Baccalaureate & Graduation Reminders

Baccalaureate service is the kickoff for graduation weekend and I absolutely LOVE it.  The ceremony is sponsored by the Activity Club and is held annually to celebrate the accomplishments of the WKHS seniors.  I love that this event honors the impact seniors have left on the school and community, and wishes them good luck as they move on in life toward the exciting activities and adventures ahead.

This year, Baccalaureate will be held in the Kilbourne Auditorium at 7:30pm tomorrow night, Friday, May 26th.

Many students are working with the Activity Club to plan this inspirational service.  I hope you enjoy the evening and all of the baby pictures!  

Sunday is the main event! The Commencement Ceremony will be at the Battelle Grand in the Greater Columbus Convention Center at noon.  (Doors open for families to enter at 11:30.)  

One of the most important details that seniors need to remember to pass along to parents after the rehearsal is which side of the stage you will be on at the commencement ceremony. Why does it matter since you will cross the whole stage?  It is because where you are seated determines which side you will march into the Battelle Grand and around until you reach your seat on that half of the center aisle. Trust me, your parents will be disappointed if they end up being on the "wrong" side and don't have a good view of your special day.

Don't forget that you need to dress up beneath your cap and gown and that you must be sure to bring your cap and gown with you to the ceremony.  You need to be there at 11:15am to check in.  Remember, our staging area is the Union Station Ball Room.

For what it is worth, don't forget to iron your gown - especially if you are just taking it out of the package today.

Perhaps the best recommendation that I can give to you and your families is to pick a place where you will meet up after the ceremony is complete.  I realize that most of you haven't been to the site of the ceremony, but after the ceremony you will want to meet with your family and friends for photos and to celebrate. I can assure you that in years past the most chaotic (worst) place to be as soon as the ceremony is over is anywhere near the bottom of the escalator because everyone who attended the graduation ceremony will be trying to leave and coming off the escalator to try to find and meet up with their families and friends. 

It is going to be a great weekend and I cannot wait to see all of you enjoying and celebrating your accomplishments of the last 4 years at WKHS.  Congratulations, I am proud of you!

You Made It!

Congratulations!  You have officially made it to the end of the 2023-24 School Year.  I still feel like we just started the semester and I blined and somehow here we are.  I hope that you are proud of how the year went and that you are pleased with how you finished the year academically.  Enjoy the end of the start of your summer and please stay safe!

Summer School Reminder

Just as a reminder, if you fail a class in high school, you have to repeat that course before you can move on to the next level.  So, for example, if you fail Math 1 then you have to take Math 1 again before you move on to Math 2.  This is particularly challenging for students who fail English or Math since those courses each require 4 credits to graduate.  If this applies to you, PLEASE be sure to sign up for Worthington Summer School ASAP!  It will be held at WKHS, it is free and transportation is available if you need it.  The way summer school registration is working this year for credit recovery, they are requiring students to use a personalized email link for signing up for Worthington Summer School.  I have sent links (at least three times) to all students who failed a first semester class.  For 2nd semester, as I begin getting confirmation that students have failed a class this semester I will send them out for this semester as well.  (Please be aware that these emails come from a "no reply" email address and are sent to both the parent and the student so either of you can use it to register.)

Additionally, back in February when we were looking at your intended courses for next year many of you reported that you would be taking classes during the summer to get-ahead in your classes/ credits.  That is completely acceptable - you just need to make sure you are taking your classes through an accredited school and then transferring that credit back to us by bringing in a copy of your transcript.  Many students have found TRECA to be a cost effective alternative, but again, it can be any accredited school.

If something has changed in your plans and you will not be taking a class that you had previously indicated you were going to complete via summer school, please stop to see me or send me an email at school to let me know that so that I can adjust your schedule for next year.  (This goes with advanced classes and for classes that you have failed.)  I want to try to get as many of these adjustments made as possible before the school year ends so that your courses will be right in August when you pick up your schedule.

Honors, AP and IB Summer Work

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

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

It is also important that all students are aware that there is a drop deadline of July 15th for all AP and IB courses.  Prior to July 15th, students can drop the classes without penalty.  After July 15th, the summer assignments are still required and the grades for the summer work will be transferred into the new class you will be joining in place of your AP/ IB course.  So, it is important not only that you know what you will need to do for next year, but it is also equally important that you start working on the assignments - at least enough to make sure you feel confident that you are going to enjoy the course - so that you will know by July 15th if you feel like you are going to need to request to change out of that class.

