The Conversation

Service based learning experiences are crucial to connecting with and understanding the needs of your school community. On this episode of The Conversation, John and Rachel chat with Angela Ullum, Chief Academic Officer at Grandview Heights Schools. Angela shares how a services learning simulation impacted and created change in their school community. 

Angela Ullum is the Chief Academic Officer for Grandview Heights Schools. She has the honor and privilege of leading district-wide initiatives to elevate curriculum standards that are both growth-minded and strategically focused on personalized learning and well-being.  

[email protected]

Grandview Heights Wellness: https://bit.ly/4aef58i

Podcast brought to you by:

The ESC of Central Ohio: Center for Achievement & Leadership

Podcast Hosts:

John Hambrick, Work Based Learning Coordinator
Rachel Daniels, Adolescent Literacy Consultant

Produced By:

Christina Grady-Watts, Personalized Learning Specialist

Brenna Schoen, Communications Specialist

Student and teacher well-being is crucial to the success of your district. On this episode of The Conversation, Rachel and John chat with Tami Cole-Santa, Executive Director of Student Services at Westerville City Schools. They’re also joined by Westerville City Schools’ Director of Student Well-Being, Jessie Martin, to explore the district’s inclusive approach to well-being.  

Tami Cole-Santa is in her 17th year with Westerville City Schools and currently serves as the Executive Director of Student Services. In this role, she helps lead and support K-12 school counselors, school social workers/clinicians, nursing services, educational equity department as well as facilitates programming and initiatives falling under these umbrellas. Tami has a passion for leading mental health awareness, decreasing stigma and helping people throughout the district and community understand the importance of equitable practices and trauma informed resilience focused approach to learning and life. 

Jessie Martin is a Licensed Independent Social Worker with 16 years in the field, with a focus on school social work   She is currently the Director of Student Well-Being in Westerville City Schools. She has been a trainer and presenter for therapeutic crisis intervention and trauma-informed care. Jessie assists in the development and implementation of social emotional learning programs as well as supports mental health and school counseling programs. Jessie has a passion for supporting all students with a trauma-informed equity lens.

[email protected]

[email protected]

Metal Health Support: https://bit.ly/3PpZJmU

STARR: https://starr.org/

Podcast brought to you by:

The ESC of Central Ohio: Center for Achievement & Leadership

Podcast Hosts:

John Hambrick, Work Based Learning Coordinator
Rachel Daniels, Adolescent Literacy Consultant

Produced By:

Christina Grady-Watts, Personalized Learning Specialist

Brenna Schoen, Communications Specialist

Recognizing Ohio teachers starts with you! Nominations for the 2025 Ohio Teacher of the Year are now open. On this episode of The Conversation, Rachel and John chat with Jonathan Juravich, 2018’s Ohio Teacher of the Year winner. They’re also joined by Angela Dicke, the State Coordinator for the Ohio Teacher of the Year Program, to learn more about this rewarding experience. 

Jonathan Juravich is the art teacher at Liberty Tree Elementary School with the Olentangy Local Schools outside of Columbus, Ohio. In his 19th year of teaching, he also serves as a leader of School Culture and Environment. He is the 2018 Ohio Teacher of the Year and was one of four finalists for 2018 National Teacher of the Year. He currently serves as the founding president of the Ohio Chapter of the National Network of State Teachers of the Year (OH-NNSTOY). Jonathan’s personal and professional focus is on the importance of Social and Emotional Learning in our daily lives. This is the topic of his presentations, including his TED Talk “How Do We Teach Empathy,” his limited series podcast "The Art of SEL," and his Emmy award winning digital drawing program "Drawing with Mr. J."

Angela Dicke is the State Coordinator for the Ohio Teacher of the Year program at the State Board of Education.  Her vision is to promote teacher recognition statewide and continue to develop the successful cohort model for the Ohio Teacher of the Year program with inclusive connections, advocacy, and leadership opportunities. Her professional background includes teaching, training, educational non-profit programming, and grant management. She resides in Columbus, Ohio with her family.

Guest Emails:

[email protected] 

[email protected]

Links:

Ohio Teacher of the Year Nomination Form: https://bit.ly/48OXjYn

Ohio Teacher of the Year Guidelines: https://bit.ly/3T4ntRe

Podcast brought to you by:

The ESC of Central Ohio: Center for Achievement & Leadership

Podcast Hosts:

John Hambrick, Work Based Learning Coordinator
Rachel Daniels, Adolescent Literacy Consultant

Produced By:

Christina Grady-Watts, Personalized Learning Specialist

Brenna Schoen, Communications Specialist

Episode 4 of The Conversation has dropped! Filling in for Rachel Daniels, Christina Grady-Watts and John Hambrick chat with Lisa Floyd Jefferson and Schyvonne Ross from Reynoldsburg City Schools. Tune in to learn about their efforts around equity and racial justice in the classroom. 

Lisa Floyd-Jefferson’s 31 years of experience as a Black Educator, include serving in a multitude of capacities that all helped to mold her Leadership style. She has served as Parent, Volunteer, Paraprofessional, Substitute Teacher, Classroom Teacher, Teacher Leader, National Board-Certified Teacher, Assistant Principal, Central Office Administrator, Curriculum Specialist, Instructional Coach and now Deeper Learning Specialist. In her current role, she applies her years of experience towards a variety of efforts designed to positively impact curriculum, instruction, and leadership throughout both the district and the state.   

