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The OHS Class of 1997 will be having their 10-Year Reunion on Friday, Nov. 23, 2007. Call Rande Chapman at 299-3925 for more information or to register.
By Jim Uphoff, Ed. D.
Beginning in 1987 with the Oakwood Schools Business/Finance Advisory Council and on the Board of Education since August 1989, I have been “with” our schools for two decades. Reflecting back on those 20 years and on the aspects of our community and school system that have been significant, I continue to share my own perceptions as well as those of the good folks who have emailed me with their own thoughts.
Solid administrative leadership has been a real hallmark of our district.
In the late 70s, there were major problems in our system. Dr. Dan Raisch was brought in as our new Superintendent. He brought trusted leadership and peace which resulted in an unbroken string of levy approvals to this date. Dr. Tim Ilg followed with his insightful style that involved even more of our community members with the school system. Dr. Judy Hennessey was next as our first female leader. Her warm personality and strong background in instruction helped us establish relationships which brought in several million dollar gifts, but also built firm connections with the parents of our special needs children. Both she and Dr. Ilg helped us cope with our rapidly growing enrollment numbers. Our current Superintendent, Dr. Mary Jo Scalzo is providing us with her many years of experience with our district and her strong background in curriculum and instruction - the heart of our educational mission. She is also expanding ways for the district to enhance communications with the community.
Data-driven decision-making has become a key characteristic of our school district thanks to the leaders just named and to the rest of the Leadership Team—Board of Education members, Central Office and building administrators, and our Teachers’ Association leaders. We have not only studied all available information from the many testing sources, but we have been sending teams to the universities that serve many of our students. These visits with Deans and Department Chairs as well as with our own alums have sought to make the transition to college much smoother for all of our students.
We have just given Board approval to using types of Curriculum Audits for all subject areas as still another tool for assessing what we do well and what we do that needs to be improved. I leave the Board with real satisfaction that we have in place systems to keep the district moving in the right direction—even as those directions may change over time as a result of this attention to solid data.
A Decade of Awards for Financial Reporting line the reception wall in our Board of Education Office on Rubicon. These awards attest to the frequency and accuracy of our district’s financial reporting system. Treasurer Kevin Philo’s financial skill has earned them and they become one more reason why our citizens have trust in their schools.
Innovative programs for our youth have also been hallmarks of a creative school system. The high school has a number of student clubs and groups such as Oakwood Giving, Ecology Club and Project Support which focuses attention on how peers can be of help to their special needs classmates. The junior high created Lumberjack Leaders so that new eighth graders could help guide and mentor incoming seventh graders throughout the school year. Both elemen tary schools now have building TV announcements and news programs created and run by students.
The professional care of our buildings and grounds has given our facilities the high quality and distinctive look inside and out that folks shopping for a place to make their home find attractive. For example Lew Parlett is about to retire after 30 years of super care and service for Smith School. I have had new residents tell me, “The look, both outside and inside of the buildings, told us that this level of care about physical things was related to the care for the curriculum/instruction things,” and that this helped them make their decision to move to Oakwood.
I will continue to write my column even after I leave the Board of Education on December 31st. I will continue to welcome your ideas and suggestions for topics to be addressed in 2008 and beyond.
Through a grant funded by the Oakwood Schools Education Foundation, Oakwood students now have access to exciting new technologies in the sciences. A 14-computer wireless, mobile lab with printer is now available for research, presentations and lab investigations. An array of probe-ware compliments the computer lab, including EKG sensors, dissolved oxygen sensors and temperature and pH probes, allowing students to directly upload results for data analysis.
Teachers now have some new, state of the art tools to enhance the learning experience for students. The addition of two ELMO projectors enables teachers to demonstrate concepts such as dissections, sample writings and chemical reactions as they are projected for all students to see. Three additional interactive SmartBoards will complement the SmartBoards used in the junior high and by the math department. The generosity of the Oakwood Schools Education Foundation is allowing Oakwood students a consistent opportunity to integrate technology into their everyday learning experiences and their lives.
