March 6th: Choosing careers/ majors
March 20th: Using AI effectively in college applications
April 3rd: Recommendation letters
April 17th: Senior survivor panel
May 1st: Creating a college list
Save those dates and I hope to see many of you next Thursday morning!
In many ways I suspect this probably seems obvious to you as when you are sitting in the front and center, right in front of your teacher, you are less likely to be working on assignments for other classes or to get distracted and doodle or daydream. Even if your teachers assign your seats, if you have trouble paying attention and want to improve your retention rates, consider asking your teacher to move you into a seat to maximize your retention rates. Also, when you are picking your seats, don’t forget to try to pick a seat that will not create additional distractions because it is near your friends.
1. You are not alone! There is ALWAYS someone willing to help and listen. If you can't find a listening ear in the friends or family members or adults around you, remember that you could always call or text the crisis line at 988.
2. Remember that the bad doesn't always last. Sadly, the good doesn't either. Life is never going to be all good or all bad, but staying open to the experience and curious about what is coming next is important. Think of it like a rollercoaster ride. You choose to get on the ride knowing that there are going to be thrilling up's and scary down's and unexpected twists and turns, but in the end, when you look back on it you enjoy the journey. Trying to approach life with that mindset can help.
3. Do more of what helps and less of what hurts. This can be a hard one to think about, but it is SO IMPORTANT! There are things that help you to feel better when you are having bad days. We don't always stop and do those things, but we can and we should. That might mean getting some extra sleep, listening to music, talking with friends, laughing, going for a walk, or eating a favorite meal. No matter what it is that tends to help you, when you're having those tough days, do more of those things. And, at the same time, avoid doing more of what hurts you. Don't scroll endlessly on social media or go down a rabbit hole focusing on those who have hurt you, don't numb out, don't watch, read or listen to upsetting stories for endless hours. By setting those limits, you better protect your heart and your mind.
Remember that I am here if you want to talk about life and how you're doing in this journey of all of the up's and down's.
One of the important reminders I have for you is to be sure that you have submitted your FAFSA and that your intended colleges have everything that they need to look at you for financial aid consideration.
Here are articles that speak to the FAFSA and financial related issues with college:
Why you should fill out the FAFSA even if you don’t think you’ll qualify
Ohio Colleges Deadline Dates for FAFSA
You got into college. How will you pay for it?
No loan colleges: What to know
Debunking 5 common myths about paying for college
A huge good luck to "my" students who are involved in the production on stage including: Ethan Bevington, Jamey Chimbidis, Tori Camacho, John Alley, Anna Blake, Eric Collier, Jessica Atilano-Munoz, Sophia Bixler, and Cassady Campbell.
The production of the show requires the dedicated work of the crew behind the scenes which also several of "my" students including: Adam Al Khayro, Charlotte Andon, and Milo Buerk.
And, of course, a performance is not a musical without music and so I also want to recognize the following students who are involved as a part of the pit orchestra: John Battle and Mason Cottle.
I know that many of you were able to watch the teaser part of the show's opening today during 8th period and, like me, are excited to see the whole show. Good luck to everyone involved - you will do great!
Over the past few weeks as more and more early college admissions decisions have been arriving, I noticed that students will sometimes forget that others are around and start announcing where they were accepted and their feelings about different schools.
When you have been accepted to a school, it is wonderful news and completely understandable that you want to shout it from the roof-tops, but it is also important to try to be sensitive to those around you and to remember that some of your friends and classmates are NOT being accepted into the very same colleges.
While receiving a college rejection letter is hard, it is even more hurtful to hear someone else say something such as, "Oh, I was accepted to ___ (insert name of college) but I would never actually go there." Particularly if the school mentioned was the one where a student was recently rejected and had been their top choice college.
So, go ahead and share your excitement, but please be sensitive to what you say about other schools and how you "rate" your own schools. No one school is perfect for every student and every student is not perfect for every school - it is important to find the right balance and I sincerely believe that every student will be able to find the college that is right for them.
Finding a way to balance the range of emotions you are experiencing as seniors is important. Sure, many of you are excited to graduate and be done with high school, but that also means the future, starting college, getting jobs, and being "adults" is just around the corner. I know that this is a time of high anxiety and remember, I am here to help support you! Please, do NOT sabotage yourself and your grades in your classes as a *solution* to not feeling ready to leave high school. Stop in and see me - let me know how you are feeling about high school coming to an end in just a few short months. I look forward to chatting with you soon!
