Lakota Local Schools, including five individual schools within the district, has received the Ohio Department of Education’s Momentum Award for 2019. Additionally, two schools received both the All A Award and Overall A Award. This annual recognition is given to districts or schools for exceeding expectations in student growth for the year.

At the Dec. 9 school board meeting, the Lakota Board of Education approved a resolution to enroll the district in Ohio’s Expedited Local Partnership Program (ELPP). Hosted by the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC), enrollment is required to gain the OFCC’s support and partnership in ultimately building a master facilities plan that if approved, will be financed in part by the Commission.

The state of Ohio’s EdChoice Scholarship, or voucher program, began as a way to provide options for students whose local public schools were considered to be “failing” or “underperforming” by the state. However, the program has expanded to include students attending not only passing but thriving public schools.

The latest edition of Lakota Shout Outs include West's Marching Band making history, elementary mathletes taking home top prizes, and Lakota employees giving back to local causes.

As we gear up for the holidays, we want to know just how Lakota students, staff and their families are planning to relax and recharge over the upcoming winter break. What are you doing to enjoy time with friends and family and come back ready to take on second semester? Throughout December, we invite you to share your winter break plans and highlights on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or all three!

“Répétez, s’il vous plait” greets you when you walk into the Innovation Hub at Independence Elementary School on Mondays. Why? Twenty-nine students are participating in a new after-school club led by Lakota East French teacher Tiffany Ashley. Wanting to expose younger students to a new language, Ashley reached out to the Independence PTA to see if they would be interested - and they whole-heartedly agreed.

Walking into Heather Blaylock’s seventh grade science class at Plains Junior School, you might see a group of students wiggling a piece of string. Or stretching out a Slinky. Or watching a video on their Chromebooks. Why? They’re expanding their knowledge and putting what they’ve learned about wavelengths into action as part of a personalized learning technique called station rotations.

Last week, West Freshman students took part in the school’s first ever “Real World 101”. It was a day of learning, self-discovery and preparation for the future. Students were able to choose from 27 different sessions, everything from finance basics to mock interviews to college applications/scholarships.

Lakota is the second school district in Ohio - and one of just 120 nationwide - to make “Shark Tank” a class for its high-schoolers next school year. Families are invited to get a sneak peek at an upcoming information session on Dec. 12.