Mary Grech for Xenia Community Schools

Xenia Community schools are on the move!!!
The first photo refers to the excellent progress for teaching & learning throughout the district. The curriculum committee presented a report for anyone at Monday nights board meeting. It was a comprehensive and detailed report. Thank you Mrs. Palmer, Mr. Neary, Ms. Johnson & Ms. Lacey for all the work you are doing to ensure our teaching staff has the coaching and expertise to teach our children & grandchildren.
The second photo shows the football team & coaches at the wonderful groundbreaking ceremony for Phase II of Doug Adams Stadium.
Thank you to Kristy Creel, Brian Vandergrif and the buildings and grounds crews that made this event happen!
The Xenia Community Schools have so much to look forward to…..

Please share this information with parents of preschool age children!!!

New-To-Xenia Schools Family Event On Tuesday, May 7 from 4:30-7:00 p.m., we are hosting a welcome event for all families with new students -- or even current families who want to know more about the district, get involved with their building PTO, and more! At this event, families are invited to:

Good evening. Today is teacher appreciation day. All week is teacher appreciation week. It’s not too late - never too late! Please thank the teachers past and present in your child’s life.
Even as adults so many of us can remember a teacher that changed our own lives.
For example, several years ago my husband used social media as it should be: he found his favorite elementary school teacher! The next time we were in Detroit we took her out to lunch. It was such fun to hear about my husband from his elementary teacher’s point of view.
Thank you to ALL the teachers past & present for ALL you do!!!

As the school year winds to a close, I would like to take a few moments to ask parents, guardians and grandparents an important question: when did society and especially our children lose the drive to succeed?
This photo speaks volumes to me: the peanut in this photo is DETERMINED to get in that tub! This little one has experienced what fun bath time is and wants to recreate it now, in spite of a giant obstacle!
As an employer for over 20 years I have witnessed the steady decline in performance by many employees. The lockdowns exacerbated it. I am not alone. At the Hall of Honor dinner the other night I spoke with more than one person that employs others, and they noted the same challenges and frustration! The professional groups I belong to speak about it frequently.

Please as a parent, guardian and or grandparent, look long and hard at your kids/grandkids. Ask yourself (even ask them):
*Do they demonstrate resilience in times of trouble big & small, or are you there “fixing” it for them?
*Do they demonstrate the ability to “show up” focused and ready to work/learn even when they don’t want to or don’t feel like it?
*Do they continue trying, instead of making a lot of excuses and/or giving up easily?
*Do they plan ahead so they can succeed?
*Do they demonstrate situational awareness?
*Is safety THE most important thing to them or in other words, what do they/have they given up to be safe?

If your student answered yes to all but the last one, congratulations- they have a much better chance of living a full & joy filled life. They will be more likely to get and hold jobs that will lead to a career that brings fulfillment. Isn’t that what we want for ALL our children?

There is no time to waste. We MUST ensure that our children & grandchildren have the tools mentioned above so they can be ready for anything life throws at them….

Last evening I attended the annual FFA awards banquet. Look carefully at the program! These young people are enthusiastic and goal oriented. Mr. Wuebben, their teacher, clearly cares about his students and is doing a great job of providing leadership opportunities - a core tenant of FFA. Congratulations to all the students that received awards and to their parents! Thank you for the invitation.

Good evening Xenia. Today the second annual job fair was held at Xenia High School. Mrs. Palmer did an exemplary job of organizing and accomplishing an amazing job fair. From the pre-fair instructions, signage, and excellent set up in the gym for the students to easily access all the different vendors. The gym looked amazing and every student was there with helpful instructions/questions. Another shout out goes to Mrs. Shari Jones, head of food services for the wonderful hot lunch. Finally, a big thank you to all the staff that made this happen, teachers, aides, bus drivers…. for their dedication to our students.
I got to talk with so many students today. Please ask your 8th through 12th grade students which jobs sounded the most interesting to them!
proud

Good morning Xenia! This is the week my committee and I are meeting with the city to talk about what can be done with the Market district project. As your School board president, I want to assure you that we on the board are committed to the students and all who support them. We are coming to the table because we recognize what an important opportunity this could be for our students - from Jobs to Housing. However, in order for this to be a viable project, the numbers MUST make sense for the district….
“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending” CS Lewis

A presentation about TIF - tax increment financing, will be provided at the March 11 regular board meeting. It starts at 6:30 and will be held at the board office.

