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“All schools are working on student learning, maximum economic gain,” said Tecumseh Local Schools Superintendent Paula Crew. “But not as many schools are putting as much effort as we are into goal two.”
Crew said the district’s kids have their fair share of challenges. She said educators won’t be able to make any progress in the classroom if they ignore the issues that prevail at home.
“Fifty-two percent of our student population qualifies for free or reduced lunch. We have a number of students who have parents or family members who are addicted to drugs, and we have a lot of opiate abuse and that’s coming into the school system now,” she said.
Crew said about four years ago, the district developed a mental health committee. From there, a number of age-specific initiatives have been put in place to reduce bullying, develop positive behavior and give kids mental health support.
Tecumseh faculty explained to DeMaria that a lot of those initiatives have to do with teaching kids about controlling their own reactions to events — called “The R Factor.”
Other programs include “positive office referrals,” where kids are sent to the office for a good reason and are allowed to sign their name on a wall. There’s also “Start with Hello Week” and “No One Sits Alone Day,” when students are encouraged to befriend kids they don’t know very well.
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Additionally, this is the first year Tecumseh has a school resource officer who is constantly in their district. Staff told DeMaria that Clark County Sheriff’s Deputy John Loney has become a trusted figure to Tecumseh’s kids.
A therapy dog named Maui is also present at the middle school to reduce stress and provide a sense of connection in difficult situations.
At the elementary level, kids take part in physical activity and learn character development skills in Morning Fit Club. There is also a morning program where students do yoga and listen to relaxation melodies.
DeMaria said he heard about the positive things going on in the district by word of mouth and will take what he’s learned back to Columbus, where he’ll work on a way to share the approaches with similar districts in the state.
He said after his visit he was impressed with not only the quantity, but the quality of the initiatives at Tecumseh’s district.
“Here’s a group of people who got together who said we can do better,” DeMaria said.
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