Category: schools
Renovated, expanded Pointview to welcome students in fall 2016
Wednesday March 11, 2015 11:53 AM
Westerville City Schools’ renovation and expansion of Pointview Elementary School will take an estimated 18 months to complete and cost $5.5 million, district officials said.
The renovation and expansion, carefully designed to create “inspirational learning environments,” should be complete for students’ return to class for the start of the 2016-17 school year.
The Westerville Board of Education approved plans for the project Jan. 26. The district is using funds from its continuing capital improvements levy to pay for the project.
Pointview currently is 37,000 square feet and is the only school left in the district that uses the “open classroom environment” popular during its original construction. That means most walls separating classrooms don’t extend to the ceiling. Many such “walls” at the school are bookshelves or even just bulletin boards.
Jeff LeRose, director of facilities for the school district, said officials have received feedback that students are easily distracted in the open classroom design. Teachers must teach quietly so as not to disturb others, there is insufficient workspace, and many current classrooms do not have windows. Such floorplans were eliminated through previous renovations elsewhere in the district including Annehurst, Mark Twain and Robert Frost elementary schools.
LeRose said he and his facilities team considered doing just renovations or even replacing the whole building at Pointview, but decided a combination would be most cost-effective.
“We reviewed three options: renovation only, renovation/ expansion and building replacement. After reviewing preliminary budgets associated with each option, we made a recommendation to the board to renovate and expand the existing building. The board supported our recommendation,” he said.
The building addition is planned to connect to the older part of the school through a glass hallway.
The addition will have a total of 10 classrooms, including eight 900-square-foot instructional spaces plus an art room and a music classroom.
“This is another opportunity for us to create an educational environment that inspires learning,” LeRose said. “Our goal is for Pointview to be a destination where students are excited about the experience that awaits them when they wake up in the morning.”
LeRose said in planning the project, he is working with principals to listen to their feedback as well as take into account students’ comments.
Preliminary designs of the renovation and expansion include adding windows, more storage space and providing a variety of classroom sizes.
The existing building has 21 variously sized classrooms, which the renovations will convert to 15 classrooms of different sizes.
There are nine large classrooms planned, each designed to hold approximately 25 students, as well as two midsize classrooms and four small classrooms with between 230 and 414 square feet.
Additionally, there will be an expanded media center, main office and cafeteria.
LeRose is currently in the design phase of the 18-month project and that will continue for three more months.
The plan calls for building permits to be obtained and the bidding process to start in May.
In this preliminary schedule, the school board should award a contract for the work June 22 and construction should start Aug. 20. The work is to take about 11 months.
Genoa students become published authors
Wednesday February 11, 2015 11:08 AM
More than 330 Genoa Middle School sixth-graders participated in National Novel Writing Month — NaNoWriMo for short — collectively writing 1,211,471 words.
Deanna McDaniel, Genoa’s media specialist, helped lead the NaNoWriMo writing challenge.
Traditionally, NaNoWriMo is an annual, Internet-based creative writing project where any adult can challenge themselves to write a 50,000-word rough draft of a novel during the month of November.
But NaNoWriMo also offers a young writers program that allows 17-and-under participants to set individual word-count goals.
McDaniel worked together with Genoa’s sixth-grade language arts teachers Tracy Jados, Emily Minney and Carly Young to create virtual classrooms through the NaNoWriMo young writers program.
Across the world, 4,132 classrooms in 51 different countries participated in the young writers program.
“For the whole month of November, I had students writing furiously the whole school day in the library,” McDaniel said.
Students used their lunch period and study halls to come to the library to work on their stories.
“As long as I had a free computer, I would let them in,” McDaniel said.
Rachel Wetherby said she liked coming to the library to participate because it’s her favorite place at the school. She wrote a fantasy story featuring prophecies and shape-shifting dragons.
“It all just came to me. I didn’t know what was going to happen until I typed it,” she said. “My friend helped me with my story and I helped her, too.”
Participants also took advantage of the school district’s new GoogleDrive accounts for students. Using GoogleDrive, students could work on their stories at home and on any mobile device.
Students took advantage of the technology by continuing their writing after school.
