See photo gallery for OHS 2007 graduation photos !

Attention OHS 2007 graduates

The commencement DVD’s are in the high school office.  Feel free to stop by to pick up your copy.  The 2006-2007 yearbooks will be here in late September or early October.

New Standards for Ohio’s Education

By Jim Uphoff, Ed. D.

In March, 2004 the Governor signed Senate Bill 2 which created the new Educator Standards Board (ESB) for Ohio.  SB 2 required the ESB to develop new Standards for the preparation and career development of both teachers and principals.

It also required the ESB to develop standards for the Professional Development of these two groups of educators so that they could attain quality career progression.
I was one of the 17 educators appointed to the ESB by the State Board of Education to accomplish these and other tasks.  I was the only local School Board member on the ESB which was made up of 3 principals, a superintendent, 3 college faculty, and 9 teachers (the majority).  I served on the ESB from 2004 though June 2007.

I have been very pleased at the way in which the 17 leaders have worked collaboratively together to develop high quality sets of standards with agreement from the very diverse groups that sometimes have found themselves very angry with each other.  The three main sets of Standards (Teachers, Principals, and Professional Development) are very thorough, and  contain sufficient detail to provide guidance for both colleges preparing educators and for school systems to provide quality professional development programs and opportunities.

In addition to these Standards, the ESB also developed a Career Lattice plan which is both flexible and sets high expectations.  While student test success is an element in the plan, it is absolutely NOT the only one as some who love “one test for all”  have sought.  Rather it recognizes that a new teacher coming to education after a successful military career, for example, may already have a very high achievement in organizational skills while another new teacher just out of college may have some
work to do in this area.

Finally, the ESB also was required to develop a definition for a Master Teacher designation and it had to be able to be used by ALL districts in the state from small rural to large cities.  Eventually, the percent of a district’s teachers who met this definition would become a part of the district’s Annual Report Card according to SB 2.

My almost 50 years as an educator which have included 40 years in higher education and 18 as a local school board member enabled me to bring much diverse experience to these 3 years as a part of this ESB.  I can assure my Oakwood  and Dayton-area friends that our needs and our views were regularly shared with the ESB in our deliberations.  

Early this fall, the Ohio Department of Education will send out to ALL schools a major document containing the 3 sets of Standards, the Career Lattice proposal, and the Master Teacher plan.  It will also be available via their website at that time.  I will keep you posted.

OJHS Open House Aug. 29

An Open House will be held for the parents of all Oakwood Junior High School students enrolled this year on Wednesday, Aug. 29  at 7:30 p.m. Please bring your child’s schedule with you to open house. We will be following Monday’s schedule.    

Bell schedule for Open House:

Auditorium 7:30 - 7:40

First Period 7:45 - 7:52

Second Period 7:57 - 8:04

Third Period 8:09 - 8:16

Fourth Period 8:21 - 8:28

Fifth Period 8:33 - 8:40

Sixth Period 8:45 - 8:52

Seventh Period 8:57 - 9:04

Further details including a copy of the student’s schedule to be mailed to parents on Wednesday, Aug. 22.

Applications for ‘free lunch’ benefits now available

Application forms are being distributed to all homes in a letter to parents or guardians.  To apply for free and reduced-price benefits, households should fill out the application and return it to the school.

Additional copies are available at the principal’s office in each school.  A complete application is required. Households which currently receive food stamps or OWF funds for a child must provide the child’s name, the food stamp or OWF case number and signature of an adult household member on the application.  Households which do not receive food stamps or OWF funds must provide the names of all household members, the Social Security Number of the adult signing the application or state “none” if the adult does not have a number, the amount and source of income received by each household member, (state the monthly income) and the signature of an adult household member.  If any of this information is missing, the school cannot process the application.

FREE HEALTH CARE: Families with children eligible for school meals may be eligible for FREE health care coverage through Medicaid and/or Ohio’s Healthy Start & Healthy Families programs. These programs include coverage for doctor visits, immunizations, physicals, prescriptions, dental, vision, mental health, substance abuse and more. Please call 1-800-324-8680 for more information or to request an application. Information can also be found on the web at http: //jfs.ohio.gov/ohp/bcps/hshf/index.stm. Anyone who has an Ohio Medicaid card is already receiving these services.

The information provided on the application is confidential and will be used only for the purpose of determining eligibility and may be verified at any time during the school year by school or other program official.  To discourage the possibility of misrepresentation, the application forms contain a statement above the space for signature certifying that all information furnished is true and correct.  Applications are being made in connection with the receipt of federal funds.  Schools or other officials may check the information on the application at any time during the school year.  Deliberate misrepresentation of information may subject the applicant to prosecution under applicable state and federal laws.

