August 11, 2011
Clark Hall
Community invited to open house By MARLA K. KUHLMAN rocking chairs and Adirondack ThisWeek Community Newspapers chairs. Rooms are painted in bright Gahanna-Jefferson’s new learn- colors, such as lime green, ing center will be open to the pub- turquoise, electric blue and yellic Aug. 22. low. A community open house is Superintendent Mark White set for 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 22 at Clark said the bright colors spur creHall, 380 Granville St. The pri- ativity and that students who have vate-public venture is Gahanna- toured the building seem to like Jefferson Public Schools’50,000- it. square-foot answer to over“What’s unusual about the crowding at Lincoln High School. building is that there are spaces The building is set to be ded- for students to gather outside of icated at 7 p.m. Aug. 16 and on classes,” he said. Aug. 24 will open to teachers and According to Carter, many colstudents. leges use the design that makes “They’re anxious to get in and an entire building a learning enmake the space their own,” prin- vironment. cipal Dwight Carter said. “Teachers are excited about Some of the rooms were de- the shift,” he said. “They can be signed to spark creativity among creative in delivering content.” students, with a layout similar to Portable walls also allow space Sparkspace, a Columbus con- for meetings or presentations that ference center, Carter said. could accommodate up to 400 “We have fun, funky, creative people. furniture,” he said. “We will have Carter said each classroom has some pods. Teachers can do interactive whiteboards, and flatthings much differently.” screen videos will be on each The pod is a multifunctional floor for announcements. “A key component is to make piece of modular furniture that could be used as a seat or foot- sure communication is consisstool. Other spaces will be acSee CLARK, page A3 cessorized with exercise balls,
Photos by Chris Parker/ThisWeek
The Gahanna-Jefferson school district will open the three-story Clark Hall for the 2011-12 school year. The building will house some high school students, along with Eastland-Fairfield Career & Technical Schools classes and Columbus State Community College. The all-education facility will offer students an opportunity to earn high school and college credits, though the building initially was designed to alleviate overcrowding at Gahanna Lincoln High School.
Building’s name honors Gahanna founder John Clark By MARLA K. KUHLMAN ThisWeek Community Newspapers
The Gahanna school district is honoring the past and embracing the future with the naming of Clark Hall. A class assignment at Lincoln High School led to the new building’s name that honors John Clark, who founded Gahanna in 1849. Lincoln principal Dwight Carter said naming the new building after Clark recognizes his vision, drive and determination to create a new beginning for many people. “As part of the excitement of the new fa-
cility, discussion took place around what name to use,” he said. “In order to promote and maintain a unified campus on two different sites, it was important to have names that have similar meaning, names that evoke tradition, history, characteristics of greatness and possibilities — all ideals that we want our students to experience as part of the Gahanna Lincoln High School community.” Clark owned land east of Big Walnut Creek and along Granville Street. He joined Jesse Baughman, who owned land on the opposite See NAME, page A3 One of the classrooms in the new Clark Hall.
Jefferson Twp. taking Columbus Academy’s Daubenmier 2-mill levy to voters named 2011-12 ‘teacher of the future’ By SCOTT HUMMEL
“We discovered we were los-
ThisWeek Community Newspapers ing about 44 percent of our rev-
Jefferson Township trustees will ask local voters to approve a 2-mill levy when they go to the polls in November. Trustees held a special meeting Aug. 8 and voted unanimously to seek an additional levy to fund such needs as road repairs, cemetery maintenance, zoning and services. The township has fire levies in place, but they pay only for fire and EMS services, according to township administrator Tom Spring. If approved, the five-year levy would generate about $975,106 per year, Spring said. The levy would cost about $61.25 annually for every $100,000 of assessed property value, with collections beginning in January 2012. Spring said officials were aware that the township’s revenues were dropping.
enue,” he said, comparing 2006 figures to 2013 estimates. “We started to realize we were having to dip into our carryover to cover expenses.” Spring said the township’s population has more than doubled since the 2000 census. The population then was 4,900, he said. It’s at 10,234 in the 2010 census. He also said the township has seen an increase in the number of road miles, from 13 miles in 1996 to 46 miles currently. Surrounding townships — Mifflin, Plain and Truro — have 24 miles combined, he said. “That puts a stress on our ability to repair our roads,” he said. Spring said the changing economic conditions and new state funding laws also would affect the township’s coffers. The elimination of reimbursements in See LEVY, page A2
By MARLA K. KUHLMAN ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Gahanna’s Mark Daubenmier, a math and computer-science teacher at Columbus Academy, has been selected by the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) as a 2011-12 teacher of the future. “It is a real honor to receive this award by the National Association of Independent Schools,” Daubenmier told ThisWeek. “While I was recognized at this time, all of my colleagues at Columbus Academy who continue to innovate in the field of education also deserve to be honored for the work that they do. It is a real privilege to be a part of such an outstanding team of educators.” The NAIS teachers of the future were selected from a large pool of nominees who inspire academic excellence in students and who serve as opinion leaders among their colleagues and peers. The teachers of the future also
Mark Daubenmier, a math and computer-science teacher at Columbus Academy, was selected as a teacher of the future by the National Association of Independent Schools.
were chosen for their expertise in particular areas — environmentalism, globalism, technology, and equity and justice — which the NAIS views as hallmarks of a high-quality education for the 21st century. As one of only 20 teachers nationwide chosen for the program, Daubenmier will lead an online discussion forum designed to share innovative ideas and teaching techniques, and he will cre-
ate a demonstration video to inspire others. The award recipients will begin their online discussion forums in September and in October will submit their videos about teaching. Daubenmier has a few ideas for his video, he said. “It will probably either be about the work that I have been doing in making the classroom content available to students 24/7 by mov-
ing all materials and lectures online or about the work that I am doing this year in creating an experimental classroom, where I am investigating if the physical design of the classroom can enhance learning,” he said. The Teachers of the Future program was established in 2007. Over the past few years, a group of 68 innovative teachers shared expertise in teaching through technology, as well as creative ways of teaching. The Klingenstein Foundation offered NAIS a generous grant for the Teachers of the Future program, and through this grant, each teacher will receive a $1,000 stipend for participating in the program. The NAIS, based in Washington, D.C., is a voluntary membership organization for more than 1,400 independent schools and associations in the United States and abroad. Independent schools are distinct from other private schools in that they are independently See TEACHER, page A2