Monthly Archives: April 2024

Ringing Out at Worthington Academy

We’re less than a month from commencement for the Worthington Schools Class of 2024.  Our traditional high school graduations will be held on Sunday, May 26th, at Battelle Hall in the Columbus Convention Center. Worthington Kilbourne will graduate at Noon, and Thomas Worthington will graduate at 4:00 PM.

One of the best parts of this time of year is that many seniors are “Ringing Out” at Worthington Academy.  Worthington Academy provides an additional educational setting for Worthington high school students who are credit deficient and/or looking for a different self-paced educational environment. Worthington Academy creates a safe, respectful environment integrating technology, personalized instruction, and supportive relationships.

When students complete all their academic requirements at Worthington Academy, they ring the bell, signifying their completion. Their teachers at the Academy and their families can take part and speak words of encouragement to our graduates and as an example to our other 9th-12th graders working diligently to do the same.  

Conversely, the graduate can pause and reflect on their unique journey to this point and share some gratitude with those who have helped them along the way.  It’s an amazing time where students often move from being self-focused teenagers to more thoughtful and astute young adults.

Last week, several Worthington Academy students rang the bell and completed their work.  Each will participate in their home high school commencement ceremony, but for them, they’ve made it.  Their high school journey is behind them, and they’re on the road to changing the world in big and small ways.

Over the next few weeks, we expect to see several other students ring the bell.  A few students have some late nights ahead of them to complete the work they need to complete.  But…#ItsWorthIt

-Trent Bowers, Superintendent

Standard

Kudos to our Communications Team

Here’s a challenge…when the Communications Team is recognized for their accomplishments, how do you share that recognition when the Communications Team doesn’t want to look like they’re bragging and because they’re the Communications Team and they control the modes of communicating information?  It’s a quandary.  

But this is my blog and thus I want to make sure you hear the good news!!!

Last week at the Ohio School Public Relations Association Annual Conference our communications team was recognized with 4 awards:

Mark of Distinction for Social Media Facebook Page

Mark of Distinction for E-Newsletter “Today’s News“

Mark of Distinction for Podcast “Worth the Journey“

Mark of Excellence for Last Day of School Video

Congratulations to Vicki Gnezda, Don Taylor, Christy DeWees, and Corey Carter for their outstanding work!!!  Special congratulations to Angie Adrean and Jeff Maddox for serving as talent on the podcast.  

Check out our Worthington Schools YouTube Page

Check out our Communications Channels

AWESOME!

-Trent Bowers, Superintendent

Standard

World Changers

Our mission in Worthington Schools is to empower a community of learners who will change the world.  We want our graduates to be prepared to go off and change the world in both big and small ways.  Our hope is that both personal and professional success is in their future.

Over the past few years I’ve had the privilege to get to know two graduates from the class of 1971 who exemplify for me what it means to change the world.

Carol Chase Haber grew up in Worthington. While away at college, her family experienced unspeakable tragedy. She somehow persevered, went on to become a school psychologist, and, in the late 1980’s, co-published multiple parenting books that are still in circulation today.

Mark P. Fields also grew up in Worthington. He attended Worthingway in 1966, the first year it opened as a new middle school. After graduating from college, he became a pilot in the Navy and eventually the Ohio National Guard. Mark served tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan and currently flies for the State of Ohio.

I didn’t know Carol or Mike until my Aunt Carolyn passed away several years ago.  Carol lives across the street from my Uncle Paul (Carolyn’s husband), and Mark met my Uncle through model trains.  As my Uncle was in his late 80’s and living alone, Carol, Mark, and my wife Doreen would make sure he had company, had groceries, could get out and go to Planks for lunch, etc… Since December, my Uncle has been in a nursing home getting hospice care.  One of them was with Uncle Paul everyday.

As I write this, hospice has told us that my Uncle will pass soon.  Carol sits on my left, and Mark on my right in the nursing home.   They don’t have to be here.  But they are.  They didn’t have to spend thousands of hours with my Uncle over the past few years, but they did.  I’m amazed by their care and humanity.  

Our graduates in Worthington will change the world in big and small ways. These two graduates from the class of 1971 have certainly changed the world for my family.

-Trent Bowers, Superintendent

Standard

A Dominating Performance!

We have another state championship team in Worthington!  The Worthington Kilbourne Esports Overwatch 2 team brought the OHSAA State Championship trophy back home to Hard Road.

