"A Simple Phrase"

"A Simple Phrase..."

At Worthington Kilbourne High School, "taking care of each other" is more than just a simple phrase - it is a way of life!  Students, staff, and parents all work together to help those in need throughout the year, but never is this more evident than during the holiday season.  The generosity is kicked off during Thanksgiving when Worthington Presbyterian Church donates full Thanksgiving feasts for some of our families in need.  Activity Club provides ongoing backpacks of food for families that need a little extra assistance.  The WKHS boys basketball team supported the Activity Club community cares program by allowing fans to attend the season opener free of charge if they donate 3 non-perishable items.  Many staff members contribute to the Adopt-a-Child campaign that student council coordinates by donating money, meeting student contributions, providing baked goods, or other challenge goals.  This year our student council raised over $10,000.00.  One of the five hallmarks of our girls basketball program is servanthood, meaning one of the goals is to serve others. They do this in simple ways, such as a summer basketball camp at the Helping Hands Center in Clintonville.  They also have a foundation game with proceeds going towards scholarships for the HHC.  During the season, they host a Coaches v. Cancer game sponsored by the American Cancer Society.  In the game of lacrosse, the term "man-up" refers to one team having a player advantage due to an opponent's mistake or misfortune.  In the game of life, Kilbourne lacrosse players have chosen a different meaning for the term.  "Man-up" now means stepping up and taking advantage of the opportunity to "pay forward".  Kilbourne lacrosse players donate their time to various community service projects such as, Children's Hospital, the Mid-Ohio Food Bank, Read Across America Children's Book Drive, WYB, and the Dowd Center After School Program.  The WKHS girls volleyball program started their season with the Volley for the Cure.  7th through 12th grade athletes compete in the decorated gym while everyone wears the color pink.  The booster group runs a 50/50 raffle, a bake sale and a silent auction while all proceeds benefit the Komen Foundation.  This year, the event raised $6,665.20.  The WKHS gymnastics team has worked at the Christmas Cares program at St. Stephen's Community House for many years. The team volunteered on the Sunday before Christmas to help pack and organize donated good for the people in the Linden community.  Our GirlTalk Chapter made blankets for the Choice Women's Shelter.  

Knowing that holiday needs don't end when students enter high school, some high school students in need are also able to be "adopted" for gifts by staff and community members.  The WKHS staff took on the role of holiday elves and excitedly shopped for gifts to help our own wolves and were joined in that effort by the employees and customers of Park National Bank.  St. Andrew Christian Church and a compassionate group of Worthington Moms also generously adopted families with kids of various ages. 

And the list goes on and on...

Worthington is a special place to live and work and we are thankful for all of the ways that our students, staff and parents join forces to try to help make the holidays a little brighter for those in our community.

Happy Holidays from the Wolves of 

Worthington Kilbourne High School!

An Announcement of Love and Gratitude to our WKHS Family #Blessed

Good Morning Worthington Kilbourne High School,                           Tuesday, November 24, 2015

As we prepare for our Thanksgiving Break, I wanted to take just a minute to express my personal thanks to all of the people who work and volunteer to make our school a great place to learn and grow.  I truly love my work and I want you all to know that.  There is nothing better in this world than being the principal here at Worthington Kilbourne.  I have the privilege of waking up every morning with the opportunity to make a difference.  I get to spend every day talking about things that matter in the lives of our students.  I get to work with teachers, support staff, volunteers and administrators who come to school prepared to provide the best learning experiences for our students.  I get to work with the best students in central Ohio.  Our students care about their school and represent the Worthington Kilbourne Wolf with much pride and dignity.  I am thankful for creative teachers and staff members who look for ways to motivate and encourage student to take risk and keep moving forward.  We are so lucky to have the moms and dads, grandparents and aunts and uncles who support our Wolf Family each and everyday.  I could go on and on.....

I challenge each and everyone of  you to express your thanks and gratitude with friends and family this Thanksgiving Day break.  Take a deep breath and realize what an awesome life you have and let those around you know how much you appreciate and care about them.

Thank you for giving my life purpose.  Thank you for trusting me to guide you as we make our way in this world.

