Although being the smallest village in Portage County, Windham still has a deep history rooted in its community. Windham will have a chance to educate other school districts from the State of Ohio when it sends its honors history class to the Ohio School Board Avocation Capital Conference and participate in the Student Achievement Fair on Nov. 11 in Columbus.
“All school boards from across the State of Ohio attend this and they either present innovative things that they are doing in their schools or you can learn innovative things that are going on in other schools to bring back to your district,” Windham High School Social Studies Teacher Stephanie Parish Smith told The Weekly Villager on Sep. 26.
Windham’s honors history class, which consists of 12 students in grades six through nine, will attend the educational convention and have an opportunity to educate others about Windham’s history while also learning new topics they can bring back to Windham.
While at the OSBA Capital Conference, Windham’s honor class will have a 10×10 display area at the student Achievement Fair, which boasts innovative student programs, artwork and top student entertainment groups. Their display will highlight the impact of post-World War II on Windham.
“We never got an exit for the turnpike, therefore the economy of Windham has been different than in places like Streetsboro or Warren that do have an exit. We are going to allow the kids to spend time not only studying the impact but then compare and contrast the highway’s impact on us versus other places. We will also predict or draw or create charts to show what the economy of Windham would have looked like in 2024 if we would have been given that exit,” Parish Smith said.
The students will take turns educating other attendees on Windham’s history while also learning about the histories of other Townships and school districts.
“The opportunity that was given to us is very special because it gives us an opportunity to show off–display our community and its growth, as well as the school district,” ninth grader Chloe Fronek said. “It is a really big confidence boost that we have been selected.”
According to Smith, although Windham High School had sent individuals to the to the OSBA Capital Conference it had not sent an entire class in about 10 years. She said that this year’s honors class was special because of their different specialties.
“We have kids who are great writers, and we are trying to find a way to not only meet their interests but also make them life-long learners. It is unique in the sense that these kids are getting to collaborate on projects and do interdisciplinary approaches to different things to enhance their knowledge and development of learning about the topics that we discuss,” she added.
While the class revolves around history, the students apply the historical lessons through different planforms such as art, essays or even poetry.
Seventh grader Aiden Burns said that the OSBA Capital Conference will allow the students to enhance their skillsets.
“We are going to look at things that will make us better writers, better learners and better ways to use technology. Then, hopefully, we will find some grants that we can apply for future field trips that we can go on,” he noted.
The honors students will then take what they learned and bring it back to Windham. It is a chance to educate their teachers on new topics which they believe will be of interest to their fellow students.
Seventh grader Kyle Crismin said he is most looking forward to showing people how connected Windham is.
“Big things are happening here,” he said. “Everybody knows everybody, so we can all help each other.”
For the 12 honors students, it is a chance for them to reverse the roles of student and teachers.
“I am personally excited to present our projects to the other schools that will be there,” said sixth grader Diana Martin.
In addition to the learning experience, the students have been provided, it will also be a step out of their comfort zone.
“These students are the center of this trip,” Parish Smith said. “As opposed to them going to visit the State House, we are out of our little area of the world, showing people we do great things here. While our community is small we have each other’s backs and now we have the chance to display the cool things that we get to do in our little area.”