“About halfway through the month, I had a sixth-grader come shyly up to me and show me their smartphone with the Google app on it. He looked at me and said, ‘Don’t tell my parents, but I have been writing my story on my phone under the covers after they think I have gone to sleep!’ “
Student Jenna Owsiak, who authored a novel titled Missing for the program, said ideas for her story often would come to her as she was sitting on the couch at home watching television.
“I would write a couple times a day, whenever I thought of something. Sometimes I’d write 1,000 words a day. I’ll probably do NaNoWriMo again next year,” she said.
Every student who met their goal earned a code from CreateSpace, a publishing website, to receive five free copies of their novel in paperback form.
“Right now most students are in the process of editing their novels before they finalize the published copy and order their books,” McDaniel said.
Each paperback will feature a unique cover designed by the student and an ISBN number. McDaniel described it as “a book ready to sell.”
Student Hibba Hyajneh wrote a fantasy story called The 14th Star about two princesses and their two enemies.
“I read a lot of fantasy books so it was neat to be able to make one of my own. I’m really proud of it,” she said.
Some students didn’t even need the full month to write their stories.
Ryan Boerger wrote his novel, The Job, in only two weeks.
“It was the first story I ever wrote,” he said. “I think the experience made me a better writer and I plan on continuing to write.”
Board elects officers, hears task forces updates
Originally published in ThisWeekNews
Wednesday January 21, 2015 7:10 PM
At the first Dublin Board of Education meeting of 2015, the Board President and Vice-President were re-elected and online school board meeting agendas were debuted.
The district will no longer distribute hard copies of agendas. Instead, community members are invited to go online to view the agendas, minutes, schedules and more.
Digitizing the agendas will increase productivity and save thousands of dollars annually, according to a district press release.
The school board meeting started an hour earlier, because of the OSU championship game.
Lynn May was re-elected as Board President and Stuart Harris as Board Vice President. Both ran unopposed and were first elected to the Board in 2005.
The facility task force reported that the engineering architectural firm of Garmann and Miller will attend the Feb. 9 school board meeting to answer questions. They will present their findings to the board on Jan. 26. The task force will recommend an architectural firm in Feb. and a construction management team in March. The task force assured community members that the Riverside Elementary traffic problems will be addressed.
The gifted education task force has been sharing the draft service model with colleagues, parent groups, and the community. Additional input will be requested from middle school math teachers and administrators regarding advanced/accelerated math. The task force hopes to present their final draft to the board in February. They have scheduled three additional community meetings to share revisions and gather feedback. Future community meetings will be held at 7p.m. Jan. 21 at Coffman, Jan. 22 at Jerome, and Jan. 28 at Scioto.
The middle school schedule task force held several parent forums last week to address questions. They are still on track to make a recommendation to the board by mid-February. They are closely reviewing middle schools in Illinois and Minnesota that appeared on the “Top 10 Best Education Suburban Districts” list.
For the staffing task force, Richard Bailey explained that a more robust and detailed online screener would be put in place to help narrow the candidate pool to only the best possible. This week, the new screening tool will take effect for all new and current applicants.
Treasurer Steve Osborne discussed the Fiscal Year 2014 Audit Opinion and Audit Reports from Plattenburg Certified Public Accountants. There were no citations or findings for recovery. Osborne said it was a very good report and he thanked his staff.
Dr. Hoadley reminded community members of the State of the Schools at the Dublin Recreation Center on Feb. 10 at 7 p.m. and the next Superintendent Community Coffee on Jan. 27 at 10:30 a.m. at Sunny Street Cafe.
The meeting ended with Rick Weininger moving that the district make a statement of support for the Buckeyes as they met the Oregon Ducks in the National Championship game.
The Board meets on the second and fourth Mondays of each month at 7 p.m.
Elementary size findings to be unveiled Jan. 12
Wednesday December 17, 2014 4:18 PM
![]() |
Bob Scott recognizes Heidi Wess and Scott Nimmo at the board meeting for Exemplary Service in a Medical Emergency (from Dublin City Schools Twitter) |
On Mon. Dec. 8, the Dublin School Board met for the last time this year. The Gifted Education task force created a service model draft and the Middle School Schedule task force is gathering parent feedback.