Overwatch 2 (OW2) is a squad-based combat game.  They play in teams of five consisting of a tank (heavy infantry), two DPS players (infantry), and two support players (healers).  Each hero has unique characteristics and abilities.  The team plays different maps, each with a unique objective.  Each match is a best-of-five maps contest.

Worthington competes in Esports Ohio, an esports league developed in 2019 by educators here in Ohio.  As of last year, the spring season is sponsored by the Ohio High School Athletic Association. 

There are over 130 Overwatch 2 teams statewide this season and over 1000 players.  Our Wolves team was in the Central Southeast Region.  For the 2024 State Sponsored Season, the Wolves won their Division, CSE2, the CSE Regional Championship, and the 2024 State Championship.  Worthington Kilbourne went 9-0 in pool play this past Saturday and 9-1 in bracket play on Sunday to win the title.

A truly dominating performance by: Logan Amlin, Ivan Chivington, Savannah Clouse, Luke Koler, Jonathan Lechuga, Kevin Pelcastre, Kyle Yan, and coach Gavin Meeks.

Congratulations Wolves!

-Trent Bowers, Superintendent

Standard

Monday is Eclipse Day!

Monday is the day we have all been waiting for.  Looks like we should see periods of sun and clouds in Worthington.  Some sun is better than we had this week!  As a reminder, due to the traffic concerns in Worthington Schools we have decided to CLOSE school for Monday, April 8th.

All Worthington students and staff should have received eclipse viewing glasses.  We want our students to be able to experience this once in a lifetime event safely!

Here are some resources our Genius Science Curriculum Leader, Brian Geniusz, recommends for the day:

We  hope Monday is an amazing experience and we’ll be back in school on Tuesday, April 9th!

-Trent Bowers, Superintendent

Standard

Learning about AI

I hope you had an amazing Spring Break reading on a sunny beach somewhere or watching your athlete compete in a warm location!  Last week I was in the office at the Worthington Education Center and took the extra time to build my own knowledge of how Artificial Intelligence will be utilized in the K-12 environment.  I worked to earn a certificate from Microsoft on the essentials of generative AI and took a course on prompt generation for generative AI.  I spent time reading articles on AI, and I entered this week with a better understanding of what’s available and what may be coming.  It’s just the beginning of the AI revolution in K-12 and so I personally have miles and miles to go in my learning.

That said, for this post, I provided a prompt to OpenAI ChatGPT 3.5

Prompt:  “You are a highly experienced school district superintendent who writes concise and readable text without stop words, filler words or jargon. I want you to give me a summary of current academic thinking around the field of Artificial Intelligence in K-12 Education, highlighting the most important concepts in under 300 words. Deliver this as a list of bullet points and follow it with a one-sentence summary.”

Response 

  • AI in K-12 education is seen as a tool to personalize learning experiences based on students’ needs and abilities.
  • Adaptive learning systems utilize AI algorithms to adjust content and pace according to individual student progress.
  • AI-driven tutoring systems offer personalized support, providing immediate feedback and scaffolding.
  • Natural Language Processing (NLP) enhances language learning by analyzing students’ responses and providing targeted feedback.
  • AI assists in automating administrative tasks, allowing educators to focus more on teaching and student support.
  • Data analytics powered by AI help educators track student performance, identify trends, and inform instructional decisions.
  • Ethical considerations around AI usage in education include data privacy, algorithm bias, and equity issues.
  • AI-based tools can aid in identifying at-risk students and providing timely interventions.
  • Collaborative robots (cobots) facilitate interactive learning experiences, promoting engagement and collaboration.
  • AI fosters the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills through interactive simulations and games.

Summary: Artificial Intelligence in K-12 education enables personalized learning, data-driven decision-making, and the development of essential skills while raising ethical considerations regarding privacy and equity.

Here are some resources you may find interesting:

Ohio’s AI Toolkit: https://innovateohio.gov/aitoolkit/ai-toolkit

https://www.edutopia.org/article/7-ai-tools-that-help-teachers-work-more-efficiently

Navigating the Artificial Intelligence Revolution in Schools

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2024/01/ai-guidance-school-responsible-use-in-education

https://tech.ed.gov/ai-future-of-teaching-and-learning

-Trent Bowers, Superintendent

Standard