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

Exams & Test Anxiety

How are you feeling about final exams starting tomorrow?  It’s normal to feel a little bit nervous before and during a test. What is important is to learn how to deal with those anxieties so that they do not become overwhelming. Below are a few key strategies for managing test anxiety that might be helpful to you during exams. If this is something that you struggle with, please feel free to stop in and see me so that we can discuss additional ways to help manage your test anxieties now and in the future.

- Study. Being prepared is the single most effective way to help manage test anxiety. If you are confident that you know the material and have put forth your best effort to be prepared for the test, then you can relax and do the best you can.

o Learn from past quizzes and tests

o Ask the teacher for suggestions on how to best prepare for the upcoming test

o Don’t cram – that only adds to the stress and pressure of trying to “squeeze” everything in

o There are lots of study strategies available that can help students and I have a variety of ideas, so if you are interested, stop by and see me and we can talk about different techniques you can try to implement for various classes.  There are also tips featured on the WKHS Counselor website.

- Stay Positive. Being confident and entering the test with a positive attitude will help you to achieve success. There are lots of strategies people use to help maintain a positive outlook –visualization (imaging yourself doing well on the test) and positive self-talk (we all talk to ourselves so instead of thinking that you are going to fail the test replace that self-talk with positive comments such as “I am prepared” or “this test will allow me to show how much I have learned”). Sometimes it is important to stay away from other people who tend to express their negative outlooks and opinions going into a test… those people who will just stress you out more with their panic about the test.

- Take care of yourself. I *know* that you hate hearing things like this (and yes, I acknowledge that at times this can be a hypocritical statement for me to make), but it is important to take care of yourself. Get plenty of sleep so that you are well rested and mentally alert for the test. Eat a healthy meal (breakfast/ lunch) because you don’t want to be sitting in class focusing on food or listening to your stomach growl and you also don’t want to be coming down off a sugar or caffeine high and be dragging the rest of the testing period. Allowing yourself time to exercise is also important as it is a physical release of stress and can reinvigorate you for studying as you prepare for the test.

- Be a “smart” test taker. Don’t panic! Read the directions carefully. Take a deep breath to relax. Answer the questions to the best of your ability and if you don’t know an answer, skip the question to return to it later and continue on to other questions that you are more confident in answering. Budget your time, but don’t rush to be the first finished – this is not a race. Stay focused. (Focus on answering the question – don’t allow yourself to get off track and worry about your grade or how others are doing – just continue to refocus on answering the next question.) If you start to become overwhelmed with anxiety during the test, take a few slow deep breaths, relax your muscles and remember that you are in control of dealing with these feelings so just take it one step at a time.

- After you are finished, give yourself a short break from thinking about the test, but also don’t forget to consider what worked well and what could have gone better and then make changes accordingly for the future. If you were able to manage your anxiety effectively then you can continue practicing these skills for future tests. If some of the strategies were not effective, then you can try to adjust and adopt new strategies to help manage the anxiety.

Remember, it is also important to keep the test in perspective. It is actually quite rare that a single test will make or break you. (And yes, this even includes the End of Course Exams/ SAT/ ACT tests because you can always repeat these tests again in the future.) Good luck on your exams!

Don't forget - tomorrow you have 1st, 4th, and 7th period exams.

Seniors & Careers

Obviously one of the purposes of high school is to help prepare students for whatever comes next for them after high school is over.  For some students that will mean directly entering a career field.  For others it will involve going to college before pursuing a desired career.  And yet others may elect to enter the military either as their career or as a component related to their career.  But no matter the path, careers are part of your ultimate goal when you leave high school.

To support students in the exploration of future career goals Kilbourne has a range of opportunities and options that students can engage in to learn more about various jobs.  This week I was able to talk with some of my students who took full advantage of some of these opportunities.

Alex Beyke was one of the students who participated in the Worthingon Industries Workforce Experience program.  His internship lasted the entire semester with Worthington Enterprises and, on Monday, he was officially informed that they will be hiring him full time after graduation.  This is an awesome opportunity and a direct reflection of Alex's hard work and dependability this semester.

Senior project is another opportunity where seniors can spend their last month of high school completing an internship in a field of their choice with community partners serving as mentors.  I had 9 students take advantage including:

• Itzel Alarcon Escamilla: Nursing
• Yasmeen Amesh: Financial Planning
• Haley Aminaka: Police Department
• Lily Banner: Dosimetry
• Jack Bialecki: Real Estate Property Management
• JaLiyah Boatman: Nursing
• Tai Crump: HVAC
• Marissa Dolciato: Education
• Thalia Weis: Sales

One of the coolest aspects was to learn that several of these students received job offers as a result of their internship experiences.  When we talk about the positive difference that you make this outcome is certainly proof of how impressive you are and the impact you have on those around you.

