mason city schools quality profile
TRANSCRIPT
Mason City Schools • 211 North East St. • Mason, Ohio 45040
www.MasonOhioSchools.com
MASON CITY SCHOOLS
QUALITY PROFILE
2013-14
A successful school district places a high degree of importance on
ensuring that all children have the opportunity to reach their full
potential inside and outside of the classroom. This profile helps
characterize the overall educational value of your school district in
areas that matter most in our community.
2 MASON CITY SCHOOLS QUALITY PROFILE
2013 National Merit:
o 16 National Merit Finalists, 16
Semi-Finalists, 29 Commended,
1 National Achievement
Finalist, 5 National
Achievement Outstanding
Participants
o 12% of class recognized as
National Merit scholars
MHS Class of 2014:
o $13.8 million in merit-based
scholarships offered to MHS
Class of 2014.
o 86 applications accepted at colleges ranked in top 30 by US News & World Report.
o 2,149 applications accepted at 318 different colleges and universities.
o 43% of Class of 2014 took an AP class.
Advanced Placement:
Mason made AP's Honor Roll - one of 477 districts
nationally being honored by the College Board with
placement on the 4th Annual AP District Honor Roll for
simultaneously increasing access to Advanced
Placement course work while increasing the
percentage of students earning scores of 3 or higher
on AP Exams. Only 17 districts nationwide have made
the AP Honor Roll each year.
o 124 AP Scholars, 153 AP Scholars with Distinction, 80
AP Scholars with Honors, 30 National AP Scholars
o 20 AP Courses offered.
ACADEMICS
Our district’s academic program provides opportunities for all
students to reach their full potential .
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109.4
110.3 110.3 110.3
110.6
108.8
109
109.2
109.4
109.6
109.8
110
110.2
110.4
110.6
110.8
2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14
MCS Performance Index
13-14 World Languages
o 6th grade Spanish
Enrichment
o 7-12 Spanish
o 9-12: American Sign
Language, French, German,
Mandarin
Rigorous Middle School:
o 49% of MMS students took
high school credit courses
o 30% of MMS students
participated in accelerated
math courses
Elementary Literacy:
o 100% of third graders passed Ohio’s “Third Grade Reading Guarantee”
o 96.9% of fourth graders proficient in Reading on Ohio Achievement Assessment
o 90.8% of fifth graders proficient in Reading on Ohio Achievement Assessment
o 95.6% of sixth graders proficient in Reading on Ohio Achievement Assessment
Performance Index
Mason City Schools students continue to achieve at some of the highest level in the
state. The Ohio Performance Index (PI) provides an overall indication of how well
students perform on state standardized tests each year.
Schools and districts earn points for all tested subjects in grades 3 through 8 and 10.
The PI ranges between 0 and 120, with 100 as the statewide goal for all students.
In 2013-14, Mason earned 110.6 points out of a possible 120.
Ohio Department of Education.
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109 MCS student performances during the 2013-14 school year.
Elementary Opportunities:
o Mason students participate in an art and
general music special through 5th grade. 6th
graders may elect to take art, band, choir,
music and/or orchestra as a special during the
school day.
o Western Row Elementary 3rd graders may
participate in a before-school choir program
o Mason Intermediate 4th, 5th, and 6th graders
may participate in school theater productions.
Secondary Opportunities:
o MMS students may elect Band, Chorus, Concert Orchestra, and Explorations in Art I, II,
III. MMS students may also perform in a fall play and spring musical.
o MHS students may elect Intro to Theater, Acting I, II, III, Foundations in Technical
Theater, Advanced Technical Theater & Design, Back Stage Theater, Brass &
Woodwind, Percussion, Marching Band, Concert Band, Concert Winds, Symphonic
Band, Wind Symphony, Honors Wind Symphony, Chamber Strings, Concert Orchestra,
Symphony Orchestra, Honors Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonic Orchestra, Una
Vocce, Women’s Choir, Men’s Choir, Bel Canto, Concert Choir, Honors Concert
Choir, Pop-Acapella Choir, AP Music Theory, Ceramics I, II, III, Digital Image Design I, II,
III, Drawing I, II, III, Art Foundations, Jewelry Making & Metals, Painting I, II, III,
Photography I, II, III, Sculpture, AP Art Studio.
2013-14 Performing Arts Awards:
o The MHS Marching Band
competed against nearly
100 top bands from across
the country at the 2013
Bands of America Grand
National Championships.
The band earned its
highest BOA score in program history, 92.9, and its best finish – sixth in the nation.
