Why Read?

Why is READING important?

“It’s summertime Ms. Adrean, why should we read?”

“Why read? Well, let me tell you why you should read” replied Ms. Adrean 

Reading is a fundamental skill!  In order to function in today’s society, you must be able to expand your mind and develop your imagination…reading will help you do this. The more you read the more educated you become.  It is how you learn and discover new things.  It also helps to develop your creative side, even if you don’t think you have that side. Reading is fundamental in developing a positive self-image and strong communication skills.  It forces you to use your brain and believe it or not, it is enjoyable. 

 

I encourage you to make the time this summer to read!

Below is a “Bookshelf” your teachers have created for you just in case you struggle with choosing a book.  Can you guess which teacher suggested which book?

“How to Win friends and Influence People” –Dale Carnegie

“The Greek Way” –Edith Hamilton

“The Fault in Our Stars” –John Green

“Everyday” –David Levithan

“Ancient Rome” –Robert Payne

“My Sister’s Keeper” –Jodi Picoult

The Divergent Series

“Divergent, Insergent & Allegiant” -Veronica Roth

“Lone Survivor” –Marcus Luttrell

“Looking for Alaska” –John Green

“Code Name Verity” –Elizabeth Wein

“Cinder” –Marissa Meyer

“This is What Happy Looks Like” –Jennifer Smith

“11/22/63” –Stephen King

“The Glass Castle” -Jeannette Walls

"Sense and Sensibility" -Jane Austen

"Eleanor and Park" -Rainbow Rowell

"The Circle" -Dave Eggers

"The more you read, the more things you will know.  The more that you learn, the more places you'll go."  

-Dr. Seuss, "I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!"

Alumni Extravaganza

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!

I will be GRATEFUL for this day....

        

I will be GRATEFUL for this day...

        Gratitude according to Wikipedia states;  “Gratitude, thankfulness, gratefulness, or appreciation is a feeling or attitude in acknowledgment of a benefit that one has received or will receive.”

While agreeing with Wikipedia’s definition, my question is, “How often to we pause, think and remember why we are grateful?” I challenge each of you to schedule a time in your day to reflect on the things, the events or the people you appreciate.  Better yet, if it is a person, let them know how thankful you are for their role in your life. 

                                                               

            I like to reflect with my morning cup (or two) of coffee.  Just this morning, after grumbling about doing “school work” on a Sunday morning, I had to pause, reflect and be thankful for the mere fact that I have “school work” to do.  I have a job and not just a job, a job that allows me to work with others who place kids first on their list of priorities.  How can I grumble about such a thing?  I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of Worthington Kilbourne High School for 2 and almost ½ years now and I could not be happier.  I have the love and support from my family and friends.  Speaking of my family, I get to see them very soon as we approach the holidays.  What more do you need in life?  During this holiday season, please take the time to pause, think and remember for what and for who you are grateful.  Slow down and take the time to let them know how you feel and the difference they make in your life.  Thanks to our students, our parents and relatives, our teachers, our administrators, our counselors, our classified staff, our district administrators, our board of education, our business partnerships and our Worthington community for your support, your guidance and your care for making our school system a great place to learn and grow.

Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire.
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don’t know something,
for it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations,
because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for each new challenge,
because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes.
They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you’re tired and weary,
because it means you’ve made a difference.

It’s easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who
are also thankful for the setbacks.

Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles,
and they can become your blessings.

~Author Unknown

Leadership Worthington

     Worthington Kilbourne High School Administrators had the opportunity to meet with and share the highlights of our high school with members of Leadership Worthington www.leadershipworthington.org on Thursday, October 31st, 2013. This meeting was scheduled to last just 2 hours but our conversations were so rich that we could have collaborated all afternoon.   

     Just in case you are not already aware, Leadership Worthington was established in 1989 and is a nonprofit organization with programs offered to those who live or work in the Worthington School District.  The program goal is to enhance the understanding of leadership qualities for individual or group leadership which will ultimately enhance our Worthington community.  WKHS would like to give a “Shout-Out” to our Worthington leaders for their time and commitment to our school.  Below is a link to the Worthington Kilbourne presentation we shared with our Leadership Worthington partners.

http://prezi.com/5fhtjh05sr7t/worthington-kilbourne-high-school/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

2013 Worthington Kilbourne Homecoming

WKHS Homecoming 2013

The big dance is just 2 hours away for our Kilbourne students and this will close our week long Homecoming Celebrations.  Each class set the spirited climate at WKHS by displaying creative window paintings in our commons last weekend.  Our week was then filled with a spirited theme week, including a Super Hero, Pajama, Preppie and Red, White and Blue Day!  The rain held off for our Bon-Fire and spirited contests such as a pumpkin throwing, truck pushing, tug-o-war and an egg toss took place.  Thursday's events included the coronation of our Senior King and Queen and of course, Friday night was our football game vs. Olentangy.

As always, our Kilbourne Krazies created an atmosphere of excitement and energy that assisted our football players and coaches in a victory over Olentangy with a score of 33-0.

A "Shout-Out" goes to our Class Advisors, Student Council Advisors and all of our student leaders involved in making this event possible.  Your spirit and your energy is contagious.  Thanks for all that you do to make Kilbourne an exciting place to learn, grow and have fun!