Good evening. Today the 11th and 12th grade students at Xenia High School received an amazing gift. Thanks to Mayor Sarah Mays and Congressman Mike Turner, civilian personnel from WPAFB gave a presentation to the students.
The 1.5 hr presentation was all about the opportunities available to work on the base as a civilian employee. For example, Summer internships start at $15 hour for students 16 years and older!
Opportunities were presented for everyone, college bound or not. There are over 11,000 civilian employees at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. Civilian employees have the opportunity to travel all over the world if they desire. In fact one presenter described how she started as a cashier in the Commissary and worked her way up to her current position as a Director of operations!
Please ask your 11th or 12th grade student to show you the handouts they received. Hopefully this is just the beginning of a collaboration between the base and the high school.

Good afternoon! This morning I had the pleasure of judging the Science Fair at the High School, along with a host of teachers, community members and civic leaders. It was very difficult! All the students were polished and knowledgeable. The projects were interesting, and a great cross section representing young people’s interests today. I need to give a shout out to Ms. Britney Amole who organized and ran the fair. The communication prior to, and communication today was exemplary. The location was easily found thanks to clear signage, and the set up of each project very conducive to conversation with each student. Yet another evidence that Xenia Community Schools want your student to succeed!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/aJqQ9kewiEL8uAeq/?mibextid=WaXdOe

As the link explains, yesterday was SRO (School Resource Officer) appreciation day. Xenia Community Schools are committed to keeping your children safe while in our care. The decision to add SROs predates my time on this school board. However, in the last 2 years the board voted for increased safety measures which have been added to each building and I’m sure you are noticing … As board president I am committed to your child’s safety and I believe having SRO’s visible and present is such an essential part of that plan. These officers are the equivalent of what “old timers” like me remember: community policing. In communities where the officer(s) were visible and accessible, crime was ameliorated. Thank you to our to our SRO’s. We are GLAD you are here💕

To the two young gentlemen that waited patiently for me to get the grand baby out of the car: thank you, thank you!!!They held both doors into Xenia Tim Hortons this afternoon. Once again I am reminded why I am on the school board - to ensure all Xenia youngsters achieve success. These two young men are well on their way, displaying patience, situational awareness and courtesy.
Happy Christmas to all! Kindness - pass it on:)

Please consider how YOU can give the gift of TIME to your child(ren)’s teacher(s)!!!
Merry Christmas everyone!

A few weeks ago I was talking with someone and they asked the question, “What is something we could do for teachers (as a holiday gift) to make them feel respected?”

Respected.

That word got me. I wasn’t sure what to say. Honestly, because I had a rough idea of about how much money this person was talking about and I wasn’t really sure what would make someone feel respected with that amount.

I didn’t think much else about the conversation until today. Today, I left at 4:00 PM. That is my contracted TIME and I never leave at that TIME because my work is not finished then. If I ever leave that early, it comes with the anxiety of not getting TIME to reset my room for the next day, TIME to work to catch up, or TIME to work to get ahead.

Today was different.

I got TIME. Once the kindergartners learn how recess works and they are more independent my team splits recess duty and we each get a day off of duty for the week. Today, I got that TIME. Our principals also gave us “the gift of TIME” by watching our classes for 30 minutes and today was that day for me.

I had so much TIME today that I was able to leave at my contracted TIME with a classroom ready for tomorrow.

So, if someone asks me in the future what is a gift they can give teachers that make them feel respected I will know my answer.

TIME!

This picture is courtesy of my principals who gave me the gift of time in my classroom today. ❤️

A heartfelt congratulations to these Xenia High School students. They are the newest inductees into the National Honor Society. Look closely at these names and remember them! They are your future leaders in all walks of life.
As I watched them come up to be inducted, I had to do some mental math to realize it was 46 years ago that I participated in this same ceremony…. To quote Dr. Seuss, “Oh the places you’ll go”!!!! Congratulations students.

Last night I was privileged to attend the XTAR Talent Show. And WHAT a talented group of youngsters showed up! The students demonstrated their prowess across the spectrum: from art, multimedia, to photography, comedy to singing, dancing and magic! A huge shout out to Ms. Donna Shaw and her staff of professionals that lead/instruct these students. Kudos to all involved.
The state rankings don’t take these important life skill activities into their scoring. This is why this community needs to look beyond those “stars”, and support & follow the Stars in every grade in every Xenia Community School instead!