As I know you will, please continue "to take care of each other" out there.  Much love and gratitude to all of you.

-Principal Adrean

"The University Experience While In High School"

We have students that travel to The Ohio State University everyday to challenge their learning by attending college level classes while in high school.  As principal, I knew this was happening and have casually spoken with students who were doing this but just this Summer, I realized the importance of experiencing a day in the life of our College Credit Plus students who are attending OSU.  So today was the day to make this goal come to fruition.

I started my day at 6 a.m. in the Starbucks line to order coffee drinks that I wish I could drink; a caramel frappuccino, a pumpkin frappuccino with heavy whip cream and a pumpkin latte.  I, on the other hand, ordered a bold, dark coffee, which contained less calories.  I also figured that I needed the caffeine to get through a college Stats class.  I met our students at Worthington Kilbourne HS, gave them their coffee (or sugar) order and we were off.  I followed the students through the traffic on 315 S and down to campus where we parked and rode the bus to Campbell Hall.  Maybe it is just me, but I am amazed at what our high school students are doing in 2015 to take risks and further their education.   Now mind you, I cannot compare my high school experiences as the world has changed from 28 years ago. 

After getting off of the bus, we walked for approximately 10 minutes through the beautiful campus of OSU and arrived at the lecture hall.  The students shared their experiences with me, pointed out the different buildings they attend and again, thanked me for joining them.  We were the first to enter the lecture hall and the closer it came to 8:00 a.m., the more the seats filled up.  Class began on time and students took notes with laptops or pen and paper. 

I was most surprised by the personalization of the Professor in a lecture hall of 100+ students.  I went to a small university with classes of 25 and certainly developed a stereotype  regarding OSU lectures.  Students were able to ask questions during class and the professor took the time to answer and extend their learning.  The professor moved into a review of the upcoming exam and I listened to our Worthington Kilbourne students answer the questions under their breath and yes, they were answering them correctly as the entire lecture hall sat quietly.  I smiled and encouraged our students to speak up and be proud to share their knowledge.  These students are definitely ready for college and this experience is only enhancing their confidence and realization of their next four plus years.  

It’s now “real time” and I am sitting in the 5^th row back of the lecture hall experiencing a sense of thankfulness for lots of reasons, specifically that I do not have to take this exam next week.  All in all, I am super proud of our students, like Kyle, Eric, Erica  and others who are taking academic risks to challenge themselves and living the attitude we have been discussing at Worthington Kilbourne High School of “Keep Moving Forward.”

By the way, on our bus ride back to the car, all three students agreed that their teachers at Worthington Kilbourne High School are better instructors than those they have had at OSU..."just sayin'!"

#GoWolves

#GoBuckeyes

It's been a great start to the 2015-16 school year!

Worthington Kilbourne High School, September 2015 Newsletter

Thanks to our entire school community for a great start to the 2015-16 school year!  It's amazing how much goes into opening our doors for the first day of school.  It takes much collaboration among our PTO, counselors, staff, administrators, teachers, secretaries, custodians and our school nurse to plan for Schedule Pick-Up including the completion of schedules, school fees, medical forms, set up and much more. Thanks to our District Administration, Facility Management and school community, we have a resurfaced gym floor, a new turf field, a victory plaza, updated paint in the school commons and stairwells, exterior signs and a redesigned school and community lecture hall that will enable our students to present their learning to larger audience.  In summary, it is a crazy-busy time but because we all work together so well, we are able to have fun and make it all happen.  

 

Once again, our Link Crew provided a positive and heartfelt welcome for our incoming freshmen and new students.  The success of this program is based on the three teacher mentors (Mrs. Clark, Mrs. Glaros and Mrs. Smith) and the process of selecting students who will step up to not only support our incoming freshmen but also act as mentors and take the lead in maintaining our positive school climate.  This year, we have 80 plus absolutely fantastic leaders who dedicated time during the summer for leadership training.  They then spent an entire day with our freshmen students before school ever started.  It is important to our 'Kilbourne Family' that our freshmen students feel connected immediately.  WKHS is now a school they are no longer visiting; they own it and as soon as they feel connected and get involved the better.  Our goal is to make this happen on day one!

