"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.

Do you make your own "Happiness?"

Do you make your own "Happiness?"

...A good 'Snow Day' read!

(A letter to our WKHS Family)

Good Afternoon,

I'm absolutely sure you were all wondering why I hadn't sent your Monday Message out yet.....Well, thanks to Kevin for sharing the magazine, Live Happy, we have a "Monday Message" on Tuesday.

I just read this article about Good Morning America's Anchors:  Trust Us...We Love Our Jobs!  The anchors shared their work while enduring early start times, long hours and a rigorously demanding pace. Yet, they all say there's no place they'd rather work.  Several were asked to comment on how positivity in the workplace can be infectious and here are some of their quotes;

"By the time I get from the door to my office, I've said, 'good morning' to no less than 15 people who aren't unhappy or complaining about being at work at 4 a.m. The place is humming and alive, and you can't help but be glad to be here."  

-Amy Robach

"These aren't my co-workers, they're like my brothers and sisters.  And having not just the other four people in front of the camera, but an entire team who won't let you stumble or that's there like a loving family members when you're having a bad day, make the good days al the more special." 

-Ginger Zee  

"Mutual respect" is one of the team's strongest assets."  

-George Stephanapoulos

"I'm a positive person at heart because of the example set by my mother.  She was the pied piper, and our house was always full of neighbors.  Some are drained by people, but I love being around them."  

-Robin Roberts

"I've been blue and without having to say a word, the cast and crew are there for you.  That comfort instills the utmost confidence in the people you work with every day."  

                                                           -Lara Spencer

• Do you choose to be HAPPY ?  
• What would you say about your HAPPINESS at Worthington Kilbourne High School? 
• What role do you play in HAPPINESS ?
  

"Happy people are more productive, and having a job you love - or even like - spills over into every other area of  your life."  - Gallup

THOUGHTS?

Parent Involvement Matters!

To Our Kilbourne Family, February 2016

Just one year ago, I was writing about the frigid cold weather we were having and today, the sun is out and it is suppose to be a balmy 58 degrees.  You may think differently, but I’d much rather have this sunny, warm weather than the latter.  As I stand at my new “standing desk” to write this newsletter and look out my window at the beautiful ravine and blue skies, I am reminded how fortunate I am to have the opportunity to serve as the building principal at Worthington Kilbourne High School.  An even bigger reminder occurred on Monday, January 25th when our Auditorium was packed with incoming 8th grades students and families and current 9th through 12th grade students and families for our 2016 8th Grade Transition and 9th-12th Curriculum Night.  Your genuine interest and involvement to our school adds to the positive culture and climate we all get to work and grow in each and everyday.  

This involvement was also apparent on Saturday night at The Shops at Worthington Mall for our annual 2016 Evening in Support of Excellence sponsored by our Worthington Education Foundation.  It was wonderful to see so many of you there to support our school community and honor the value we all have in building positive relationships that will ultimately impact the success of our youth.  It’s amazing to me the sustainability of our WEF after 25 years in operation and raising over $405,000 in contributions and awarding over 400 grants totaling over $310,000 to Worthington teachers and staff to fund exciting and innovative educational projects for our students.  As a school, we are fortunate to have been honored a diverse variety of these grants, including Computer for Digital Art On-Line Class, Something for Everyone at the WKHS Library:  A Multilingual Library, Digital Danger: Keeping Our Students Safe in the World of Social Media, Celebration of Black History Month, Suicide Prevention and more.  So much of what we have been able to accomplish as a school is attributed to this exact interest and involvement I have already made reference to.

Please continue to stay connected to our WKHS Family.  As many of you know, we are in the midst of Registration for the 2016-17 school year and at times, this can cause some stress on students and parents.  Please do not let this be the case.  Encourage your child to talk with his/her teachers to assist in this process and make recommendations.  Counselors and Administrators are also available to talk with both you or your child.  We are “All In This Together” and want to be sure your child’s college and career pathway is clear and free of unnecessary roadblocks.  

Continue to “Take Care of Each Other!”

#StrongerTogether

-Principal Adrean

Follow us on Twitter @WKHSWolves @wcsdistrict and @aadrean

"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