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WARREN -- The Warren City Schools Board of Education meeting on Tuesday highlighted the district's success with social-emotional learning (SEL).
During the superintendent's report, Dante Capers, Associate Superintendent of Student Services, and Jill Merolla, Supervisor of Community Outreach & Grant Development, provided an update on the district's SEL efforts. They discussed Warren's partnership with CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning), noting that the district has been a pioneer in SEL initiatives, particularly through direct instruction for students from kindergarten through ninth grade.
"Social-emotional learning has been a fixture in Warren City Schools for 15 years," Capers said. "This work started primarily in primary grades, and under the guidance of Merolla, it worked its way through elementary and also the middle grades. The high school picked up this work in 2015 and has been growing it ever since. We've had direct instruction for students in kindergarten through ninth grade, with set-aside time each day to teach students not just about their emotions but how their bodies and brains respond to emotions."
Capers talked about the importance of helping students manage their emotions.
"We talk about how emotions affect ourselves and others and, most importantly, how we can best manage ourselves and our relationships with others in light of whatever we're going through," he said.
The "Lighthouse Project" was piloted at Willard PK-8 last year, integrating SEL concepts with activities like assemblies, classroom presentations, signage throughout the building, and parent engagement. The success of the project inspired Jefferson PK-8 and Warren G. Harding High School to implement similar programs.
"Jefferson started with connection-type activities, while Harding started with academic success skills, like how to prioritize important tasks and study effectively," said Keeth Matheny, an SEL partner who works closely with the district. "High school is not just about how smart you are; it's about how responsible you are, and we're not spending enough time teaching those responsibility skills."
Across the district, students have gotten accustomed to using traffic light posters in classrooms to indicate their emotional state.
"Kids can tell the teacher, 'Hey, I lost control of my emotions, I'm in a red light,' so the teacher can give them space to de-escalate before they get in big trouble," Matheny said.
Teachers also wear themed shirts that reinforce SEL lessons throughout the school week.
"We make the biggest mistakes in our lives when we lose control of our emotions," Matheny said. "The more we reinforce these lessons, through assemblies, classroom instruction, and visual reminders, the more likely students are to use these tools."
The district's work will be showcased as part of the CASEL Convention that will be hosted in Warren in the spring.
"You're talking about school districts like Austin, Anchorage, Denver, and Chicago flying to Warren, Ohio, to learn about the excellent things you guys are doing here," Matheny said. "That is a big stage and a big opportunity."
In other business, John Lacy, Director of Business Operations, discussed infrastructure updates. Lacy announced that the district received a $40,000 grant from the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation to purchase 108 convertible lunch tables for Lincoln PK-8 School.
"The new tables will be lighter and easier to operate for our staff," Lacy said. "The old ones are heavier, and the latches are starting to wear. We've had problems with the wheels too, so the new tables will address those issues, making it safer for staff."
Lacy also discussed a $47,000 contract with Phillips / Sekanick Architects to provide "schematic designs" for upcoming stadium renovations, focusing on the visitor section, which had been blocked off.
In addition, the district is adding new bus cameras through a partnership with Community Bus Services and Gatekeeper Systems, as part of a $128,000 contract. The new system will include cameras inside the bus but also stop arm cameras to capture footage of vehicles that pass buses while stop signs are deployed.
"Unfortunately, that's a big complaint from our drivers, people aren't paying attention and run through the stop signs," Lacy said. "These cameras will allow us to see the vehicle coming and going, and violators could face punishment. There's a report filled out, and it will be given to the police department."
The district hopes to have the new bus camera system operational by December.