Happy Thanksgiving Xenia!🦃
Early in the month I posted about practicing gratitude every day. If you make time every day to list things you are thankful for, it becomes easier and easier to do.
Another upside of doing this? It’s much more difficult to be/get angry/sad when you realize all the blessings you have!
Today we celebrate thankfulness. Once you are proficient at making lists (in your head or on paper) of blessings, it’s also recommended by experts to then be a blessing to others in your circle of influence.
Easy ways to do this:
Do things for others unasked - take out the trash, empty the dishwasher, or switch laundry loads.
Show up for work ON time AND every time you are scheduled. Your coworkers will appreciate you!
Another easy one? Bite your tongue if you are the complainer in your group! Or for those keyboard warriors - REFRAIN from the snarky comment! Complaining is contagious sadly, and brings everyone down….
Lastly, notice AND say thank you to others, even for little things - holding the door open, another person lets you go ahead in the checkout line, etc.
I hope and pray your Thanksgiving was stress free and fun!
Remember it’s more fun to Be Kind!

Good morning Xenia Community. Today is the day each year we celebrate the dedication of the district’s ESP’s - Educational Support Personnel. These dedicated individuals, from the Food Service staff, to the Custodial & Maintenance staff, Transportation staff, Paraprofessionals that work 1-1 with the students & assist the teachers, SROs, to the building Administrative Assistants, thank you for your service to our students!!! Imagine a school where one of these services is missing…
Not just today, but any day you see one of these individuals, please thank them for what they do.

Currently at the OSBA conference in Columbus. Just heard about the terrible bus accident in Licking County, involving precious students headed to this Conference. Our hearts and prayers go out to the Tuscarawas Valley Local school system, the community and especially the families involved!!! The conference has been cancelled in order for staff in that district to go home and heal.

Happy Monday! Tomorrow is Election Day. Although many people have voted early I’d like to offer a couple of insights.
I attended the board of election candidates night last Thursday. There was a fair crowd in attendance but I understand (unverified) that about 500 watched the livestream. Good for them! That in and of itself indicates how quickly the world has changed since 2019!!!!
There was much talk about the state report card and Xenia’s ranking.
My first question for you the reader: how many times has the state changed the metric (the way they score) in the last 10 years? I seriously have a Starbucks gift card for the first 2 readers with the correct answer!
What districts are most closely comparable to Xenia in size ( # of schools/students), socioeconomic status and level of education?
More QUESTIONS:
What is the absentee rate for Xenia students? Staff?
What is the percentage of parents that empty their child’s book bag PK - 2nd grade on a regular basis?
What is the percentage of parents/guardians that attend 1, 2, or 3 events at their child’s school in a year or in 5 years?
What is the percentage of people in Xenia that quit their job or lost it due to Covid and are not working - not even looking for work?
The POINT
Tomorrow there will be people that go to the polls and select/not select a school board candidate because of a sign or because of what social media tells them.
I’m asking you to spend 15 MINUTES on a search engine or email to find the answer to the above questions!!! Then go vote for the 2 candidates that probably also know the answer to these questions (or will actually look for the answers).

Do we need to do better as a district? Absolutely! Are there better measures of the district’s success? State rankings that change repeatedly are a poor litmus test. What do they really tell us? Depends upon the year…How well a child takes Tests? Maybe… They are the easy way for politicians to gin up anger among “the masses”.
Cleveland Public Schools are on their 11th year - yup year 11!!! working to improve their students’ ability to learn, and actually become productive members of society. Their scores have improved over those 11 years as they have addressed their vision & goals improvement plan.
Final thought: any person you elect tomorrow will “inherit” the problems AND the accomplishments from previous boards. For example this current board is working to complete the vision from several previous boards while trying to: actually ensure the students entrusted to our care are safe thrive and become productive members of society, update that vision, use your money wisely, and, address stakeholder concerns. Please choose wisely! And vote NO on issues 1 & 2. They will directly negatively affect children if passed.

