Author: Tanner Atha

The Hilliard City School District is in the process of adopting a new math curriculum resource for grades/courses 6th-8th, Algebra 1, Geometry and Algebra 2 called Imagine Learning Illustrative Math. This resource was also adopted last year for K-5 Math. We are excited to have continuity and a rich and rigorous math resource for kindergarten through Algebra 2.  During the next two weeks, the Board of Education and the community will have the opportunity to preview this new resource. We invite all families and the community to preview Imagine Learning Illustrative Math and if so desire, use the Feedback Form to provide feedback. Clicking on this link will provide a preview for our families. A sample display of the curriculum resource by grade level and course will also be available at Central Office on March 26-28 and April 9, 11-17. Visitors may come in person to preview the samples between the hours of 9:00am-11:00am and 2:00pm-4:00pm.

Max Mordarski, a Hilliard City Schools alum, said returning to the district as an intervention specialist was like coming home. After graduating in 2017, he earned a bachelor’s in special education from Ohio Wesleyan University. 

“My mom served as a teacher and principal for Hilliard Schools, so it was nice to start my career somewhere I’m comfortable and already know people. It’s also exciting to be able to give students the same experience I had,” he said. 

Hilliard prepared him for life beyond high school by providing real-world learning. Max participated in a class during high school that allowed him to shadow professionals. This helped him learn what he would and wouldn’t like in a future job. He said that already having a career pathway in mind made college more meaningful. 

He’s also thankful to be able to help students through athletics. He played football while at Hilliard as well as in college and today is a running back coach for Hilliard Bradley High School. If you have an alumni you would like to see spotlighted, click here to send us an email!

This weekend, the Hilliard Davidson Choral Department’s a cappella group, Blue Kids on the Block, competed in the ICHSA Midwest Semifinals competition hosted at William Henry Harrison High School in Cincinnati. The ensemble was invited to compete after winning first place in Quarterfinals, hosted at Bradley High School, several weeks earlier.

On Friday, Blue Kids on the Block won first place at the Midwest Semifinals Competition after competing against the top a cappella ensembles in the region. Additionally, Téo Mendoza won a special award for “Outstanding Soloist” and Makayla Clark won a special award for “Outstanding Choreography.” This extraordinary honor qualifies the group to compete in New York City at ICHSA Nationals against the top seven high school a cappella ensembles in the country! This is BKOTB’s first time competing in ICHSA competition and we are so proud of them.

Additionally, on Saturday morning, Davidson’s Symphonic Choir and Senior Choir competed at OMEA District Contest. Senior Choir competed in Class AA (the most advanced class), and Symphonic Choir competed in Class C. Both ensembles received straight superior (I) ratings both on stage and in the sight-reading room.

Congratulations to the Davidson Choral Department on their success at this weekend’s contests!

Congratulations to these Embrace, Empower & Inspire Award winners, Tiffany Thomas (Media Specialist at Hilliard Bradley High School) and Alexandra Macatangay (Project Manager Application Dev).

These staff members go above and beyond the expectations of the Hilliard Way and truly make a difference in our district. If you know a staff member that goes above and beyond their way to make a difference, you can nominate them for next month’s award by clicking HERE!

Evan Blum, a seventh-grade student at Weaver Middle School, recently journeyed to Nashville as an ambassador for the Serious Fun Network of camps, established by philanthropist, actor, and race car driver Paul Newman. During his visit, Evan had the honor of being interviewed for an upcoming episode of Inspired Lives, a new PBS television series featuring his hero, Indy car driver Josef Newgarden. Josef, the 2023 Indianapolis 500 Championship winner, is dedicated to supporting seriously ill children, a cause close to Evan’s heart. Diagnosed with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis at age 10, Evan will share his story on an episode of the new PBS television series airing this summer.

Cole Decker, a 2012 graduate of Darby High School, said being exposed to things bigger than his existing world throughout high school means he was more than Ready For Tomorrow. 

Upon graduating, he earned a bachelor’s in marketing & consumer research from Ohio University before landing a job with 84.51°, a Kroger subsidiary named for its longitudinal coordinates. During his six years with the company, he worked in data analytics, sales and client service, and solutions management. Today, he works as a Product Operations Manager with HIVERY, a Sydney, Australia-based company (yes, he recently had the chance to visit “the land Down Under”) focusing on artificial intelligence for retailers. 

What helped him most prepare for his current journey during his high school years was being exposed to various careers and having a wide array of opportunities to express himself. He took everything from photography to engineering and marketing courses while at Darby, the variety of which was unique to Hilliard during that time. 

Speaking from his experience in Darby’s photography classes, “seeing firsthand how art and science blend together in the darkroom, and understanding that you can make something really beautiful when you combine the two, propelled me to do what I’m doing now,” he said. 

If you have an alumni you would like to see spotlighted, click here to send us an email!