By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Bowling Green City Schools basked in the glory of its smart students and dedicated teachers at Tuesday evening’s Board of Education meeting.
School leaders shared the district’s improvements on the State Report Cards. They recognized students who had perfect scores on state math tests, and swim team members whose grades rank them ninth in the nation.
And they heard from students whose worlds had been opened up by a visit to the Dominican Republic.
Angie Schaal, executive director of teaching and learning for Bowling Green City Schools, reported that the district had seen significant improvement in its state report card score.
“We have a lot to be excited about,” Schaal said.
The district, which achieved an overall ranking of 4 out of 5, saw progress since last year’s state report card in two categories. The district gained in the rankings on Early Literacy, scoring 3 this year compared to 2 last year. The district also progressed in the Graduation ratings, moving ahead to 5 compared to 4 last year.
“That is the work of our teachers,” Schaal said.
The other categories remained the same – with Gap Closing remaining at 5 of 5; Progress consistent at 4 of 5; and Achievement staying at 3 of 5.
The Ohio Department of Education issued a correction on Bowling Green’s state report cards due to an error in the scoring for the Early Literacy category. Bowling Green teachers have been working hard on the “Science of Reading” method, and have made great strides, Schaal said.
But when ranking the district, the ODE used just the fall reading scores, and left out the improved spring reading scores. So the report card scores early literacy at a 2 for the district. However, documentation in the full report shows that when the spring scores were factored in, Bowling Green scored a 73%, compared to the state average of 61%, earning the district a ranking of 3.
“We blew that out of the water,” Schaal said.
“We are definitely making gains,” she added. “Clearly we are exceeding state standards. Everyone here works really hard for kids.”
To view the district’s Report Card online or review the state’s Guide to the 2023 Ohio School Report Cards, visit reportcard.education.ohio.gov.
A story posted last week about the most recent report cards can be seen at https://bgindependentmedia.org/bg-school-district-sees-improvement-on-state-report-card/.
Also during Tuesday’s board meeting, the board recognized students for their academic success.
Among the youths recognized were four Middle School students who aced the Geometry Ohio State Test. Middle School teacher Jami Sunday and Principal Eric Radabaugh presented certificates to Allison Hover, Andrew Mott, Charlotte Mullins and Bolan Xu.
At the elementary level, Conneaut teacher Jennifer Finley and Principal Alyssa Karaffa recognized Aiden Xu for getting a perfect score on the Third Grade Math Ohio State Test.
Swim coach Carolyn Layne recognized six members of the girls swimming team – Ela Ostrowski, Maggie Layne, Ella Billiot, Pressli Krupp, Melanie Long and Beatrice Blair – for their cumulative GPA of 3.932. Their grades ranked them first in the state for swim teams and ninth in the nation.
And high school drama teacher Jo Beth Gonzalez, three students and a chaperone shared some of their experiences during a school trip to the Dominican Republic this past summer. The trip allowed the students to gain global confidence, Gonzales said. The school district did not fund the trip, she pointed out, noting that it was funded by student support and an anonymous donor.
The board approved a “stay at home learning day” on April 8, 2024, for the complete solar eclipse which will occur about the same time school would be getting out for the day. Teacher Melanie Ferguson explained that the Bowling Green area is expected to be flooded with spectators that day.
The school foundation has purchased eclipse glasses for all students for the once in a lifetime experience, Ferguson said. Remote learning activities will be planned.
In other business at Tuesday’s board meeting:
- Board member Tracy Hovest shared recent successes of school athletic teams, and noted the Bobcat Boosters have been very supportive.
- Board member Ginny Stewart reported on needs at each school building – with individually wrapped snacks for students at the top of the lists. Suggested snacks include Goldfish crackers, Cheez-its crackers, fruit gummies and applesauce packs. Crim Elementary also needs disposable water bottles, and Conneaut Elementary needs size 6 and 8 girls and boys underwear, shirts and pants of various sizes, and crayons for preschool students. The Bobcat Pantry is low on deodorant, conditioner, tampons, body wash and toilet paper.
- Stewart noted the generosity of the community in helping to fund the annual Fifth Grade Camp. The camp usually costs the district between $30,000 and $35,000. An anonymous donation brought down the per child cost from $210 to $195. The BG Schools Foundation, led by Joe Edens, contributed $7,000 for camp expenses. More donations would be helpful, Stewart said, with each student needing to pack two pairs of tennis shoes, boots, sweatshirts and jackets.
- Haselman read off the donations made to the district in the past month – totaling $15,811 when adding in the foundation’s contribution. Among the donations were funds for girls basketball, athletics, camp funds and supplies, school lunch debt, Junior Bobcat Basics, library, school supplies, and personal hygiene products.
- The board voted to approve student trips to Austria, Switzerland and Germany with Gonzalez; France and Spain with Laura Reyes and Mary Kern; and the National FFA Convention with Stephanie Conway.
