Goshen Middle School showcases career-tech, media and woodshop programs to school board

Goshen Middle School Principal Wendy Flynn and middle school teachers presented the district's career and media programs to the Goshen Board of Education on March 13, highlighting field trips to a local television station, a visit to the University of Cincinnati, a Live Oaks career-center trip and the middle school's woodshop and career-technical classes.

The presentation traced how the school's Portrait of a Graduate priorities feed classroom and extracurricular offerings and said the programs give students real-world exposure to careers. "We're super excited to be here tonight," Principal Wendy Flynn told the board as she introduced teachers and students who led the presentation.

Teachers described recent off-campus visits and in-school career labs designed to connect classroom learning to future careers. Teacher Curt Dietrich said the school brought about eight students to WLWT television station for a two-hour, behind-the-scenes tour that gave students hands-on time with teleprompters, green-screen weather segments and newsroom production. "They were incredibly kind ... they treated our students like they were welcome guests," Dietrich said of the station staff.

Students who went to WLWT reported practical experience running teleprompters and standing at anchor desks; one student, Chance, told the board, "I got to go on a green screen a bunch of times. I even got a green blanket so I could make my head break flow. I also helped ... with the weather forecast." Teachers said the station visit followed a viral clip posted to the school Facebook page that prompted the invitation.

The middle school's career-technical (CareerTech) class offers exploratory modules such as engineering, photography, video-game design and marketing, teachers said. Students keep a digital portfolio that travels with them through grade levels. The class brings in guest speakers in person and virtually; students said they had speakers ranging from a lawyer and firefighter to a photojournalist and game designer this year.

Roblox-based game-design projects were singled out as especially popular. A student explained that classmates could choose to build an "obby" (obstacle course) or a race track in Roblox Studio, learning scripting and game mechanics as part of class work.

Teachers also described recent field trips beyond WLWT. Students visited the University of Cincinnati for an education day tied to athletics and media careers, and the school resumed visits to Live Oaks career center this year; staff said about 200 students attended Live Oaks events that gave hands-on exposure to trade and technology programs.

Teachers discussed an AP U.S. history pilot the middle school plans to offer to a small group of students: it will be a weeklong trial in which students experience an AP workload; the teachers and the high school have aligned curricula so the trial's work can count toward the students' regular class requirements. Staff said the district will offer the trial in February to give students and parents information before ninth-grade course selection.

Woodshop teacher Ms. Shaw described an encore/whittling program she runs as part of the middle school shop curriculum. Students begin by whittling a spoon to learn measurement, wood grain and tools; the teacher said whittling teaches persistence and can be sustained with fallen wood collected after storms. The woodshop benefited from a Spirit of Construction grant that purchased safety gear, tools and materials; the grant also funds an end-of-year Construction Days field trip that brings middle- and high-school shop classes together with heavy-equipment demonstrations.

Students demonstrated projects and described classroom routines: daily safety packets, observation logs and roughly 30'40 minutes of shop time per day. Teachers said many students take a full quarter to complete a spoon and that motivated students can finish in half a quarter and begin a bowl or other projects.

Board members thanked the students and staff; several members said the student-led presentation was among their favorite parts of a board meeting. The board presented certificates and pins to participating students before moving on to other business.

The board packet includes photographs and a short video of the WLWT visit that the presenters referenced during the meeting.

Looking ahead, teachers said they will report back after the AP trial and will continue to align guest speakers and field trips with classroom curricula to expand career exposure for middle school students.