Latest News
Please join us in celebrating diversity and inclusion in the Hilliard City Schools. For the week of January 18-22, we will celebrate the diversity of Hilliard City Schools students, staff, and community with a focus on what it means to seek equity, celebrate diversity, and be inclusive. Each day has a different focus.
- Monday – MLK Jr Day “Celebrate Diversity, Inclusion, Equity”
- Tuesday – “My Story Matters” Celebrate what makes you unique. Celebrate ethnicities, abilities, backgrounds, cultures, orientations, etc.
- Wednesday – “Your Story Matters” We want you to share how you support others in fostering inclusive environments; how you make everyone feel welcome.
- Thursday – “I Am Always Learning” This is the day to recognize and shout out to people you have learned something from or share a resource you recommend.
- Friday – “I’m Ready for What’s Next” Share how you will pledge to continue moving forward.
We encourage you to join and post your own inclusion messages. #InclusionHCSD
We will also be hosting an evening webinar on January 21st at 5:00 pm with Dr. Gholdy Muhammad. She is a professor at Georgia State and author of the book Cultivating Genius: An Equity Framework for Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy. This event is open to the entire community. Here is a link to join the webinar.
Photo is from summer marching band rehearsal.
Congratulations to Nick Schnitzsphan for being selected to participate in the NAfME All-National Honors Ensemble! Nick has shared his experience with us below…
“Over this past weekend I participated in the first ever virtual NAfME All-National Honors Ensemble event that features the top musicians from high schools across the country. In a normal year, this event would have taken place in Orlando, but due to the unprecedented nature of the Coronavirus, it was held online over Zoom and WebinarJam. As a trumpet player in the All-National Concert Band, I had the opportunity to learn more about our pieces and some strategies for future rehearsals and performances from our ensemble conductor, Dr. Rodney Dorsey (Professor of Music at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music), take a group lesson to learn more about practice techniques and the best approaches to playing trumpet with Dr. Pancho Romero (Professor of Music at New Mexico State University), participate in a webinar with the world renown Canadian Brass, and meet some fantastic musicians that are even better people! I first heard of the event through two friends that sat on either side of me in the OMEA All-State Band last year, and knew that it would be a challenge, but I should give it a shot- and it’s been so rewarding! Our final recording of our performance will be aired during NAfME’s Music In Our Schools Month in March, I’m so happy to have been a part of the program this year.
The Ohio Department of Health has released new guidelines regarding quarantine rules for both students and staff regarding exposures in a school setting. It’s important to note these new guidelines only apply to in-person learning and on buses, not after school activities.
If there is a positive case in the classroom, we begin contact tracing as we currently do. If a student or staff member is exposed to COVID-19 in the classroom, and wearing face masks that cover the face and nose at all times, those exposed will not be quarantined. Only the positive student or staff member would need to stay home. Everyone exposed will still be considered “in close contact” and will be required to follow quarantine procedures outside of school. However, they are basically being deemed “essential workers” and allowed to attend school or work. They would not be able to participate in extracurricular activities during the quarantine period.
We will still require students and staff to follow all mask and six feet of social distance protocols at this time.
The above guidelines only apply to classroom and bus settings. Students and Staff should not attend in-person school/work if they are exposed to COVID-19 outside the school setting, including during sports and other extracurricular activities, regardless of masking.
Please discuss any questions you have with your school nurse.
We want to congratulate our Online Academy students who participated in the AstroArt Contest through The Ohio State University. This was a unique opportunity to extend gifted students’ thinking and creativity.
The AstroArt Contest was an international competition receiving entries from five countries and three continents. People of all ages participated. Three Hilliard students received placements in their age bracket.
Third-grader Doniyor won first place in his age bracket. His artwork, “The Great Conjunction,” is featured on this page. The piece was described as when the ‘Great conjunction’ of Jupiter and Saturn formed a ‘Christmas Star’ on the winter solstice. Jupiter and Saturn had their closest encounter in almost 400 years on the solstice, December 21. On the last solstice of 2020, December 21, Jupiter and Saturn appeared the closest together in the night sky in 4 centuries.
Fifth graders Xohana and Kawin received Honorable Mentions.
These Online Academy students are engaged learners that participate in class as well as gifted extension work.