Rick Weininger, board member and chair of the Facility task force, told the board that the engineering architectural firm of Garmann/Miller will formally present their findings at the Jan. 12 board meeting. The firm has been reviewing the elementary schools to determine which ones would be most effective to add onto. A design team for the project will be recommended by the board at the Jan. 26 meeting.
The Gifted Education Task force reviewed research about best practices in serving gifted students. They also completed an analysis of the current Dublin student population to see how many gifted students there are currently. Secondary staff reviewed the data and a draft model for the Gifted Service Delivery was created. The draft was presented to community members for feedback on Dec. 9, 10 and 15. The draft will be revised in January and a final draft will be reached in March.
The Middle School Schedule Task Force reviewed their results from the survey they gave to middles school teachers. Dr. Dustin Miller, Director of Secondary Education and chair of the task force, said that the teachers expressed a need to have a schedule that gives students an opportunity in related arts, easy access to multiple grade level courses and where courses are not primarily pitted against one another. The teachers also suggested offering more purposeful meeting times between students and teachers outside of class. The task force will be releasing a survey to middle school parents to hear their feedback. They will also be scheduling community nights at each middle school in January.
In regards to the Staffing Plan Task Force, board member Chris Valentine, explained that they have been working with the Gifted Education, Facilities and Middle School Schedule task forces to discuss possible future staffing needs. They also discussed staffing for the Review of Educational Service Center for Central Ohio.
![]() |
Page A12 of the Dec. 18 issue |
Additionally, the Chapman Elementary School PTO donated $9,375.00 for 25 iPads
for Chapman.
The Board presented Golden Shamrock awards to Jamie Riley, a librarian at Pinney Elementary and to Cathy Rodenheffer, an Intervention Specialist at Davis Middle School.
Those who nominated Riley described her as “positively impacting every K-5 student” and “being a fun and motivational colleague.”
Parents said that Riley “reinvented the library” and that now “students enjoy the library.”
When she accepted the award, she thanked those who nominated her and said “as teachers we often don’t get to hear how people feel about us and it is very nice to be so appreciated.”
When Davis’ assistant principal, Ali Moore, introduced Rodenheffer, he read that one person wrote in their nomination, “I’m a better teacher and person because I know her.”
Parents said that she has “angelic patience” and is “a perfect example of what a teacher should be.”
The board also recognized Heidi Wess, school nurse, and Officer Brian Nimmo, School Resource Officer, at Scioto High School. They were recognized for “exemplary service in a medical emergency.”
Scioto’s principal, Bob Scott, described how on Nov. 25, the head custodian suffered a “massive heart attack and went down.”
Wess and Nimmo “flew in,” ushered students out of the cafeteria, began chest compressions and used the AED machine twice.
“Their calmness was exemplary. It was a miracle that these two stepped in at the right moment. We can’t thank them enough,” Scott said. They received a standing ovation from the audience.
The Dublin Coffman Girls Soccer Team was recognized for being State Runner-ups.
This will be the last board meeting with paper agendas. Next year, the board will use BoardDocs to offer digital agendas.
There were about 100 people in attendance at the start of the meeting. Scott Melody, board member, and Stu Harris, Board Vice President, were not able to attend.
Students learn about giving back to community
OLDE SAWMILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
![]() |
Photo from Janet DiSilvestro |
![]() |
Photo from Janet DiSilvestro |
Task forces supply updates board of education
DUBLIN VILLAGER
By DEBBIE GILLUM
Wednesday December 3, 2014 9:36 AM
Written for The DublinVillager weekly newspaper and ThisWeekNews
Original article can be found by clicking here
At the Dublin Board of Education Meeting Nov. 13, several task forces provided board members with updates. The district is working toward meeting its goals for the year by getting updates from the respected task forces.
Task forces proving updates included:
Facility
Brion Deitsch spoke about how the engineering architectural firm of Garmann/Miller Architects is reviewing the elementary schools.
In January, the task force will formally report findings and make a recommendation.
The district hopes to have the elementary school additions completed by the summer of 2016.
Gifted Education
The Gifted Education Task Force is working on identifying types of services the district could offer to students with high cognitive ability and/ or high academic achievement.