Our principals, teachers, students and staff had the opportunity to meet all of the freshmen in the auditorium on August 19 where our Student Council spoke and our teachers presented skits to help them better understand our school expectations.  (A few of our staff should probably sign up for Ms. Thompson's Theatre class, including myself).  The skits for the "Top 10 Expectations" or points of advice shared by our Student Council included;

#1 Get Sleep

#2 Keep it "Klassy" Kilbourne

#3 Take Care of Each Other

#4 The Lunch Line

#5 Seek Help

#6 Study Habits

#7 Be Organized - Use Your Plan Book

#8 Use Technology Appropriately

#9 Get Involved

#10 Be Happy!

We will also be celebrating our 25th year of service.  Be sure to purchase a t-shirt with this logo from our PTO.  Members of our IB program are planning to create a small museum that includes our school history and artifacts from the last 25 years. This will be open throughout the school day and events will be planned to welcome the community.  We will keep you posted on our progress and hope that you take the time to observe the work of our students as we celebrate our school history.

As I write this, we are just 8 days into the new school year, but I cannot thank you enough for your efforts in helping to get our school ready for the new year.  I am thankful each and everyday for the opportunity to work with the students, the parents, and the staff of Worthington Kilbourne High School.  

We are "Stronger Together"!

-Principal Adrean

The Mission Of "Happiness" In Our Work As Educators

"When I was five, 

my mother always told me happiness was the key to life.  

When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up and I wrote down, "HAPPY."  

They told me I didn't understand the assignment.  

I told them they didn't understand life."  

-John Lennon

On June 4th, soon after the last day of school, our school district organized a day of learning centered around collaboration through Teacher-Based Teams while investing in a Growth Mindset.  The book, Mindset by Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D. was given to every participant and will be used throughout the year as a book study.

I must admit that I just started reading this book while on vacation, but in the same breath, I will also say that already it has been most influential for me as an educator and as a person.  It's one of those books where you find yourself nodding your head while reading and looking around thinking, "Is there a hidden camera somewhere?  Is someone setting me up?," because you wonder if this book was written for you.  All in all, it's fairly simple, we can live and lead with a fixed mindset where our qualities such as intelligence and talents are pre-determined for us or we can choose to take every opportunity in life as an opportunity to learn and improve through hard work and commitment.  And better yet, teach our students how to live and learn by understanding their current mindset first and evolving into a growth mindset.

As a building principal, it is always important for me to encourage our high school teachers to commit to these growth opportunities, like our district day of learning (Worth U Learning Leaders Academy).  However, I am very careful as to how I encourage their presence and investment not just because it's a day of Summer vacation but because it's a day of Summer vacation immediately following the last day of school.  I talk a lot with our school family about creating a sense of balance in their personal and work life and here I was, typing an email that explained the agenda for the day, including a keynote from Dr. Brian McNulty about the importance of TBT's in our work and asking them to attend.  Included in that email, I encouraged teachers to plan for a 15-minute forum sharing an instructional best-practice used successfully in their teaching.

I'm not sure why the feedback from my email surprised me.  We had teachers willing to present and 25 or more teachers and staff attend our Worth U Learning Leaders Academy (WULLA).  During the sessions, we sat together as a staff, shared new ideas, challenged one another, laughed and reflected on how we might implement change in our school based on our current learning. We were having fun!  We ate lunch together, outside in the sunshine and the mood was right, so I asked the question, "Would any of you be interested in meeting this summer to continue our growth mindset conversations?"  Unanimously, they responded positively, maybe it's because I offered to serve breakfast and lunch...it's always important to eat well, right?

We met at my house and started the day with all 25 of us standing in the kitchen, drinking coffee and partaking in coffee cake and yogurt parfaits.  We eventually moved into the family room and began to review our agenda for the day.  The teachers chuckled a bit after the review as I am always a bit overzealous about the amount we can get accomplished.   After attending WULLA, I knew we needed to start our day by evaluating our current mission and vision statements.  We had a process planned, but for some reason, we were all very quiet.  I finally asked three simple questions;
1.  Why do we exist?
2.  What do you hope for of yourself and others?
3.  What responsibilities do you have when making this happen?