1 November already! This year has flown by! It is the day to remember those loved ones we have lost “Feast of All Souls”. I remember my brother Thomas J Meier II and rejoice in the 40 short years we had with him. Let’s all take a moment to remember those that have passed.
This is the month to especially give thanks so let’s all start listing our blessings. I’ll start:
2 years on the Xenia Community Schools Board has taught me so much!
The opportunity to meet and interact with so many people that are passionate about education.
The amazing staff of XCS who are ALL educators whether they carry that title or not.
The parents that trust XCS with the job of educating their children.
The students that come to school ready and willing to learn!
I hope everyone reading this will take a moment to recognize & list at least 5 blessings they have every day this month. See what a change it makes in your life & the lives of those around you.
Thankfulness: Pass it on:)

This past Tuesday we had the luxury of handing out over 1,000 pieces of candy at Xenia Community Schools Trunk or Treat! We’re building a better Xenia for every single student 🔨

Where have all the women gone?
Back in July/August a woman acquaintance told me a story that has haunted me all these months. It was about this woman’s friend that had an unplanned pregnancy. The pregnant woman already had children and was stressing because she knew she “wasn’t ready for another child”. The baby was aborted. The acquaintance told me this story because she “didn’t want her friend to HAVE to carry an unwanted child”. Now we have the latest “Vote yes on issue 1” TV ad about the couple whose child was “going to die” so she aborted it?!? Where were the supportive women in these true stories?
I am 62 yrs old. In those 62 years I have seen amazing opportunities for women open up. I witnessed the signing of Title 9 so that my 3 girls could play on sports teams and better themselves. I have seen women thrive in business, sports, judicial, healthcare …. You name the field. Except one: motherhood. The ONE area that is unique to women has been stripped down so as to be derided in the press and reviled by many people to the point where we think of motherhood as a “choice” instead of the miracle it is.
When I was experiencing an unplanned pregnancy as a college student I was blessed to have amazing women around me, some of which I still know and love 50 years later. They offered emotional and financial support to ensure I finished college and still kept my daughter. If Covid taught us anything - didn’t it teach us that to be in our government dictated/enforced “silos” is HELL?
Where are we women when the other women in our lives are in crisis? Our help consists of driving them to the abortion clinic? Really? What does that accomplish? No more baby but! How does that fix the underlying reason for the abortion? It does NOT!
How about instead of a Constitutional Amendment that protects pedophiles, s*x traffickers and strips parents of the right to make medical decisions for our minor children, we women start PROTECTING each other? We actually support each other by “being there” : listening, offering emotional, & financial support and most importantly our time!!! How about we start having the hard conversations with other women in our lives?
WHAT IS MY POINT? Simply this:
Issue 1 protects s*x traffickers, pedophiles, and those who use women as tools for their own gain! Issue 1 is not there to protect women (or children). Issue 1 will destroy the rights we women have fought for in Ohio. Women, vote NO on issue one to protect yourself and the other amazing women in your life!!!

Good morning Xenia Community!
Last night was the regularly scheduled board meeting for XCS. YONDR bags continue to be a topic of discussion. 1 parent and one student spoke out against them. 1 parent spoke out for them. In a perusal of the local online forums there appears to be support both for and against.

As I stated to all three speakers (who stayed for the entire board meeting- THANK YOU!) I personally (and as a therapist professionally) view these bags as a Gift to each child. Let’s face it, your child is at school without their phone for 6 hours out of a 24 hr day! That’s 6 hours for learning instructional content and actually practicing speaking to others face to face. Learning to read social cues through body language, tone of voice, facial expressions. That is PRICELESS! That still leaves 50% of the day for phones assuming they sleep 6 hours?
We as a society are ADDICTED to our screens. I include myself in that “we”. I am actively working to lessen my screen time to work related only, and as little TV as possible…. With a grandchild over 3x a week, the music is on so that makes it easier for no screens - we are busy:)

Finally, in researching this subject further I came across this information on safety (clearly a concern by those opposed to the bags). It is an article with links to the research, entitled
“Parents Should Not Post Children’s Photos Online”
file:///var/mobile/Library/SMS/Attachments/75/05/20DE7483-B298-423B-B909-BAEB19ADEE50/IN-DEPTH%20Parents%20Should%20Not%20Post%20Children's%20Photos%20Online,%20Warn%20Safety%20Experts%20%20The%20Epoch%20Times.png
I encourage those both for and against the bags to read this!!! It is a quick and informative read. Happy Tuesday everyone!

