AP Exams

Over the next two weeks many WKHS students are  putting the knowledge learned throughout the course of the school year in their classes to the test with the Advanced Placement Exams. The tests are held at the WEC on designated days and I know that many of you have been spending an extraordinary amount of time studying to prepare for the exams. Good Luck! Stop by sometime and let me know how you felt after the tests.  Also, I have to help proctor the AP test next Tuesday morning so I will not be at the school until the afternoon following the conclusion of the test.

Student Recognitions

I have been TERRIBLE about getting a lot of recognitions up on my blog that are long overdue.  It is not a valid excuse, but at least part of the reason for the delay is the fact that I knew that I had more pictures on my camera and since moving I haven’t been able to figure out where I packed (and therefore unpacked) my camera cord.  :-)  It is always something, isn’t it?!?  Luckily I had some pictures on my phone so I was able to get to those pictures…

Congratulations to Patrick Archambeau who qualified for the State SKILLS Competition for presenting a speech regarding his involvement with the fire service program at the Delaware Area Career Center.

Anthony Bartko will continue playing football in college at Heidelberg.  Pictured is Anthony as he celebrated with his family, coaches, teammates and friends at a ceremony.


Lizzie Cherry celebrated her decision to play softball in college during a ceremony a few weeks ago.  Lizzie has decided to attend Denison University in the fall.  Congratulations!



Keeler Callahan and Nick Bortolani jointly celebrated their decisions to play college sports.  Keeler intends to swim at the Ohio State University and Nick will play lacrosse at Denison.  I’m proud of you both and excited for your future academic and athletic careers!


Students of the Month are honored by the Kilbourne faculty and staff for their academic achievement, good citizenship, and/or service to the school or community.  Students can only earn this recognition once in their high school career.

The March Students of the Month included Riley Brehm and Emily Cantrell and not pictured, Rosalyn Chen.


The April Students of the Month included (L to R): Alex Allison, Trent Angles, Hannah Vincent, Emily Cantrell, and not pictured, Joey Cipicchio.


The Importance of Being Earnest was a play performed last month and Jimmy Barbin and Jey Bukkapatnam had lead roles.  They did an incredible job in their performance and were funny, entertaining, and made the night a delightful evening.


For the first time this year WKHS created a FIRST Robotics Team who participated in a regional competition in Cleveland at the end of March.  This group worked countless hours to design and build a robot that would shoot basketballs into hoops of three different heights all while playing in conjunction with other robots from other teams and defending against opponent robots.  Six of my students were involved in the team efforts which included Jonathan Black, Sean Baumgardner, Iric Bernal, Nick Darby, Emrys Bennett and Alan Brophy.


Last week the students that were selected to serve on Student Council next year were announced and many of my students are among those who will be leading in this capacity.  Hannah Vincent will be the Student Body Secretary.  Nate Deagle will be the Senior Class Vice President and Naomi Barker will be the Senior Class Secretary.  The Junior Class officers includes Lauren Hedges as President, Dillon Castelli as Vice President and Michelle Ding as Treasurer.  Vaishnavi Dasaka will serve as the Sophomore Class Treasurer.  Additionally, the following students will be involved in student council as representatives of their respective classes: Sarah Adams, Lindsey Bauer, Jenna Boue, Rosan Eldadah, Grace Ellis, Tanner Atha, Amelia Boudinot, Joey Cipicchio, Danny Darby, Erin Dieringer, Elizabeth Borchers, Michelle Borchers, Steven Borchers, Kayla Boudreault and Emily Dodd.  Congratulations to each of you!


Three times a year students are inducted into the Socratic Society.  Staff members are given the opportunity to recognize students for excellence in one or more of the core Socratic values of Scholarship, Integrity, Personal Effort, Compassion, or Lifelong Learning.  Students are only eligible to be selected for this honor one time during their high school career.  On Friday morning 12 of my students were inducted into the Socratic Society – Zach Bloom, Addy Boyles, Jenna Boue, Meredith Schram, Amelia Boudinot, Sarah Ahrens, Maggie Barrie, Robyn Du, and Brianna Bare are pictured in the first picture.  Jorge Buendia is pictured with Mr. DiMauro, who nominated him for Socratic Society.  Not pictured, but also inducted into the Socratic Society included Andrew Cason and Perry Dilley.


