Connecting with our Business Community!

Connecting with community through service learning and internships promotes the importance of college and career advancement.  These internship opportunities allow our students to explore future careers and connect with adults who can serve as role-models and mentors. We believe in connecting our students with these authentic experiences and I'd like to share our most recent partnership within our Engineering Program (PLTW and STEM) and Abbott.                  
Two separate letters were sent to Worthington Kilbourne High School students,  Nick Hill and Anna Zellar on Thursday, March 10, 2016 and included the following;

"Hello Nick and Anna, 

We are pleased to confirm in writing our offer of employment as follows:

I.     POSITION:  Summer 2016 High School Engineering Intern

...We are confident that you will find your Abbott internship both challenging and rewarding and that you, in turn, will make significant contributions to our company's success!

etc..."

Nick and Anna are current students in the Project Lead the Way pathway and because of their preparation, enthusiasm and ability to engage at a high level with the Abbott Internship Selection Team, they have been offered a paid internship for the Summer of 2016.  Senior, Katie Wood, is currently interning with Abbott and will continue her internship this Summer.  Katie believes that if you work hard and be kind to others, great things will happen.  She has taken each and every opportunity that has been presented to her through this internship and achieved.  Yes, it has been hard work, but because of her positive spirit and perseverance, she has found success.  When talking with Anna, she shared that she did a thorough research of Abbott and practiced interviewing to better prepare.  This application process is very competitive and she stated that her involvement in multiple, diverse school activities such as the Robotics Club (FRC Team 4145) set her apart from other applicants.  She is most excited to now be able to apply what she has learned at Worthington Kilbourne H.S. to her internship with Abbott.  At the end of this internship, she hopes to have a better understanding of how such a large corporation as Abbott uses their engineers to solve problems.
I had a chance to congratulate Nick the day after he received his letter.  He shared his excitement and his parents excitement for this employment and learning opportunity.  Nick is a confident, focused and intelligent young man who will add much value to Abbott team.

Just last year, Ryan Willis and Grayton Geisman, successfully competed their internship with Abbott as well. Mr. Tom Karns, Mr. Todd Deisher and Mr. Ron Charleton deserve much credit for the positive impact they have made on these students.  Every lesson is designed to engage students in real-world application that empowers them to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to thrive in a fluid, global society. When talking with these three educators, it was heart-warming to look them in the eye and feel their excitement for their students.  For this is why our Worthington Kilbourne H.S. educators do what they do...to help our students "Change the World".  

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

Thanks to Abbott for believing in our students and for trusting in our educators to prepare our students for life beyond high school.  

The ending of an A-W-E-S-O-M-E #ShadowAStudent Challenge Day!

...my Camouflage SuperWoman shoes are worn out as the day comes to an end and I realize even more how fortunate I am to work at Worthington Kilbourne High School and just as important, how fortunate our students are to learn and grow at 

Worthington Kilbourne High School.  

I'm not so sure there was actually a "winner" in Mr. Patch's History class, but I do have a better understanding of Blitzkreig.  And just in case you were not so sure either, here is a quote from Google to help you better understand; 

"A German term for “lightning war,” blitzkrieg is a military tactic designed to create disorganization among enemy forces through the use of mobile forces and locally concentrated firepower. Its successful execution results in short military campaigns, which preserves human lives and limits the expenditure of artillery."

A "Shout-Out" to Mr. Patch for giving reason to student learning, planning for different activities to promote student engagement and for modeling your own personal joy in learning.  We are so fortunate to have you as a part of our Wolf Pack.  

On to our FINAL class and one of Liam's favorite...HEALTH!

I certainly wasn't expecting to walk into a dimmed lit room with relaxing music playing, but I could not have been more pleased.  I followed Liam's lead and sat next to him on the floor while Ms. Lewis started class in a soft-spoken and calm voice.  Yes, we were preparing for a little yoga.  I am certainly not as flexible as I used to be in my younger years, but I am appreciative of Ms. Lewis and her desire to help our students understand the importance of planning a routine to always take care of yourself regardless of your age. 

As I sign off, I want to thanks Liam and all of his friends for welcoming me into their world for the day.  I am re-energized and will certainly plan to continue this practice in the future.  I appreciate the initiative set forth by School Retool and our Worthington City School District and encourage my fellow educators to take the challenge, even if you cannot make it happen this week.  

Want to learn more about your schools culture...

engage with students and you will find out!

And the "Shadow A Student" Challenge Continues...

I'm Back...

It's now 11:20 a.m. and I am starving.  I should have bought a snack at our "Wolfeteria" at the start of this class when Liam advised me to do so.  He obviously knows best!

Have to make a quick locker stop and off to Honors ELA I.  

We are now studying Romeo and Juliet and I am amazed at the energy Mrs. Hemmelgarn has for making "R & J" FUN!  The students are answering questions, asking questions, listening to the play on tape, completing guided notes, sharing personal reflections while connecting vocabulary words, completing a class storyboard and are having FUN all at the same time.  Our teachers at Worthington Kilbourne H.S. ROCK!

The bell rings and it's now time for lunch.  

Our lunch periods are a full class period (50 minutes).  This is a great time for our students because they have a few choices they can make that will best meet their needs.  Certainly, they can take the time to eat, relax and socialize with their lunch table or they may choose to receive individualized academic help from our Academic Assistants in The Teaching and Learning Center (TLC - Room 209) or they may schedule to work with one of their classroom teachers.  Much of my lunch table today chose to go to the library to work after they ate lunch.  Either way, our students appreciate this freedom to choose.  

I am now reflecting on my day in Academic Prep with Mr. Meeks.  Students are very quiet and focused on learning.  Some students are reading, others are on their laptops and a few are completing assignments.  My belly is full and I'm starting to feel a bit sluggish and this is the part of my day where I may begin to struggle. 

However...

As I begin History class with Mr. Patch, I am presented with the following task, 

"You are the commander of a European country and your orders are on your desk...read through them and strategize.  May the best commander win!" 

Looks like I will be staying alert and on-task!  

"Adios!" for now as I must begin to strategize with my classmates.

"Shadow A Student Challenge"

Follow @aadrean on Twitter to experience my "Shadow a Student Challenge" Day!

For the past 40 years, I have started every week day (and some weekends) in a school setting, but it has been a long time since I have lived "A Day In The Life Of A Student".  Today, I am taking that challenge and it's now only 9 a.m. and already I need my morning snack and my water bottle.  So while I am attempting to pay attention in Spanish class, I can only think about making it down to my office to get my almonds and water bottle and making it to Honors Physical Science on time...

A "Shout-Out" to WKHS Freshmen Student, Liam Pierce, for allowing me to shadow him for the day.  Already I am amazed at how much he has challenged himself to a rigorous schedule and course load.  My brain is already at capacity after learning from Mr. Warinner in Honors CCSS Math II, Mrs. Gerhardt in Honors Spanish II and Mrs. Chase in Honors Physical Science.  I appreciate the teachers in these first three periods because of their focus on student relationships and specific individualized feedback with their students.  All three teachers were prepared with learning activities prior to the bell and students were focused and on-task from the start to the end of the class period. Mrs. Gerhardt even continued teaching after the bell and quickly I realized that I was the only "student" standing when the bell rang, I quickly sat down and realized I am dismissed by Mrs. Gerhardt and not the bell.  (Smile!)

Since I am currently in Honors Physical Science learning about inertia and crash test safety features, I must exit by blog for now.