The task force shared ideas with peers and PTOs for feedback.
There will be continued discussions concerning the area of advanced math.
Middle School Schedule
Another important issue of the district that is being addressed is the middle school schedule. Dustin Miller, Grizzell Middle School principal, is heading the project.
![]() |
From the Dec. 4 ThisWeek News |
The task force learned through researching current trends that middle school students need a schedule where they can be engaged, connected, safe, artistic and learn in short bursts.
The task force is currently examining current middle school trends and created a short open-ended survey for teachers.
Community nights will be scheduled at each middle school in order to listen to parent feedback.
They also plan on visiting two of the “Top 10 Best Suburbs for Education” to observe and discuss middle schools.
Staffing Plan
Chris Valentine reported to the board that the task force is discussing future staffing needs and improving the staffing plan.
—-
Deb’s Details:
Originally, this article was part of my School Board Meeting article but my editor suggested that the task force update would be a separate article.
If I could do it over again, I would try and interview one or two of the task force leaders. I wanted to make the article longer and get more details and information. It felt like a pretty vague article to me but I did the best with what I had at the time.
Dublin’s advanced placement programs receive honor
By
—
Deb’s Details:
This was a pretty straight forward article to write because I had a press release to work off. I wanted to make the press release my own and so I tried to reword some things.
I think this article confirms that Dublin is a highly ranked district and they put a lot of emphasis on great academic achievement. Their students work very hard and are clearly performing very well on AP tests. I remember how hard those AP tests were so I think it says a lot that they are getting 4s and 5s.
I would’ve liked to have gotten a quote from a student in an AP class or an AP teacher at a high school.
Elementary School Additions
Work progressing on preparing recommendations
At the Dublin Board of Education meeting, discussions continued about elementary school additions.

Deb’s Details:
Man, did I struggle with this article. It was my very first assignment and was supposed to go in last week’s issue. I thought it would be an easy assignment and maybe I just got cocky and didn’t pay attention hard enough. I turned off my voice recorder and didn’t take very detailed notes because I thought a video of the meeting would be posted online. Looking back, I think that was a stupid move. The video was not posted and I could not easily get a hold of an audio recording. To make things worse, I didn’t fully understand the meeting lingo and what was news and what was not. I reached out to my parents, my editor and the PR person for Dublin City Schools and they all helped me immensely.
Next time, I’m going to pay close attention to the whole meeting, record it, take notes and do a better job. Now, I know what I’m looking for and what to expect at the school board meetings.
Karrer’s Turkey Bowl tradition to continue Nov. 25
Karrer’s Turkey Bowl tradition to continue Nov. 25
![]() |
Former OSU basketball star Scoonie Penn talks strategy to students of Dublin Karrer Middle School during the annual Turkey Bowl fundraiser Nov. 25 |
Wednesday November 19, 2014 9:29 a.m.
Written for ThisWeekNews Dublin Villager newspaper
![]() |
Justin Turner (left) and Matthew Kish, battle for a pass during the school’s annual Turkey Bowl fundraiser |
“We spend a day doing team building activities with the seventh graders with a focus on working together as a team while embracing our differences,” said O’Neal.
The Tukey Bowl takes place the Tuesday before Thanksgiving at Karrer Middle School from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Deb’s Details:
This was one of my first articles for ThisWeek News. I was really excited to write it because it sounded like a neat event and I sincerely wanted to raise awareness about it. I was trying to imagine how cool it must be for those elementary school students to play flag football with pro-athletes. And, I think the charity Blessings in Backpacks sounds like such a great cause.
I was impressed that a teacher started the charity on her own and that it’s still so successful. I wish I could have made the article longer by getting more quotes. I would’ve liked to interview an elementary student or one of the athletes
This was one of my first articles for ThisWeek News. I was really excited to write it because it sounded like a neat event and I sincerely wanted to raise awareness about it. I was trying to imagine how cool it must be for those elementary school students to play flag football with pro-athletes. And, I think the charity Blessings in Backpacks sounds like such a great cause.
I was impressed that a teacher started the charity on her own and that it’s still so successful. I wish I could have made the article longer by getting more quotes. I would’ve liked to interview an elementary student or one of the athletes