My daughter Lucy is graduating from Bowling Green High School in May. Over the past 13 years, she grew as a student and a person thriving at BG city schools. Our schools deserve recognition and our support for their excellence in serving our children and our community.
The makeup of our schools is diverse from students’ academic skills, interests, and ambitions to their families’ economic conditions, occupations, and religious or political beliefs. Despite this variety, BG schools serve students with a wide range of needs remarkably well.
According to data available through the Ohio Department of Education website, 9.5% of BG students were identified as gifted in 2023-2024. Gifted students need to be adequately challenged in class; they underperform if they feel disengaged from their work. The district’s gifted program, PACE, inspired Lucy’s curiosity and encouraged her to work harder. The Middle and High Schools guide students to develop their skills from 6th to 12th grades to progress toward Honors, Advanced Placement (AP), and College Credit Plus courses. BG High School has extended its AP offerings to 10 courses. The guidance office staff are competent and walk students through their college application process.
The same data mentioned above show that in 2023-2024, 45% of BG school students were from economically disadvantaged families. BG city schools act as a social service hub for children whose families struggle to make ends meet: Free school supplies, hygiene products, and snacks are available for those who need them. I was unaware of this until March 2020, when school buildings were closed for several months due to the Covid-19 pandemic. One of the first emails from the Superintendent was about how BG schools would continue to deliver food and other daily supplies to students in need.
Experiential learning and extracurricular programs are vital for schools’ success in fostering students’ talents, work habits, social skills, self-esteem, and resilience. Lucy couldn’t wait to go to her 5th grade camp since she was in first grade. She has been playing viola in the school Orchestra for 8 years since 5th grade, where she learned the valuable lesson that working with others as a team produces something larger and better than the sum of what individuals can do. The opportunities to participate in Model UN conferences at the Ohio State University, the University of Chicago, and Harvard University have helped her build research, writing, oral presentation, and negotiation skills. Working with students from other parts of the state, the country, and the globe at these conferences has expanded her perspectives. Art teachers have provided her with a safe space where she can find peace of mind and recharge.
Like other students, Lucy has occasionally encountered challenges at school, such as conflicts and miscommunications with teachers and friends. She has learned to adjust her behaviors and perspectives to be a better team player and get along with people from different backgrounds and philosophies.
I am grateful to have met many teachers, school staff and supporters, parents, and their families in BG who have watched and helped Lucy grow. Some of them have different political and social views than I do, but we don’t talk about such differences. We focus on our common goal—for our children to thrive.
I am concerned that BG city schools will change if resources become scarce, and the staff, gifted program, and extracurricular opportunities are eliminated.
Supporting BG city schools benefits all of us in BG. To those of you who do not have children attending BG schools but still support our schools, I assure you that BG schools live up to your support.
Kei Nomaguchi
Bowling Green
