Watch Our Students Soar To New Heights

from Eagle Nation | Spring 2022

GlenOak High School Pathway Spotlight: Nursing Program Offers More For Less

Avondale: Butterfly Projects Build Brain Power

First grade students in Mrs. Eckelberry’s class boosted their brain power by completing a multi-subject butterfly project. This project combined literacy and math learning standards and allowed students to express their creativity in the process! As part of the first grade literacy module on “Creature Features,” students had the opportunity to learn about many different kinds of creatures and critters, with a class favorite being butterflies. Mrs. Eckelberry used this interest in butterflies to boost her math instruction on symmetry and fractions. She states, “After learning about all of the fascinating features of butterflies during our reading unit, we incorporated this interest into our math studies. One feature that makes butterflies so beautiful is their symmetry. Students in first grade are beginning to deepen their understanding of this concept and how it ties to fractions and equal parts. I love the creativity of their final products!” Mrs. Eckelberry wasn’t the only one “all aflutter” over these projects. Ivan shared that his favorite part was learning that “symmetry means one side is the same as the other!” Kira is an artist by nature and loved adding her own special details to her butterfly, stating, “It’s so beautiful.” Kyle’s favorite part? “All of it.”

First graders Ivan Bickis, Kira Nicholson and Kyle Gregory created these butterflies to show what they have learned during reading and math time.

Middlebranch: Kindergarteners Have a ‘Blast in the Past’

Do you ever wonder what life was like for students over a hundred years ago? Kindergarten classes at Middlebranch had the opportunity to explore that question in depth. During their learning module “Then & Now,” they traveled back into the 19th and early 20th centuries. The students read books, held lessons, played games, tried household chores and other school activities from the past. During indoor recess, the students played marbles, tops, jacks, and quilt making and discussed how they were different. Mrs. Helmkamp’s class was transformed into a one-room schoolhouse and Mrs. Julian’s class practiced writing with a quill pen and ink. The kindergarteners were excited to learn, try, and then discuss the various ways life was different for kids.

Lena D’Agnese and Callie Eicher try using the washboard station.

Frazer: New Energy Group

The end of the school year is so close, yet so far away! Physical Education teacher, Mr. Rininger, is taking on the task of keeping students focused during the 4th nine weeks by forming a daily club for students at Frazer Elementary! Mr. Rininger and Frazer Elementary Success Coach, Ms. Vitale, meet with students to work on physical education skills as an energy release first thing in the morning. The group consists of students in kindergarten through second grade and includes mentor students in third and fourth grade who lead the younger students in the activities. Students spend 15-20 minutes in the gym working on PE skills, then conclude with a one-minute controlled breathing cool down. The goal is to help students get ready for learning.

Devin Upshaw, Axel Mutigli, Levi Stidd, Teagan Snyder, and Cory Branch get their energy out so they are ready for a day of learning!

Barr: Learning on Display in a Creative Way!

Sebastian Villanueva proudly shows his diorama which highlights a scene from the chapter book The Owl Diaries.

Second graders in Mrs. Greynolds’ classroom had the opportunity to display their learning in an exciting and creative way! Students completed a reading interest survey and selected a chapter book to complete a book project that focused on the importance of summarizing. Summarizing is an important skill as a developing writer. It builds on prior knowledge, improves writing, and strengthens vocabulary skills. Students had the opportunity to showcase their love of reading by presenting their chapter books to their class. After reading their self-selected book, they worked with Mrs. Greynolds to type a summary of their book. Then students had an opportunity to choose a way to present their understanding of their book in another way. This included a diorama, collage, or book jacket. These students chose to illustrate their understanding by creating a diorama. They did a fantastic job presenting a summary of their book and diorama to the class. Whenever students have the opportunity to share their understanding in a new and exciting way, it teaches them the importance of recognizing their own strengths. As they are able to see their own strengths, they grow as learners. These students had the opportunity to display their learning in a way that was personally unique and innovative to them. As a result, this inspired their fellow classmates. Sometimes we have the privilege of inspiring others through our own experiences of growth! You’re never too young to inspire!

Mrs. Cogan’s first grade class at Warstler Elementary were buzzing with excitement as students got a chance to see a real frame from a beehive. The frame still had honey on it, as well as a few dead bees stuck to the comb. Those bees unfortunately didn’t make it through the winter, as is sometimes the case. The students got this rare opportunity since in her free time, Mrs. Cogan is a beekeeper! She’s been sharing her knowledge of bees and how they help the environment with Warstler Elementary students since she started the hobby almost three years ago. In addition to getting an up-close look at the frame (where the bees actually make the honey), the students also got a chance to taste some honey straight from the comb. Most of the students gave the honey two wings up for good taste.

