Happy New Year from
Worthington Kilbourne High School!
As most leaders do, I too set goals for myself and for our
school at the start of the 2013-14 school year.
I put these goals in writing in our August Newsletter that goes out to
our entire school community. Putting
goals in writing helps me be more accountable, but I must admit, I was
skeptical about reaching my goal of hosting an "Alumni Extravaganza"
for our school community.
"Where would I begin?
How would I organize such an event?
Would I have the time? Are
students and staff really interested in such an event? ...and so on"
I should have known that our students would come through and
help me make this happen. After reading
my August Newsletter, our IB Business teacher, Mrs. Kucharek, shared my letter
with her class as she thought it was important to help them understand my
goals. They shared a strong interest in
the "Alumni Extravaganza" vision and asked Mrs. Kucharek when it was
going to happen. Mrs. Kucharek and I
spoke and I shared with her that I did not think I would have time to
accomplish such a task. It was almost as
if she was happy to hear these words and immediately said with much excitement,
"Can we help you?" I was
thrilled and thus I began a partnership with Mrs. Kucharek and her IB Business
students.
In early October, I shared my "dream vision" with
our IB Business class. I was their
client and they treated me as such. They
listened to my ideas and asked me back to their classroom several times until
we agreed on a plan. I continued to work
with them, but I must admit, they took this plan over and I am thankful they
did. I am so proud to say that this
event was better than my original plan because the students were in
charge. They took over and
"owned" this project under the direction of their teacher. It is amazing what happens when we give the
ownership to our students!
The big day took place on the day we returned from Winter
Break, Thursday, January 2, 2014. We had
approximately 40 Kilbourne graduates return and speak with current students in
small group settings in our library.
Student questions included; “How has Kilbourne prepared you for the
future?, What suggestions would you give to our current students about class
selection?, Should I take more IB, Honors
and/or AP classes to help prepare for college?,
What is dorm- life like?, How did
you choose your college? How much do
college admissions look at your GPA?
ACT/SAT scores?, Do college
admissions really Google me to learn more about me as a person?, How did you meet new friends in college?, Did you have a job while in high
school/college?, How did you make new
friends in college?, When did you decide
on a major?, What if I do not like my
college professor?, Will my professor
know me and how do I get academic assistance if I need it?, How do you balance college athletics and your
studies?, How important is note-taking? Etc...” The questions continued to grow as the
conversations grew. It was so exciting
to watch our current students learn from our Alumni. Although they only had a class period, I
truly believe our students took away very valuable information that they will
be able to use as they begin to research their post-secondary future.
A big “Shout-Out” to
our Kilbourne Alumni, IB Business Class and Mrs. Kucharek for continuing to
make great things happen!