Congratulations to all of my students who participated in all of the internship experiences as a component of your career exploration.  I am proud of you!

Seniors, don't forget - graduation practice is a REQUIRMENT and it is at 9am tomorrow, Friday, May 17th in the Auditorium.  You do not need to dress up or wear your cap and gown.  It will be an exciting moment to prepare for the upcoming festivities of graduation.

A Letter to my Seniors

Dear Seniors,

Today, as you walked out of the doors at Kilbourne, you marked the end of a huge journey that you have been on for the last 13 years.  Yes, of course, you will be back on Friday morning for graduation rehearsal (don't forget you have to be in the auditorium at 9am).  But studying, doing homework, taking notes during classes, seeing all of the same kids in the halls day after day - those moments have now come to a close.

To say that I am proud of you is such an understatment.  You started high school with virtual learning and blue/ green days.  You demonstrated your ability to be resilient as you adjusted and adapted in so many ways over the last 4 years.  You learned and grew, building friendships, supporting teammates, and accomplishing goals in the classroom, on the athletic fields, and through clubs and artistic endeavors.

Several seniors took the time to stop by my office for one last time before leaving and there were more smiles than tears (although there were definitely both).  And all I could think as each student left my office was, "thank you."  I am so grateful to each student who has been willing to share in their lives with me.  I truly know that I am a better person because of you all.

Enjoy the joy and celebration of being FINISHED with high school!

Congratulations!  Love, Miss Abbott

Exam Schedule

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

Below is the schedule for the final exams:

Day One - Monday, May 20th:

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

Day Two - Tuesday, May 21st:
8:40 - 10:35: 2nd period exam
10:45 - 12:40: 5th period exam
12:40 - 1:20: Lunch
1:25 - 3:20: 8th period exam

Day Three - Wednesday, May 22nd:
8:40 - 10:35: 3rd period exam

10:45 - 12:40: 6th period exam

12:40 - 120: NO Lunch Provided!

1:25 - 3:20: Make-Up Exams

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

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

No, you do NOT need to be in school during your scheduled lunch period or during your Options or Prep periods. (Which means, for example, that if you have 3rd period prep and 6th period lunch that you do not have to come to school at all on the 22nd.)

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

Next Year's Schedule

Mr. Almanson has been working tirelessly on the master schedule for next year.  He has determined where each class will be held during the school day to meet the most student requests possible. This includes running your requests through the computer to try to match as many of the requests as possible between what you had asked for and what is possible in the computers.  As of this morning, the administrators have officially "locked" the master schedule into place. 

Unfortunately, now that the schedule is locked it becomes crazy for the counselors as we go through each of the schedules that didn't match and try to figure out if there is a solution and what possible options we can use to make a schedule fit together. We will spend hours pouring over schedules and will have to call down some of you to talk about back up choices based upon the conflicts in your schedule. This is never easy and I know it is disappointing when you don't get all of the classes that you wanted, so I promise that I am doing the best I can to make everything work together.

I started the process of calling kids down today.  In the coming days, if you get a pass, an email or a remind message from me to come see me during your lunch, off period or between periods, I am asking you to please make every effort to come at the day and time I am calling for you so that we can look at your schedule together.  (And that specific timing is when I think I should be able to fit you in without making you wait for long.)  You don't want me to be the one to make those tough choices for you so we really do need to meet and look at the options together.

Inevitably, when everyone hears that the schedule is locked, students will be curious about the schedule and what their classes will look like for next year.  I am more than happy to talk about this with you, but not until all of the conflicts are resolved.  So, I ask you to please be patient with me and wait until the last three days of school (next week during your exams) to try to come and get a sneak peek at what your schedule will hopefully be for next year.  (Full disclosure though, all schedules are 100% up for revision and changes based on whatever has to happen with the master schedule as the summer progresses.)

CC+ Transcripts & AP Scores

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

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

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

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

Additionally, if you have taken an AP exam, you also need to send those official scores to your intended college.

