DISTRICT HONORED — Whitney Tingler, a fourth-grade teacher at Stanton Elementary School, helps students. Her school, and Edison High School, have been recognized by the Ohio Department of Education. -- Contributed

HAMMONDSVILLE — Edison High and Stanton Elementary schools have been recognized by the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce by earning the Momentum Award for showing growth in the value-added component on the state report card.

Officials were notified about the distinction in February, which the schools gained for significant improvement on the Ohio Report Card for the 2023-24 school year, and gained certificates from ODEW for the achievement. In a letter from ODEW Director Stephen Dackin, leaders were commended for their commitment to excellence for their students and the community.

“This award recognizes schools and districts that improved their performance index by three or more points from the previous year, while also achieving a value-added rating of four or more stars,” Dackin stated. “This notable accomplishment celebrates those who consistently give their all to creating a supportive learning environment that fosters growth, collaboration and success. I applaud your team’s dedication to advancing academic achievement and personal development, which will have a lasting impact on your students for many years.”

EHS Principal Matt Morrison commended the teachers and estimated 600 students for their efforts in making the grade.

“Our teachers and students have put a lot of time into creating a positive culture here at Edison High School. We’ve implemented the 7 Mindsets social emotional learning curriculum and a comprehensive guidance program, and part of our Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports goals is to create a safe, respectful and responsible environment,” Morrison added. “All of those efforts are starting to pay off in the classroom.”

He added that educators have reviewed results from past exams in order to help students where it is needed most.

“We’ve been tracking trend data from the past end-of-course exams and quarterly MAP testing, among others, and we are creating focus standards which have greatly improved our assessment, and more importantly, our growth scores,” Morrison added.

Assistant Principal Josh Leasure noted a decline in disciplinary matters with an estimated 75 percent drop in office referrals while truancy officer Anthony Pierro has called and met with parents to increase family engagement and address attendance issues.

“We’ve been steadily decreasing there and we’ve seen some of the best attendance we’ve had in years. Our attendance rose between 2022-2023 and 2023-2024. The teachers create a positive environment and the kids want to come to school more,” Leasure said. “The major (disciplinary) referrals have reduced to next to nothing and we’ve primarily been dealing with minor infractions.”

The end result has been improvement with achievement and growth and ultimately the designation. Morrison interjected that teachers have collected data and adjusted where needed in the classroom, also helping students individually to strengthen their learning skills.

Stanton Elementary has seen growth within that building and Principal Kodi Peterson could not be more delighted.

“We increased our value-added score from three to four in a one-year period,” Peterson said. “To be able to get the award, it’s not just about the teachers having students take the state test, but the whole building has to buy into getting that. Over the last five years, we’ve worked to make sure we are providing our students with rigorous material and also the ability to work on skills for students who need that additional support. We are allotting time to help kids improve and work to maximize their learning.”

He continued that schedules were restructured to make teachers and staff more accessible and help students get the foundational skills they need to thrive. About 45 minues to 90 minutes are allotted for small groups for additional practice while higher-level students also have the opportunity to gain enrichment. About 415 students in grades K-5 have benefitted from those concepts.

“We’re hoping with that in place and with the award, we can continue to progress.”

Teachers Nicole Fidak and Whitney Tingler said their students have been building their potential so they can succeed in the future.

“I’m very proud of our students for the effort they’ve put into their education and what the teachers have done to help the students achieve success,” said Fidak, who instructs the second-grade class. “We have a multi-sensory approach and work to build relationships with them, using Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports to model positive behaviors and integrating technology into the classroom.”

Tingler, who teaches fourth-graders, echoed those sentiments.

“I’m really proud of the whole building and I feel like Kodi Peterson and all of the teachers work well together,” she added. “He’s a great leader to the staff and has led the way. The teachers work really hard and this shows how well we’ve worked as a unit. We’ve built relationships with the students and they try their best and everything is assessment-driven. We assess the students and make plans to help them by building in small group time that’s tailored to each student. We also do practice assessments to see where they’ve gained and what they need to work on.”

Meanwhile, Superintendent Bill Beattie applauded the recipients and said they showed hard work and dedication to improving education.

“We’re excited for the staff and students at Stanton and Edison High School for getting this Momentum Award, but overall for the district, our test scores are rapidly improving every year. This award validates the work they have done from last year to this year,” Beattie concluded.