genuinely amazed!  It exceeded even my best hopes for what it would seem like.

I have been thinking a lot about why the eclipse today is standing out to me as such a significant event.  Yes, of course it was cool to see it get so dark out in the middle of a beautiful, sunny day.  Yes, it is interesting to think of the science and how small we are as you witness the moon making it's way across the sun.  But I think it is more than that.

Today, millions of people across the United States all stopped in what they were doing to look at the sky.  We jointly paused in what we were doing, in the busy rush of our days, to simply observe.  And so often when we are watching things in nature that are beyond our control we are doing so because it is something bad or scary - like when there are tornado warnings or hurricanes and we are all watching and preparing for something terrible.  But this was a reminder that things beyond our control in nature can be good too. In my neighborhood, spontaneous cheers erupted for the 2 minutes and 15 seconds of totality.   And then the moon kept moving and the daylight returned and I was left wondering how people had such amazing photos while I had just been sitting there in awe of it all.

My take away from today is that I am thankful for moments that we can all pause for something good and appreciate the beauty in the world around us.  The eclipse represented that for me.  I hope you have some good memories from today too and I look forward to hearing about it all this week.

CSCC App Day

Are you planning on attending Columbus State Community College next year after you graduate? This is a great option for a lot of students because it allows students to transition from the high school to college expectations in typically smaller classes and for a fraction of the cost. 

Students attending CSCC have much later deadlines for admission and so it can be easy to procrastinate on completing the application.  Next Thursday, in the Conference Room off the Counseling Center (Room 120), we will be hosting the admissions representative from Columbus State Community College for an Application Day.  Seniors, if you have not already applied to CSCC and want to have it as an option for you in the future, please take advange of this application day!  Students can come during lunch periods and should bring their Social Security Number so that your entire application can be completed on the spot.  

For students who are already technically CSCC students because of participating in College Credit Plus, you don't have to submit an application to attend full time next year, but there are steps that need to be completed and the admissions rep will be able to assist you with completing those requirements as well.

Even if you're not sure you're ready to go to CSCC right away or if you are still holding it as an option for financial reasons as you try to make your decision about college, you can also come and participate in the Columbus State Community College Application Day.  

Feel free to stop and see me if you have any questions.

Online Summer School

We always get questions about taking online courses or classes in other districts during the summers and as long as it is an accredited school this is completely fine.  So, for example, if your parents are divorced and you go to spend the summer with a parent who lives in another state you can take your summer school class at the school near your other parent and then transfer the credit back to us.  Or for those students who plan on traveling a great deal over the summer, taking an online course might be more in line with your needs.  Again, in Worthington we try to be very flexible in helping all students to meet their academic goals so as long as the school you are taking classes from is an accredited school, we will transfer those credits to Worthington.

Students and parents often ask me which online schools they can use and again, if it is accredited it is fine.  The school we have had the most students utilize in the past has been TRECA due to the cost effectiveness of their credits.  But again, that can change from year to year and so I encourage you to search for the schools and programs that will best meet your individual needs.  I do know that as of today TRECA summer school registration has opened so if you were planning to take a TRECA summer school class, please be sure to get signed up for that soon too.  Their website is: https://treca.org/programs/summer-school 

Advisory Council

Last spring the WKHS Counselors wanted to start an Advisory Council to bring together parents, teachers, students and administration to help provide us with insights, feedback, and guidance on the counseling program that we put into practice every day.  Since we value the input from ALL stakeholders, we tried to get a representative mix of voices to represent different grade levels, backgrounds, feeder schools, etc.  And, because we get to talk to administrators, teachers and students every day, we made sure to have the bulk of the advisory council consist of parents/ guardians.

Having never implemented an advisory council in our building, we were honestly nervous about how it would go and what input they would share with us.  But I have to tell you that it was INCREDIBLE!  It was helpful to hear varying perspectives, to get ideas and feedback, and to be able to be challenged with new ways of how we can try to approach best meeting the needs of every student.

