All posts by Carmen Lawrence-Billé

News

MADA is Promoting Equity in Athletic Directors & Success in Student Athletes

What does an Athletic Director look like? Ideally, there is no one answer. Athletic Directors should be very diverse, just like our student athlete populations are. Unfortunately, we find that (in Cincinnati especially) there is a lot of work to be done to make the field of athletic directors more diverse and equitable.

Eight years ago, two ABC Athletic Directors at CPS High Schools met with one of their industry peers around a table at House of Cigars. Here, they confronted a hard truth: athletic directors are predominantly older, white males. While there are people of color and women to be found in the position of Athletic Director (AD), they are most often found in lower income public school districts, while higher income schools tend to hire white ADs. Diverse student populations necessitate diverse hires that are able to understand, relate to, and navigate the challenges unique to their student populations. So these three men decided to do something about it.

They identified a need for professional development and education, as well as a network that could provide support, service, and social strength. With these resources, the tide could rise for all ships: both racial minorities and women, as well as the many students these ADs serve. Thus, the Minority Athletic Director Association (MADA) was born.

MADA is a group of men and women that serve as mentors who share information and strategies to facilitate success in school administration. It’s closely modeled off of and partnered with the National Organization of Minority Athletic Directors (NOMAD) and the Black Athletic Director Association (whose acronym we’ll let you figure out for yourself). Back when MADA was founded, there were approximately 400-500 athletic directors regionally, and only 10 were either minorities or women. All of these ADs were pigeon-holed into certain districts, some by choice out of a passion for a certain community, but others because they felt the field would allow them no further growth. MADA decided to be a catalyst, bringing this community of professionals into the next generation of inclusion and innovation.

MADA currently has 18 ADs as active members, representing 13 different local schools. The group also recruits veteran ADs as well as aspiring ADs to create a comprehensive mentorship network. Full membership requires that you are a minority AD (or future AD), though ally membership is offered as well for non-ADs. The organization promotes community service, mentorship, scholarship, and education, and engages frequently in the community in the name of those principles.

Discussion during a MADA workshop, "So you want to be an AD?"

Perhaps its most popular program is its “So You Want to be an AD” workshop series, which provides a comprehensive examination of high school athletic administration. These workshops are open to anyone high school aged and older, and take place in the Fall and Spring in conjunction with the University of Cincinnati’s Sport Administration program.

MADA is currently in the planning stages to see what a statewide rollout would look like for the organization. Ideally, all districts across the state would meet once a month to give each other support and solidarity. MADA leadership will meet with partners this month to decide if and when the organization can go statewide.

MADA can be found on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

MADA Awards Scholarships for 2021

Congratulations to the 2021 MADA scholarship recipients. Pictured, left to right, are Courtney Blake, Devin Morris, and Nila Kennedy-Young.

Stephen Ellison, the current president of MADA and ABC’s Athletic Director at Walnut Hills High School, is particularly excited to share an update about MADA’s scholarship opportunities available to high school student athletes and leaders. Stephen shared that MADA is all about “making an impact, having a purpose, and being able to pull people behind you up,” and their scholarships are a vital part of that.

These scholarships are intended to support the collegiate pursuits of local student athletes. Winners receive $500, to be applied towards their collegiate education. Whether they decide to continue playing sports through or after college, MADA hopes they will all consider education and careers that may bring them back to become ADs someday.

This past week, MADA announced the winners of their 2021 scholarships. These students are all intelligent, college-bound leaders in their communities, and all participate in either varsity sports or band. 

Special congratulations to the winners of the 2021 scholarships:

  • Trotwood-Madison High School’s Courtney “Duece” Blake II 
  • Wyoming High School’s Nathan Glisson
  • Milford High School’s Devin Morris
  • Sycamore High School’s Nila Kennedy-Young

These students have spent years playing basketball, football, and softball, and have each been featured in local news for their outstanding performance.

“Choosing our awardees was not an easy task,” Stephen Ellison shared. “We had a fantastic pool of students to choose from and we’re incredibly proud of every application we read. Every single one of these students have incredibly bright futures ahead of them.”

Congratulations to Courtney, Nathan, Devin, and Nila! 

News

ABC Provides Enrichment Programming for CPS Summer Scholars

At the beginning of June, Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) launched the landmark Summer Scholars program, which includes upwards of 5,000 participating students throughout every school in the district. Over 20 of these schools partnered with Activities Beyond the Classroom (ABC), ensuring that afternoons are about learning by play.

