Tanner Atha – Page 41 – Hilliard City Schools

Teacher at Brown Elementary Recognized for Environmental Efforts

Posted on September 1, 2022September 21, 2022

Congratulations to Brown Elementary’s Mrs. Hernon for being selected as the Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District’s Environmental Educator of the Year for 2022 for her Rain Garden!

The Rain Garden Project serves to educate elementary students in responsible citizenship and scientific evidence of correcting issues surrounding their outside environments. This hands-on experience teaches students how natural elements can provide solutions to problems and esthetic value to landscape by improving the erosion of soil caused by our buildings’ roof drainage. Sharing with students the natural, effective use of plants not only corrects an issue caused by architectural design but also provides a habitat for pollinators and butterflies while beautifying their surroundings were the goals.

Vertically aligned grade levels in this project bring to life the standards and concepts taught in students’ grade levels and give practical meaning to all levels of learning they will receive in elementary school. Second grade will learn and provide soil information, third grade will provide life cycle/butterfly information, fourth grade will provide erosion and weathering information, and fifth-grade studies ecosystem learning and information.

We brought our school educational programs taught by staff at Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District (FSWCD) to extend and enhance the curriculum students are responsible for. These programs will expose services that are available to residents to improve their community. This is a life lesson that will carry through to their adulthood.

To maintain a mindful budget, second and third graders will embark upon a grow lab in our Innovative Discovery Center (IDC) with our IDC Specialist to plant seedlings and support their growth through spring. They were planted in the rain garden recently, which promotes resourcefulness in students’ ability to make a difference in their community and environments.

This project serves as real-life work that positively affects an environment and its community. This learning will offer all levels from the model, Bloom’s Taxonomy: Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate, and Create. Students will be able to revisit and review the knowledge each time they pass by their rain garden creation. Finally, Hilliard City School District and Brown Township will benefit from the habitat garden and beautification of their school premises.

Amazon Web Services Spends Day At The Innovation Campus

Posted on August 25, 2022August 25, 2022

Leaders from the Amazon Web Services Inclusion and Outreach Global Team spent the day in Hilliard Schools at the Innovation Campus learning from our students and staff.

AWS InCommunities has helped build and support 17 AWS Think Big Spaces, where students can cultivate their interest in science, technology, engineering, and math outside of a classroom environment, within the Hilliard City Schools district. AWS has also collaborated with Hilliard City Schools on STEAM curriculum and events such as Girls Tech Day, AWS Tech Week, and Young STEM Initiative, as well as on professional development initiatives. AWS has also provided access to STEAM experts and members of AWS’ workforce for various STEM workshops, career conversations, and events.

As a part of our continued partnership, hosting the Inclusion and Outreach Global Team members was essential so their team could hear from our students and teachers directly. They heard how the support from AWS impacts our students in all grades, from kindergarten to seniors, every day on their journey to be Ready for Tomorrow.

Guest Blog – Welcome To The 2022 – 2023 School Year

Posted on August 16, 2022

We are excited to begin the 2022 – 2023 school year. As a parent of three students in the district, I know this time can be filled with many activities, from finding teacher assignments to organizing bus pick-up times. Yet, in all of the excitement, there are other items on our minds, including the safety of our schools.

This past school board meeting, we had a presentation from the HCSD Joint Safety Team. In addition, representatives from the Hilliard Division of Police and Norwich Township Fire Department joined us. We received an overview of how we partner as a community; School Resource Officers in our secondary buildings, emergency radios in each school, tabletop training with building staff, fire prevention week activities, student lock-down simulations, etc. This partnership is unique and has been strong for over a decade.

There are many examples of this partnership and how it has grown over the years. There is a strong commitment from each member of the team. I want to acknowledge the hard work of this team and thank each member for their dedication.

Seeing this team in action brings me back to preparing to go back to school. As parents and community members, I ask you to think about how you can support this critical work. It could be discussing safety protocols with your child following a simulation in the classroom and encouraging your student to learn more about HOPE Squads, and sharing the excitement with your child when a police officer comes to read a book in the classroom.

I challenge you to put one more thing on your list of having a conversation with your student about safety. If this conversation brings concerns, please know we are here to support you. Reach out. Similar to the message that will be shared from Student Resource Officers in the schools to our students, “See Something, Say Something.” As parents and community members, we are asked the same.

I wish you the best 2022 – 2023 school year.

Sincerely,

Nadia Long

HCSD Board of Education, president

Hilliard Preschool Expansion Ribbon Cutting

Posted on August 9, 2022August 9, 2022

On August 8th, the Board of Education celebrated the expansion of the Hilliard Preschool. The expansion includes 8 new classrooms allowing 64 new spots for our youngest students.

HCSD Preschool

Two Hilliard Teachers Study Abroad Investigating Art & Making Marginalized Voices Heard

Posted on July 20, 2022

Hilliard Teachers Amanda Schaeffer and Beth Boza are participating in an amazing opportunity abroad, investigating how Lisbon & Madrid street art reflects the voices of the community. Thanks to the grants they received through the Fund For Teachers and Martha Holden Jennings Foundation, they’re able to spend their time investigating, partaking in workshops and guided tours, and interviewing artists to create an interactive street art map that inspires a student-led street art project focusing on making marginalized voices heard in our very own community!

Weaver Teacher Participated in the Ohio Sea Grant’s Water & Wildlife Training

Posted on July 14, 2022

Our very own Ms. Hall from Weaver Middle School recently participated in the Ohio Sea Grant’s Water and Wildlife Training for Educators at OS’s Stone Laboratory in Lake Erie. This seven-day workshop provided educators with practice using lessons from five national curricula: Project WET, Healthy Water, Healthy People, Project WILD, Project WILD Aquatic, Science and Civics.

Participants were immersed in the scientific practices of inquiry, questioning, and experimentation while working alongside Great Lakes researchers; practiced lessons to integrate Great Lakes science into their educational settings; participated in shoreline stewardship projects, and networked with colleagues to share and learn best practices for improving Great Lakes literacy.