Columbus Online Academy Times

Columbus City Schools

February 28, 2023

Volume 2, Issue 5

Prillerman, Students, Attend Statehouse Event

On February 28, Teacher Byrd Prillerman took Ethan Watkins, Lyric Miller, and his other students (attending virtually) on a statehouse tour.

They met artist Bryan Moss (pictured above) and Ohio State Senator Hershal Craig (pictured below). They also attended the Black History Month program organized by the Ohio Historical Society and The Historical Department of the Ohio State House. Prillerman said, "Students and other constituents don't realize that the statehouse is the people's building, and while it's open, citizens can visit."

The Ohio Statehouse holds many public events and is where Ohio laws are made. Prillerman said, "If I can get a few students to visit, they will take a greater interest in laws that affect them and those we choose to make those laws." Students provided their transportation to the event. All COA students were invited to participate via Google Classroom.

Professional Development for COA and Support Center Encourages Collaboration

Principal Christian Angel leads two teams of staff members in two separate buildings. Housed in the basement of Walnut Ridge High School, Columbus Online Academy 9-12 is an online high school.

Another team led by Angel is the Support Center Staff which is housed in the CCS Sixth Street Annex Building. The Support Center works with students removed from in-person school due to behavior consequences. Those students can attend school online with support from staff members who provide instruction in social emotional learning, math, science, social studies, and English.

Professional development days, such as those held on February 1 and 17, allow staff members from both buildings to collaborate and discuss ways to increase engagement and learning in online environments.

COA Kind

Core Values Guide Instruction and Engagement at COA

Lisa Ciminillo, the lead teacher for our Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports team, said she wants students to be able to internalize our four core values by the end of the year. During the 2021-2022 school year, students provided input through surveys about core values that should guide our teaching and learning at BlendED (the name for the online program last year). Students developed four core values: kindness, creativity, critical thinking, and support. When our name changed this year, teacher John Siemer suggested using synonyms for some of our core values so students could easily remember them. Our new core values evolved to COA Kind, with COA standing for Critical Thinking, Originality, and Advocacy. Students are recognized and rewarded for demonstrating our core values with mentions in this newsletter, comments from staff members, gift cards and other prizes, and letters home.

We are Critical Thinkers

We are Original

Santen's Students Display Originality

Teacher Lindsay Santen's students created diagrams of the heart. Aaliyah Page made the 3-D model (pictured above). She used salt dough that she made and then painted it. The drawing (pictured below) was done by Michael King using Notability, an app on the iPad.

We are Advocates

Staff Members Offer Support to Mifflin High School

On February 14, Principal Christian Angel, Guidance Counselor Julia Maggard, teacher Michelle Jeffries, and teacher Kathy McQuate provided coloring pages, markers, and colored pencils to students who were coping with the loss of a Mifflin staff member. The Mayo Clinic says, "Coloring is a healthy way to relieve stress. It calms the brain and helps your body relax. This can improve sleep and fatigue while decreasing body aches, heart rate, respiration, and feelings of depression and anxiety."

We are Kind

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Teacher Jackie Roberts

It takes a very kind person to clean up other people's messes. Roberts frequently donates food for the COA kitchen, and he also cleans up the area by taking out the trash, organizing items, and even cleaning the refrigerator.

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Teacher Charlene McChesney

Charlene McChesney provided breakfast for all staff members on February's two professional development days. McChesney also donates food and supplies for our COA kitchen.

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Teachers Jeffries and Brosovich

Teacher Michelle Jeffries purchased lunch for a colleague and hosts weekly in-person Apex sessions for students. Jeffries also volunteers her supplies and time to add our school logo to clothing items. Teacher Mary Brosovich delivered a homemade cake to the COA staff during the last week of February, and she always shares her ideas and lessons.

COA Kind Values Nomination Form

Do you know a student, staff member, family member, or community member demonstrating the four core values? Share their photo and a story idea here.

What February holiday did you celebrate?

By Amani Douglas

Featured Students

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Caitlin Hines

By Ya'Mailah Thomas

Caitlin Hines is a 17-year-old junior at COA. She says the best part about Columbus Online Academy is that “ It's easier, and it allows me to do more in life like sports, working, and going to the gym.”

