It’s hard to believe that we are halfway through the 2022-2023 school year. I want to thank our students, staff, families, and community for continuing to make Grandview Heights Schools A SMALL PLACE TO DREAM BIG!
This halfway mark is a busy time for Grandview Heights Schools. We are connecting with our community, celebrating milestones, and dedicating time to reflect on how we can best further our mission to maximize and personalize every student’s learning in the coming years.
Helping the community is an excellent way for students to learn and grow as individuals and to better understand how they can fit into the world around them. At Stevenson Elementary, first graders have partnered with Boulevard Presbyterian Church to host a Blessing Box. Blessing Boxes are free-standing pantry boxes that host locations keep stocked with non-perishable food items such as boxes of cereal, canned foods, pasta, peanut butter and jelly, fruit cups, and personal care items including diapers and wipes. Our first graders invited Elford, Inc., our construction partner, to build the box and they generously obliged.
A Friendsgiving Food Drive was then organized by the third grade, including advertising for goods, making announcements, and counting the collected items each day. The goal: collect 2,000 non-perishable food items. Stevenson Elementary students exceeded their goal by 25% and collected 2,515 items! The first graders initially stocked the Blessing Box with items from the food drive and will be responsible for ongoing donations. Grandview Heights High School students have also conducted food drives to support Boulevard Presbyterian Church.
The Larson Middle School fourth grade team decided to partner with Make-A-Wish and participate in their Macy’s holiday letter-writing campaign. For every letter collected, Macy’s donates $2 to Make-A-Wish. The students did a quick math calculation and realized that their efforts could make a real difference and help grant a wish. Given that two classmates are Make-A-Wish recipients, this effort was no effort at all and a great learning experience. Larson Middle School students are also participating in the Toys for Tots Toy Drive.
The creative arts played a role in spreading kindness and joy this season. Stevenson Elementary students, along with their music teacher, are creating a six track CD of holiday songs to share with residents of local nursing homes. The Grandview Singers, Grandview Heights High School’s select chorus, performed seven community concerts and members of the GHHS Key Club crafted blankets for babies and children in need.
On Saturday, January 7, at 11 a.m. the Grandview Heights Schools community will celebrate the opening of the comprehensively renovated Grandview Heights High School, located at 1587 West Third Avenue, and the completion of Phase 2 of our 4-12 construction project. All are welcome to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony and open house and see firsthand our amazingly renovated school building. The ribbon cutting ceremony will take place in the newly renovated high school auditorium. Building tours will follow the ceremony and be led by high school students.
Thank you to everyone who helped make our November 2018 bond levy successful and now a reality! I also want to thank our neighbors who live near the middle and high schools for their flexibility and patience during construction. I am confident that you will be pleased to see how it has all come together! Phase 3, the final phase, will begin in Spring 2023 with the installation of outdoor learning and play spaces and the removal of the old Larson Middle School building.
Most recently, we have been working with stakeholders to evaluate the themes, goals, and action items of our current strategic plan as well as consider where we have made progress and what we need to concentrate on moving forward. The strategic plan and our corresponding goals are what drive our annual objectives and focus our collective work throughout our organization. It is this document that brings our mission to maximize and personalize every student’s learning to life. We look forward to finalizing the updated strategic plan prior to next school year.
Our Grandview Heights Schools community is and continues to be a great place to learn, work, and reside and it is a privilege to serve as your superintendent. I wish each and every one of you a safe and enjoyable winter break!