“This is not the summer school of yesteryear,” Dr. Dawn Williams, the CPS Curriculum Math Manager, said. “This is a re-imagined Summer Scholars program and we’re so excited about it.”

While students spend their mornings focusing on academics and social/emotional learning, their afternoons are filled with enrichment activities, provided through partnership with Activities Beyond the Classroom (ABC) and other nonprofits.

“I’ve seen martial arts. I’ve seen gardening, cooking clubs, STEAM activities,” said Casey Fisher, manager of CPS’ Community Learning Center. “Our students will definitely be able to still enjoy their summer as part of summer scholars.”

Enrichment curriculums were designed mindfully and carefully to cater specifically to the needs and interests of each school’s student population. Some examples of the programming offered include music, visual art, performing art, STEM, languages, and environmental learning. Even if students don’t enjoy a particular activity, they have plenty of variety to keep their weeks exciting. “For example,” Rachel Stallings, Director of Programs at ABC, explained, “at one of our schools, students take dance, tennis, and video game design on Mondays. On Tuesdays, they take American Sign Language, chess, and tennis. Every day of the week, they have something new to look forward to, and they’ll build upon those lessons in successive weeks.”

All told, ABC is leading 285 unique sessions at over 20 schools, and working with 62 activity leaders to ensure the children being served are excited to be a part of Summer Scholars.

Stallings shared that the first weeks of summer scholars have already been a resounding success. “It was a bit tricky, launching so many activities for so many students, but things started wonderfully and we’re seeing students not only engaged, but excited. And the payoff is so plain to see: one kid gets excited about flying their first drone, and all the hard work is worth it.”

“Our mission is to ensure that CPS students participate in activities outside of the academic classroom that develop the skills that will help them succeed in life,” ABC Executive Director Brian Leshner said of the partnership. “Summer Scholars allows us to do this year round, which is something we haven’t been able to do before. It’s important that students feel like they get a break in the summer, but it’s also incredibly important that they don’t stop learning. Summer Scholars allows us to keep the conversation going all year long, which is especially crucial during the formative years of a young person’s education.”

Summer Scholars has already begun, but it’s not too late to sign up! To get your student involved, contact their home school today.

News

ABC’s Elementary Soccer Program Gets Boost From FC Cincinnati

With the COVID pandemic impacting the ability of elementary aged children to participate in organized athletics, ABC and Cincinnati Public Schools were determined to offer a soccer program after students returned in person during the second semester of the 2020-21 school year. While ABC and CPS were not able to offer this program to students during the previous school year, and numerous changes needed to be made to make the program COVID-compliant, elementary soccer at CPS made a triumphant return, thanks largely to the support of FC Cincinnati.

Beginning in April, students from 6 CPS elementary schools were taught the basics of soccer in a fun and interactive program. For six weeks, students were able to go outside afterschool and play soccer for an hour. When weather didn’t permit playing outside, students were able to play in their school’s gymnasiums. In addition to their normal practices and clinics, certain days featured the inclusion of instruction from a former-professional soccer player, Omar Cummings.

Currently the Community Coordinator at FC Cincinnati, Cummings is a former professional soccer player who has suited up for the likes of FC Cincinnati, Colorado Rapids, Houston Dynamo, and even the Jamaican National Team. Thanks to the involvement of FC Cincinnati, Omar was able to visit each of the six participating CPS schools, and use his expertise to  give inciteful, personalized instruction to the children.

Because running through the basics can be tedious, and students had just endured an entire day of school, Omar made sure to deliver the program in a manner that was fun and engaging for the students. “We want the children to stay motivated and keep a positive attitude,” said Cummings.

In addition to financial support and Omar’s appearance at practices, FC Cincinnati helped supply balls, pop-up goals, and various other equipment for the practices.   

Under normal circumstances, CPS students in the soccer program get to participate in instructional practices as well as games with students from other CPS elementary schools. In order to take precautions against the spread of COVID, these games between the schools were cancelled. In addition, the coaches and instructors wore masks at all times around the children.

FC Cincinnati Provides Continued Support

As ABC and CPS move this program into the future, we look forward to the continued partnership with FC Cincinnati.