She has received awards for the sports she participated in and won an honor roll award for her 4.0 GPA. She has also gotten an award for working at her church to address problems in the world.

Hines used to participate in girl scouts and made Cadette. Her hobbies include volleyball, basketball, and track. She loves to listen to Frank Ocean, Brent Faiyaz, Kendrick Lamar, and Jcole, but she likes Lil Baby, 21 Savage, and Nardowick, and she just got into Rob49.

Hines has a big family but lives with her sister and mother. She has a job at Tim Hortons. She says it's an easy job but requires getting up early in the morning. She works on the weekend and goes over the school break whenever she can.

Hines’ long-term goal involves getting into college for a career in computer animation (hopefully with a scholarship for one of the three sports she plays), and her short-term goal includes traveling.

She enrolled in Columbus Online Academy because she was enrolled in Columbus City Schools late and wanted a fresh start. The hardest part of COA is interacting with her old friends at school. She added that she can sometimes become distracted easily.

Hines was also awarded 2nd team all-city Columbus City Schools in the North division for basketball.

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Dai’jonai Rooker

By Amani Douglas

Dai’jonai Rooker is a 16-year-old sophomore at COA. She enrolled to learn and have a good education. She says the best part of Columbus Online Academy is how all the teachers and staff care about their students. “The most challenging part of Columbus Online Academy is personally nothing. That’s why I like going to Columbus Online Academy,” she says.

She was awarded an Amazon gift card for being in the 400 club, which is an English award.

She says, “My hobbies are cooking, playing basketball, playing football, and watching TikTok.” Her favorite genre of music is R&B. Her favorite food is macaroni and cheese. Her favorite colors are red, blue, and black. Her favorite sport is basketball.

She has three siblings, and she's also the middle child. Her job is to look out for her little brother, and she loves her job. "My little brother is such a character," she says.

One of her short-term goals is to get a 4.0 these last two quarters. One long-term goal is to save up for a car.

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Madison Jordan

By Caitlin Hines

Madison Jordan is a 15-year-old sophomore at COA. Jordan enrolled because she was struggling with in-person school. When asked about the best part of COA, she said, "The teachers are kind and patient."

Jordan enjoys photography and gaming. Her favorite music artists are SZA or 070 Shake. Her favorite food is chicken. She likes the color burgundy and the show "Arcane." Her favorite movie is "A Haunted House," and she likes wolves.

When asked about her family, Jordan said, "I have a very large family, so much so that I don't even know half of my family on my dad's and my mom's sides. I would say I know more of my dad's side than my mom's, though." She has such a big family that it was in the newspaper a long time ago. "I have two brothers. They are both grown, and my brother Anthony is a firefighter."

When asked about her goals, she said, "I am going to pass school, and I am going to do well for myself in the future." Jordan added, "I grew up in not the wealthiest household. Although we weren't wealthy, since my dad worked a lot, my parents always made sure I had my needs met and quite a bit of my wants. My family moved around a lot when I was a kid, but we soon found a house that we stayed in for seven years. We took care of it, and it always looked nice.

In November of 2020, after my mom passed away, things went downhill for a while as my dad and I were comforting each other when one of us would have a breakdown. After a while, we got kicked out of our house. I am now living with my aunt, and it's been really great living here. She has helped me open up a lot more. She helped me with school, she helped me find my style and what I was comfortable with, and she even helped me get a lot healthier than I used to be. Overall, she helped me through a lot. I am very thankful that I have my aunt in my life."

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Elijah Smith

By Ya'Mailah Thomas

Name: Elijah Smith

Grade: 10th

Family: My family is small. Of course, there's more, but there's just a small part of the family that hangs together.

Hobbies: I don't have any right now.

Favorites: My favorite music is Rod Wave.

Jobs: I worked at AMC for a year, and now I work at Footlocker.

Goals: To just move on with life right now.

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Leighann Keathley

By Ja'Kia Smith

Name: Leighann Keathley

Age: 15

Grade: 10th

Reason enrolled: I was being bullied at in-person school.

Best part of COA: The work is easy.

Most challenging part of COA: Being able to communicate with teachers when you need to.

Hobbies: Softball

Favorites: My favorite food is mac and cheese, my favorite color is blue, and my favorite sport is softball.