It made me remember this video from Sandy Hook Promise. This video is a bit chilling... but it is short and I hope you will watch it before we continue the conversation.
What did you think? I found it unsettling. It is true though... we often see things up front and wonder if we should say something, if we should get involved, if we should trust our gut instinct, but then after the fact, it becomes easy to look back and think, "Oh yeah, I saw that" or "I knew this." Unfortunately, as the video tried to explain, talking about it after the fact can be too late. So, I think most of all, for me, this video served as a reminder that we ALL have a responsibility to try to help those around us who may be hurting, scared or contemplating violence and to help keep our school safe. And it also makes me think about the fact that we all can make a difference!
So, here are the two most important reminders...
- If you hear someone making a threat or someone writing a threat, report it to an adult. (See something or hear something then SAY something!)
- Remember that any one warning sign may not mean that something is wrong, but if it doesn't feel right, then it is always better to reach out to an adult to try to make sure that they receive the support they need/ deserve.
What are warning signs of people at risk of hurting themselves or others? These are just a few that people may observe:
Again, because it bears repeating... if it doesn't seem right, say something! 80% of school shooters told someone of their violent plans prior to the event. 70% of people who complete suicide told someone of their plans or gave some type of warning or indication. I am SO thankful that someone spoke up in Indiana!
February 19th is also the last day that students can drop a class without receiving an F on their transcript. And yes, it is too late to add a class. Sorry.
Want some ideas on what you can do? If you are behind on work in any of your classes, then you can spend some time working on school stuff in order to get caught up. You can relax and really focus on recharging so that you can mentally transition yourself to a better place. You can do some of the career exploration inventories such as YouScience. Or perhaps you would be able to start exploring colleges more either by searching their online information or going and making an actual college visit... colleges are still in session on Friday so that can be a great day to be able to see the campus while students are around and going to classes.
You don't need to do all of those things. In fact, my whole point of suggesting that you pick 1 thing is the hope that you will be intentional about doing something that involves taking steps to help yourself. If you try to do everything at once then it won't help you feel as if the long weekend was a restful experience and I do hope that it will be an enjoyable weekend even as you are focused on getting other things done.
This past Friday morning was the ceremony to recognize the February Students of the Month. Students can only receive the award of Student of the Month once in their high school career and must be nominated by WKHS faculty and staff for their academic achievement, good citizenship, and/ or service to the school and community.
4 of "my" students were among the 14 students who received this special recognition. This included: (left to right) Evan Blanton, Cora Bystrek, Isabelle Bradley, and (not pictured) Sam Cline. I am very proud of what each of you have accomplished and the positive way you represent yourselves and WKHS.
Tonight many of us will watch the Super Bowl. (Or the commercials or the half time show). But as you watch the athletes taking the feel in the Super Bowl you know that this is the peak of their athletic careers and goals. This game is what they have been striving for throughout the year (and arguably for all the years leading up to tonight too.) But for each of the athletes competing this evening, their path to success has been different and unique. They attended a wide range of different colleges and worked hard to achieve success in whatever path that they took to get to tonight.
So, in your own life, remember, there isn't just 1 college that will determine if you will be successful in college or in life after college. You can make your college experience your own and achieve all of your dreams with hard work and possibly a little luck too.
Linworth and Worthington Academy are two such programs. Both require students to apply and go through an interview process for consideration. Both provide unique, personalized learning experiences to push, challenge and support students to learn and grow. And both are smaller environments centered on engaging students in creative ways.
At the Linworth Experiential Program, it truly is all about the experience and how your learning today will translate into the real world tomorrow. With classes designed to engage students and opportunities to participate in a variety of experiential learning experiences culminating in a semester long project during 2nd semester of senior year, this program allows students to thrive. Students take classes on a block schedule and can move back and forth between WKHS and Linworth for classes throughout the whole school day with a continual shuttle looping between the buildings all day.
