BY CHRISTINE WOLFF
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Holding a small microphone, Hannah Schwieterman, 6, stood in front of her Shawnee Elementary classmates and confidently sang "God Bless America."
It was her entry in the first-grade class' Morning News Program. Other students followed at the microphone in the almost-anything-goes session, most of them reading short stories written in their daily journals. The subjects covered loose teeth, movies, vacations and favorite animals.
"It gets them used to talking in front of the class," said Principal Cecilia Schmidt.
UNION TOWNSHIP -- Teachers pick the subject matter for this science project, but it's Shawnee Elementary parents dressed in lab coats and goggles who teach it.
Shawnee Elementary School
Shawnee Elementary School is one of six Tristate schools awarded a '97 National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence award, the highest recognition from the U.S. Department of Education. This is the sixth in a series of Enquirer profiles of the six schools running this week in Hometown.
Some facts about the school:
Principal: Cecilia Schmidt.
Enrollment: 623 in kindergarten through grade 6.
History: Built in 1990; classrooms added in 1993.
Judge's comments: "Shawnee is a model learning community. . . . Instruction in the field of science is superior. . . . Activity-centered learning is pervasive in classrooms. . . . There is a positive staff atmosphere that coalesces into commonly held instructional values and team planning."
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Called the Curie Newton Program -- named to call attention to a female, as well as a male scientist -- it is one of several volunteer-driven classes that enrich Shawnee's commitment to science. The Butler County elementary school also boasts a nature trail, amphitheater and a science lab -- converted from a storage room -- that is developed and maintained by staff and volunteers.
"A group of parents came to me and said, "We want to help out with science and math,' " said Cecilia Schmidt, Shawnee's principal since the school opened in 1990.
"That's what makes this building unique -- the students, the teachers, the parents. It creates a very dynamic, positive atmosphere for our school."
Grandparents and all older community members are welcome, too. They come into the classrooms as Granny Readers, sharing books with Shawnee's first- and second-graders.
Parents also run Shawnee's publishing center, which binds into books stories written by students.
Shawnee, in a community rapidly changing from farmland to subdivisions, enhances its learning environment with a Professional Practice Partnership with Xavier University. Xavier sends 10 student teachers to train at Shawnee, providing an atmosphere where veteran and neophyte educators learn from each other.
"The Xavier partnership tells you a little about the commitment of the school," said Mary Lisa Vertuca, XU's director of elementary education. "We need a school willing to be involved. They see this as a way to grow. They meet with us every month to discuss teaching practices."
Shawnee hires teachers who share the school's "children first" philosophy and understand how to meet the learning needs of all students, Mrs. Schmidt said.
Allowing teachers to be leaders is vital, Mrs. Schmidt said. "For teachers, being empowered is a change for the better," she said.
"It all boils down to how the teaching and learning is happening, and the strength of the current students, the strength of the teachers and the strength of the parents."