“FC Cincinnati Foundation is proud to support ABC’s soccer programming,” said Kate Solomon, Vice President, Community Relations of FC Cincinnati and Executive Director of FC Cincinnati Foundation. “We believe in the power of sport, specifically soccer, to positively impact children’s lives through physical activity and character development. We look forward to introducing the game to more CPS students with ABC.”

News

Virtual STEM Workshop is a Success: “Can we do this every day?”

Students from Woodward High School enjoyed their participation in the Virtual STEM Workshop.

On April 23, 50 7th and 8th grade students from Cincinnati Public Schools participated in a Virtual STEM Workshop, developed by the West Point Center for Leadership & Diversity in STEM. ABC worked with CPS staff at each school to identify and enroll the student participants. 

The goal of the event was to help expose underrepresented youth to STEM activities, and create a passion for the subject matter. Students met at their schools, and participated in the event virtually. Students started by meeting in a large group to discuss cryptology, phishing, and cyber security. After this, students broke into smaller groups to work on STEM activities, lead by the cadets from the West Point Academy. This arrangement allowed for students to engage in a fun and interactive manner while learning about STEM careers.

Helping Create a Positive Experience

While this event is typically in person at the University of Cincinnati, this year it was held virtually. In order to help facilitate this virtual event, West Point Society of Greater Cincinnati and the Greater Cincinnati STEM Collaborative reached out to ABC for assistance.

In addition to recruiting the participants, ABC also helped set up and facilitate the technology for the event, making sure that the Cadets from West Point could communicate with the students clearly and effectively. This was especially helpful in ensuring the students could participate virtually, from the safety of their own classrooms.

This virtual event had a tremendous impact on the students who participated. Multiple students stated that they found the material to be “really cool,” and expressed interest in exploring STEM subjects further. One teacher, Ms. Garner, said her students enjoyed themselves, and asked if they could do this everyday.

It took many organizations and people to make the event a success.  While ABC was the lead on recruitment and facilitation, West Point Society of Greater Cincinnati and the Greater Cincinnati STEM Collaborative were the event’s main sponsors. West Point took the lead on running the event, supported by cadets from the United States Military Academy.

ABC is extremely proud to partner on such an amazing event.  We look forward to working with the West Point Society of Greater Cincinnati and the Greater Cincinnati STEM Collaborative in the future, and to facilitating more STEM activities for CPS students.

News

Regina Williams joins Withrow High School as New Athletic Director

Williams is the First Black Female Athletic Director in CPS History

Regina Williams joined Activities Beyond the Classroom as the new Athletic Director at Withrow High School. In her new role, Williams makes history as the first Black female Athletic Director for Cincinnati Public Schools.

Jonas Smith, Withrow’s previous Athletic Director, moved to Trotwood-Madison High School, and Williams became the school’s new Athletic Director in January 2021. 

“Over the years, Regina’s dedication to the students at Withrow has been inspirational. Combine that with her knowledge of athletics, and it makes her the perfect person to fill this role,” said Brian Leshner, ABC Executive Director.

Prior to becoming the Athletic Director, Williams spent 10 years as Assistant Athletic Director and In-School Suspension Coordinator at Withrow. A graduate of Withrow High School, she earned a scholarship to attend the University of Cincinnati as a student-athlete, playing Division I Women’s Basketball. After graduating from the University of Cincinnati with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Arts, she spent 27 years working with youth of all ages. 

Her accomplishments include induction into the Withrow Athletic Hall of Fame as well as the Cincinnati Public Schools Athletic Hall of Fame.

“I’m incredibly grateful to be a role model and to serve the Withrow Tiger community, which has given me so much,” Williams said. “My hope is to continue inspiring young ladies and young men to set goals, be persistent in pursuing them, be patient, and trust the process. It is my mission and vision to help Withrow students compete at a high level, whether in the classroom or on the field or court.”

CPS Athletics Manager Josh Hardin said, “Cincinnati Public Schools is beyond proud to announce Regina Williams as the first African-American Athletic Director in the district. Regina is a product of CPS, an exceptional former athlete in the CPS Athletics Hall of Fame (Class of 2013) and is the right leader for Withrow High School. This is a great step for our district and our community and we are excited for the young women that can see themselves in this role and aspire to follow Regina’s lead.”

