New teachers, likely groundbreakings highlight '18-19 SWL year

Southwest Licking Schools leaders look forward to building on a foundation of safe learning opportunities for all students, serving an increasing number of youths and, perhaps, breaking ground on new school buildings this fall, as the 2018-19 school year gets underway.

The first wave of SWL students are scheduled to start returning to classes on Aug. 20, with other grades following over successive days.

Superintendent Robert T. Jennell previewed the coming school year during a discussion at the district office on Aug. 7.

“Our foundation is one based on the goal all students can learn from our highly qualified staff in safe places,” Jennell said, who is entering his seventh year as SWL superintendent.

The district continues to offer learning opportunities tailored to individual goals along three specific post-high school pathways, Jennell said. 

Those include a path for those students wanting to go directly into the workforce, or who are directed at life-events goals; a pathway to the military through strong district-provided educational and team-driven opportunities, and finally, a path for those intending to go on for two- or-four-year college studies.

“We believe in strong, blended learning that combines technology, good teaching and project-based learning, along with STEM/STEAM instruction,” Jennell said.

The district hosted its first STEAM camp at Watkins Middle School in late June, which drew about 250 students from kindergarten through eighth grade, according to a recent SWL newsletter.

Several new instructors will be coming on board this school year, too, Jennell said, and they were chosen with an eye toward diverse backgrounds and experiences which might further enrich the student learning experience within SWL schools.

The district also continues to experience and plan around what Jennell described as “slow and steady student enrollment growth.”

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Although Jennell cautioned it’s still a bit early to settle on too-approximate a number of students who will begin the school year with the district later this month, he said overall district enrollment will probably be somewhere in the vicinity of 4,100 students.

“We really watch our student-teacher ratios,” he said, “because we know how important it is that kids have the proper access and amount of (interaction) with their teachers.”

Several facilities' improvements have also been made over the summer break, including a gutting and putting back together of the section of building at Pataskala Elementary that suffered a roof collapse shortly before summer break last school year.

New solar-powered school zone signs will be seen in Kirkersville this school year, and the district’s preschool has had its asbestos abatement completed, he said.

A new buzz-in system at the middle school will provide further safety enhancements at that school, he said.

Updating school construction progress, Jennell said the district is squarely in the design-and-development phase, and 3-D renditions of the new schools were expected to have been available for viewing at the Pataskala Street Fair.

Jennell said some breaking of ground for first construction could occur late this fall, but certainly no later than the spring.

As earlier reported, the district will build a new Watkins Memorial High School (serving Grades 9-12) and new Watkins Intermediate school (serving Grades 4-5) at the corner of Smoke Road and Ohio 40.

As described by Jennell in a recent column for parents, district voters approved a 6.7 mill bond levy in 2017, clearing the way for SWL, “to participate in an Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) co-funded $114, 563,000 project that included an overhaul of four existing buildings, the abatement of the preschool, the abatement and demolition of the middle school and construction of two new buildings.”

Important SWL dates for August include:

• Aug. 17: Kindergarten Screening by appointment only

• Aug. 20: First day of school for Grades 2-6, and Grade 9

• Aug. 21: All students, grades 1-12

• Aug. 22: First day of school for Kindergarten and Preschool

For more information, visit the official district website at www.swl.k12.oh.us or on Facebook at @swllsd

The district will also offer evening open hours for discussions with school officials on the first Tuesday of the month, from 6:30-7:30 p.m., at the District Office, starting Sept. 4.