Mason also retained its title as Ohio’s top-finishing band for the third straight year.
o Three Mason band ensembles participated in America’s premiere music education
festival - the Music for All National Concert Band Festival. Mason is the only school
district ever to have three ensembles invited to participate at the festival in the same
year.
The MHS Wind Symphony, directed by Robert Bass, made its third appearance at
the festival this year as one of sixteen featured ensembles.
ARTS
Participation in performing and visual arts inspires students’
creativity, problem-solving and critical thinking ski lls.
5 MASON CITY SCHOOLS QUALITY PROFILE
This was the first year for the MHS Symphonic Band, directed by Avious Jackson,
to attend as one of eight invited ensembles.
The Mason Middle School eighth grade Symphonic Winds, directed by Susan Bass
and Jason Sleppy, was one of just five middle school bands that performed at the
festival and the first Ohio middle school ever to be invited.
o The Mason High School Symphony
Orchestra, directed by Stephanie
Jones, made history when they were
selected for their first national event as
one of only 12 high school orchestras
from across the United States to
perform in the National Orchestra
Festival.
o The MHS Orchestra received a superior
rating at the State Orchestra Contest.
o 17 MHS band, choir, and orchestra
students were selected for All-State
distinction - the most in school history.
o The MHS Honors Concert Choir, under the direction of Elaine Santos, earned a
"Superior" rating at the Ohio Music Education Association Large Group State Choir
Contest
o MHS Theater's spring musical, Urinetown, was honored with 13 Cappies nominations:
Sheila Raghavendran and Ryley Arnold won
best comedic actress and actor and
Ri Moodie and Troy Spitmiller won for Best
Stage Crew.
2013-14 Visual Arts Awards:
o 14 Mason artists awarded Gold Keys in the
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.
o MMS artist Katie Pennetti’s pen and ink
expressive drawing won the 2014 Ohio Art
Education Association YAM Sargent Art Prize.
o Mason Intermediate fourth grader Emma
Wang’s fire safety poster was chosen for display at the State Fair.
High School Opportunities Middle School Opportunities
70 High School Athletic Teams 35 High School Athletic Teams
80 High School Activities/Clubs 31 Middle School Activities/Clubs
2013-14 Elementary Opportunities
o 3,201 elementary students in grades K-6 participated in dozens of before-school and
after-school enrichment programs at their school. Activities included classes like
Chess, Cooking, Dodge Ball, First Aid, Flag Football, Hindi, Lego, Pottery and Public
STUDENT LEADERSHIP AND ACTIVITIES
A well-rounded education includes a wide variety of opportunities .
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Speaking. Classes last for four weeks and are held throughout the school year.
2013-14 Athletic Awards
o Mason continued to dominate one of the
OHSAA’s premier athletic conferences by
winning or sharing 14 of the 24 GMC team
championships during the fall, winter and
spring seasons, and culminated in Mason High
School capturing its seventh consecutive
GMC All-Sports Trophy.
o Mason won its second consecutive Girls Cross
Country OHSAA State Championship.
o The Boys Soccer Team won their first ever
State Title in a “season-to-remember” going
undefeated in 2014.
o The Girls Soccer Program made their second consecutive appearance at the state
championship, finishing runner-up once again.
o The Girls Water Polo team was crowned State Champs for the first time in program
history.
o Mason swimming standout, Ashley Volpenhein wrote her name into the state record
books winning a state championship in the 50-yard freestyle.
2013-14 Activities Awards
o Destination Imagination: MHS’s Team MIT was crowned state champs for the second
year in a row, and placed 2nd (out of 67
teams) at Globals. Team MIT also won the
DaVinci Award for creativity and the
Renaissance Award for engineering/
execution. MI’s THE Comets earned 1st place
at the Regional tournament and 3rd place at
the State tournament, winning an invitation to
the Global Finals.
o MathCounts: MMS mathletes earned the 1st
place trophy in Ohio's MathCounts
competition for the second year in a row.
MMS eighth grader Peter Zhu came in first
place at state, and represented Ohio at
nationals. Mason Intermediate sixth grader
Sruthi Parthasarathi came in fourth place at state, and represented Ohio at nationals.
o Speech & Debate: MHS’s Myra Gupta took 4th place in Extemporaneous Debate at
the 2014 Speech & Debate Nationals. James Gao was crowned the US
Extemporaneous Speaking state champ, and received the Sharon B. Althoff Award
for most “1” rankings in USX. Sri Karri was a first alternate for nationals in her event,
Original Oratory.
o National History Day: MMS’s Ahalya Ramesh and Atneya Nair and MHS’s Vineet
Prasad all advanced to the National History Day Competition after scoring high
enough at Ohio History Day.
o State Science Fair: 16 MMS and MHS students earned superiors and over $7,000 in
scholarship awards.
o Power of the Pen: MMS placed second at the State Tournament.
o MHS’s Ruby Liu earned 3 Gold Keys in the Midwest Region Scholastic Arts and Writing
Awards for all 3 of the writing pieces she submitted.
o Pasta for Pennies Campaign: the MHS National Honor Society collected over $32,000
for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, ranking #1 in Ohio and #3 in the nation.
