
BlendED 9-12
Columbus Online Academy, Columbus City Schools
February 22, 2022
22 Black History Month Resources
BlendED students and staff members curated a list of their favorite Black History Month Resources. Here are 22 websites to explore on 2/22/22.
14 African American Inventors to Remember This Black History Month and Beyond
15 Things About Black History Month you Didn’t Learn in School
A study found adults see black girls as ‘less innocent,’ shocking everyone but black moms
In Honor of Black History Month, 30 Black History Facts You May Not Be Aware Of
The story behind Black History Month — and why it's celebrated in February : NPR
African American Read-In is Feb. 28 online
Featured Students
Kristina Raver
Krystyna Raver is a student in 8th grade who is taking some freshman classes at BlendED. Her favorite styles of music are rock, country, and hip-hop. She even enjoys listening to the rock band AC/DC. Raver also likes eating spaghetti tacos, the color sage green, playing football and basketball. In her spare time, she goes to car shows and works on repairing cars.
Raver comes from a large family consisting of her mom, grandparents, three brothers, and one sister. She also mentioned, "I have split families. I go to my dad's and live there for two weeks, and then I come live with my mom for two weeks. So, I have a lot of family to go around."
Raver also works a part-time job helping her mom clean. She said, "It's not the greatest thing to do, but that is how I make my own money to do what I wanna do." She also babysits on the weekends for $10/hour.
When asked if she's won any awards or has been honored for something, Raver mentioned, "Something I have been honored for academically is being accelerated in my English class. In 7th grade, I was moved to accelerated English, where I took 8th grade instead of 7th. The same goes for this year, I am in 8th, but I take 9th grade English. It has been something I have always been honored with by all my family, friends, and teachers."
Raver joined BlendED because she wanted to work at her own pace and still be able to interact with other students. She also said, "I was able to be home with my family while in school at the same time... pretty cool if you ask me." When asked, "What are some of your short and long-term goals?" Raver said, "My short-term goals are mainly just focusing on school and getting my assignments turned in. My long-term goal is to keep up with my schooling, so I can get into a high range college and get the education I need to become a NICU nurse."
Jordan Hogans
Jordan Hogans attended the BlendED program in the fall before a spot opened up at Columbus Alternative High School. She likes to listen to alternative music, eat orange chicken, play volleyball, and watch football. Hogans also enjoys reading, writing, playing sports, the color blue, and band.
For 2019-2020, Hogans won an MVP award playing teamed volleyball at a community center. Last year she also earned honor roll for keeping a 3.9 GPA.
During her time at BlendED, a typical day for her was to wake up, attend Zoom, eat, do her internship, pick up siblings from school, babysit for six hours, do homework, and sleep. Hogans comes from a large family consisting of three siblings, two older brothers, and a younger brother. She also has three dogs named Princess, Nugget, and Asher.
Hogans work two jobs. One is volunteering at the library, shelving books, and helping others. The other is a job at the YMCA for eight hours which pays $12/hr.
Hogans participated in BlendED in the fall because she enjoyed having two classes a day, allowing her to have extra free time.
When asked, "What advice would you give students to be successful during online classes," she said, "Go to Zoom the first quarter every day and figure out which classes you need to attend. You save yourself so much time if you go to the classes that actually teach you something, rather than just being on a zoom call where nobody is talking, and the teacher says, 'submit the assignment posted in Google Classroom, but don't log off till it's time.' You still get credit for your attendance either way, and it will force you to be more proactive."
Nathan Keys
Nathan Keys is a sophomore at BlendED. When asked why he chose to join BlendED, Keys responded, "My mother has asthma, and she can't get Covid."
He attends Zoom every day and would like to work on juggling all his schoolwork. A typical day for Keys is to wake up for school, do work and then go to bed. The advice he would give to other students online would be to "Stay active and listen to the teachers and become an excellent student or a scholar."
Nathan is currently employed at Pizza Hut and gets about seven hours of sleep a night, on average. Nathan's mother is his inspiration, and he stated, "She is a successful woman; she has a great job and a great life."
One of his hobbies is managing his discord server. His goal is to own a Discord server that focuses on bringing people together. He also enjoys listening to music and likes the color blue.
Keys used three words to describe himself: friendly, intelligent, and very private. Keys has a couple of talents which he said "consist of coding and other stuff."
BlendED Students Pick Favorite Rewards
Featured Staff Members
Anita Lindsay
Anita Lindsay is a BlendED High School Intervention Specialist. When asked how she ended up at BlendED, her response was, "Ms. Angel, the administrator, called about an open special education position and asked if I would be interested, and of course, I said ABSOLUTELY!! I LOVE BlendED 9-12!"
Lindsay enjoys working with the BlendED staff and stated that they have "become family and are very protective of one another." She loves the students and wishes them much success saying, "You students ROCK!!"
Prior to joining the BlendED program, she started as a high incidence teacher at Beechcroft High School. She later transitioned into an intervention specialist position with the IPASS and Options for Success programs.
Lindsay graduated from East High School and later earned her Bachelor of Science in Education with the distinction of cum laude at the Ohio Dominican University. She graduated from ODU then transferred to Ashland University, where she received her master's degree in education.
Lindsay is currently learning how to speak Portuguese and loves to read, play games, and travel. She opened up a business in November of 2021 and has also co-authored an anthology.
