The staff and students at Hannah Ashton Middle School welcomed four legislators to their school for a tour and panel discussion with the purpose of sharing what deeper learning in every classroom every day can look like as they prepare students for college and careers. HAMS Scholars, who were chosen by Principal Breen Slauter and representatives from our partner, New Tech Network, led visits to four classrooms including Science, Career Exploration, English Language Arts, and Math. Representative Mark Fraizer and some other visitors were even treated to an impromptu band performance as his HAMS Scholar tour guide is also in the band!
After the tour, scholars answered questions from legislators ranging from careers they were interested in, to classes they enjoyed the most, and how they handled learning during the pandemic.
“It’s important to find your passion,” said Representative Rich Brown. “I thought I was going to be a doctor, but in college, I was passionate about my history classes, so I switched my major to History.”
“It’s OK if you don’t know what you want to do,” agreed Senator Jay Hottinger. “It’s ok to change your mind now, and even when you are 20, 21 years old.”
Senator Maharath, who went to Reynoldsburg City Schools, told the story of how Mrs. Rahm, (science teacher at HAMS), had her write a letter to her future self. “I thought I would be a CEO, but I learned that I love being a public servant, and so I decided to run for office,” she said.
The visit hosted by Reynoldsburg City Schools and New Tech Network was a chance for legislators to see how the District is using grant funds and how they will use federal CARES Act dollars to support endeavors that have a direct impact on the future of our students, in hopes that this can be replicated state-wide.
“This is an historic opportunity to create an outsized impact on K-12 education by leveraging one-time funding to innovate and secure Ohio's future,” said Kristin Cuilla, senior director of district school and development for New Tech Network.
RCS Chief Academic Officer, Dr. Jocelyn Cosgrave adds, "We often hear people talk about learning loss due to the pandemic. In Reynoldsburg we are more focused on what we have to gain from the disruption of education as we know it. Our students have different needs than they used to and we would be doing them a disservice if we didn't use this historic moment in time to capitalize on all that our students have learned over the past two years. Focusing on our Portrait of a Graduate competencies such as being an Innovative Problem Solver, or being Socially and Emotionally Competent is vital to the future of our local communities and we are proud that our students, like our HAMS Scholars, are paving the way for schools across the state and country."