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$9,060
$-
$2,000
$4,000
$6,000
$8,000
$10,000
$12,000
$14,000
$16,000
$18,000 Top Performing Public School Districts Expenditure Per Pupil
Delivering Value
Mason spends $9,060 per pupil: $246 above the state average and $1,506 per pupil
below the average of the highest performing public Ohio school districts.
Mason’s average teacher salary: $65,611: 13%
higher than state average.
88.7% of Mason’s budget is spent on salary and
benefits: higher than the industry trend of 76.4%.
110.6
107.0
108.0
109.0
110.0
111.0
112.0
113.0
114.0Top Performing Public School District Performance Index
FISCAL STEWARDSHIP
Financial responsibility ensures that the majority of funding is spent
on classroom instruction.
Mason
ranked 9th in
academic
performance.
Mason
ranked 14th in
expenditure
per pupil.
2013-14 Report Card Data, ODE
Mason
ranked 14th in
expenditure
per pupil.
8 MASON CITY SCHOOLS QUALITY PROFILE
Notable partnerships that continue to flourish include:
o The collaboration with the City of Mason that built the Community Center and High School
with many areas of shared use. The City of Mason provided the land, and the school
district constructed the facility. Building the facility jointly saved taxpayers approximately
$12 million.
o The joint venture between Fifth Third Bank and the student-run school bank, Comet Savings
& Loan. The CS&L manages over $300,000 in student accounts.
o A partnership with Atrium Medical Center. The Hospital built the two-story health and
wellness center that finishes the district's stadium, and a 10,000 square foot weight room on
the high school campus. Atrium Sports Medicine & Physical Therapy and Premier Family
Care of Mason occupy the top floor of the center, and the facility belongs to Mason City
Schools. The school district financed the project by subleasing the second floor of the
facility to Atrium, and granting them naming rights.
o A collaborative agreement with Crossroads Church to rent the Middle School for Sunday
services and the former Professional Development Center (the White House) on Mason-
Montgomery Road. Crossroads renovated the middle school auditorium, and will leave the
upgraded equipment in the school when it opens its new church in fall 2014.
o A lease agreement with Royalmont Academy for the former Mason Heights Elementary.
The private Catholic school leased the Mason Heights building for two years, and
purchased the property for $1 million.
o An agreement with Warren County Mental Health Services. The agency provides two full-
time therapists who work with students and families dealing with social emotional issues.
2013-14 donations by Mason Parent Teacher Organizations: $142,917
o PTO’s at Mason Early Childhood Center, Western Row Elementary, Mason Intermediate
and Mason Middle School.
o MI volunteers donated 8,455.5 hours in 13-14.
2013-14 grants from the Mason Schools Foundation: $66,538.
o The Mason Schools Foundation is an independent non-profit organization designed to
support the Mason City School District.
o Since 2008, the Foundation has awarded more than $300,000 to worthy projects to take
Mason students “above and beyond.”
2013-14 Staff/Parent/Community Member committees include: Business Advisory Council,
Connection & Engagement Committee, Diversity Council, MABA, Mason PACE, Safe &
Inviting Schools Committee, Student Achievement Committee, and Strategic Advisory
Team.
PARENT & COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Educational experiences are enhanced by partnerships between
the school district and community.
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Over 30 student support groups were held in 2013-14 including: Cancer Family Care, Changing
Families, Fernside-Grief Counseling, Focus, Girls Inc., Prevention Group/Talbert House, Stress
Management, and Whiz Kids.
Over 120 MHS students, over 80 MMS students, over 145 MI students, over 120 Western Row
students and over 200 MECC students utilized these groups.
Nine full-time registered nurses serve Mason students.
Inspiring Global-Focused Student Leaders
Mason Middle School
Seventh-graders at Mason Middle School tested water
from Mason’s creeks, lakes, ponds and streams - thanks to
an innovative partnership with the City of Mason and
Hach, a company that manufactures water analysis
equipment. Students took water samples from their
neighborhoods. Then, students tested the alkalinity of the
water samples. Alkalinity is a measure of the capacity of
water to neutralize acids. Measuring alkalinity is important
in determining a water source's ability to neutralize acidic
pollution from rainfall or wastewater. It's one of the best
measures of the sensitivity of the stream to acid inputs.