News

ABC and CPS Partner with Honest Game for AAA Pathway

This photo of AAA Pathway in action was taken prior to COVID

AAA Pathway is piloting a partnership with Honest Game, a Chicago-based organization that seeks to provide real-time and realistic insight into college athletic eligibility rules for NCAA and NAIA scholarships. Honest Game creates current academic reports, which can assess the academic performance of individual student athletes to present day (including grades, courses taken and ACT/SAT Test scores), and measure it against the NCAA and NAIA standards. These reports then share information and recommendations on how a student can improve their eligibility. This straightforward and unemotional tool allows students & their support systems to see a clear roadway to success, if playing collegiate sports on scholarship is their goal.

The current process of acquiring these academic reports and checking on the academic status of student athletes requires intensive time and labor from the AAA Pathway coaches. When AAA coaches want to run an academic report for a specific student athlete, they would need to contact the AAA District Pathway Advisor, Stephanie Price, who would then run a report, using the student’s transcript. The coaches need to do this every grading period, helping to ensure that the student athletes stay on the right path.

Honest Game helps eliminate this process, allowing the coaches to access the academic reports using their interactive software. In addition, the academic reports tracked by Honest Game are updated at the end of each grading period automatically. This means that AAA coaches no longer need to manually update the academic reports for each student athlete themselves.

This new program will allow AAA Pathway coaches more time to spend with students in mentoring conversations and assisting in goal planning, and less time compiling and assessing data at a computer. Further, the reports provided by Honest Game provide steps and ideas for improvement based on a calculated algorithm, helping AAA coaches identify which areas each student athlete can focus on to improve their academic standing.

ABC is most excited about the equity this program provides, as the system generates reports for ALL CPS student-athletes, instead of only those requested by AAA coaches. These reports are accessible at any time, providing any student-athlete the chance to explore the option of college athletics. We believe this will increase the eligibility rate of student athletes at CPS, allowing more to advance their careers in college athletics.

Implementing the New Partnership

ABC and Cincinnati Public Schools are excited to begin this pilot program at four CPS high schools for the rest of the current school year. The goal is to the implement this new program with Honest Game at all 14 high schools next year, for the 2021-22 school year and beyond.

To learn more about AAA pathway, click here: AAA Pathway.

News

ABC Launches STEM Partnership with Three New Programs

Due to COVID, ABC has been working hard to expand its programming into activities that can be done virtually. Rather than reinvent the wheel, ABC reached out to many partners and organizations in the community to explore potential partnerships.

One partnership that emerged is between ABC and the Greater Cincinnati STEM Collaborative. They recently came together to join forces to connect STEM programs with students at Cincinnati Public Schools. The partnership includes three distinct tracks, each of which will be completed virtually before the end of this school year:

  • ABC STEM Bicycle Club – Kids build and keep a bicycle in this districtwide Club, which began in February with 15 kids in grades 7-12 enrolled.
  • Girls in STEM – This bi-weekly workshop includes a variety of STEM activities). Registration opened recently, with the goal of 325 girls total.
  • West Point Center for Leadership and Diversity – ABC is recruiting 50 middle school kids to participate in this virtual STEM workshop, which will be Friday, April 23.

All of these three programs are FREE to the students who participate!

About the STEM Programs

As the lead agency at 10 CPS schools, Activities Beyond the Classroom has direct access to thousands of children. Working through ABC’s network of on-the-ground employees, ABC’s Resource Coordinators will work with their students to help them register for and stay engaged in these opportunities.

ABC STEM Bicycle Club

The ABC STEM Bicycle Club provides the opportunity for 15 children in grades 7-12 to meet weekly (virtually) and learn how to build a bike. The program helps students strengthen their critical thinking, problem solving, and persistence/perseverance skills.

Each week students make micro adjustments to, and reverse engineer, a new bicycle that they get to keep at the end of the session. The club also exposes students to STEM career possibilities through the involvement of community mentors and coaches. 

ABC started this club in February as part of the Virtual ABC Clubs, and delivered the equipment to each student’s school. The children then coordinated with the school’s Resource Coordinator to pick up the supplies needed to build their own bicycle.

Girls in STEM

Women make up half of the U.S. college–educated workforce yet only 28% of the science and engineering workforce. Girl-centered STEM programming allows girls to see they have a place in STEM, creates a safe space for them to learn, and exposes them to women role models and mentors.

These bi-weekly workshops provide a variety of STEM activities designed to empower girls to pursue careers in science, technology and math, and to connect girls with female engineers. Registration opened recently, and the goal is to register 325 girls. 

