Many students in Ravenna School District will be in a new building when the term gets underway.
Students in grades one to nine will be back in class Aug. 20. Those in grades 10 to 12 will head back Aug. 21. Preschool and kindergartners head to the classroom on Aug. 25.
This school year will put grades seven through 12 in Ravenna Jr./Sr. High School at 6589 N. Chestnut St. Jonathan Lane is the school’s principal, and Brian Duncan and Kristin Stambaugh are the assistant principals.
Students in grades three to six will attend Brown Intermediate School at 228 S. Scranton St. Acacia Scott is the new principal.
Willyard Elementary School at 680 Summit Road will continue to house students in kindergarten, first and second grades. Angela Siwik is the new principal.
Ravenna Preschool at 531 Washington Ave. will have morning classes from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Afternoon sessions will be 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. New student screening is scheduled Aug. 19 by appointment. Orientation will be individually scheduled for each family on Aug. 21 or Aug. 24.
Bus routes were released in early August.
Fall sports are under way, and seventh and eighth graders are practicing at the former high school. Those who want to participate in sports should contact the athletic department at 330-296-9679.
Aurora City Schools extends its math program to K-2 grades
Superintendent Paul Milcetich said Aurora City Schools kindergartners through second graders will get a turn with a new new math curriculum called Bridges in Mathematics.
The same curriculum previously was introduced for grades three to five.
Milcetich said Ohio Senate Bill 19 created new standards for K-5 math instruction. The legislation gives schools some leeway but has “very tight requirements,” he said.
While the bill only recently passed, Milcetich said Aurora has been following discussions on it for two years.
“[Senate Bill 19] just caused us to reflect on what we’ve been doing,” said Milcetich.
All Aurora students return to class Aug. 18.
At Aurora High School, students will have a chance to take two new advanced placement courses – AP Cybersecurity and AP Business and Personal Finance.
“We’re so excited about both these programs,” said Milcetich.
At Leighton Elementary School, work was completed Aug. 4 on the renovation of the Leighton Amphitheater, an aging outside learning center that had been neglected.
The project, which started in June, was a partnership between Aurora Schools Foundation, Aurora Elementary Parent Teacher Organization, Rotary Club of Aurora, V Financial Partners and JJ’s Beautification Service.
“We are very excited to open that up for the students and staff, but it’s outside so others in the community can use it as well,” said Milcetich.
He said the staffing in the district has stabilized, but this comes after four or five years of turnover, including a the retirement of former Superintendent Mike Roberto before the start of the 2025-26 school year.
Milcetich, previously the assistant superintendent, replaced Roberto, and Aurora High School Principal Mike Hayes was promoted to assistant superintendent. To complete the string of changes, Ashley Pacholewski, formerly a middle school assistant principal in Ashland, was hired to take over from Hayes.
In addition, former district Treasurer Bill Volosin also retired last year after 26 years. Bryan Schiraldi, formerly school district treasurer in Youngstown, was hired to take over.
“We’re looking forward to having a great year,” said Milcetich. “We had a very strong year last year, and we’re excited to get students and staff back in the buildings and have the energy of the school year get rolling.”
New fees, in-school care program for Streetsboro students
Streetsboro City Schools students will head back to class Aug. 20-21.
All students in grades one to six, along with students in ninth grade, will return to school Aug. 20. Students in grades seven and eight and 10-12 will return to class Aug. 21.
Kindergartners will return Aug. 20-21, with students divided by homeroom. All kindergartners will officially start Aug. 24.
Preschoolers will return Aug. 24-25, with half attending each day. Allpre-kindergarten students will be attending Aug. 26.
Students can spend the hours before and after school in a program that stresses education and safety.
The “Right Club” program is part of the national Right at School program whose promise to parents is “safe, engaging and meaningful in-school and extracurricular programs to enrich the lives of students and give parents peace of mind.”
The program, which requires a fee to participate, opens at 6:30 a.m. each day and runs until 6 p.m.
Students will get exposed to games, language adventures, take home arts and crafts and daily homework time with educator support.
Students can take part in STEM experiments and “disguised learning,” which will keep them off their screens. They’ll also explore vocabulary and common phrases in a second language.
The program offers discounts for multiple children and for military members.
A change this school year is a new fee structure for extracurricular activities.
Final Forms information and transportation forms need to be completed so students can be assigned a bus route, which can be found in the My Ride K-12 app. Those with questions about busing should contact schoolbus@scsrockets.org.