So last night was the first Republican presidential debate. Unless you subscribed to Fox News, you were not able to watch it? I’m not a subscriber. I looked elsewhere & didn’t find it.
More evidence that we are no longer a 2 party system: it’s really the UniParty of the haves. The rest of us are relegated to sound bites and edited content to ensure we receive the correct narrative.
Fight back America! Stay informed - it will take work listening & reading biased screeds from both “sides”. But we MUST if we are to combat the divisions…
Pray, inform yourself THEN vote.

A new school year. A fresh start. Big dreams. Lots to learn. Welcome back Xenia Community Schools students! Welcome back XCS teachers and staff!
Prayers for a wonderful year full of exploration, discovery and adventure……

Good evening Xenia. Tonight I had the distinct pleasure of once again assisting this excellent program. My dog Tater as well as my daughter’s dog, Finn, provided an ice breaker/stress reliever for children that are often embarrassed, a little scared, and uncertain.
We served about 250 people with new shoes tonight. Families showed up walking, or driving to get their new shoes. A few of the children actually showed up barefoot because they had no shoes.
In this difficult economy I’m here to ask you, good Xenia residents to really step up and look out for your neighbors. This is just one way to do it. Check out their website shoes4theshoeless.org for more information.
Thank you to the founder, Kris Horlacher for demonstrating how to be the “hands and feet” of Christ. Thank you to all the board members and volunteers that make this amazing program a reality.
Finally, thank you my wonderful youngest daughter Aileen for introducing me to this organization. School starts over the next few weeks. Let’s make sure ALL children can attend with a new pair of shoes….

Happy beautiful Sunday morning! God IS good….

Our State Administration however, not so much! Here is an update I received earlier this week regarding changes to how Ohio government is reformatting education in Ohio. The laws and regulations coming out of Columbus are ALREADY mostly onerous and very cumbersome. Sadly they are about to get WORSE.
BOTTOM LINE:
- another layer of bureaucracy
- less local control
- more tax money wasted
- kids needs are even more politicized
Quoted directly off the ODE website:

“House Bill 33 of the 135th General Assembly included several legislative changes impacting the Ohio Department of Education and State Board of Education. During the first week in October, the Department of Education will be renamed the Department of Education and Workforce and will become a cabinet-level agency reporting to the Governor of Ohio. Further, the legislation created a new agency, the Department of Children and Youth, to provide services more efficiently to children and their families in the areas of prevention, early education and support.

The current powers and duties of the State Board of Education will be divided between the State Board of Education and Department of Education and Workforce. But we want to assure you the members of the State Board and Department staff remain committed to student success and will continue to be available to support students, families, educators, schools and districts.”

Calling all parents and grandparents! There is still time! Staff from busing, health services, student services, gifted technology and curriculum are HERE to answer your questions until 6pm tonight. Come on down to McKinley to get your questions answered….

Good afternoon Xenia. Please look at the photos closely. You will see how last night at 11:30 pm Xenia students as young as 7! (And older students) vandalized this sculpture that a local business paid for! The saddest part of this story is that there were parents of at least one of the youth responsible, present for the incident.
We, as the parents & grandparents of our children MUST teach all our children to respect other people’s property - no matter who pays for it!
Also, why are children as young as 7 out in downtown Xenia, where everything is closed at 11:30 pm?
Parents: no matter what your political affiliations are, can we ALL agree that teaching all our children that “hands off if I don’t own it” is an important lesson?

Good evening. Tonight I saw a profoundly disturbing movie that needs to be watched by every person that cares about others: you and everyone you know.
It’s not a feel good movie - just the opposite! It shows just how sick & depraved humanity has fallen, but there IS HOPE. And that hope is that the more people that see this movie, the more SUNLIGHT is shown upon this EVIL that is child (or human) trafficking.
I find it very interesting that several mainstream media types are attempting to isolate and demonize the star of the movie Jim Cavezial. Does this mean these organizations support child trafficking? One wonders?
This film is too important NOT to see but it has a limited run. Please GO - you can even apply for FREE tickets. There is a pay it forward option and we partnered with them so I know there are paid for tickets available!
The Sound of Freedom
The Sound of Freedom
The Sound of Freedom: at the Greene go online & get your tickets now. Please