District News

Community members were invited to have a community conversation with the Board about school finances. Here's what they had to say.

Lakota East seniors in the Butler Tech Engineering program are two of only five teams from Ohio to be named State Finalists in the 13th annual Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition.

Watch this special video tribute from Lakota staff to our families for being partners in education.

At the Dec. 12, 2022 meeting, the Lakota Board of Education approved an amendment to the Public Participation at Board Meetings board policy (po0169.1).

When personalized learning is the end goal for Lakota students, staff are no exception. This is especially true at Lakota West High School, where a new and more personal approach to professional development for teachers offers both variety and choice - and a chance to be both the learner and the expert. 

West innovation specialists Lindsay Ellis and Tracie Kleman are the leaders of West’s building-level professional development programming, which requires teachers to participate in at least one learning session a month. They quickly realized that teacher-led sessions were the ticket to not only more buy-in among their peers, but also more productive and enticing content that taps into what they need.

The Lakota East and Lakota West high school marching bands recently returned from making district history, qualifying for the first time together for the “Bands of America” Grand National Semi-finals. Before their departure, the bands held a joint showcase send-off for the entire "WE are Lakota" community to celebrate their shared accomplishment. The bands were two of only 30 to qualify out of approximately 100 involved in the preliminary round and thousands in the prior regional competitions.

At the Dec. 5, 2022 Master Facilities committee meeting, the Board reviewed potential operational savings between plan options three and four.

From awards to competition rankings to speaking engagements, Lakota’s high school Cyber Academy for developing young talent in the field of cybersecurity is drawing national attention this school year. 

The National Cyber League ranked Lakota East's program No. 1 in the nation, while one of East's teams placed fourth in the national pool of 482 high school cyber teams competing this fall. At a national conference, one of Lakota's cyber teachers accepted a top award from the U.S. Department of Education, while a Lakota West senior was recognized for his achievements and future plans at the National Cyber Signing Day event. Several Lakota staff and students represented Lakota on the national stage as presenters at the conference.

From awards to competition rankings to speaking engagements, Lakota’s high school Cyber Academy for developing young talent in the field of cybersecurity is drawing national attention this school year. 

The National Cyber League ranked Lakota East's program No. 1 in the nation, while one of East's teams placed fourth in the national pool of 482 high school cyber teams competing this fall. At a national conference, one of Lakota's cyber teachers accepted a top award from the U.S. Department of Education, while a Lakota West senior was recognized for his achievements and future plans at the National Cyber Signing Day event. Several Lakota staff and students represented Lakota on the national stage as presenters at the conference.

Real-world learning makes its return as volunteers share about their career options with sixth-graders at Cherokee Elementary. The program was derived from the school's former "Passion Project Day." 

Lakota Central High School is the only school representing Ohio at this year’s National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony in Washington D.C. One of the 58 smaller trees ceremoniously surrounding the National Tree will be adorned with unique ornaments showcasing the photography of Lakota Central student artists. The 100th annual ceremony will broadcast nationally on CBS on Dec. 11. 

At the Nov. 21, 2022 meeting of the Lakota Board of Education, President Lynda O’Connor read the following statement regarding the investigation of Superintendent Matt Miller. 

Call it an adventure, but behind the recent superhero bungee jump excursion on Lakota East’s Main Street was a whole lot of math involving linear equations. Such experiences are the norm for students in Nichole Bruce’s “Math Modeling & Reasoning” class. From bungee jumps to car buying simulations and road trip planning, students are put to the test daily on using mathematical concepts to tackle real world challenges. 

At Creekside ECS, a favorite second grade tradition is about more than tackling required state reading standards. The second grade team’s “Character Museum” project allows students to see their favorite book characters come to life and gives them choice in their learning. 

This year’s series of Community Conversations continued this month with two designed to include “student voice” in the Board of Education’s ongoing listening sessions. Held separately at Lakota West and Lakota East high schools on Nov. 2 and 3, respectively,  nearly 40 total students had the opportunity to speak freely about their experiences and insights for future changes.

In this season of thankfulness and gratitude, what would you like to say to our staff? Share your messages before Dec. 2 so we can pass them on to Lakota staff.

At a special meeting called on Nov. 2, 2022, the Lakota Board of Education passed a resolution in support of Superintendent Matt Miller. The resolution followed the completion of an investigation in response to a public complaint and passed with a 4-1 vote. 

At a time when Reach Out Lakota’s pantry visits are trending 32 percent higher, Lakota students and staff overshot last year’s donation total by 45 percent during the 15th annual district-wide “Stuff the Bus” food drive sponsored by Lakota’s Board of Education. The more than 27,500 canned goods and other non-perishable items were enough to fill nearly three school buses.

At the Oct. 3, 2022 Master Facilities Plan meeting, (MFP) the committee members reviewed potential operational savings and announced a second community meeting in October.

Eligible students can register for Lakota's Special Olympics basketball, swimming and cheerleading teams through Nov. 7. 

Lakota Cyber Academy teacher Ben Dougherty has been named one of just two recipients of the 2022 Presidential Cybersecurity Education Award (PCE) by the U.S. Department of Education.

What do you do if you’re a high school student who loves sports, has an interest in broadcasting and realizes that there aren’t many opportunities to combine the two? If you’re Lakota West senior Dimitrije Fisic, you create the Lakota West Student Broadcasting Club.

Snapchat. Instagram. YouTube. While social media is a part of everyday life for many teens, what if they could design their own app? This was the question recently posed to students in the media design and communication class at Hopewell Junior School.

Walking through Wyandot ECS’s front office, a dark room offset with blue lights, an aquarium mural and a gigantic teddy bear in the corner may cause one to pause - but that’s exactly the point. Referred to as the “Pause Room,” the former office retrofitted into a calming space is specifically designed to help students explore strategies for regulating their emotions in a healthy and productive way.

At the Oct. 10, 2022 Board of Education meeting, Vice President Isaac Adi made a motion to suspend public comment until policy 0169.1 can be reviewed by the policy committee. The motion passed with a vote of 4-1. Board member Darbi Boddy voted against the motion.

A Shawnee ECS family escaped a recent fire in their home after their second-grader applied what he’d learned from school fire drills. Robert Ramirez was honored for his act of heroism by West Chester Township’s Police and Fire departments at a special surprise ceremony leading right into National Fire Prevention Week. 

Members of the district’s master facilities committee met on Sept. 6 to receive an update on community engagement and discuss the project’s timeline for selecting a final plan. 

Spend just one practice with the football coaching staff at Ridge Junior School and you’ll see that they share a deep love and respect for their players. But at first glance, their commonalities end there.

Following a recent unit all about communities, Shawnee ECS teacher Lydia Scott’s first-graders have quite the masterpiece to show for all their hard work. But one might say the strategy behind the masterpiece is even more masterful. 

Thinking outside the box doesn’t just apply to teaching and learning. At Lakota East, you might even say they’re thinking outside the classroom. Over the summer, an unused courtyard was transformed into a therapeutic outdoor space for students and staff.