The family room immediately erupted with conversation.  We grabbed chart paper and markers and divided into groups.  We began by listing words and phrases.  These conversations varied and included both fixed and growth mindset responses.  One might consider these fixed mindset responses as negative, but I truly believe we have to first be able to recognize this style of thinking before before we can engage in growth mindset thinking.  It was just a small hurdle for us as the collaboration and discussion that took place energized us enough to work on our mission for the remainder of the day.

Each group had common thoughts that focused on the importance of happiness in our work and in our life.  It's a simple word, with much importance to student growth  - "HAPPY!"  Our initial focus is not on GPA's, test scores or college scholarships.  We believe at our core that if students are happy in their environment and with themselves that they will evolve and excel in all aspects of their life. Happiness will empower students to find their own purpose.

I'm so thankful to be a part of a team that embraces the growth mindset and continues to be excited about learning more.  This mindset view as stated by Carol Dweck, "creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishments."

Oh, how could I forget...here is the draft of our Worthington Kilbourne High School mission statement.  We will continue to collaborate with our students, teachers, staff and parents as we complete the final draft.  We are "Stronger Together" and believe in the value of the voice of our entire school community.

"The mission of the Worthington Kilbourne High School community is to inspire happiness through developing positive relationships, demonstrating responsible actions and achieving/maximizing personal growth."

Learn * Grow * Contribute * Evolve

#KeepMovingForward

As we reflect on any successes in our lives, failure was a mere stepping stone in that journey.  As mentioned in the Meet the Robinson's Video, "From failure you learn, from success...not so much."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmW3H-EXYS0

At Worthington Kilbourne High School, we encourage our students to view risks as an opportunity to succeed rather than a path to failure.  Some view risk-taking as dangerous.  It is human nature to want to achieve success and any risk I take may take me further away from the stereotypical view of success.

What is success and is it defined differently for different people?  
I believe we have to "Dream Big" and enjoy the experience of risk-taking in order to be successful.  I also believe that when I take risks, it is important for me to define my own success.  I must know myself and measure my success based on my own strengths and weaknesses.  My personal growth not my growth compared to someone else is the ultimate measure.  Risk-taking will open you up to a world of possibilities you may have never known.  It gives you an opportunity to show others your leadership strengths and abilities.  Stop coming up with excuses as to why you are sticking with status-quo and challenge yourself to be uncomfortable.  Each time you challenge yourself to take a risk, the next risks becomes more and more comfortable, it becomes a part of who you are and who you will become.  Now, with that being said, I do believe we must takes risks that are personally and professionally aligned with our goals.  We must also be informed.  We do not benefit from taking risks without making sure we are well-informed of the possible results.  We have to create a sense of balance in our lives when we consider each challenge.

Tomorrow night, Monday, January 26th, 2015, we will host our annual Curriculum and Transition Night starting at 6:45 p.m. in the Auditorium.  The evening will begin with a presentation for all incoming 9th grade students and their parents.  Starting at 7:30 p.m., we will host a 30 minute session titled, "Advanced Coursework."  During this session, we will discuss the many opportunities for our students to challenge themselves and take risks to develop as a learner and a leader.  We want our students to get the most out of their high school experience by earning college credit and developing the skills necessary to be successful at the collegiate level or in their career of choice.  The evening will continue with presentations from all content areas.  You will have the opportunity to choose which presentations you would like to attend. 

6:45 - 7:20 Incoming 9th grade students & parents in the Auditorium

7:30 - 8:00 Advanced Coursework in the Auditorium

(For all attending Advanced Coursework, you will have 2 Choice Sessions to attend.  For all not attending Advanced Coursework, you will have 4 Choice Sessions to attend.)

7:30 - 7:45 Session 1 Choice

7:50 - 8:05 Session 2 Choice

8:10 - 8:25 Session 3 Choice

8:30 - 8:45 Session 4 Choice 

We look forward to our time together as a school community.  Thanks for all that you do to make our school a great place to learn and grow.  We are very thankful!

#ForWorthington

"A ship is safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for."

-William G.T. Shedd