During the summer of 2024, while planning for the upcoming school year, Ohio's leadership team recognized that collaboration and cohesion between Discovery Academy (DA) and Wildwood Environmental Academy (WEA) would be key to driving student achievement. With this partnership as their primary focus, both academies participated in joint professional development sessions, held collaborative grade-level planning meetings and encouraged teachers to share experiences across buildings.

This collaborative approach led to several innovative initiatives that enhanced learning for both schools. During discussions about writing instruction, the second grade teachers created a pen pal program to offer students additional writing opportunities. Students in Jolynn Kruzel and Katie Sterrit (DA), along with Tatum Huling and Michelle Huffman (WEA) classes, sent letters back and forth, honing writing and communication skills. This writing experience culminated in the students meeting in person for lunch at Discovery Academy at the end of the year! Another example of a successful shared initiative occurred when kindergarten students from Hannah Bassett's class (DA) and Julie Durham's class (WEA) adopted cows through Discover Dairy. The kindergarten teachers created shared lessons and celebrated together when Ms. Bassett's class’s cow won an award! Both of these experiences highlight wonderful learning experiences for all that wouldn’t have been possible without the schools working together!  

In celebration of all that the schools accomplished together this year, a joint end-of-the-year celebration took place. Food, fellowship and friendships were the main focus as school leaders Elizabeth Lewin (WEA) and Julie Flowers (DA) passed out awards including the "Ohio All-Stars Award" for collaboration between buildings in a meaningful way, which was earned by the second grade and kindergarten teams for their innovative PenPal and Discover Dairy programs. Other recognitions included Most Academic and Professional Growth, Relationship Building, and the Quiet Hero Award, among many others. The celebration was the perfect ending to the beginning of many more years of collaboration between the two schools to come! The success of these collaborative efforts proved that when schools work together with shared purpose, student achievement and community connections flourish in ways that benefit everyone involved.

Booker McCain, instructional coach at Academy for Business & Technology Middle/High, has established a platform to celebrate and showcase student creativity through writing. Students from Creative Writing class contributed their original work to the school's inaugural literary publication, "Voices of ABT: Spring 2025 Literary Magazine."

“As a former ELA [English Language Arts] teacher, I’ve always loved encouraging students to write creatively. During my time teaching here, I even published two poetry books with my students. Now, as an administrator, working with students to share their writing allows me to stay connected in a meaningful way. More importantly, it shows our students that their voices carry power, influence and the ability to connect with others. Writing is not just expressive — it’s freeing,” reflects Mr. McCain.

The Moon’s Call 

By Zharia Sims

After a long day of school, I sink into bed,

The sheets wrapping around me, the bed

Holding me — pulling me away from reality.

I drift off to sleep, deeply remembering

The highlights of my day.

Around 4 a.m., I am awakened

By the beauty of the full moon’s glow

As it knocks on my window, gently

Asking me to come dance

In the beautiful night full of stars.

As tired as I am from my day,

I don’t decline. Instead,

I quickly slip silently into my shoes

And race outside into the big field full of flowers —

The place where the moon shines its brightest.

The moon shines a spotlight on me,

Asking me to dance.

I begin to move in the light,

As if no one will ever see.

I feel the sweet summer breeze

Sweeping past me — chilly, but not cold.

I close my eyes, enjoying the breeze on my face.

I continue dancing in the moonlight,

Swaying back and forth, moving my arms,

Feeling the beautiful spotlight on me,

And the wind wrapping around me.

I dance and spin,

Laughing loudly — but not loud enough to wake others.

I spin until I’m dizzy,

Dance until my feet hurt.

But suddenly, as quickly as the fun began,

The moonlight dims —

Giving me a sign that the sun will be up soon.

With a sigh,

The moon and I share our goodbyes.

The spotlight dies down.

As it slips below the horizon —

And the sun rises —

I slip back into bed

And drift back to sleep,

Awaiting the full moon’s next call...

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