At the Worthington Academy, students have the chance to adapt the curriculum to the time schedule that they need. The Academy is housed on the west end of Perry/ Phoenix Middle School building and it provides students with the opportunity to blend their learning with a mix of teacher instructed and online courses. This means that students are learning, in person, with online classes where they can also get help from teachers in the room if they are confused and need extra help. For students this means that they are able to move faster through classes that they understand and take more time on subjects that might be confusing to them. Students attend Worthington Academy for half the day - mornings or afternoons - and are at WKHS for the other half of their day.
If you are interested in either Linworth or Worthington Academy, let's talk about it and we can work to get you connected with the application and staff of those programs to help answer any questions that you might still have.
Worthington's summer school will be happening again this year. There are 2 different sections of summer school offerings available in Worthington Summer School.
1 - Students can register to take classes as credit recovery - meaning that if you had failed a class you can take the class over again in Worthington's summer school. Credit recovery courses will be free of charge.
2 - There will be a limited number of classes available for getting ahead in credits and those classes will have a fee associated with them.
Worthington Summer school will run from June 2nd - June 26th at WKHS and free transportation will be available to students who need it. Registration is completely online on the district website along with tons more information about summer school - check it out at https://www.worthington.k12.oh.us/studentsparents/learning-opportunities/summer-programs
Some students and parents have had questions related to taking summer classes through a different school district or through Online schools. The basic answer is yes, you are allowed to take classes through any accredited school. Please be sure that they are accredited before you sign up for their classes. After you have completed your course, they will give you a transcript and you will need to provide that to us at WKHS so that we can transfer your credit.
As these courses are not coordinated or run by Worthington, I don't have a lot of details about various options, but a Google search for "online summer school" has been successful for students in the past. (Some students also search for their intended course name to help make sure their search return gives them schools that offer that class.) You can select any accredited program that works best for you - so look at their costs, learning experiences, expectations, and determine what seems to be the best fit for what you are seeking.
My top tip is to make sure you are signing up for their summer school classes because I do know that in the past students found there was a significant difference in the cost if they were taking a class online during summer school vs. taking a class online during the school year. The school we receive the most transcripts from each year is TRECA, so that is one option to consider, but it is definitely not the only one out there.
We gave summer school information in your registration packet/ handout so you can use that as an additional reference.
That means you need to have:
- Attended the presentation in person or watched the video on the Counselor website
- Applied to the college(s): Columbus State for English, Psychology, Ethics, Government, or Sociology and Central Ohio Technical College for Math (there are detailed directions to complete this step on the Counselor Website)
- Filled out the Intent to Participate form and full packet (for the CSCC packet, that will include having your Cougar ID number which will come to you via email sometime between 2 days and a week after you have applied.
If you don't have those steps completed by the time we have your 1:1 meeting that is ok. I will put your desired CC+ classes in as alternates and change your schedule once you have turned your forms in to me. Remember, the drop-dead deadline for turning in the forms is set by the state as April 1st. But if you want your CC+ classes to be considered when the administrators work on building the master schedule to give you a chance of getting your desired classes, I need to get those forms ASAP.
As a high school student, there are things that happen in your life that are preparing you for the future in so many ways. Some of them are easier to see than others. For example, when you are stuck in traffic you are learning patience. When you are wrestling with a difficult math problem you are developing perseverance and logic. When you are helping a friend through a difficult break-up, then perhaps you are also learning how it will feel when someone later breaks your heart.
I can look back now on my life and see how really big moments that I never wanted to have happen have helped to prepare me for a future I never imagined. I will share one very obvious example with you... years ago, I would go every day after school to help care for my dying grandfather and feed him dinner and visit with him. As he was getting closer to the time of his death, I communicated LOUDLY and FREQUENTLY to all of my family, the medical staff, and anyone who would listen that no matter what I did NOT want to be there when he died. But, that wasn't how it worked out. You may know that I now work part-time as a grief counselor with OhioHealth, but I can assure you that if I had never had my own experience of seeing death first-hand I wouldn't be as effective at what I do in that job. When my grandfather died I had no idea where my life would take me in my future part-time job and there was NO part of me that was thinking, "well, at least this is training for something." But the reality is, that is precisely what the experience ended up being in my life.
And you have these moments all the time too. As you are going through them, you will not always realize or imagine how they will help you in building the skills you will need in the future. Whenever possible, if you can lean into the experiences you are going through and learn from them, you will be able to have the skills you have developed accessible to you or those around you in the future.
