High School leaders engage Titan families

Lorain High School staffers are engaging scholars and their families as they prepare to roll out their new academy model for 2018-19.

On July 16 and 17, Lorain City Schools leaders hosted open houses at the Harrison Cultural Community Centre and El Centro in preparation for the upcoming academic year and what is to come.

“Tonight and last night was an opportunity to speak with our families to get a few questions to help to ease the transition from a grade 9-12 building to the academy model that we will have to begin this year,” said Bryan Hilko, director of the Ninth Grade Titan Academy on July 17 at El Centro, 2800 Pearl Ave.

Lorain High will roll out three academies including the Ninth Grade Academy along with the Success Academy and the Early College Academy model aimed at preparing students and improving performance.

Hilko said the academy model is designed under a structure with directors and deans to address different priority areas, including a dean of academics and dean of scholar and family outreach.

The Success Academy will have a slightly different leadership structure, he said.

The rollout of the academies will continue in the 2019-2020 school year with the introduction of the Art/ Media Academy and the Civic/Social Justice Academy.

The STEM Academy will be introduced in 2020-21, representing the rollout of the full academy model.

The dean of academics will support students and teachers in the classroom while the dean of scholar and family outreach will provide support for scholars outside of the building, and understanding different barriers faced by scholars.

“This goes back to our ability to build strong relationships with our scholars and their families,” Hilko said. “That’s something that we as a district are pushing hard toward, emphasis on the ability to build strong relationships.

“The stronger our relationships are with our scholars, the better we get to know each other and trust is built.

“It starts with meetings like these. We can’t always ask our parents to come into the schools, but we have to come to the community and say how can we help.”

The Family Office has directly reached out to families of scholar’s heading into the ninth grade who struggled with attendance to better understand the dynamics and the factors that go into student performance, said Jackie Ziegler, dean of scholar and family engagement.

“We can be a resource to the community that many, maybe smaller charter schools, can’t do, said Mic Beccerra, director of Success Academy. “But we realize we need to realize to influence our community.

“We need to be a resource to our community, not just during the school hours. The easy part is kids coming to school and going home. It’s helping them beyond that.”

Another addition coming to the district will be the introduction of laptop computers.

Every student between grades six and 12 will receive a laptop they can take home.

Hilko noted the district is working on identifying other locations in the community where students can access Wifi.

Ninth-grade orientation will take place Aug. 20 at the Lorain High School Performing Arts Center, 2600 Ashland Ave. The sessions start at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m.