Mason’s science curriculum emphasizes problem-based learning – where students experience
problems that challenge them, and that give an opportunity to investigate, in depth, what they
need to know and want to know about a real-world problem.
TEACHING & LEARNING
School should empower and inspire students.
STUDENT SERVICES
A variety of services provide options to ensure all students receive
individualized instruction, enrichment and support.
o Visit the Special Education section of www.MasonOhioSchools.com for services provided.
o Visit the Gifted Education section of www.MasonOhioSchools.com for services provided.
o Visit the ESL section of www.MasonOhioSchools.com for services provided.
10 MASON CITY SCHOOLS QUALITY PROFILE
Mason Intermediate School
Literacy at Mason Intermediate took on extra meaning for students in 2013-14. Not only were
students exposed to various forms of literature, but they
were inspired to help raise awareness and solve global
issues. All fourth graders read The One and Only Ivan,
and focused on deforestation and how it impacts the
habitat of gorillas. The students encouraged recycling
of cell phones as the mining of material used to make
cell phones contributes to deforestation and impacting
the species. All fifth graders read the book, Rules, by
Cynthia Lord and engaged with the author during a visit
to the school. Rules promotes acceptance of people
who are different. All sixth graders focused on issues
around the world and read the book, A Long Walk to
Water. This book empowered students to raise money to build wells in Africa to provide much
needed water resources. The students sold water bottles and raised close to $10,000!
Empowering Students to Serve Others
Mason High School
Mason showed it was “All In for Aidan” by coming
together for the largest game of knockout basketball in
support of Aidan Glass, an MHS freshman who was
diagnosed with a brain tumor. MHS’s National Honor
Society organized the event and 667 people filed into
the high school and community center’s Fieldhouse to
take their shot. The four-hour long event raised nearly
$5,000 for Aidan and his family through the Dragonfly
Foundation, and shattered the Guinness Record for the
Largest Knockout Game.
Western Row Elementary
Students and staff at Western Row Elementary School
threw their friend Mary Surace a "practice parade" to
help her prepare for her debut in the Heritage Parade
the next day. Mary, a student with Down Syndrome, was
a finalist in the "Little Miss Heritage" pageant. “As part of
my speech time with Mary, we’d been working on what
types of people and events she would see in a parade.
As our grand finale to our lessons, we had a practice
parade with many of the second grade classes,”
explained Amy Clipson, Western Row speech
pathologist. “Mary’s teacher, Mike Williams, pulled her in a decorated wagon with patriotic music.
Mary’s younger brother (2-yr-old Luke) also participated, which Mary
loved!”
Mason Early Childhood Center
MECC kindergartner Gaby Martel and second grader Samantha Martel
created flyers asking their classmates to donate gently used clothes and
toys for children in foster care. The Martel sisters donated the items to
Warren County Children’s Services. MECC Principal Melissa Bly was moved
by the girls’ compassion, and was excited to see them lead this charge.
“One of our district’s “bold steps” has been to encourage students of all
ages to practice and demonstrate leadership while serving others. At
MECC, our students are starting to make connections between community
needs and ways that we can access resources to meet these needs.”
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Mason City Schools
Mason Early Childhood Center
Grades: PK-2
4631 Hickory Woods Drive
PH: 513-398-3741
ATND: 513-770-2050
Principal: Melissa Bly
Western Row Elementary
Grades: 2-3
755 Western Row Road
PH: 513-398-5821
ATND: 513-459-2896
Principal: Eric Messer
Mason Intermediate School
Grades: 4-6
6307 Mason-Montgomery Road
PH: 513-459-2850
ATND: 513-459-2869
Principal: Greg Sears
Mason Middle School
Grades: 7-8
6370 Mason-Montgomery Road
PH: 513-398-9035
ATND: 513-398-6718
Principal: Tonya McCall
Mason High School
Grades: 9-12
6100 Mason-Montgomery Road
PH: 513-398-5025
ATND: 513-336-7368
Principal: Mindy-McCarty Stewart
12 MASON CITY SCHOOLS QUALITY PROFILE
Mason City Schools 211 N. East Street
Mason, Ohio 45040
513-398-0474
www.MasonOhioSchools.com
Facebook: masonohschools
Twitter: @masonschools
Supported by the Alliance for High Quality Education
Superintendent
Dr. Gail Kist-Kline
Treasurer
Ronda Johnson
Mason City Schools Board of Education
Kevin Wise, President
Connie Yingling, Vice President
Courtney Allen
Randy Andrews
Matt Steele