Students, staff share talents at LSIC Showcase
Hamilton Middle School Principal Kevin Campbell, right, talks to Kanawha Elementary School teachers Heather Richards, left, Kim Hunt, second from left, and Gerri Field, third from left, during a LSIC Showcase at Parkersburg High School Thursday. (Photo by Michelle Dillon)
During a Local School Improvement Council Showcase at Parkersburg High School Thursday, Neale Elementary School fifth-grader Cameron Underwood, left, and fourth grader Grey Klesel, center, listen as their classmate Kim Ly, right, a fifth grade student, talks about the space theme “wow events” the school held this year. (Photo by Michelle Dillon)
Vienna Elementary School teacher Jessie Ice shows off pictures from VES' art club during a Local School Improvement Council Showcase Thursday at Parkersburg High School. (Photo by Michelle Dillon)
Parkersburg High School freshman Ryder Davis talks about the PHS robotics team as he operates a robot he helped design during a Local School Improvement Council Showcase at PHS Thursday evening. (Photo by Michelle DIllon)
The Parkersburg High School A Cappella Choir sings the national anthem during a LSIC (Local School Improvement Council) Showcase at PHS Thursday evening. (Photo by Michelle Dillon)
A display about the Community Integrated Work Program at Parkersburg High School and Parkersburg South High School is displayed during a Local School Improvement Council Showcase Thursday evening at PHS. The program helps students with disabilities get work experience. (Photo by Michelle Dillon)
Hamilton Middle School Principal Kevin Campbell, right, talks to Kanawha Elementary School teachers Heather Richards, left, Kim Hunt, second from left, and Gerri Field, third from left, during a LSIC Showcase at Parkersburg High School Thursday. (Photo by Michelle Dillon)
During a Local School Improvement Council Showcase at Parkersburg High School Thursday, Neale Elementary School fifth-grader Cameron Underwood, left, and fourth grader Grey Klesel, center, listen as their classmate Kim Ly, right, a fifth grade student, talks about the space theme “wow events” the school held this year. (Photo by Michelle Dillon)
Vienna Elementary School teacher Jessie Ice shows off pictures from VES' art club during a Local School Improvement Council Showcase Thursday at Parkersburg High School. (Photo by Michelle Dillon)
Parkersburg High School freshman Ryder Davis talks about the PHS robotics team as he operates a robot he helped design during a Local School Improvement Council Showcase at PHS Thursday evening. (Photo by Michelle DIllon)
The Parkersburg High School A Cappella Choir sings the national anthem during a LSIC (Local School Improvement Council) Showcase at PHS Thursday evening. (Photo by Michelle Dillon)
A display about the Community Integrated Work Program at Parkersburg High School and Parkersburg South High School is displayed during a Local School Improvement Council Showcase Thursday evening at PHS. The program helps students with disabilities get work experience. (Photo by Michelle Dillon)
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PARKERSBURG -- Staff and students gathered at Parkersburg High School's Jack V. Stephens Gymnasium to show off their achievements to administrators and the community during the last LSIC (Local School Improvement Council) Showcase.
The showcases give people the chance to see what's going on in their community schools.
The first showcase was held at Parkersburg South High School on April 16 and the second was at Williamstown Middle/High School on April 22.
The PHS A Cappella Choir opened the event by singing the national anthem and the PHS alma mater song. The PHS color guard also participated in the event.
Kanawha Elementary School teachers dressed as characters from the "Wizard of Oz" and talked with participants about the Title I program at their school.
KES teacher Heather Richards dressed up as Dorothy complete with blue dress and a wig with pigtails. She said the school will hold a Title I event in May that will have the theme "There's no Place like Kanawha." She said during the event they will do writing and reading based activities and will give out a Wizard of Oz book. She said they will also do a science experiment with a tornado.
Kim Ly, a fifth-grader at Neale Elementary School, talked to people at the showcase about the school's "wow" events. Ly said that for "wow" events "what's great about Neale School (is) every single Friday...we get these tickets for being responsible, kind."
She said then the tickets are collected and one gets chosen and the student whose ticket it is gets a medal and is put up on the wall for the whole year.
"It's very great," Ly said about "wow" events.
According to NES teacher Lisa Hayes, "wow" events started as a movement to make the first day of school special for kids and at NES they decided to extend it all year, and each year they have a different theme. She said this year's theme was space and one of the activities they had was an astronaut coming to speak to students.
Vienna Elementary School teachers Jessie Ice and Shannon Williams manned a display that showed off some of the clubs at the schools and its STEAM program, which involves incubating and hatching chickens.
Williams said the school had a talent show and the kids started off nervous but as people interacted and sang along with them their nervousness disappeared.
"Oh it was so cute," Williams said.
Ice talked about some of the clubs the school has, saying the school has a club day where students earn participation and then get to pick what club they want to participate in for half of the school day.
Ryder Davis, a PHS freshman, talked about the school's robotics team and showed attendees a robot he helped design.
"We build, program, a little bit of design ... we use them in competitions and try to win," Davis said about the team and its robots.
Davis' favorite part is the competitions, he said, because "it's a different challenge every year."
Davis said that the team meets during the day but it is not a class at PHS.
"I give up my lunch period to go down and do this," he said.
Community Integrated Work Program (CIWP) Teacher's Aide and Job Coach Elizabeth Proffitt and CIWP Teacher's Aide Michelle Swisher talked about their program.
Proffitt explained that CIWP is a program at PHS and PSHS that takes students with disabilities to different businesses in the area and teaches them job skills.
"We are there to show them how to do the job," Profitt said of CIWP staff's role.
Swisher said that CIWP has classroom time too.
"These kids are learning some amazing skills," Swisher said about the classes.
Profitt said right now students are learning about hydroponics. Profitt said that the program leads to the kids who participate getting jobs, including a girl who recently got a part-time job at Bob Evans. Swisher said two boys got jobs at People's Choice Cafe too.
"So we're pretty proud of them," Swisher said.
A variety of schools and programs were highlighted at the showcase.
Go to https://wvde.us/accountability/local-school-improvement-council-lsic/ to learn more about LSICs.
Michelle Dillon can be reached at mdillon@newsandsentinel.com