— Adrian Hernandez
Graduation is the day where we take a big step and make big plans for what is coming in our future. The future is holding something great and what you take from your high school experience is what is going to make a difference in your life. It’s time to take what you have learned and make something of it.
— Maranda Christian
My advice would be for you to take your education seriously. In the end, getting good grades will be way more important versus being popular. Your grades should come first! You can still have fun and still get good grades. Also, if you are in the CCP (College Credit Plus) program, do not goof off because it is an honor to get that advantage. The more you study, the easier the class. I know you hear that a lot, but it is the truth!
— Celina Peterson, valedictorian
I have learned that you should stay on your A-game at all times. If you don’t succeed at first, never give up because you have potential.
— Aiyanna Moss
My advice to all of the future high school students is to savor every moment like it’s your last and have fun but handle your responsibilities as young men and women.
— Rashawn Hawkins
In my tenure, the biggest changes have been at home. When you couple changes of the family dynamic and structure with advances in technology, the child we are responsible to educate comes to school with a different readiness to learn than 24 years ago.
Elementary students have their own cell phones, essentially computers that they hold in the palm of their hands. Recall of facts no longer holds a candle to the importance of application of knowledge. Curricula changes, revisions of standards, testing and accountability issues have come at a fast and furious pace with little time to implement those changes before they change again.
The biggest challenge of a school board today continues to be school funding in Ohio. I believe that a high quality education with opportunities for ALL students so they can reach their potential in and out of the classroom is what should drive the dollars from the state instead of the ZIP code or demographics of where the district is located.
What hasn’t changed is that most school board members spend an inordinate amount of time begging the community for funds. Passing levies and explaining the needs of schools of today is a full-time job. School funding in Ohio has been challenged and found unconstitutional four times, yet our legislators have not found a remedy. So we continue to be diligent about how we spend our dollars and mindful of the burden our taxpayers carry each and every time we must ask for new dollars.