Schyvonne Ross has nearly 20 years of experience in education and is currently an administrator with Reynoldsburg City Schools. Schyvonne has a passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion and is currently the Chairperson for the Board’s Citizens Advisory Committee on Equity and Inclusion as well as a Co-Lead of Digital Promise’s Inclusive Innovation Equity Team.  During the summer of 2022, Schyvonne was honored with receiving the inaugural George J. Stebout Juneteenth Legacy Award for her contributions to the Reynoldsburg community in the areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

Links:

https://digitalpromise.org/inclusive-innovation/oer-for-racial-equity-social-justice-project/

[email protected]

[email protected]

https://www.linkedin.com/in/schyvonne-ross-m-s-m-ed-11239bab/

Podcast brought to you by:

The ESC of Central Ohio: Center for Achievement & Leadership

Podcast Hosts:

John Hambrick, Work Based Learning Coordinator
Christina Grady-Watts, Personalized Learning Specialist

Produced By:

Christina Grady-Watts, Personalized Learning Specialist

Brenna Schoen, Communications Specialist

As the two-year anniversary of Russia invading Ukraine approaches, The Conversation spoke with US Together, a non-profit organization providing services for immigrants and refugees in Ohio. Filling in for Rachel Daniels, Christina Grady-Watts and John Hambrick learn about US Together’s efforts to provide education and workforce services to Ukrainian immigrants and refugees affected by the Russia-Ukraine war.  

Elizabeth Cusma is an immigration specialist and the current Site Director at US Together Cleveland, an immigrant and refugee serving organization.

Lyudmyla Pinchuk is a senior case manager and lead on Ukrainian integration services. She is also an immigrant from Ukraine and has worked for US Together for 13 years.

Links:

www.ustogether.us

[email protected]

Podcast brought to you by:

The ESC of Central Ohio: Center for Achievement & Leadership

Podcast Hosts:

John Hambrick, Work Based Learning Coordinator
Rachel Daniels, Adolescent Literacy Consultant

Produced By:

Christina Grady-Watts, Personalized Learning Specialist

Brenna Schoen, Communications Specialist

Join us on Episode 2 of The Conversation to learn about SproutFive’s efforts to revolutionize our country’s approach to early childhood education. Don't miss this motivational episode!

Colin Page McGinnis, by his own admission, hasn’t had a conventional path through school or career. At 24, he assumed the role of CEO of SproutFive (formerly South Side Early Learning), a century-old early childhood nonprofit with a startup mindset working to reimagine early learning. 

Colin attended The Ohio State University for his Bachelor's in Human Development and Family Science with Research Distinction in Teaching and Learning, The University of Nebraska—Lincoln for his Master's degree in Educational Psychology, Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Harvard Business School for a Certificate in School Management and Leadership, and The Ohio State University for his Doctorate.  

Franki Sibberson is a literacy leader with over 30 years of experience as an elementary classroom teacher in Ohio. Franki served as president of the National Council of Teachers of English. She is the co-author of Classroom Design for Student Agency with Lynsey Burkins published by NCTE and In Community with Readers published by Stenhouse. She currently serves as the Executive Director of SproutFive’s Institute for Professional Learning. Franki provides leadership and consulting to schools and nonprofits.

Book mentioned in the podcast: https://www.amazon.com/Literacy-Learning-Infants-Toddlers-Preschoolers/dp/1952331080

SproutFive’s Website & Social Media

https://sproutfive.org/

https://www.youtube.com/@sproutfiveofficial

https://facebook.com/sproutfive

https://www.instagram.com/sproutfiveofficial

Podcast brought to you by:

The ESC of Central Ohio: Center for Achievement & Leadership

Podcast Hosts:

John Hambrick, Work Based Learning Coordinator
Rachel Daniels, Adolescent Literacy Consultant

Produced By:

Christina Grady-Watts, Personalized Learning Specialist

Brenna Schoen, Communications Specialist

Join us on Episode 1 of The Conversation to learn about his remarkable journey and impactful work in food, education and community advocacy. Don't miss this inspiring episode!

Meet our guest, Trevor Horn. He's not your typical culinary expert. Trevor, currently the Farm Director at the Mid Ohio Food Collective, began his journey working in kitchens for 13 years and earning a degree from Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Academy. In 2018, Trevor took on a new role at Reynoldsburg High School (in Central Ohio), where he created the first Slow Food High School Chapter in the nation. He transformed unused tennis courts into a thriving Urban Farm, and the school's Garden Club evolved into a CTE Agriculture and Food Science Pathway, empowering students to become community food advocates. Trevor's work earned him The Boyd W. Bowden Garden Impact Award in 2019, and he secured a grant for his students to support biodiversity. In 2020, he received the Grow Next Gen Teacher Leader of the Year award for integrating agriculture into an urban school setting. In the summer of 2023, Trevor began serving as the Farm Director for the Mid-Ohio Food Collective. 

Mid Ohio Farm Collective: https://mofc.org/
Mid Ohio Farm: https://mofc.org/mid-ohio-farm/

ESC STEM: https://www.escco.org/STEM.aspx

Trevor’s Email: [email protected]

Podcast brought to you by:

The ESC of Central Ohio: Center for Achievement & Leadership

Podcast Hosts:
John Hambrick, Work Based Learning Coordinator

Rachel Daniels, Adolescent Literacy Consultant

Produced By:

Christina Grady-Watts, Personalized Learning Specialist

Brenna Schoen, Communications Specialist