As I type, our students are either smiling for pictures while praying for it to be the last picture taken or they are already out to dinner.  I know this is an exciting time for you and for those that love and care about you. "Please, please, please 'Take Care of Each Other' out there and be safe!"

Can it get any better?

Is it possible that the opening of a new school year can get better and better every August?

 

I am pleased to announce that our opening day on Monday, August 19th was a huge success. A big “Shout- Out” to our LINK Crew Advisors Nancy Smith, Lauren Glaros and Ellen Clark and to our Student Mentors for their leadership and passion in making sure that all of our freshmen and new students felt connected during their transition to Worthington Kilbourne High School.

Our freshmen began the first day with WKHS all to them­selves as they engaged in community building activities and in tours of classrooms and other important facilities. Thanks to our parent volunteers and kitchen staff, our ninth-grad­ers enjoyed another first—a Kilbourne lunchtime cookout.

When the upperclassmen arrived at 10 a.m., they engaged in three breakout sessions, including “Digital Danger,” a presentation on the importance of creating and maintain­ing a safe digital footprint on the Internet. Dr. Tim Conrad and Officer Don Stanko, the authors of Digital Danger, have agreed to partner with our high school throughout the year to keep the entire Kilbourne community cur­rent on the appropriate uses and safety of social media. Dr. Conrad and Officer Stanko initiated the conversation with our staff on August 15th and continued with our parents and Worthington community on September 11th. Throughout the year we will keep you informed about additional opportunities to explore this important, rel­evant topic, including a community book talk this winter.

As you know the summer months are busy for educators as we prepare for the upcoming school year and this summer was no exception. In addition to revisiting our mission statement, we also created five goals for our work this year, which include: implementing Formative Instructional Practices (FIP) as a consistent and natural part of our instruction and planning; structuring improvement of our traditional use of assessment data to improve instruction, understanding and learning; implementing English Language Arts (ELA) and Math Common Core State Standards and Science and Social Studies Ohio Standards; creating a single Student Learning Objective (SLO) focusing on Vocabulary Acquisition of Academic and Content Vocabulary; and continuing to build relationships by providing a safe and welcoming Culture and Climate where learning is rigorous, relevant and engaging.

As you can see from our goals, we want all of Kilbourne academics and co-curricular activities to grow our students to think critically and creatively. We want them to think globally and to make authentic connections to their learn­ing each day. Preparing our students for the next level -- college and career -- is our ultimate goal. During foot­ball game conversations with recent graduates, I have been encouraged to hear how well they were prepared and ready for college. One young man shared with me that several of the projects he is assigned to complete in his freshmen engineering class were projects that he had already completed in our PLTW program at Kilbourne. On the other hand, here is some advice several graduates shared with me: strengthen your skills in taking notes. Some of them also spoke of the importance of attentive listening in class and of not giving up when the going gets tough. I have a plan (a Dream Big idea) to bring back some of our recent graduates this year to begin conversation with our current students especially about academic preparation. Nothing like hearing it from someone you know who’s living the reality.

I hope you are pleased with what Kilbourne has to offer for your child. Our teachers and staff are some of the hardest working professionals I know, but we also know we can’t do it without your support. Thanks for all that you have done and continue to do for our school. There is probably no substitute for passion and commitment, which you give every day to your children and to our school to make it a great place to learn and grow.

Enjoy the fall weather and thank you for “Dreaming Big!”

---

“Dream Big!”
Angie Adrean, WKHS Principal (Please follow us on Twitter @WKHSWolves)

Welcome! You are about to enter a very special place: Worthington Kilbourne High School!

Welcome to Worthington Kilbourne High School

...FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE

 

Welcome!  You are about to enter a very   special place: Worthington Kilbourne High School with approximately 1,200 students and 140 staff.  My name is Angie Adrean and I am proud and fortunate to serve as your building principal.  Because I am passionate about teaching and learning, I want to make this the best possible educational experience for you and your student.  Our entire staff strongly believes that “No significant learning takes place without a significant relationship.” At Kilbourne, we believe every child must build a trusting relationship with at least one adult in the building.  I can promise you that we will work hard to make this happen for your child and for you as well.  Our team of educators offers evidence that high standards and academic rigor blended with compassion produces  results. 

Another commitment we take seriously is our partnership with you in communication, which is  essential for the success of our students and our overall school environment.  We believe     parental involvement is essential since you are the first and most important educator of your child(ren).  There is strength in our working  together, especially with your participation in our many parent organizations.  We will be posting monthly newsletters on our website at www.worthington.k12.oh.us  (Click on the Select a School drop down and choose Worthington Kilbourne High School).

Our website also provides a way to learn more about processes, procedures, dates and highlights of our accomplishments. You can also follow us on Twitter @wkhswolves

As you have probably already noticed, our high school is a very busy place throughout the year, including the summer months.  Our  teachers, administrators and staff work very hard to grow as professionals so they can   provide the most rigorous and current        educational opportunities for all students.  We    expect 100% of our students will achieve one year’s growth with accelerated growth for those who are behind.   You can count on our staff challenging your student to achieve at high levels.

I am confident that you and your student will quickly become a Kilbourne Wolf, if you are not already!

GO WOLVES!

“Dream Big!”

Angie Adrean