On January 5, we were notified that Brookville was one of six Dayton-area schools named to this year's College Board Advanced Placement Honor Roll . The College Board is a not-for-profit organization that connects students to college success and opportunity.  In existence since 1900, The College Board is dedicated to promoting excellence and equity in education.  Two ways this mission is carried out is by promoting student readiness for the SAT entrance exam and greater opportunity for Advanced Placement coursework.

Each year, the College Board releases an Honor Roll of schools across the country.  Honorees have increased student participation or access to Advanced Placement coursework while improving or maintaining high performance on the end of year exam.  This year only 32 Ohio school districts (which represents roughly 5%) earned this award.  

BHS Principal, Mr. Chris Bronner, commented "I'm thrilled we have been able to maintain the high marks achieved on the AP test."  He went on to say, "Also, by adding AP American History, we are beginning to give more Advanced Placement opportunities to students."   Social Studies teacher, Mr. Mark Brown, who teaches two of the four AP courses, added that he was "pleased with the results. With the shift in Ohio's curriculum the last couple of years and Government now being a junior level course, this will potentially allow more students to participate in AP," Mr. Brown said.  "I really want to actively recruit more students to have the confidence that they can do AP work."  He concluded by stating that, "every year I teach an AP course I become more effective at preparing students for the test." Because of this he believes our scores in the new AP History class will improve.  

We know that increased rigor of coursework enhances student preparation. Brookville now offers Advanced Placement in four classes including AP History, AP Government, AP English and AP Calculus.  Being named to this prestigious Honor Roll validates the work of these students and their teachers.  We congratulate all those involved!

We understand that in this digital age teachers must present material differently than in the past.  The chalkboard notes that called for the lowest level of "remembering" on Bloom's Taxonomy do little to catch the interest of even our youngest learners. They leave school each day to a world of high tech cell phones, high definition television and video games along with instant internet access.  Creating ways to greater engage students in the learning process is evident in our classrooms every day. Here are just a couple of examples:

First Graders Use iPads and QR Codes for Reading Station  

Mrs. Leann Summers used a teacher Pinterest site to uncover this nugget which was added to reading time. One rotation in the reading and writing stations allows students use of an iPad to read a QR Code which gives them access to books. The iPad then reads the book to the students who are wearing headphones and students can see all of  the book's illustrations. 

Mrs. Summers pointed to many benefits of this practice. "When students can hear how the books are read properly it enhances their reading fluency.  Also, I try to keep the books they discover at this station just a bit above grade level in order to stretch their vocabulary and reading skills." She went on to add that "learning to use the QR Code reader is something the students have really enjoyed and only adds to their technology skills." With four iPads in the classroom the students have learned this is a rotation in their reading and writing time and they thoroughly enjoy the opportunity to explore new books!  

Fifth Graders Put Force and Motion into Practice

A recent walk through the BIS hallways involved weaving through the students of fifth grade science teacher Miss Teresa Huelskamp. Using lessons from author Nancy Shaw's book "Sheep in a Jeep", students were actively engaged in a lab of testing the principals of force and motion. 

Groups of 3-4 students had toy cars with a plastic sheep taped into the driver's seat.  Using classroom supplies of books, clipboards, rulers and some sand paper, they measured how forces, such as pushes and pulls, can be changed by causes like gravity, friction, and air resistance. 

The teamwork and dialogue amongst students was evident and exciting. Students made predictions, practiced measurement skills, learned data collection and communicated results in writing.  It was clearly an example of application, analyzation and evaluation of the rules of force and motion.  Not to mention, it was FUN!  You can hear from our students in the short YouTube videos found here and here.

And at the end, a life lesson was added: The tape was taken off the plastic sheep as the toy car was sent down the ramp one last time. Students measured how far the sheep flew out of the vehicle.  Point made, WEAR YOUR SEAT BELT!!      

The Jr. High basketball teams have returned to competition after the holiday break and continue the process of learning the sport and honing their skills. With a game cancelled last week because of an afternoon snow event the schedule will be packed over the next few weeks leading up to the end-of-year SWBL tournaments.  Here is a thumbnail overview of these four teams.

Girls Teams

Seventh Grade  - This team has a roster of 12 young ladies and currently has a record of 2-2.  Coach Jill Lenser points to a big win against Preble Shawnee as being the highlight of this early season.  She added that the team is really working hard in practice.  A focus has been to apply a disciplined approach to carrying out the fundamentals of the game.       

