It was lurking. It was always lurking.
And yes, the coronavirus did play a factor once again with attendance, event structure, and overall safety inside and outside the district’s 13 school buildings. But Dr. Kim. Miller, superintendent of Ohio County Schools, was pleased with the 2021-22 academic year for a number of different reasons.
“Well, first, we knew the entire time our students were stuck at home and on virtual learning that the best place for them to learn was in their classrooms, and they proved that to be true this past year, not only with their academic performance overall but with their demeanor and their social interaction throughout the year,” Miller reported. “You could just tell how happy everyone was, including our teachers and staff members, to be together again.
“Plus, they knew they would be back the next day, too,” she said with a grin. “There was so much uncertainty when Covid was such a major factor. We didn’t know if we would be back one day to the next because of the maps and the colors and all of those things, but everyone felt much better this year. That consistency means a lot to both the student and the teacher.”
Miller was aware that lost learning would be an issue once the district’s 5,000 students would return full-time to their respective classrooms because some students handled the virtual platforms very well while some did not. A small portion, a little more than 10 percent of the pupil population, did not participate at all.
“All we had to do was look at their assignment schools to be able to tell who was comfortable, who was not, and who did show up at all,” Miller explained. “Our educators did a tremendous job recognizing the needs of our students once they returned to the classroom, and overall that process went very, very well. It really depended on what they missed out on the most, and we were pretty sure it would involve their math classes.
“There are some things that can be taught online, but the foundation of math, I feel, needs to be taught in person because everyone learned differently. So, this past year we did a lot of work on math, and that work will continue until we’re satisfied the students are caught up,” the superintendent said. “But overall, I’ll never be satisfied. That’s just how I am. I will continue to look for students that need help because they were closed in because of the pandemic for a long time.”
Bricks and Mortar
There are nine elementary schools, four middle schools, and Wheeling Park High in the system, and voters approved a $42.2 million bond initiative in 2019 to make upgrades to each of the structures. Miller and Assistant Superintendent Rick Jones added more than $27 million from the state School Building Authority for additional projects not listed under the bond issue.
“We have accomplished exactly what we told the voters we were going to do with the funds,” Miller said. “When we went to the voters of Ohio County, we had a very detailed plan to show them, and they approved. We have even added a few things along the way because we had the extra funds because of how careful we have been.
“A lot of work is now taking place on the interior of Wheeling Park High School, and it’s something I’ve been excited for since all of this began,” she said. “Anyone who drives by the high school can tell that big changes have taken place to the front entrance, but it’s what is on the inside that is going to make a terrific difference to education here. That’s because, above the first level that is the secure area for admittance, an education space like no other in West Virginia is becoming a reality for our students.”
The countywide construction has encountered many challenges because of the pandemic, including issues with supplies and occasionally, with people power.
“When we were putting all of those together and when the voters went to the polls, it was all before Covid and the pandemic,” Miller said. “So, there were problems that were encountered that we didn’t expect because we had never had an issue before, but we’ve gotten through them without getting too far behind schedule.”
The Athletic Factor
There are 15 athletic teams fielded by Wheeling Park High School, and now, thanks to a long-term lease agreement with the Wheeling Park Commission, the ladies’ softball team competes on the school’s campus instead of at the J.B. Chamber’s I-470 complex in Elm Grove.
David Croft, president of the Ohio County Board of Education, hopes to expand the use of the school’s athletic facilities, too.
“The taxpayers have funded these facilities, but not all of the children of the county get to use the fields and gyms because they don’t attend a public school,” he said. “But I would like to see that change in the future because the facilities are top-notch. They are the best they can be, and those kids should get to play on them.
“I know for a lot of years that’s not how a lot of people thought, but I think it’s time to change that mindset,” he said. “Because this school system is publicly owned, so it’s my belief that everyone gets to use them like they do the field in East Wheeling.”
The J.B. Chambers Memorial Park on the corner of 15th and Wood streets has been open since 2015 and has been utilized by schools, non-profit groups, and the public. Most of the funding for the facility was raised by former Wheeling mayor Andy McKenzie, but public funds filled the gaps.
“And anyone can use it when they can get on the schedule, and I would like to see our fields used like that when they can be,” Croft said. “Of course, our teams and our students are first in line when it comes to practices and games, but if it can work out, I think we should do our best.”