Households to be notified of the approval of benefits.

In certain cases, foster children are also eligible for these benefits regardless of the household’s income.  If a family has foster children living with them and wishes to apply for such meals or milk for them, contact the school for more information.

Under the provision of the policy, Kevin S. Philo, Treasurer, Oakwood Board of Education will review applications and determine eligibility.  If a parent or guardian disagrees with the decision on the application or the result of verification, the decision may be discussed with the determining official on an informal basis.  If a formal appeal is desired, the household has the right to a fair hearing.  A fair hearing can be requested either orally or in writing from Dr. Mary Jo Scalzo, Superintendent, Oakwood Board of Education, 20 Rubicon Road, Dayton, OH  45409, (937) 297-5332.

Policy contains an outline of the hearing procedure.

Households may apply for benefits any time during the school year.  If a household is not current
ly eligible and if the household size increases or income decreases because of unemployment or other reasons, the family should contact the school to file a new application.  Such changes may make the children of the family eligible for free or reduced-price benefits if the family income falls at or below the levels shown above. Non-discrimination Statement: This explains what to do if you believe you have been treated unfairly. In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington DC 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. A copy of the complete policy is available to anyone wishing to review it in the principal’s office.

In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability.  (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.)  

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Journalism class to sell mums through Aug. 31

Oakwood High School newspaper students will once again be selling beautiful mums from Stockslagers Nursery now through Aug. 31. Order 8” pots for $6 or 14” pots for $15.  Mums come in yellow, red, bronze, orange, pink and white to complement any house and bring fall color to any landscape. Students will deliver the flowers beginning Sept. 11.

Call the Dome at 297-1068 to leave your order (please leave your name, address and phone number ) or email the Dome at dome@oakwood.k12.oh.us. The sale helps raise money for journalism students to attend the national high school journalism convention.  This year’s convention takes place in Philadelphia, Nov. 8-11. The website is www.jea.org

Students hear key-note addresses by nationally-known journalists, attend two days     of hour-long seminars on all aspects of journalism, including both print and broadcast, enter contests, and meet students from all over the country and abroad.  

Last year, over 5000 students attended the convention in Nashville, TN.
Subscriptions to the Dome cost $15 a year for six, 24-page issues.

Andrews Hall of Honor luncheon set for Sept. 14

A luncheon will be held at The Mandalay Banquet Center at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 14, 2007, where the new inductees, Warner Simpson and the late Ralph Furguson, as well as previous recipients of the award, will be honored.  The public is invited to attend the luncheon (cost is $15.00).  To make reservations for the luncheon, please call or email Sandy at the Board Office at 297-5332 or maresh.sandy@oakwood.k12.oh.us by Friday, Aug. 31 .

Friday evening, (Sept. 14) at 6: 45 p.m. recipients will be available to meet with well-wishers in the Alumni Terrace on the southwest corner of Mack Hummon Stadium. Prior to the start of the home football game with Valley View there will be a brief awards ceremony.

Amburgey attends UD engineering camp

Caroline Amburgey, a junior at Oakwood High School, participated in the 34th annual Women in Engineering Summer Camp sponsored by the University of       Dayton School of Engineering. The camp is a residential program that introduces high school girls from 42 cities in nine states across the  nation, and one camp participant from the United Kingdom, to the various field of engineering.

During the week the girls attended sessions in each of the engineering disciplines, met with practicing women engineers, and went on-site to job shadow engineers at either an industrial or government facility to gain first-hand knowledge of engineers in action.

Sixty four industries and professional societies helped sponsor the program with financial support and active participation in key program events such as Dinner with an Engineer and Day with Industry.

Alumni News______________________________

Anderson graduates from OU, heading to UD Law

Margaret Anderson, a 2003 Oakwood High School alumna, graduated cum laude from the Ohio University Scripps School of Journalism on Saturday, June 9. Anderson was the Vice President of Recruitment for Pi Beta Phi’s Women’s Fraternity. She also held the position of Public Relations Director for the Ohio University Forensics Team.

Maggie was the first student to be chosen for the Landau Public Relations Summer Experience, a competitive internship in Cleveland, Ohio.

In the fall, Margaret will attend the University of Dayton School of Law, majoring in intellectual property. Margaret is the daughter of James and Deborah Anderson of Oakwood.

OHS grad off to medical school

Arlene Zelinskas (Oakwood HS class of 2003) has been accepted into the Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine at Virginia Tech University. She will begin
attending classes this fall.

In June of this year Zelinskas graduated from Liberty University in Virginia, Suma Cum Laude, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology.

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