Bexley Superintendent's Update: Students, staff rise in challenge to 'Be a Champion'

In my last update, I shared our message to students and staff this year was to “Be a Champion.”

Being a champion is about encouraging peers and colleagues and championing the success and well-being of the people and environments that surround us, recognizing that we all have the power to make a positive impact.

And to no surprise, our Bexley City Schools students and staff have risen to the challenge. Several weeks ago, we launched our "Be a Champion" award, where peers and colleagues can nominate others they see embodying this challenge to step up and demonstrate champion character.

We have highlighted the recipients on our social media and weekly district email newsletter. Each honoree receives a Bex Coin, a custom 3-D printed token made by our high school design team and teacher, and a certificate from me. The truth is every student and staff member is deserving of this award, and we are looking forward to honoring as many as we can this school year.

There is true power in positivity – it is infectious and energizing. And we see this trickle through our school system, lifting up people and shining a bright light on those standing up for others, championing their own success, and representing what it means to be a Bexley Lion.

We also recognize that we have many champions outside of our school buildings who make a tremendous impact on the lives of our students and staff members. Thank you for all you do to share your support and gratitude. It means so much to our schools.

This has been a difficult year as we continue to navigate the ongoing pandemic, changing guidelines, staffing shortages and a lack of substitute teachers. We appreciate each thank-you note you send to a staff member and your understanding and grace that our first priority always is to serve the children in our schools and the second is to respond to our inboxes.

Our staff is truly the best, and they show up daily to take on challenges while minimizing the impact those challenges can have on our students and their learning. Thank you for joining me in supporting them and sharing your appreciation and understanding for all they do.

As a way to continue to honor our community and the way you consistently champion our schools, we are launching some new opportunities over the next few months to connect. These informal gatherings are a way to share feedback and build relationships. Each meeting, we will invite several of our board of education members and a member of our staff.

The first event will be 8:30 a.m. Oct. 22, and I will be joined by Marcelius Braxton, our new Leader of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. The location and other details will be posted on our website, social media and email newsletters, so please connect with us there to learn more.

Jason Fine is superintendent of Bexley City Schools. Learn more about the district at bexleyschools.org.