West Point Center for Leadership and Diversity  

On April 23, 2021, up to fifty 7th & 8th grade students from Cincinnati Public Schools will have the opportunity to participate in a 60-90 minute Virtual STEM Workshop developed by the West Point Center for Leadership & Diversity in STEM.

This workshop, sponsored jointly by the West Point Society of Greater Cincinnati and the Greater Cincinnati STEM Collaborative, will be held virtually. West Point staff will lead the workshop, supported by cadets from the United States Military Academy.

Through its partnership with the Greater Cincinnati STEM Collaborative, ABC is responsible for recruiting the 50 participants. Recruitment will be done through Resource Coordinators, and by working directly with the CPS administration.

Why STEM Enrichment Programs

STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. STEM is important because it pervades every part of our lives. Science is everywhere in the world around us. Technology is continuously expanding into every aspect of our lives. Engineering is the basic designs of roads and bridges, but also tackles the challenges of changing global weather and environmentally-friendly changes to our home. Mathematics is in every occupation, and in every activity we do in our lives.

By exposing students to STEM and giving them opportunities to explore STEM-related concepts, they will develop a passion and understanding for it. A curriculum that is STEM-based has real-life situations to help the student learn. STEM activities provide hands-on and minds-on lessons for the student. Making math and science both fun and interesting helps the student to do much more than just learn.

To quote the National Science Foundation, “In the 21st century, scientific and technological innovations have become increasingly important as we face the benefits and challenges of both globalization and a knowledge-based economy. To succeed in this new information-based and highly technological society, students need to develop their capabilities in STEM to levels much beyond what was considered acceptable in the past.”

About the Greater Cincinnati STEM Collaborative Partnership

ABC’s main partner in this program, the Greater Cincinnati STEM Collaborative, launched in 2011 by P&G and StrivePartnership in response to the accelerating demand for STEM jobs in the Greater Cincinnati region. Their fiscal agency moved to the UC Foundation in 2015. GCSC’s mission is to prepare students to join the Greater Cincinnati/Northern KY workforce through connected, robust STEM learning pathways. Its overarching goals are to dramatically increase the number of students who are: 1) STEM aware; 2) STEM interested; and 3) engaged and on track for STEM college and careers.

Learn More

If you’d like to learn more or find out how your child can participate, email. info@abccincy.org.

News

ABC Launches FREE Virtual Extracurricular Activities for CPS Students

Beginning February 9, Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) students in grades 7-12 will have the opportunity to attend a variety of free and fun afterschool activities via the Virtual ABC Clubs, developed by Activities Beyond the Classroom in partnership with CPS.

“Because of the pandemic and the uncertainty of children attending in-person school, ABC was forced to put ABC Clubs on hold during the first semester,” said Rachel Stallings, ABC Program Director. “Now, as the second semester gets underway, we are thrilled to announce that ABC Clubs are back – this time with virtual offerings.”

Offerings include anime, chess, photography, martial arts, and much more

Activities include:

  • Anime
  • American Sign Language
  • Chess
  • Photography
  • Coding
  • Graffiti Art
  • Martial Arts
  • Drama
  • Film-making
  • STEM
  • Video game design
  • And MUCH more!

“Normally in person, ABC’s free afterschool programs are designed to ensure that CPS children have equitable access to extracurricular activities such as chess, arts, athletics, yoga, martial arts, dance, and much more,” said Shauna Murphy, Assistant Superintendent of Cincinnati Public Schools. “It’s especially critical during this time of remote learning that our junior high and high school children have the opportunity to socialize and engage in activities such as these. We are excited to partner with ABC on bringing these programs to life via a virtual platform.”

Virtual ABC Clubs Start February 9

Club activities are after school hours, with a variety of start times available to accommodate different school schedules. Details of the Clubs include:

  • Clubs meet weekly via Google Meet for one hour February 9 – May 20, Mondays through Thursdays
  • Session start times are 2:30, 3:30, and 4:30pm
  • Clubs are districtwide (not school specific) and are designed for students in grades 7-12
  • Students can sign up for up to one Club per day, with a maximum of 12 students per Club

Learn More and Register

Register today! Registration opened January 26, and closes February 22. If an activity fills up, ABC will maintain a waitlist. Since spots are limited, students are expected to attend activities regularly; if a student misses three sessions, they will be dropped from the activity and their spot will be offered to another student.

