What do Ohio graduates say?
Board reviews survey answers
OHIO — There’s probably no one who can better say how good the education provided at Ohio High School is than recent graduates.
Related story:A new option on Ohio's table
Unfortunately, less than half of the graduates from the past five years responded to a survey sent out by the Future of the High School Committee. The committee was formed by the board Feb. 23 and charged to “research data and provide the board with factual information to help determine the future of the high school.”
At Monday’s school board meeting Superintendent Sharon Flesher said 21 surveys were received out of the 56 surveys that were sent out.
Students were asked a variety of questions.
Did they receive a quality education with a variety of courses? 61.9 percent answered yes.
How well did Ohio High School prepare them to continue their educations? 33.3 percent said excellent, 33.3 percent good, 19 percent fair, and 14.3 percent not at all.
Did they have a positive learning experience at OHS? 70 percent said yes.
Did the small number of students affect their social interaction with peers? 57.1 percent said they were very effected.
What about extracurriculars? 68.4 percent said they had adequate opportunities.
Were they prepared to be healthy and positive contributing members of society? 52.6 percent said yes.
How well were they prepared to enter the workforce? 31.3 percent said excellent, 31.3 percent said good, 25 percent said fair, while 12.5 percent responded “not at all.”
When asked if they would recommend the high school to upcoming students, 57.9 percent said yes, while 42.1 percent said no.
Flesher then read the various positives the graduates listed about their days at the high school, which included small class sizes, teachers who care about their students, close peer relationships, the ability to be a starter in sports and science teacher Mike Kriz and his department.
Negatives included no soccer, closed campus at lunch, not very competitive sports teams, the increasing number of Internet classes, and the unavailability of some class options.
Finally, the graduates were asked for general comments, and they again reflected a division of opinion.
Some students wrote glowing endorsements, such as “I was provided with as many, if not more, opportunities at Ohio High School than at a larger school,” “In a positive way, I feel very close to many people, and have sustained long-lasting relationships with them,” and simply “I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
Others had a different perspective, such as “At Ohio High School, most students thought inside the box, with many unaware that there was a world outside,” and another who wrote “Ohio High Schools needs to be closed.”
Another student commented on the survey and the surveytakers, writing, “I hope that the committee finds some value in this survey, but as I know the source of the survey, I find it a waste of my time to acquiesce the latest whim of the most recent group of vociferous zealots.”
The committee also discussed the data received from Amboy, LaMoille, Princeton and Bureau Valley high schools regarding teacher turnover, grading scale, academic requirements, fees, extracurricular activities and courses offered. The data from both studies will be presented to the high school board.
The committee decided its next effort would be to determine the financial impact on the grade school if the high school were no longer there. The next meeting will be held at 5:15 p.m. July 13.