Family: I have a medium-sized family. I have four siblings and two parents.

Job: I work at Tim Hortons. I like this job, and I just recently got hired.

Goal: My long-term goal is to graduate from high school.

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Shamarr Wall

By Amani Douglas

Name: Shamarr Wall

Age: 16

Grade: 10th

Reason enrolled: Mom

Best part of COA: I get to sleep in sometimes.

Most challenging part of COA: Nothing really.

Hobbies: Basketball

Favorite music: Hip Hop

Featured Staff

Teacher Byrd Prillerman and Guidance Counselor Julia Maggard Display New COA Gear

Byrd Prillerman

By Ja'Kia Smith

Byrd Prillerman is currently a teacher at Columbus Online Academy. When asked how he ended up in this position, he said, "I ended up in my current position by interview, but even before I interviewed, I made myself known to the staff of BlendEd, now COA." Prillerman had some colleagues and family who worked in the basement of Walnut Ridge whom he would visit while walking on hall duty.

When asked how he felt about his position, he said, "I was delighted to see a staff that enjoyed working with students as well as with each other." Prillerman has taught in many schools, including Linmoor MS, Eastmoor MS, Medina, Africentric Early College, Walnut Ridge HS, and Columbus Online Academy.

Prillerman loves to travel, and most of the time, he travels alone. He likes to wake up looking at the ocean on any tropical island in the Caribbean. Prillerman said he would love to live in Costa Rica someday because of the land, people, and culture.

Prillerman is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity Inc. He is active in several non-Greek social organizations in the city, and he coaches track at Columbus South HS. Prillerman spends a lot of time giving back to his community through various organizations. Prillermen cherishes the annual Kappa Alpha Psi turkey giveaway and toy drive. He said, "It gives me the joy of helping others in need."

Prillerman graduated from Walnut Ridge and then joined the Air Force. While in the Air Force, he traveled to Guam, Germany, Korea, and Saudi Arabia. While in the military, Prillerman began to take some college courses at Campbell University and Fayetteville State University. After an honorable discharge from the military, he attended Wright State University, where he double majored in Social Studies Comprehension K-12 and minored in African-American Studies.

Prillerman waited a while before earning his master's in teacher leadership at Grand Canyon University. Prillerman plans to start his Ph.D. program in the next year or so.

Awards and Honors

Honor Roll

Congratulations to the following students who earned honor roll for quarter two:

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A-H

Shyla A.

Hunter A.

Israel B.

Maurice B.

Chasity B.

Clara C.

Samara C.

Collier Isis C.

Ra'Niyea D.

Noha D.

Amani D.

Nicholas E.

Naveah F.

Alajiah G.

Jalonnie G.

Jaelynn G.

Acaccia H.

Rodney H.

Jada H.

Kingston H.

Jack H.

Munna H.

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J-P

D'Kyra J.

Diamond J.

Maya J.

Tre J.

Phoenix K.

Jaiya K.

Jamila K.

Fatima L.

Christian M.

Maya M.

Lydia M.

Braydon M.

Kelvin M.

Zion M.

Gift O.

Erika O.

Ilias O.

Tayshawn P.

Aaliyah P.

Ameerah P.

Arielle P.

Ariana P.

Layton P.

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R-W

Kaireece R.

Maureecer R.

Breyanna R.

Dai'Jonai R.

Michelle S.A.

Danyel S.

Destiny S.

Ja'Kia S.

Kailee S.-P.

Jolene S.

Tisjhea T.

Khristian T.

Ya'Mailah T.

Sabin T.

Ian W.

Christian W.

Mianna W.

Shanna W.

Taliyah W.

Shoutout From Principal Angel

Shoutout to the Wonderful Counselors of COA 9-12: Ms. Julia Maggard and Mr. Justin Adams

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Shoutout to Jeffries and Ciminillo

By Anita Lindsay

I'd like to give a huge shoutout to Michelle Jeffries (pictured right) and Lisa Ciminillo (pictured left) for always being on top of things for everything for testing. Thank you both for all of hard work, your time and energy!