I am in the lucky position that I often get to see students pulling on strategies that have helped them in the past or working to build new skills that will undoubtedly help them in the future. Stressed about a test, but you learn how to calm your body and remain focused - that will translate to stressful experiences in a job interview or key presentation you will have to give some day. Feeling overwhelmed and wondering if this is even worth it, but then finding the courage to speak your truth and get help - that will translate into having the courage to be present with others who are struggling and to provide hope in a way that your life story becomes a lighthouse representating a beacon of hope for others that are struggling. Your parents are fighting non-stop and you constantly feel as if you must walk on egg-shells to navigate things at home - this can lead you to developing a different approach to how you will parent your own children and what you want to make your home environment life for your own family some day. Truly, the examples are endless.
Everything is training for something. You are worthy of the training presented to you and you are capable of overcoming any obstacle which comes your way... especially if you realize that one aspect of the training is reaching out for help when needed. I believe in you. I can't wait to see what all of this training is preparing you for in the future and how you will change the world for yourself and for others.
As a reminder, on Monday and Tuesday the counselors will meet with every freshman student during their English classes and on Wednesday and Thursday we will meet with every sophomore during their History classes. The good news is that we will get to spend a little bit of time with a lot of kids, but the bad news is that there won't be any free time available during the day for us to see other students.
Friday will be focused on meetings to catch up with student meetings and, of course, the next two weeks will be filled with lots more junior registration meetings.
In addition to the happenings in the Counseling Center, this week Student Council is also hosting a Spirit Week ahead of Saturday's Winter Formal. The theme for each day will be:
Monday: PJ Day
Tuesday: College Day
Wednesday: Pink Day
Thursday: Class Color Day (9th grade: Blue, 10th grade: White, 11th grade: Black, 12th grade: Gray). Thursday evening is also parent/ teacher conferences.
Friday: Jersey/ Sports Teams Day
Friday will also be a modified bell schedule for a pep assembly which is a student/ staff basketball game. (I'm sure the staff are hoping the refs will cheat to allow the staff to be able to compete with the students.)
Student Council will also be doing fundraisers and special connection opportunities in the Commons so be sure to participate and check it all out!
The option to utilize a PE waiver is open to all students. Please be aware that athletic participation during your senior year does NOT count toward the waiver.
In order to utilize the waiver, students must successfully complete two full seasons of athletics. This can be 2 different sports in one year, it could be 1 sport over two years, or even 1 sport one year and another sport the other year. So, for example, if I participate in both football and basketball in the same year, I could apply for the waiver. If I participate in football as a sophomore and again as a junior, I could apply for the waiver. If I participate in football as a sophomore and track as a junior, I could apply for the waiver.
In order to have your sport counted as one which can be used for the waiver, it must be an approved high school sport. This means that your club sport participation, like club soccer or club volleyball, is not included in the waiver eligibility. Also, dance team and the competition cheer team are all club teams and not high school sponsored athletics and so they are not eligible for the waiver option. Additionally, team managers and statisticians cannot count their involvement as a season toward the waiver.
Students must complete a "full season" in order to have the sport count which is considered from the first practice through the last event or banquet. If a student is "cut" from a team, quits, or has an athletic/ activity code violation which requires them to forfeit 50% or more of the season, then that season would not be able to be used to meet the two-season requirement. If you were to get hurt, the injury will not eliminate the option of having the season count if the principal, coach and athletic director determine that the student actively participated and made contributions in spite of the injury.
Many students ask if it can be a partial waiver because they had already completed one of the PE required courses and would only have 1 season of sport eligibility and the answer is no, there is no ability to mix and match. If you have already completed a PE course, you can still utilize the waiver to eliminate PE as a required course, but you must complete 2 seasons of sports in order to apply for the waiver. The bottom line is that 0 seasons of sports = needs PE/ doesn't meet the waiver eligibility requirement, 1 season of sport = needs PE/ doesn't meet the waiver eligibility requirement, and 2 seasons of sports = meets the waiver eligibility requirement and therefore doesn't need PE classes.
The district has developed a system to track your athletic participation automatically and that happens at the end of each school year. Even though it should catch your sports automatically, it never hurts to double check at the end of the year to make sure your waiver appears on your transcript.
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