Olentangy's Top News

The parking lot was full, the halls were jammed, and the vendor booths were numerous at the Olentangy Wellness Expo Thursday, April 27  at Olentangy Shanahan Middle School.  The event featured health screenings, demos, kids’ activities, healthy food, and lots of health-related vendors.  The silent auction at the Expo helped to fund the Olentangy Shanahan Middle School greenhouse.  The greenhouse will break ground this summer.

Everyone is invited to a forum by the Parent Programs Team on Wednesday, May 4 at Olentangy High School (OHS), 675 Lewis Center Road in Lewis Center. The program will run from 7 until 8:30 p.m. and free babysitting will be available.

What goes on inside the adolescent brain can create a lot of confusion and worry among the parents of teenagers. Whether we worry out loud or keep it quietly to ourselves, parents have cause for concern, especially when it comes to substance abuse and other risk-taking behaviors.

During this 90-minute session, Michael Nerney, a youth risk behavior expert, will help parents explore the underlying reasons for high-risk behaviors and how those actions often coincide with substance abuse. Mr. Nerney will also discuss possible prevention strategies and the scope of the problem on both national and local levels.

Mr. Nerney is an internationally known lecturer and has served as a consultant to a number of federal and state agencies as well as two major television networks. He began his career as a teacher and coach. He is the father of four children.

PPT’s mission is to empower parents with information and skills critical to raising children in today’s world. The committee provides information through evening parent forums featuring experts in areas relevant to raising children and adolescents. PPT is a collaborative group of district staff, community members and parents like you!

All fourth-grade students at Glen Oak Elementary School (GOES) put on a two-day sale this month as part of their study of economics. Students produced, priced, and marketed their own goods. This activity is intended to help students understand entrepreneurship, pricing, specialization, risk, and profit, among other economics concepts.
All proceeds of this year’s sale were donated to the Delaware County Habitat for Humanity. Students get to try out their entrepreneurial skills as well as practice good citizenship!

The College Board has named Olentangy Local Schools to its AP Achievement List for making Advanced Placement classes available to more students while improving the percentage of students who score well on the AP Exam. Only 388 school districts in the nation achieved this honor.

The College Board reports that while many U.S. school districts have focused on expanding students’ access to AP classes, this has often resulted in lowering the percentage of students achieving a three or higher on the exams. A three is the score typically needed to earn college credit. Between 2008 and 2010, Olentangy increased the number of students participating in AP classes from 701 to 1,087. During the same time period, the percentage of students earning a three or higher on the AP Exam grew from 65 to 73 percent.

“We are happy to be able to offer the rigorous AP experience to our students,” said Superintendent Wade Lucas, Ed.D. “The fact that our teachers are helping more and more students earn college credit before they graduate high school is a wonderful thing. Not only is it a great experience for the student, it’s a great thing for parents looking to offset the costs of post-secondary education.”

For more information on the College Board and the Advanced Placement program, please visit www.collegeboard.com.

All Olentangy community members are invited to the OLSD Wellness Expo, which will be held at Olentangy Shanahan Middle School (OSMS) on Thursday, April 28 from 4 until 8:30 p.m. This free family event will showcase local experts in the areas of nutrition, health and fitness, sports, vision and dental and much more. Free health screenings will be available as well as demonstrations and presentations, lots of exhibitors and fun for the kids. Proceeds from the exhibitor fee will go toward building a greenhouse at OSMS. The greenhouse will become a location for science projects for students and staff and a way to encourage healthy eating and local sustainable farming.

The Wyandot Run Elementary School (WRES)  PTO and the Osh Kosh B’Gosh store at Polaris teamed up recently to aid the tsunami victims in Japan.  The store said they would donate one article of clothing to Japan for every origami crane that the WRES students could produce.  In Japanese culture, origami paper cranes symbolize hope and wishes granted. The WRES students folded 2,079 cranes which means many thousands of children in Japan will benefit! Many had handwritten notes like, “We wish you well” and “The U.S. cares about Japan.”

Tyler Run Elementary School (TRES) teacher Becky Dittman was honored as the winner of the Barnes & Noble My Favorite Teacher Contest last weekend.  Ms. Dittman was chosen from dozens of entries at the Dublin Barnes & Noble store. She was nominated by a former TRES student and current Olentangy Liberty Middle School (OLMS) student Jessica S.   Students were invited to nominate their teacher by writing essays, poems or thank-you letters that share how the teacher influenced their lives. Entries were judged on the compelling nature of the teacher’s qualities, the sincerity of the student’s appreciation and the quality of expression and writing. Ms. Dittman and Jessica received book prizes and gift certificates.

TRES teacher Becky Dittman with OLMS student Jessica S.

Students at Oak Creek Elementary School (OCES) have been recycling this year!  Students recycle milk bottles, juice containers, aluminum cans, paper and cardboard.  During the month of March the students had a magazine recycling contest and brought in more than 15,000 magazines, which helped the school total 2.5 tons of recycling.  Next up, a newspaper recycling contest in May!

Delaware County Dollars for Scholars held a GIANT GARAGE SALE at the Olentangy High School (OHS) Commons Saturday, April 9.  Proceeds from the sale benefitted the Dollars for Scholars fund, according to sale chair Eloise Keating.

Sixth-grade students and teachers at Olentangy Shanahan Middle School (OSMS)  raised more than $1,200 April 4 through April 8 by participating in a walk-a-thon at their school.This event raised money for the people and gorillas in Rwanda through the organization Partners in Conservation and the Columbus Zoo.  Charlene Jendry from Partners in Conservation accepted funds from the students and presented gifts at an assembly April 14.