Winners named in annual Kiwanis Spelling Bee

By Richard O Jones | Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 04:06 PM

It took 13 rounds to crown Hamilton’s champion for the 34th annual Bob Dole Spelling Bee, sponsored by the Lindenwald Kiwanis club.

Sixth grade spelling champions from each of Hamilton’s public and parochial elementary schools competed Tuesday night.

First place winner was Allie Browning from St. Peter in Chains School. She won a $175 prize. Second place and $125 went to Michaela Fowler of Bridgeport Elementary. Connor Alexander from St. Joseph Consolidated School took home the $75 third place. All winners and building champions also took home a trophy.

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Ross Middle School names Spelling Bee qualifier

By Richard O Jones | Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 02:49 PM

After winning the Ross Middle School spelling bee contest, eighth grader Darian Bolin has qualified as one of the spellers who will participate in the WCPO-TV Region II Spelling Bee on Feb. 25 at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati. He will compete against 60 other spellers.

The spellers needed to attain a score of at least a 37 out of 50 questions on the online semifinals test. The champion of the Spelling Bee will compete in Washington, D.C. in the 2012 Scripps National Spelling Bee.

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Brookwood school bowls for garden supplies

By Richard O Jones | Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 02:38 PM

Students and staff at Brookwood Elementary School will hold a bowling party to raise money for vegetable and flower gardens at their school, 4 to 6:30 p.m. Feb. 19 at Columbia Lanes, 954 Pyramid Hill Blvd.

Cost is $12 per person and includes three games and shoe rental. There will be a bake sale, live music and door prizes. Proceeds will buy materials to create raised-bed vegetable gardens and a butterfly garden.

For more information, call (513) 868-5590.

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Big Blue Theatre performs Shakespeare, abridged

By Richard O Jones | Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 02:37 PM

The Hamilton High School theater department’s winter play will be an evening of William Shakespeare with the presentation of one-act versions of “Hamlet” and “A Comedy of Errors.”

Performances are 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 17 and 18, and 2 p.m. Sunday Feb. 19.

Tickets are $10 general admission, $8 students/seniors. For information, call (513) 868-7700.

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Ohio students need more AP challenges, says state superintendent

By Richard O Jones | Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 02:35 PM

This today from the Ohio Department of Education:

Ohio continues to make modest gains in the number of students taking and passing rigorous Advanced Placement exams but it still trails the national average and neighboring states, according to data released today by the College Board.

In the Ohio public school class of 2011, 24,585 high school seniors took at least one AP exam and 15,453 scored 3 or higher at any point in high school. The numbers are up slightly from 2010, when 23,040 seniors took an AP test and 14,323 earned a 3 or higher.

The Advanced Placement Program, established by the College Board, allows high school students to take college-level coursework. Students take comprehensive examinations in subject areas of their choosing. Most universities require a score of 3 or better, on a 5-point scale, to earn credit for a college-level course.

“Despite being encouraged by the slight gains we are making in Ohio in regards to student participation - we must do more,” said Stan Heffner, superintendent of public instruction. “We must continue to promote AP course offerings and provide our students with more opportunities to jumpstart their college careers.”

While Ohio continues to make progress, the state’s percentage of high school seniors earning AP college credit is 12.8 percent, below the national average of 18.1 percent. Of particular concern is a growing achievement gap: just 2.9 percent of 2011 African-American high school graduates in Ohio earned AP college credit.

“We have students who deserve the opportunity to participate in AP offerings, regardless of what part of the state they live in or where they go to school,” Heffner said. “If we want Ohio students to succeed in a global environment, we must increase access to challenging and rigorous courses, including AP classes.”

The Ohio Department of Education has dedicated a full-time AP coordinator under Ohio’s Race to the Top (RttT) grant. Efforts include building connections among the state’s AP teachers, enhancing professional development, launching new AP courses at selected high schools and creating other strategies to increase AP participation.

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Ohio science standards earn a B

By Richard O Jones | Wednesday, February 1, 2012, 03:38 PM

Ohio’s standards for teaching science in grades K-12 are described as “refreshingly strong, ” receiving a “B” grade, in a comprehensive look at state’s standards by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute released today.