Teachers are enthusiastic about the lab and Heidi Steinbrink, science department chair, says, “Our new lab probes, specifically the EKG probes, give me the opportunity to demonstrate another link of electricity to the lives of our students. Students don’t think of themselves as conductors or realize that their bodies conduct electricity. The EKG probes allow us to “hook-up” students so they can see the electrical impulse within their bodies” Ms. Steinbrink also adds, “The best part is that students are able to complete research, save their work and come back to the same computer to continue their work. We have not been able to do this with the other mobile labs in the school because of the demand for the equipment.”
Special Education and Resource Room Chair Regina McCauley, adds, “The technology being used within the science classroom is very beneficial to my special needs students. The computers assist students in many ways such as note taking, project work, research, and by allowing them to have extended time on assignments.”
Rachel Keys, math and science instructor, says, “I have used the new science mobile lab several times to help incorporate technology into my science lessons, particularly for completing research on various topics, doing Web quests on astronomy, watching interactive simulations for genetics and working with additional examples of scientific problems (Punnett Squares, speed/velocity, etc.).
Students agree. One said, “It is neat that it makes the graphs for us and that we can see what is happening at all times instead of when we just happen to take a reading. I feel like I am getting a better understanding of what is happening because I can see it right on the screen.” Another added, “I like that I can come in and work at lunch with Mrs. Steinbrink. I don’t have the Internet at home so I can now do research here at school and ask questions of her at the same time.”
Ruth Reveal of Oakwood has accepted the Nannette Hopkins Music Scholarship and Letitia Pate Evans Scholarship and enrolled as a member of the class of 2010 at Agnes Scott College, an independent national liberal arts and sciences college for women founded in 1889. Ruth is the daughter of Carolyn Reveal of Dayton, Ohio and Danny Reveal of Oakwood.
“Our first objective is to interest and enroll students with strong records of achievement and aptitude,” said Stephanie Balmer, associate vice president for enrollment management and dean of admission. “Ruth’s work in class, extracurriculars and the community is evident.”
The Nanette Hopkins Music Scholarship totals $20,000 over four years. Those selected to be Hopkins Music Scholars have demonstrated musical talent and have excelled in the classroom and in leadership, character and personal achievement. Overall, they have achieved high marks in their GPA, class standing and SAT I or ACT standardized assessment exams.
In addition, Hopkins Scholars have demonstrated balanced extracurricular experience, which suggests they will contribute to life at the college. Academics are important, but Agnes Scott students are encouraged to explore interests outside the classroom.
The Letitia Pate Evans Scholarship totals $60,000 over four years. Those selected to be Evans Scholars have excelled in the classroom and in leadership, character and personal achievement. Overall, they have achieved high marks in their GPA, class standing and SAT I or ACT standardized assessment exams.
When The Dayton Philharmonic Junior String Orchestra takes to the stage for its two fall concerts, five Oakwood students will be among the musicians. They include Ellen Milligan and Katie Taylor, violin; Lauren Yu and Amelia Malone, viola; and Josh Halpern, cello.
The concerts will take place at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 18 at the Kettering Seventh-Day Adventist Church; and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 2 at the Dayton Art Institute’s Renaissance Auditorium. The program on both dates will include the
Concerto in A Minor for String Orchestra by Antonio Vivaldi/J.S. Bach; Guiseppi Verdi’s /La Traviata;/ the String Sonata No. 2 in A Major by Gioacchino Rossini; and selections from /The Nutcracker /by Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky.
Milligan is a ninth grader at Oakwood High School; Halpern, Malone, Taylor and Yu are eighth graders at Oakwood Junior High School. Membership in the Junior String Orchestra, which consists of 51 students in grades 6-12 representing 22 different schools in the Greater Dayton area, is through competitive audition.
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