Throughout the year, we had 18 advisory council members volunteer their time to attend 4 meetings.  The Kilbourne counselors are so grateful to each individual who so generously agreed to join us in this endeavor!  Some of the advisory council members are pictured above, but below is the complete list of our incredible Advisory Council:

Parents/ Guardians: Stoyna Arnaudova, Dan Beck, Rebecca Billingslea, Alison Heller, Vikki James, Rick Kellner, Mandy McGlone, Stacy Niemantsverdriet, Angela Pope, Jennifer Shaw, and Elizabeth Woodyard

Students: EJ Adams, Esther Ferreira Alves, and Ranim Pharra

Teachers: Ben Berens, John Jordan, and Yo Smith

Administrator: Josh Almanson

Thank you to all of the 2023-2024 Advisory Council members for helping serve us this year!

College Rejections

Throughout spring break I received dozens of emails from various colleges sharing updates on when they will be releasing their decisions and how competitive their classes are this year.  Statements like, "we had 6% more students apply than in the past for the same number of slots" are feeling common with each email I open.  I don't have any magical answers for why one student gets accepted and another seemingly comparable student does not.  And it makes me sad to think that there are students who are receiving notifications that you have not been accepted who would, unquestionably, be highly successful at each of these colleges.  But, sadly, that is part of the college admissions "game."  

And, yes, I know that when it is your dream college, none of it feels like a game, but I really want for you to try to think of it more in that regard because even the college may know that you would have been a great candidate with a lot to offer to their college, but it is all a part of the process.  I can tell you that I did not have a single student apply to colleges where I could not see you being successful.  And I believe, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that if you were to be accepted and attend that college that you would have been successful there!  BUT, I also believe that no matter where you attend college that you WILL be a success!  It is NOT the college that would make you successful, but rather it is your work ethic, your drive, your intelligence, your commitment, and the contributions you will make on whatever campus is lucky enough to have you joining their college which will make all the difference.

Try to remind yourself that not everyone will be accepted and that it is not a reflection of your potential for lifelong success.  Don't believe me?  I did a google search to look for a few articles to showcase some successful people who were also rejected to their top choice colleges.  I am confident you will recognize many of their names.

7 famous people who were rejected by their dream colleges

Before they were titans, moguls, and newsmakers, these people were… rejected

15 celebrities who didn’t get into their dream colleges

If you are dealing with the frustration and disappointment of not being accepted, remember that it is ok to be sad just please be sure to reach out and talk about how you are feeling with your family members and/ or with me!  I don't want anyone to ever believe that this one college decision is a reflection of your value because there are plenty of other great schools that will be thrilled to have you as a member of their incoming class.  Eventually, after you have had the time to process through your disappointment, you will then be able to refocus on making the most of the opportunities available to you.  Believe in yourself and know that the college where you ultimately attend will be lucky to have you as a member of their incoming class.

ASVAB

I hope you had a wonderful and restful spring break!  I am anxious to see everyone again, but not quite sure I'm going to feel ready when the alarm clock goes off tomorrow morning.  Somehow I suspect I won't be alone in that feeling.

Back in January we offered the ASVAB to interested students.  There has been so much interest in the test since then that we are going to have another ASVAB administration coming up this Friday, April 5th.  Please see me asap or email me if you are interested in taking the test so that I can get you on the list.

As a reminder, while the ASVAB is used for determining military job options, it is also a great tool that can be used for career research for those who have no interest in the military.

As we return to school tomorrow, I hope you will stop by and fill me in on how your break went and Lexi is thrilled to be heading back to school and she can't wait to get all the love and attention that she has missed out on over the last week!

ACT Scores

Juniors, I have heard that the ACT scores for the March test you took at WKHS are back for most of our students.  (ACT technically says scores are released anywhere from 10 days to 5 weeks later so it is possible your scores might not be there just yet.)  

How do you find out your scores?  You log into your MyACT account that you had created before the test date.  Information about how to do this was handed out during the PACK Period presentation in the auditorium and it was also emailed to you twice by Mrs. Dominach and Mrs. Backhurst.  If you didn't create an account at the time instructed, my hope is that using the code in the email and on the handout you received will still allow you to set up an account now and access your scores.  If that doesn't work then you will need to call ACT directly.  Their phone number is on the bottom of the ACT website.  One important note if you need to call - ACT will not talk to the parents or to the school about your score results.  They will only talk to the student so you will need to be the one to call them to figure out how to link your score to your MyACT account. 

We always get the results later than students, but we hope to receive a score report summary from ACT in the coming weeks.  But what that means is that unfortunately, at this time, I can't even look up your score to tell you what you scored on the test.

Hopefully you are happy with your test results!  Enjoy your final weekend of spring break!