A full house arrived at the OCS BOE for the 2/12/24 meeting. Dr. Miller began the meeting by recognizing Gateway to the West, the recent Signature Event (one of 25 held in the world) held by OCS Robotics. Miller recognized Jojo Shay, Dr. Shepherd, and countless volunteers. Miller also discussed the All Things OCS Podcast. Ritchie Principal John Jorden and Madison Principal Andrea Trio were also recognized as they represented Ohio County Schools at the WV School Board Association Meeting. Cheer, Girls Basketball, and Bowling were also noticed as they captured recent OVAC championships.
Board members recognized The Park Press, the OCS administration who attended the WV School Board Association Meeting, the success of speech and debate and various sports programs, instructional highlights on social media, upcoming events like Thursday’s Queen of Queens, the various spelling bees, and the Get a Life program.
OCS Innovation Coordinator Jojo Shay led the Parade of Champions. Shay focused on the 750 students, 140 teams, and the 15 states and Canada that attended the recent Signature Event: Gateway to the West. OCS had two middle school and three high school teams make the elimination rounds in this major competition, one of only 25 in the world. One middle school team, Buckets, took home a sportsmanship award. Shay recognized the economic growth of the event and thanked numerous people including the central office, BOE, referees, emcees, sponsors, WV Robotics alliance, OCS Boosters, and numerous parent and student volunteers. Parent and student volunteers introduced themselves and recognized Jojo, crediting her for putting the “spark” into this amazing program.
WPHS senior, Merritt Delk, provided a delegation regarding start times. She spoke on her academic load and sports schedule as well as sleep studies suggesting later start times.
Dr. Miller recognized a variety of personnel who upgraded their degree status and introduced new service personnel all approved by the board.
Encova Insurance presented the Envoca Safety Award to Mr. Bienek. Encova celebrated a culture of safety in the OCS workplace.
A safety update was provided and Mr. Jones and Dr. Shepherd discussed the upcoming Stop It App. It functions as a universal reporting system wherein a student, parent, or community member can report concerns and the app will channel the concern to the appropriate party.
The WPHS Veteran monument was discussed with updates provided by PR Director Mrs. Butyn. A self-report form will be released to gather information from WPHS Veterans with the help of social media, all-call system, VA, and local legions. With those numbers, the board will move forward with decisions on the monument.
Special Education Director Leah Stout, behavioral specialist Dr. Shepherd, WPHS Special Education Chair Amy Rice, and WPHS Special Education Teacher Chad Stout shared a proposal they recently gave at a national conference. Selected out of 700 proposals, the group presented on Building Blocks to Success: Autism Services from Early Childhood through Adulthood. They focused on OCS demographics, flexible service delivery models, equity and inclusion of students, applied behavior analysis, or the science of behavior, a multi-tiered system of support addressing behaviors and mental health. Mr. Stout discussed Project Employ. Currently, 35 students with special needs participate in Project Employ, and he recognized a variety of community partnerships. Mrs. Rice discussed Instruction in Self-Advocacy and Career Exploration Opportunities with the help of Russell Nesbitt and Department of Rehabilitation Services.
Start time discussions continued. The OCS Start Time Committee will now meet next week. Mr. Crumm shared information from Edulog, and he is working with Dr. Riddle to analyze a variety of transportation options. There were many questions regarding what constitutes instructional minutes and how these times might affect parochial schools and various after school programs and activities.
The board discussed consent agenda items, approved various volunteers, and announced their next meeting, scheduled for February 26th, 2024.
#OneCounty #OhioCounty