Isla Scaracchia and Charlie Miller taste test honey!

GlenOak: On the Scene with a New Forensics Class

GlenOak High School introduced a new fun and engaging Forensic Science class during the 2021-2022 school year for our students to experience. Taught by Ms. Anthony, the course covers topics including The Innocence Project, impairment, hair and fiber evidence, fingerprinting, crime scene sketching, ballistics, blood spatter and DNA analysis and much more. Students have explored each of these topics in-depth and have had many opportunities for hands-on laboratory and learning experiences. Ms. Anthony shared, “Forensics has been very well received by students, and they have really enjoyed themselves while learning about this very dynamic field of study. This is a great opportunity for those interested in careers in law enforcement, or just those who enjoy true crime mysteries!” Forensic Science is a full-year course and meets the graduation requirement for a third science credit, or can count as an elective credit. We are excited to offer Forensic Science once again for the 2022-2023 academic year where it will only get better! Planning has already begun, and more hands-on opportunities will be in place for the upcoming school year. Any questions about this course can be directed to Ms. Julie Anthony at: anthonyj@plainlocal.org.

Students take turns getting their fingerprints taken in Ms. Anthony’s Forensic Science class at GlenOak High School.

continued on next page > Most kids love a trip to the zoo, but can you imagine if the zoo came to YOU? Taft Elementary has partnered with the Akron Zoo to bring the ZooMobile into the Kindergarten classrooms as a valuable learning tool. Learning to identify emotions can be challenging, but it’s so much fun to learn about them from a prickly tenrec named “Thistle” or “Little One,” the calm turtle. The Akron Zoo instructors use new animal friends each week to spark vibrant classroom conversations about socialemotional topics. Students also learn about diverse animal characteristics, showing regard for all living things, and what animals need to survive. The Akron Zoo provides engaging lessons that cater to the needs of the students and also meet the academic standards for Life Sciences in the State of Ohio. From a millipede to a snake – the children are mesmerized by both the topics and the animals!

Taft Elementary Kindergarten student Maggie Utterback peers in at Sparky as other students wait for their chance to meet the bearded dragon, too!

Glenwood: Game On

Feeling nostalgic? Glenwood Intermediate students get hands-on as 5th grade STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) students create their very own pinball machines. After using dominos, toy cars and ramps to learn about simple machines and energy transfer, students sketched and built working pinball machines. Students used found objects to design inclined planes and levers to create the machine components. Once they had a design in mind students got to work testing the force of objects to determine the correct angle of the ramp and weight of the marble needed to play. This was a great opportunity to learn the science behind our favorite games! Special thanks to parents who helped send in clean recyclable items to be used in our building projects. A special thank you to the cafeteria staff at Taft Elementary for saving cardboard boxes for the project!

Marina Warner, Brooklyn Wymer, Carter Teter, Emma Harris, Eden Peterson, and Lucas Fox show off their pinball machines.

Oakwood 8th grade students in Mr. Adkins’s Language Arts class experienced quite a twist to accompany reading the novel Monster. Monster is a young adult drama novel by American author Walter Dean Myers. The students worked in litigation teams to debate over the murder case of the main character, Steve Harmon. Students had the choice to work on the defense team or the prosecution team. Students then prepared their arguments to address the judge, Mr. Adkins, by using the MEL-Con writing process. The writing process involves prewriting, composing, evaluating, revising, and finally editing. They demonstrated their understanding of citing evidence to support their claim with quotes from the text. Officer Beach, Oakwood Middle Schools School Resource Officer from the Stark County Sheriff’s Office, sat in as an “expert” witness. Teams were able to ask him specific questions and argue their points, as they quoted text evidence. Students were passionate in their arguments, showed great listening skills, and were able to counter the other teams’ arguments. While one of the litigation teams gave their opening statements, the other prepared rebuttals to challenge them. They also incorporated different persuasive techniques such as using facts and emotional appeal – skills the students recently practiced while writing persuasive essays. Judge Adkins kept great order in his courtroom and helped students to stay realistic to the process. The simulation ended with Officer Beach giving his explanation for a verdict based on the facts presented by the student teams. The students were anxious to finish the book to see if Officer Beach’s verdict was the actual outcome. We shall soon find out!