080724_2024-25_SchoolGuide

Y E L LOW S P R I N G S N EWS 2 O 2 4 – 2 5 S C HOO L G U I D E | 3 Welcome to the 2024–25 school year! We are excited for the year ahead and all the growth and changes that will be happening. This year we will begin incorporating the design thinking process into our project work across all disciplines. Making our work more human-centric and user-specific will add meaning, relevance and value for our students. This year we will continue our STEAM implementation and will begin the formal process of applying for STEAM designation. We will also begin implement- ing Individual Career and Academic Plans (ICAPs) for all students in grades 8–12. The ICAPs will assess student interests and skills, consider short- and long-term goals and ensure that the academic plan for each individual student puts them on a path to meet those goals. We plan to meet with each family annually to review and update each ICAP so graduates leave having achieved their high school goals and confident in their post-secondary plan. Finally, this school year will mark the offi- cial start of our facilities construction. The majority of our first floor classes will move to modular classrooms over winter break. It is our goal to grow our programming over the nearly 20-month construction process so we are at our strongest point when we move into our new 5–12 building for the 2026–27 school year. We will be welcoming several new staff members to our teaching team. Kyleigh Clawson will be joining our high school staff as an instructional assistant. She will primarily be working with upperclass- men. Paige Sellars will be beginning her teaching career in Yellow Springs. She will be teaching our high school life science courses. Joshua Mabra will be teaching AP Research and Journalism as Eli Hurwitz steps into the middle school ELA posi- tion. Emily Hartshorn will be teaching our middle school STEM courses as Shawna Welch transitions to the athletic director role and Jeff Eyrich oversees the facilities project. Finally, Erin Messer will be join- ing our middle team as our intervention JACK HATERT, Principal Mckinney Middle School/Yellow Springs High School specialist as Hilary Riepenhoff moves to the middle school social studies role. We are excited to have these new educators on our team! We will be hosting our annual open house on Monday, Aug. 12, 6–7:30 p.m. Students and families are invited in to walk their schedules, meet their teachers and organize their lockers. In addition, we will be hosting brief class meetings during the open house. Families of stu- dents in grades 10–12 will have meetings from 6–6:30 p.m. Students of families in grades 7–9 will have meetings from 6:45–7:15 p.m. Please make sure to pick up your family’s copy of the district cal- endar during open house. This calendar has a comprehensive list of events for the 2024–25 school year, including semester and final exam dates, concert dates, prom and homecoming dates and the dates of other special events. I want to personally thank each of you for choosing Yellow Springs Schools. We are excited for the new year and are con- fident we can deliver a great, safe experi- ence. Please do not hesitate to contact me (jhatert@ysschools.org or 937-767-7224) with any questions, concerns, or feedback as we grow together. Here’s to a great school year! Go Bulldogs! “Wishing you a wonderful year.”  — Bob Barcus & Aïda Merhemic Supporting our schools... 20 years sales experience. Locally based, globally connected—let our connections work for you! 4486 Indian Ripple Rd. Beacercreek, OH 45440 Sam Eckenrode 937-470-1867 Realtor/Associate Partner H ave a happy and healthy school year MICE? ANTS? SPIDERS? BUGS? CALL US! DaytonBugs.com • 937-263-6912 • P.O. Box 458, Yellow Springs, OH • Residential & Commercial Pest Control • Bird friendly bait & Eco-friendly options ​The local school board is a five-member, publicly elected body responsible for the policies, finances and personnel of the Yellow Springs Exempted School District. Board meetings are regularly sched- uled on the second Thursday of the month, typically beginning at 7 p.m., in the Yellow Springs High School Media Center. The board sometimes meets at the same time and location on the fourth Wednesday of the month for an optional work session; other meetings are sched- uled as needed. All regular meetings are streamed live on the district’s YouTube Channel — youtube.com/ @yellowspring- sschoolsboe — and archived there as well. The location of all meetings is tenta- YELLOW SPRINGS BOARD OF EDUCATION tive pending construction. Each serving four-year terms, cur- rent board members are Amy Bailey, Dr. Dorothée Bouquet, Judith Hempfling, Dr. Rebecca Potter, and Dr. Amy Magnus. Judith Hempfling is the board president, and Dr. Rebecca Potter is the vice president. The terms of Bouquet, Hempfling and Magnus conclude on Dec. 31, 2025. Bailey and Potter’s terms conclude at the end of 2027. The district offices are at 888 Dayton St., Suite 106, and the phone number is 937-767-7381. Emails for individual board members follow the form of the first initial followed by last name@ysschools.org ; for example, JHempfling@ysschools.org.