As you are likely aware, colleges each get to set their own protocol for what AP tests they will accept and what scores will result in earning credits at their school.  You can check out the AP Credit Policy using the search on CollegeBoard's website here: https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/getting-credit-placement/search-policies

One great aspect about sending the AP Scores is that they will send your current and past scores to the college with one report so if you have taken 5 AP tests, you don't have to pay to send 5 different scores.  And, if you have taken an AP test this year, you can still request your scores to be sent to 1 school for free if you log into your account and select your intended college before June 20th.

Here is the page that explains everything you need to know about sending your AP Scores: https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/sending-scores

As always, let me know if you have any questions. 

Arts in Action Day

Kilbourne has built a lot of incredible traditions and one that most students love each spring happened last Friday - Arts in Action Day.

I love Arts in Action day because we get to pause during lunch periods to honor and celebrate all of the incredible talent that abounds at Kilbourne.  But it is also filled with fun from face painting, salsa dancing, martial arts, theater thrift shopping, and, of course the throw down.

For the last few years we have also hosted a Healing Drumming Circle as a part of the Arts in Action Day festivities.  Sponsored by the WKHS Activity Club, the drumming is led by Master Drummer, Iggy Garcia, who has a niece and nephew at Kilbourne.  He brings drums and lots of other percussion instruments for students to be able to join in on the drumming experience.  It was fun to watch students try to drum along with Iggy and to hear the beats from the rhythms you all created together.  One of the aspects that I thought was incredibly powerful as I watched throughout the day was the fact that EVERYONE could participate in drumming.  There were honors students and students with special needs.  There were musically talented and musically challenged students.  There were students of every grade and from all different friend groups.  And throughout the four lunches, everyone who sat down and gave drumming a chance inevidetably ended up smiling and laughing at some point in time.  It's pretty rare for that to happen with any activity and a definite success in my mind.  If you came to drum with us, thanks for participating and I hope you enjoyed it.  

A huge thank you again to Activity Club and to Iggy Garcia for making this experience possible!

On a separate note, seniors, don't forget, tonight is Senior Recognition Night.  We'll see you in just a few hours to celebrate your accomplishments from the last 4 years.

Senior Wisdom

Seniors, 5 days left... it's getting real and starting to hit people how quickly this year is winding down.  I have had a chance to glance through some of the senior survey question insights and I really appreciate all of the feedback and impressions you have shared with us as a staff.  I am going to challenge you to share some of your key words of wisdom with the underclass students as well...

Over the next few weeks I suspect you will spend some time reflecting back on your high school career.  As you do, please consider passing along some of your words of wisdom.  You have created a positive impression and, as a result, many of the younger students look up to and admire you.  I'm sure you can remember some of the older students who made an impression on your life and this is your opportunity to pass along the gift of your wisdom to those who will continue in high school.  Let the younger students know what you are glad you did, what you wish you would have done differently, and any other suggestions and tips you'd given them to help them to be successful and make the most of their high school years.  As you share your insights, you may never fully realize the difference that you have made, but you can be sure that your legacy will continue to make a positive impact in the years ahead.

And, to the 9th-11th grade students, don't miss this opportunity to ask seniors for their insights and the awarenesses that they have now.  Chances are they have learned many of their most key lessons through overcoming challenges - if you can learn from their experiences you will be far better off in the long run.

Congratulations

We have so much to celebrate at the end of the year...

Last Friday we had the 2nd ceremony to induct students 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.

There were 41 students honored for their selection into the Socratic Society including "my" students: (listed alphabetically) Alliyah Ahmed, Ehab Albzour, Mayra Alcantara Tellez, Rachel Baughman, Gray Beckett, Mikaela Bevelander, Nathaniel Birtcher, JaLiyah Boatman, Isabelle Borchers, Julia Borchers, and Caroline Campbell.

I am so proud of each of you for the impact you have on WKHS as a whole and I am grateful for your impact on my life as well.

Additionally, I realized that I haven't acknowledged that our eSports team won a State Championship last month!  The Overwatch team never gave up and worked hard to bring home the championship title.  A huge congratulations to my 2 current students who are on the Overwatch Team - Ivan Chivington and Savannah Clouse.  You deserve to be celebrated for your accomplishments.  Congratulations!

Parent Lunch & Learn

This Friday will be our final Lunch & Learn of the school year.  Our topic is Perfectionism.  And for many of our families this topic is something that can be a major struggle.  Some students are perfectionists with great grades and others are perfectionists with terrible grades.  We definitely see both sides of perfectionism among our students.  I hope that you will grab your lunch and make time to join us online on Friday from 12-12:30 for the brief zoom meeting.  The link to the session will be emailed home on Friday morning to all WKHS families and we will also post it on the counselor website.

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.