School supply lists and hours can be found for each building on the district’s Back to School hub at scsrockets.org/page/back-to-school-hub.
New elementary principals in Kent City Schools
Some Kent City School District pupils will be greeted by a new principal when they head back to school this week.
On Aug. 19, students at Stanton Middle School will meet Alli Bogdan, and students at Davey Elementary will have Barb Flowers as their new principal.
All Kent City Schools students return to class the same day.
Superintendent Tom Larkin said Kathy Scott retired from Stanton after last school year. Scott spent 40 years with the district. Abbey Bolton, who formerly was principal at Davey, was hired as the district’s new director of instruction.
“We are really excited about both these ladies,” said Superintendent Tom Larkin said of Bogdan and Flowers.
Bogdan said she is starting her 28th year in public education, after 23 years with Cuyahoga Falls City School District. She served there as a social studies teacher, assistant principal and principal at both the middle school and high school levels, and most recently was the district’s director of human resources. She has a bachelor of arts in Psychology from Walsh University and a master of arts in Educational Administration from The University of Akron.
“I describe my leadership approach as people-first and relational, grounded in supporting educators, building strong partnerships with families, and fostering safe, positive learning environments for our students,” Bogdan stated in an email to the Beacon Journal. “While my time at the district-level broadened my operational understanding, I am thrilled to return to the building level where my true passion lies. I look forward to welcoming our students, celebrating classroom successes, and partnering with this talented and passionate staff to serve the students and families of Stanton Middle School.”
Flowers said she has 15 years of experience in education, including six years as a classroom teacher and nine years in leadership. She served as an assistant principal and then principal at Brimfield Elementary. Last school year she was principal of Willyard Elementary in Ravenna School District. She earned her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction and Ph.D. in K-12 educational leadership from Kent State University.
“Throughout my career, I have been passionate about building strong relationships and creating positive learning environments where students, staff and families can thrive,” Flowers said in an email to the Beacon Journal. “I am excited to join Kent City Schools.”
Outside of school, Flowers said she enjoys spending time with her husband, Matt, and her family. She has two children, Emerson and Reese, who attend Longcoy Elementary, as well as two stepsons, Carson and Luke. Flowers said she also enjoys reading, spending time outdoors, and cheering on her children at their sporting events.
“As both a parent and an educator, I am honored to have the opportunity to serve Kent City Schools,” Flowers said. “Working in the same district where my children attend school is especially meaningful, and I look forward to building relationships with students, families and staff while contributing to the continued success of the district.”
Crestwood Local to focus on learning new math, reading curriculums
Superintendent Aireane Curtis said Crestwood’s 2026-27 school year will be one of settling in after two years of significant curriculum changes.
“Two years ago we did math, last year we did reading,” she said. “We kind of went status quo this year because we did a lot in the last two years.”
Crestwood Local Schools students return to class Aug. 19.
Curtis said teachers have been learning the new math curriculum for students in kindergarten through 12th grade for the last two years. Now elementary teachers are getting used to the new reading program.
“That’s part of the state’s push of the science of reading,” she said.
The ReadOhio program Gov. Mike DeWine launched in 2023 uses research that shows how students learn to read and write, why some students struggle and the effective teaching of reading and writing proficiency.
Curtis said the program “technically” addresses reading instruction for kindergarten through grade five, but because Crestwood Intermediate School is for grades four to six, the district decided to include the sixth graders into the new curriculum.
“Teachers were doing a lot of training last year as we were learning the new materials,” said Curtis. “So this year is really just about giving them some time to jump in there and go to the next level with some of what we’ve done and just feel more and more comfortable every day with it.”
Mogadore students returning to school Aug. 19
Students in grades one through 12 will return to school Aug. 19.
Parking passes will go on sale at the high school, starting the first day of school. Officials will conduct open houses for O.H. Somers Elementary School and Mogadore Jr./Sr. High School on Aug. 17.
Kindergarten students will have a half-day session Aug. 26, with half of the students attending a morning session and the other half attending in the afternoon. The next day, all kindergartners will be in class all day. Pre-screening with families is scheduled Aug. 19.
Information on transportation signups and school supply lists can be found at mogadore.net.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Ravenna, Streetsboro students see big changes in their classrooms
Reporting by Jeff Saunders and Diane Smith, Ravenna Record-Courier / Record-Courier
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jeff Saunders and Diane Smith, Ravenna Record-Courier | USA TODAY Network
