February 3, 2011
GHHS looking to beef up transcripts Additional AP courses, IB program would reflect quality of education By ALAN FROMAN ThisWeek Community Newspapers Grandview Heights High School will be looking to increase and enhance the courses it offers to students to improve their transcripts for college. GHHS principal Jesse Truett said he will make a recommendation later this year to the school board whether the high school should increase its slate of advanced placement courses or apply to participate in the International Baccalaureate (IB) World School program. “I believe we already have a program
here that does an excellent job preparing our students for their post-secondary experience,” Truett said. “We just have to be smart and find ways to offer them more Ed O’Reilly opportunities that will look good on their transcripts and are the kind of things colleges are looking for on a transcript.” One option is to increase the number of advanced placement courses offered at GHHS to help make the school
more comparable with other Franklin County public high schools that, like Grandview, have earned excellent rating on the state report card, he said. Grandview currently offers four advanced placements courses, Truett said. The number of advanced placement courses the other excellent schools offer range in number from seven to 21, with the average being about 13. “Of course, we’re a smaller school than those schools, with fewer students, so there is a limit to our capacity to offer AP courses,” he said. If the district chose to maintain its
focus on advanced placement classes, the proposed plan would be to continue to expand the number and offer 10 to 15 AP courses by the 2015-16 school year, Truett said. Earlier this month, the school board approved adding advanced placement courses in chemistry, European history and macroeconomics next school year, increasing the high school’s total to seven, he said. Because it would take three years for the high school to go through the application process for the IB program, “we didn’t want to wait to begin adding
some AP courses,” Truett said. The IB program is offered by the nonprofit International Baccalaureate Organization. Its program offers students the opportunity to earn an IB diploma by taking at a course in five subject groups (two language groups, history, mathematics and computer science and experimental sciences) and a sixth course, which can either be an arts subject or another course from the five other subject groups. See PROGRAMS, page A2
Designs for mural will be unveiled By ALAN FROMAN ThisWeek Community Newspapers
By Paul Vernon/ThisWeek
People mingle during social hour of the Grandview Heights/Marble Cliff Education Association’s annual gala at the Ohio Union on Jan. 29. For more photos from the event, see page B1.
Gala at Ohio Union raises record amount for education foundation By ALAN FROMAN mission.” ThisWeek Community Newspapers Last year’s gala raised $50,000, a figure that will be exceeded this The Grandview Heights/Marble year, Freeman said. Cliff Education Foundation’s annuThe gala serves as the foundaal gala raised a record amount of tion’s main fundraiser. The foundamoney Jan. 29. tion awards grants to pay for pro“The final figures aren’t in yet, grams and expenses not covered in but we know it will be a record the school district’s budget. amount,” gala co-chair Julie FreeA record-breaking total of about man said Monday. “We’re really ex- 268 people attended the gala, which cited about that. It’s great to know was held this year at the Ohio Union the money is going to be there to on the Ohio State University camallow the foundation to continue its pus.
“The Ohio Union was a great location for the gala,” Freeman said. “We were able to hold everything in one room, which worked out great for everybody. It looked really nice with the student art work displayed all around the room.” Those attending the gala seemed to enjoy the setting and having the chance to see the Ohio Union, she said. “A lot of people brought their cameras to get pictures of the Union,” Freeman said.
The live auction featured an element of surprise as the auctioneer used a portable microphone and was able to walk through the crowd during the bidding, she said. “We took a few items from the silent auction and held ‘pop-up’ live auctions, which were a big success,” Freeman said. Music for dancing was provided by Mojoflo. “Mojoflo did a great job. They had people on the floor dancing right up to the end,” Freeman said.
Designs for a proposed new outdoor mural will be unveiled Monday, Feb. 7, at a public meeting held by the Grandview Heights/Marble Cliff Arts Council. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in the conference room at the Grandview Heights Public Library. “We’re encouraging everyone to attend the meeting,” said Ruthanne James, Arts Council president. The mural design is being created by Mike Dexter of Iannarino Dexter Creative. Dexter has designed the posters for every Lazy Daze festival. The mural will be painted on the wall at the library auxiliary parking lot located across Oakland Avenue from the library, James said. “It’s a kind of beautification project,” she said of the mural. The council’s goal is to get the mural painted in time for the Lazy Daze festival in July, James said. The mural project would have to receive the city’s approval before it can proceed, she said. “Anyone who’s seen the posters Mike Dexter has designed for Lazy Daze knows he does classy, beautiful work,” James said. “I can hardly wait to see what design he’s come up with for the mural.” Monday’s meeting will also include a discussion of plans for the 18th Lazy Daze festival, which will be held July 23. “We’d like to get many people involved with the planning for the festival as possible,” James said. The council is looking for volunteers for a number of committees that will be involved in the preparation for the festival, she said. The council will also be holding a ’50s-themed member appreciation and recruitment night event on March 4, James said. The event will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. at the DK Diner, 1715 W. Third Ave. See MURAL, page A2
Library offers educational computer workstation for kids By ALAN FROMAN
and covers so many subject
ThisWeek Community Newspapers areas,” teen/youth services man-
The Grandview Heights Public Library has a new computer workstation that gives youngsters a chance to have some fun while they learn. The Early Literacy Station in the library’s youth services department has more than 45 educational software titles for children ages 2-10. “It’s a great resource because it serves such a wide age range
ager Eileen McNeil said. All of the funding to purchase the computer was provided by the Northwest Kiwanis, she said. “We had seen a demonstration of the computer system at a Public Libraries Association conference in 2008 and we were very interested in it, but we knew it didn’t fit our budget,” McNeil said. “When we mentioned to the Northwest Kiwanis how much we felt it would add to our library
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music and reference. “The computer system we had before had CD-ROMs that read stories to the children,” McNeil said. “The ELS computer offers so much more in so many more subject areas. It’s much more interactive, so the kids can learn while doing a lot of fun activiEILEEN MCNEIL ties.” — teen/youth services manager Youngsters who have not yet mastered using a mouse can acto have it, they very generously ers seven curricular areas, in- cess the software using a touch offered to provide the funding.” cluding reading, math, science, screen, she said. The educational software cov- social studies, writing, arts and Some of the software titles fea-
“
The computer system we had before had CDROMs that read stories to the children. The ELS computer offers so much more in so many more subject areas. It’s much more interactive, so the kids can learn while doing a lot of fun activities.
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ture familiar characters such as Dora the Explorer “so the kids are really interested in it from the start,” McNeil said. “They get on the system and they’re having so much fun, they don’t want to get off. And the great thing is they are learning while they are having fun.” The ELS workstation has been in place at the library for about a month, she said, and it’s been a big hit with young library paSee LIBRARY, page A2
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