$15 Drawing Winners: Watkins, Raleigh, and Pace

By Anita Lindsay

Congratulations to Ian Watkins, Kaireece Raleigh, and Tayshawn Pace for winning my Intervention Class drawing! I wanted to show my appreciation to students who always show up to my class and always complete and submit my Google Attendance Form. Kaireece and Tayshawn each received $15 to their Cash App because I didn't have a chance to purchase gift cards, and Ian chose to receive a $15 Amazon eGift card.

Shoutout to Students for Finishing OELPA

By Lisa Ciminillo

A big thanks for all the students that came in to take the OELPA Assessment. I know students have many responsibilities that include taking care of family, working full and part-time jobs, chores, and classwork and still they came in for testing when asked. We appreciate your dedication to meeting testing requirements for graduation! Thanks to the following students: Abigail B., Hector B., Sebastian CP.. Ashli FP.. Daisy GR.. Jake S.. Jefferson C.. Leoul G.. Estaban QM.. Alayssa CM.. Fatima L.. Fariss H.. Dedrick MR.. Maya J.. Michelle SA.. Alanys RA.. and Jose V.

How Would You Use $10 to Demonstrate the COA Core Values?

Congratulations to the following students who won the Core Values "What would you do with $10?" contest in Teacher Kathy McQuate's class. The $10 winners were:

Aveion F., Maddy J., Tae S., and June H.

Announcements

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New Family Ambassador Joins COA

Columbus Online Academy has a family ambassador. Cassandra Lewis will be sharing information with families through a newsletter delivered via email. Here is the latest issue. If you are not receiving the newsletter, please email Lewis at clewis1@columbus.k12.oh.us.

College Visits Planned by Prillerman

Teacher Byrd Prillerman is taking students on two field trips to visit colleges and universities. Click here to complete the Google Form for the March 15 field trip to Xavier University. Forms are due on March 1, 2023. Students will depart for Cincinnati approximately 8 a.m. for 10 a.m. tour. At 11:45, they will depart for National Underground Railroad Freedom Center tour. Students will walk the historic John A. Roebling bridge to Kentucky and back at 2:30 p.m. before they head back to Columbus. Contact Prillerman for more information at bprillermaniv10338@columbus.k12.oh.us.

Check School Email for Testing Updates

By Michelle Jeffries

Testing season is upon us. Please be on the lookout for any emails/texts/messages about testing. If you are taking an OST this year, it’s important to be taking some practice tests now to prepare for the spring tests. Contact Jeffries at mjeffries@columbus.k12.oh.us

Join the COA Nature Club!

By Teacher Lindsay Santen

Receive internship hours for getting outside and helping the environment! The nature club will participate in 10 hikes this winter at various Columbus Metro Parks in Dec-Feb. Click here for the winter hikes calendar. In the spring, club members will participate in citizen science by surveying butterflies. They will also be helping the environment by cleaning creeks and pulling invasive plants. These activities will usually occur every week on Wednesdays during the school day, although there are special events on some weekends. Of course, the club will have some planned springtime hikes, which will be published later.

Sign up on Remind to participate in the Nature Club.

View footage of past hikes:

12-4 Inniswood (2nd video) - Saw an owl up close!

12-11 Highbanks - Touched the animals in the nature center creek.

12-19 Battelle Darby Creek (2nd video) Bison!

1-7 Prairie Oaks First hike with a student.

1-15 Rocky Fork First hike with a staff member.

1-22 Scioto Audubon First hike with friends/family.

1-29 Blendon Woods Bird bonanza.

2/12 Quarry Trials Metro Park Featuring Ms. Maggard's dog.

2/18 - Our last winter hike as a COA group

The next adventures will take place at 9 a.m. on Wednesdays at Sharon Woods Metro Park, and will feature activities instead of just hikes. These will be weekly starting on March 29, and all are welcome!

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Coding Club Meets Thursdays

By Deborah Rheyne

Columbus Online Academy offers two after-school coding clubs via Zoom. No experience? No problem! Join us on Thursdays from 4:30-5:30 p.m. Do you have some coding experience but want to learn more? Join us on Fridays from 4:30-5:30 p.m. Can't come this week? No problem! Join us when you can! The Zoom link is on our school Google Classroom in the stream (posted October 27).

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Internship Hours

CLICK HERE for the internship hours application form. Students need 120 hours to meet their graduation requirements. Contact Internship Coordinator Steve Baker at sbaker5930@columbus.k12.oh.us.

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