Whether playing sports such as basketball and track or joining both the Pep and Spanish clubs, Lindsay has always been involved in school. When asked if she joined any organizations or special clubs at the university, Lindsay replied, "I was raising two children at the time, so I didn't have any extra time to participate in clubs or organizations."
While attending the university, she would bring her son along because she didn't have a babysitter. She eventually met some nice guys through a mutual friend, and they began watching her son while she attended class. Lindsay stated, "They took him everywhere and received all kinds of special treatment because he was with them! They even used him as a chick magnet!"
Akia Scruggs
Akia Scruggs is a chemistry and physical science teacher for BlendED. When asked how she ended up at BlendED, Scruggs said, "A former colleague told me that this program might come into existence and that it would be perfect for me. She was right."
Before working for the program, Scruggs used to work as a warehouse worker, as a customer service representative for cellphones, and with specialized mail orders for medications. She also worked at Kroger and worked moving furniture.
Scruggs used to play basketball, volleyball, and softball in the past. Scruggs had the opportunity to do a paid summer internship where she attended a university to conduct research.
Scruggs changed majors twice during grad school. She has attended Norfolk State University, Louisiana State University, the University of Louisville, and Ashland University.
When asked, "Is there anything else that you want your BlendED family to know about you?" Scruggs said, "I am so glad to be here and to be a part of a team of teachers and staff who are really focused on students' needs. We share ideas often, which makes us better, more well-rounded teachers. I feel like I am finally in a safe space where students, teachers, and staff can unapologetically be their authentic selves. I love it here."
Marcus Edwards
Marcus Edwards applied for a teaching position with Columbus City Schools in the summer of 2021 and ultimately accepted a position teaching science with BlendED 9-12. Edwards described BlendED as "an amazing program that offers flexibility to both the teachers and the students." Edwards said, "Teaching at BlendED has been absolutely wonderful thus far, and I am excited to see this program evolve. I can't wait to see what the future holds."
In high school, Edwards was a soccer player and a distance runner. Edwards went to state seven times as an athlete. He was an indoor track state champion in the 4x800 meter relay his senior year. Edwards was not just an athlete; he was also an honor student and musician.
Edwards was a member of the National Honor Society, Quiz Bowl, student council, Spanish Club, and jazz band. He said, "We were the Ross County champions in Quiz Bowl my freshman year." He was the valedictorian of his senior class.
Edwards attended Cornell University, The Ohio State University, Columbus State Community College, and Franklin University. He has a bachelor of science in biology, a minor in Spanish from OSU, and a master of business administration (MBA) from Franklin University.
He obtained his Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certification from CSCC. He received his teacher's license from OSU in 7-12 life sciences.
At OSU, he was a member of several LGBTQ organizations, including 1) the LGBTQ First-Year Cohort, 2) Out in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, and 3) Shades Buckeye Chapter. Edwards said, "I helped organize a monthly event known as Fusion Friday, a special affair hosted by Central Ohio colleges and universities. Fusion Friday provided a safe place for LGBTQ college students to gather, eat, and socialize."
Edwards has a second teaching position at Sinclair Community College (SCC). He is a lecturer in the Department of Management, and he teaches for the Advanced Job Training program, which is a tuition-free college program for inmates. Edwards explained, "The program allows inmates to earn an Associate's Degree while they're incarcerated."
Along with his other life experience, Edwards was also a bus driver and safety and training supervisor at OSU and a field representative at the U.S. Census Bureau.
Awards and Honors
Adelaida Earns $25 Gift Card
By Deb Rheyne
Congratulations to Adelaida, our top achiever in grades 9 and 10. Adelaida completed her Achieve 3000 assignments, earning a 75% or higher on 3 out of 4 articles and spending an average of 10 minutes reading each article and answering the questions. She also raised her Lexile level in the process. Are YOU working hard to complete your Achieve 3000 assignments? Click HERE for contests.
McChesney Awards Students of the Month
Both students received a $25 Visa Gift Card.
Shout Out For Colato
Malachi Stepney Puts in the Work
Jersey Thomas Takes Initiative to Improve
Ramey Demonstrates Kindness Daily
Jones Gets a Shout Out from the Principal
Announcements
Testing Update
PSAT: February 28, 2022 (grade 9) 7:45 at WRHS
ACT: March 2, 2022 (grade 11) 7:45 at WRHS
Students should be on the lookout for information on Ohio State Tests. OSTs are important because they are required for graduation! Students will soon see practice questions and lessons within their classes.
As always, if families have any questions about testing, please contact Testing Coordinator Michelle Jeffries at mjeffries@columbus.k12.oh.us.
Join the BlendED High School Google Classroom
Art Club Meets Tuesdays at 3:45
Please update your address, phone number, and email in Infinite Campus Portal
Internship Hours
BlendED 9-12 is a Student-Run Newsletter
Looking for another issue? Click below.
Staff: L. Brooks, D. Lindsay, H. Williams
Editor V. Norwood Adviser: K. McQuate
Email: kmcquate@columbus.k12.oh.us
Website: https://www.ccsoh.us/domain/4199
Location: 4841 E Livingston Ave, Columbus, OH 43227, USA
Phone: (614) 365-8472