Congratulations to each of you!  You represent WKHS so well and I applaud you and your accomplishments!

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...

Congratulations and Good Luck to Nick Bortolani, Keeler Callahan and Carly Cameron who are on the Prom Court!

Hopefully you have finalized all of your plans and are looking forward to a great night both at prom and at After-Hours. I am looking forward to being a chaperone at prom again this year because I love seeing "my" students dressed up and enjoying themselves. It should be fun.

One last reminder about safety - please remember that just because it is prom night that doesn't give you the excuse to make choices that you know are not wise.  Take the time 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. If, for any reason, you need help tonight while at prom - you know that you can find me. Have a good time - and please, be smart and be safe!

ACT/ SAT Admissions Tests

I hope that all of my junior students have registered to take at least one of the college admissions tests (ACT or SAT) this spring. If you haven't signed up for one of the tests yet, it isn't too late, but the deadlines are here so it is important to register now!

The remaining test dates for this spring are:

SAT - June 2, 2012

Registration Deadline: Tuesday, May 8th
Late Registration Deadline: May 22nd
Register online at http://www.collegeboard.com/

ACT - June 9, 2012Registration Deadline: Friday, May 4th (Today!)
Late Registration Deadline: May 18th
Register online at http://www.act.org/
(Don't forget to sign up for the ACT plus Writing!)

To answer some of the more frequent questions I have had lately about the test dates -

- Yes, I know that the tests are right at the same time as exams and school ending. Sorry, I can't control that for you.

- Yes, there are test dates in the fall so that you can take or repeat a test at that time.

- No, there are not any dates over the summer.

- Yes, if you need to take the SAT II (Subject Tests) it is ideal to take those tests during the June test date. Double check with your individual colleges to see if they are going to require subject tests and, if so, in which particular subjects.

If you have any other questions about the ACT or SAT visit the "Testing" page on the WKHS Counselor website, the actual ACT and SAT websites, or stop in my office and see me.

Making Music

Tonight I had the opportunity to attend the WKHS band concert.  One of the special aspects of this concert involved the performance of a piece that was composed and conducted by Matthew Cooperman, one of my students.  Matthew has worked tirelessly this year to write this piece and it was amazing to sit and listen as the band performed his 3-movement piece knowing that they were bringing to life the music that had previously been in Matthew's mind.  Unfortunately I was not able to get a better picture, but the lighting in the auditorium didn't make taking pictures very easy, but this picture shows Matthew conducting the piece he composed.  Congratulations Matthew!

Summer Enrichment Programs

Each year we receive information about summer programs for students.  Sometimes these programs are local camps, sometimes they are lengthy opportunities specific to a particular area of career interest, and other times it provides college experiences to allow students the chance to explore a campus and community.  In addition to having the forms for these summer enrichment programs in the counseling center, we have been placing them on the WKHS Counselor website for you to be able to reference.  Please be aware that there is a wide range of costs for the different programs and so it is essential that you look closely to determine if it is worth the money.  Students often ask if the programs run by a college will give you an advantage when it comes to admissions at that school, and unfortunately it does not, so that should not be your sole reason to participate in a program.

Mock Car Crash

This morning the juniors and seniors had the opportunity to watch a mock car crash. This example of a serious car accident and the way that the police and fire departments respond was intended to help remind students of the importance of making good decisions and staying safe. I have to admit that this was very difficult to watch today as it was seeing one of my biggest nightmares played out in person. I care about each of my students and I would never want anything bad to happen to any of you or your friends!

It is important to make safe decisions and to not drink and drive or to drive with anyone who has been drinking. Unfortunately, even if you aren't doing anything wrong and someone else who has made the decision to drink and drive it is still possible that you can be an innocent victim. Selfishly, I hope that none of you will ever have to face the senseless tragedy that we saw in the demonstration. 

As we approach prom weekend - and, for that matter, every day - please remember to stay safe and to help keep your friends safe!