WINTERSVILLE — Indian Creek High School is gaining accolades after achieving a Momentum Award through the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce.

The school received a certificate and a banner will soon arrive for display, while the award was given for its results on the 2022-23 state report card. The Momentum Award is presented to a local education agency who has improved their performance index by three or more points from the 2021-22 report card and received a value-added rating of four or more stars.

“This remarkable accomplishment reflects your unwavering commitment to excellence and the outstanding services you provide to you students and the community,” stated a letter from ODEW Director Stephen Dackin. “It recognizes the devoted teachers and staff who consistently go above and beyond, ensuring that all students receive exceptional learning and instruction.”

Dackin stated that officials’ efforts in nurturing young minds, fostering a positive learning environment and promoting holistic development has not gone unnoticed and their impact extends beyond the classroom to shape tomorrow’s leaders.

“I commend your entire team — teachers, administrators, support staff and students–for their collective contributions. Your commitment to providing top-notch education and fostering a supportive community is truly commendable,” he stated. “May the Momentum Award serve as a source of pride and motivation that continues to inspire, innovate and make a difference in the lives of your students.”

ICHS Principal Louie Retton said the award was a testament to the efforts of teachers and students to attain positive results. Retton said six tests are generally given during the freshmen and sophomore years of school, including Algebra I, U.S. History, English 10, biology, geometry and government.

“Getting the value-added rating and improved performance index means our students are performing at a higher level on state tests than in the past,” Retton explained. “We are projecting our performance index to go back to the pre-COVID year results or higher, which would be the highest we have had.”

He attributed the strong showing to two things: Being a professional learning community school with regular meetings to review educational data and improve upon areas in need and offering structured flex time to help students work on improving their test scores.

“Every day our teachers start with 30-minute meetings to move students forward. We have department meetings for curriculum and assessment and our intervention team meets regarding interventions needed for any student at any grade level. We ensure nobody falls through the cracks at Indian Creek and our PLC has been huge in improving the performance index,” he continued. “We also have structured flex time to help students when they need to improve their scores on state tests.”

Retton said the value-added portion refers to how teachers are measured based upon student performance on their state test scores.

“It’s based on how our students perform along with students across the state who are taking the same test and shows how you stack up,” he added, saying he was very optimistic about this year’s assessments. “I think we’re going to take an even more significant jump this year because the results from our fall tests were extraordinary.”

Indian Creek School Superintendent T.C. Chappelear applauded everyone for their dedication to ensuring that the school’s more than 550 students in grades 9-12 thrive.

“I appreciate all the hard work our teachers at Indian Creek High School do to provide the time and support students need to be successful,” Chappelear concluded.