While Ohio ranks in the nation’s top quarter, receiving a score of 7 out of 10, the Fordham’s Institute’s latest assessment, The State of State Science Standards, finds that 75 percent of U.S. states’ standards for science are “mediocre to awful,” raising concern about national competitiveness in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.

“Fordham’s assessment of Ohio’s science standards reinforces our commitment to preparing Ohio’s children to pursue careers and compete and win against anyone, anytime and anywhere in the world,” said Stan Heffner, Ohio Superintendent of Public Instruction. “Rigorous expectations, especially in the STEM subjects, are essential to restoring Ohio’s economic standing.”

Fordham’s critique found that Ohio has comprehensive standards that create a strong foundation in the early grades and increase expectations with each advancing grade level. Ohio also received high marks for the clarity of its standards.

Areas for improvement cited in the report include adding more specific content in high school physics and life science sections and reducing the overall length of the standards so they are more user-friendly.

Issued by the Ohio Department of Education in 2011, Ohio’s Academic Content Standards and Model Curriculum in Science were developed by both advisory and working committees consisting of practicing scientists, primary, secondary, and post-secondary educators with the goal of improving the content and rigor to better reflect expectations of universities and employers.

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Today declared Digital Learning Day, February as Digital Learning Month in Ohio

By Richard O Jones | Wednesday, February 1, 2012, 11:47 AM

This from the Ohio Department of Education today:

Governor John Kasich has declared today Digital Learning Day in Ohio, joining more than 30 states in recognizing innovative teaching and learning through digital media and technology that engages students and provides them with a rich, personalized educational experience.

Additionally, the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) and a host of partners will continue the initiative throughout February by providing daily examples of digital learning being used in Ohio classrooms and links to resources and tools that educators can incorporate into their lesson plans.

“Today’s reality is that students use technology for entertainment and social interaction, but the educational community is still catching up in providing opportunities for students to use that same technology to motivate their learning,” said Stan Heffner, Ohio Superintendent for Public Instruction. “By expanding digital learning options, school can happen anytime, anywhere and as often as students need.”

ODE will also use Digital Learning Month to launch the Ohio Teacher’s Homeroom page on Facebook. “Liking” the page will allow teachers to receive the daily digital learning updates throughout February and other valuable updates and resources from ODE throughout the year. Twitter users can get the daily resources at www.twitter.com/OHEducation or with the #DLMonth hashtag.

Digital learning is any instructional practice that is effectively using technology to strengthen students’ learning experience with high level and lower cost content and instruction, including use of online testing, increased focus on and quality of teaching resources and time, provision of online content and courses, application of real world technology in the classroom and school building, and use of adaptive software for students with special needs.

Digital Learning Month partners include eTech Ohio, INFOhio, provider of library automation software to more than 80 percent of Ohio school districts, and KnowledgeWorks, a Cincinnati-based social enterprise that supports innovative education initiatives.

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The ‘science of strings’ results in beautiful music at Elda Elementary

By Richard O Jones | Thursday, January 26, 2012, 02:40 PM

Elda Elementary’s second and third graders are learning about instruments in the string family, according to Principal Deborah Johnsen.

The students are learning to play the dulcimer as they explore the science of stringed instruments. Brenden Combs and Alex Schuler are sharing a dulcimer purchased with funds from the Elda PTO. Students learn how different sounds are produced through vibration and the length of the strings as they strum and pluck the instrument. Stacy Smith, Elda’s music teacher, is thankful to the PTO for making purchases that support students having hands-on experiences with music.

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Naturalist visits with Elda Elementary first graders

By Richard O Jones | Thursday, January 26, 2012, 02:32 PM

The new year has brought lots of new and exciting learning opportunities in first grade at Elda Elementary, reports Principal Deborah Johnsen. Students in Kayla Klapper’s class had lots of fun learning about animal needs and habitats during a special lesson with EMU Naturalist, Sharon Edwards. Students enjoyed the outdoor learning environment that Elda’s Nature Center provides and were able to make some meaningful connections to the science units they have been focusing on over the past few weeks in the classroom.

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