Eighth Grade - The eighth grade girls have 11 players on their roster and like their 7th grade teammates sport a record of 2-2 at this point.  The team is coached by Marcus Lamb. The girls are within a matter of months now from becoming a part of our high school girls' basketball program.  It will be fun to watch them continue growth over the remainder of the season as they prepare for high school ball. You can see the girls' schedule here.

Boys Teams

Seventh Grade - First year coach, Chris Storer, has a full roster of 13 young men.  While the team has yet to taste victory at 0-5, Coach Storer is anything but discouraged.  He pointed to the most recent loss to Waynesville by only 2 points as indication that the team is improving and coming together.  He noted that stressing a strong passing game and the need to reduce turnovers is the emphasis at practice these days.  Coach Storer finished by saying he anticipates things coming together for this team soon!

Eighth Grade - The 8th grade boys team has 11 players on the roster and currently holds a record of 2-3.  Coach Nathan Feitshans reflected on a big win over Dixie as being what he felt was the highlight of this season. Coach Feitshans quickly noted that consistency is what the team is really focused on at this time.  He pointed out the boys' need to understand practicing hard on a daily basis as being a key to improvement. You can see the boys' schedule here.

We wish all these teams the very best as they move through their seasons.

★★★ As a special note: Brookville will host the SWBL Jr. High Boys' Basketball Tournament this year. These games will begin on Saturday, February 4th and will end with the final games being held on Saturday February 11th in both school gyms. Please be advised that Brookville Sport Passes will NOT be accepted for these tournament games.

We would like to introduce you to Mrs. Katie Blevins, one of our BES teachers. The Staff Spotlight is a regular feature in the Blue Connector and is designed to assist you in getting to know our teachers and staff. Please take a moment to learn a little bit about Mrs. Blevins and what she does at BES.

Where is your hometown?

Miamisburg, Ohio

 

Where do you live now? 

I live in Miamisburg, Ohio.

 

How many years of teaching experience do you have?

This is my seventh year teaching full time. Before I became a full time teacher, I was a substitute teacher for two years in various districts (Miamisburg, Centerville, Kettering, Franklin, West Carrollton and Brookville).

How many years have you taught at Brookville?

This is my seventh year teaching in Brookville.

What is your position in the school district?

I am a 3rd grade teacher.

Tell us about your family and hobbies outside of teaching?

I have one older sister, Sarah, who lives in Chicago with my beautiful niece and nephew, Addison and Matthew. I have been married to my high school sweetheart, Mark, for seven years. We have two daughters that my whole life revolves around. Emma is a first grader and Georgia is a preschooler. Both girls attend Bishop Leibold Catholic School. Outside of teaching I like to spend as much time outside as possible with my family. Our girls are both involved in various sports that take up a lot of our time.

 

What is your favorite thing about working in Brookville?

My favorite things about teaching in Brookville are the children and staff. I couldn't do my job without having such amazing teams to collaborate with and students who are always willing to learn. It is great to be a part of a community that values education and children.

 

How do you spend June and July?

During the months of June and July, my family and I take time to travel. We always go to Anna Maria Island (Florida) and spend a week on the beach enjoying the laid back island life. We also enjoy traveling to Chicago and Wisconsin to be with family. Locally, we spend most of our days in a pool. We also like to spend time doing various entertainment activities such as skating, bowling, going to Kings Island, etc.

Cody Puskas

Students participating in the Miami Valley Teen Coding Challenge, #Unhackable: Keeping It Secure - a 12-week programming contest for Miami Valley high school students gathered December 7, 2016 to present their work to judges at the Sinclair Community College Dayton campus.  In the end, the MVCTC team led by Brookville senior Cody Puskas, was voted 3rd place. "Team Puskas" created an app to track and secure medical data for diabetes patients.  Congratulations Cody!

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Brookville Board of Education

January is School Board Recognition Month in Ohio. At Brookville we are proud to have a Board that works together to ensure the children of our community have the resources, policies and practices in place to learn and grow in a wonderful school system.  We offer our thanks to them for countless hours dedicated to making Brookville Schools one of the best districts in the Miami Valley.

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Seth Linville

Seth recently took 1st place at the Versailles JV Wrestling Invitational. He continues to build upon this tournament championship in putting together an outstanding season. Congratulations Seth!!