Thank You

Thanks to Cincinnati Public Schools for supporting Virtual ABC Clubs and helping make them possible. Also thanks to the following donors that supported the creation and delivery of the Virtual ABC Clubs: U.S. Bank, The Woodward Trust, The John A. Schroth Family Charitable Trust (of PNC Charitable Trusts), and Peoples Bank.

News

ABC Shares Successes with CPS Board

The Board of Education for Cincinnati Public Schools has been very busy this year, figuring out the best way to educate students during the COVID pandemic. So while it is always an honor to be invited to speak at a CPS board meeting, ABC was especially humbled when Executive Director Brian Leshner was asked to present at the December 16, 2020 meeting.

In partnership with CPS Athletics Manager Josh Hardin, Mr. Leshner gave a 20-minute update on the state of athletics in CPS, ABC’s support of CPS children and families during COVID, and he presented the findings from a recent study ABC conducted regarding the impact that participation in athletics has on a student’s academic success.

During his presentation, Mr. Leshner said, “As we all know, March 2020 changed everything. We could no longer deliver extracurricular programming as we had in the past. We needed to pivot in ways we never had before. We were able to gain a strong understanding of the immediate needs of CPS children and families and respond to their needs quickly.”

After the presentation, Eve Bolton, CPS Board Member and Chair of the CPS Finance Committee, commented, “This is monumental. We are so fortunate, and the kids have benefited greatly. I thank the staff and ABC….Do more, do better, do bigger, because this is phenomenal, especially for an urban district.”

The full board meeting can be viewed below, with the ABC presentation beginning at 33:16.

News

ABC Hires District Parent Coordinator as a Resource for CPS Parents

Paul McMillan, ABC District Parent Coordinator, hosted the first District Parent Meeting on December 10, 2020.

With all of the communication methods available today, it seems as though getting the information we need should be a breeze. But in many cases, the opposite is true. There is so much information coming at us that it can be difficult to filter through it to get to what is pertinent.

This is especially true as a parent in a large school district, and even more so if you have multiple children attending different schools. That’s why this year, ABC and CPS partnered to develop a new much-needed role, the District Parent Coordinator. The goal of the District Parent Coordinator is simple: be a resource and an advocate for CPS parents.

To reach this goal, ABC recently hired Paul McMillan. Over the years, Paul has served in many roles in CPS, including as a CPS student, a MORE coordinator, an outreach coordinator, a Linkage Coordinator with Closing the Achievement Gap, a basketball coach, and probably most importantly, as a parent.

“My job is to help connect parents to their children’s schools and keep them engaged,” Paul said. “Ultimately, that engagement leads to more success in the classroom, but it will also help parents understand resources and opportunities available to them, including food services, extracurricular activities, and other wraparound services.”

To help parents connect to their schools, Paul will focus on a few specific areas in his first year. These include:

  • Help develop PTOs in schools where none exist. If a PTO is already established, support the parent leaders in their efforts to engage more parents.
  • Offer virtual parent meetings to answer any questions parents may have.
  • Record and make available YouTube videos answering commonly asked questions.
  • Provide trainings on how parents can connect through Powerschool and Schoology

In addition, Paul will make himself available and accessible to parents throughout the district. “I like to connect directly with parents,” Paul said. “I’m not shy about giving out my cell phone number, email address, and connecting with parents on Facebook messenger. I want to make sure that I’m available to help parents via whatever communication method is best for them

Virtually Engaging With CPS Parents

Paul hosted the first virtual parent engagement meeting on December 10, 2020. This event provided an opportunity for parents to ask anything, and questions ranged from “Will CPS go back to the blended learning model?” to “Can we do night or weekend classes?” to “How can parents better connect with teachers and get more time to complete school work?”. Within 12 hours of the event, it already had over 2,500 views from parents who were unable to attend, highlighting the need for more events like it.

When asked what he thinks the most important role is for a parent, Paul says, “Make your voice heard. But to do this, you must be connected, informed, engaged, and aware of what is going on in your children’s school. Be an advocate—if you don’t think something is right, speak up. Or, if something is going well, let the staff know so they can continue doing it.”

The next virtual parent engagement meeting will be in the 3rd quarter of the school year; check the CPS website and Facebook page for details. To connect with Paul directly, email mcmillp@cpsboe.k12.oh.us.