Dear Kenston Community,

Thank you!

We make a living by what we do, but we make a life by what we give.

- Winston Churchill


 April is Volunteer Appreciation Month and I would like to thank Kenston's many dedicated volunteers who give their time and talents to make the district a great place.  Volunteers are critical to the success of our schools and set an example for our students to follow.  Our students see the importance of giving back to their community.  Eighty-six students in the Class of 2014 logged over 11,500 service hours.  The contributions of our PTO/parent volunteers, booster organizations, and senior citizens are an integral part of our achievements as a district.  Thank you for sharing this special gift with our staff, students and the greater Kenston family.


Sincerely,

Nancy R. Santilli
Superintendent
SEE WHAT WE HAVE BEEN UP TO

The Benjamin A. King Family Trust has honored the Kenston Local School District with a bequest of nearly $80,000 in appreciation for the education of their seven grandchildren who attended Kenston.  The donation was presented by Mr. King's son, Bill Hepker at the April 20 Board of Education meeting. 

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Under the guidelines of the trust, this generous donation will fund several projects that were close to Mr. King's heart.  A family fondness and appreciation of the district's radio station, WKHR 91.5, will result in student scholarships.  His business interest as the owner of a construction company will continue as the high school art department expands their traditional studio-based classroom curriculum.  It will encompass technology that will develop the application of STEAM - Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics based learning activities.  This will be done through new and innovative digital design and rapid manufacturing coursework in a FAB Lab. His love of the outdoors, natural beauty and respect for the environment will be combined with the Ohio Environmental Education Fund grant.  It will create a community resource to highlight and educate students on the district's green energy programs including an outdoor learning space with signage and Community Trails to create a walking tour of our green campus. 

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Mr. King, known in the Chagrin Valley for his service to the Shade Tree Commission, passed away in June leaving a legacy of having overseen the planting of over 3,000 trees.

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A World War II veteran of the U.S. Army Air Corps, he graduated from Case Western Reserve University. He was a member of the Cleveland Bar Association, and was a businessman who ran his own construction company and a family business with his late wife, Jane.

 

 "His favorite Greek proverb will inspire future generations, 'Society grows richer when old men plant trees under whose shade they may never sit,' said Superintendent Nancy Santilli.  We are very appreciative of the generosity of the King Family and the opportunity to continue his legacy."

 
ON THE SUPERINTENDENT'S DESK
KENSTON MAKES WP LIST

The Washington Post vetted 22,000 public high schools while compiling their list of America's Most Challenging High Schools: only 11 percent made the cut.   Kenston is part of an elite list including 40 Ohio schools - 13 from Northeast Ohio.

 

The Post totaled the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Advanced International Certificate of Education tests taken at each school and divided that number by the number of graduating seniors to  compute the rankings.

 

See the full list here.
TECHNOLOGY PHILOSPHY

Kenston's Technology philosophy is to create a model where students and staff work with the right tools, when they need them.

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We are focused on integrating technology in the learning environment by providing our staff with the tools and skills to develop assignments that empower and engage students in a rapidly changing technology landscape.

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Therefore, we look to a model for connecting with resources, and embrace and encourage students to use their own devices, as well as the school's devices, for class projects and activities. Our district aims to provide a high speed seamless environment for connecting any device, anywhere on campus, any time.

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In addition, teams of teachers have begun enrolling in, and taking part in training on new technologies like Google Apps, WordPress, social media, online publishing, and more through the newly created Kenston Digital Academy.

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The first group of 11 teachers just concluded twelve weeks of afternoon sessions to increase their knowledge of technology tools, in order to put them to real practice in their classrooms. The Digital Academy will continue this summer and fall with multiple sessions to reach more teachers.
BRAVO!
The Kenston Center Stage performance of "Mary Poppins" was the biggest production that the district has ever seen. Both the Friday and Saturday evening performances were completely sold out and the Sunday afternoon performance was just shy of a full house. The cast, crew, and orchestra pit received a standing ovation all three nights from an incredibly enthusiastic and high-energy audience.  We loved having our Senior Citizens join us for the Thursday S'MORE Dinner Theatre review. #kenstoninspired