* Superintendent David Shea said Southeastern has incorporated STEM at the junior high level. Each seventh or eighth grader spends weeks in the Gateway Program, where they learn design and modeling, automation and robotics. “We’ve actually had that program for probably 12-13 years, but us being as small as we are, I mean we’re 10 times smaller than Springfield City, so to be able to have that kind of diversity in our curriculum, I think that’s important for us,” he said.
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
* Clark-Shawnee Superintendent Brian Kuhn spotlighted constructive social change related to a student who had a stutter speech impediment. When she got to high school, she started advocating for herself and explaining to others what she needed from them. When the high school held an assembly for stutter awareness month, the student led it and shared tips. Kuhn said she eventually did presentations with Dayton Children’s, got connected to an NBA player who also had a speech impediment, and has spoken at multiple events.
“You have a student who it’s not about what they learn in math class, it’s not about (if) they recall all the pieces and battles in the Revolutionary War. It’s someone who took experience, the supportive learning environment public school offers, and they went and they made a difference,” he said. “I always just think that student was successful ... you look at the impact they’ve had to others on a large on micro and macro levels, that’s success.”
* After a Springfield-Clark Career Technology Center student spoke well about her passion in front of other students, the teacher told her she should join Business Professionals of America. “She really didn’t believe that she was that good of a speaker ... (but) she went out on the limb,” said communications coordinator Alicia Rittenhouse. “If you talk to her today, she’s great, she’s well spoken, but she loves what has happened. It wasn’t necessarily the math grade and it wasn’t the science grade, it was that the teacher saw something in her and helped her develop that and build this sense of confidence.”
* Global Impact STEM Academy’s Superintendent Josh Jennings remembered a valedictorian and salutatorian who both went into the food science program, going on to Ohio State and Purdue. “They otherwise would have never even had been exposed to what that industry was or even what it had to offer if it wasn’t for the exposure that they got at Global Impact,” Jennings said.
* One of the things Greenon Superintendent Darrin Knapke said he’s proud of is the positive feedback from their “science of reading” efforts. A group of staff members holds literacy events for parents to educate them on the initiative and give them tips on what they can do at home with their kids. “We’ve had positive feedback. The attendance has been pretty well received,” he said. “We’re very pleased that our teachers are obviously volunteering their own time to come in on the weekends and help educate our parents.”
About the Author
