BRIDGEPORT — It has been an active year for the Bridgeport Exempted Village School District, and last week Superintendent Brent Ripley presented the activities and accomplishments of 2022 to the board of education.

The district welcomed two new board members, Pat McConnaughy and Karri Mellott Puscus. Like the other board members – Don Cash, Jerry Moore and Kori Rosnick — they are district graduates. Ripley said all of the board members are invested in doing what was best for the school and students.

“They’re all alumni,” he said. “Every one of them is a Bridgeport graduate.”

One development he pointed out is that the district now offers 15 college credits through Belmont College, via courses taught by Bridgeport teachers. Four high school teachers are taking additional classes to instruct these courses.

“We were surprised by the number of kids that took it. There were more than we thought, and those students who have taken it have excelled at it,” Ripley said. “They were nervous at first … but they’ve really done well.”

The district offers two history classes, two math classes and two English classes for college credit. Ripley said the district plans to add another 15 hours next year, for a total of 30 hours of college credits.

“Our goal is to continue adding here, so they don’t have to leave the campus to continue taking those classes elsewhere. It’s a cost-saving for the kids … that’s a year of college out of the way,” Ripley said. Next year the district may add art and English classes, and two teacher education classes. “We really want to train some of these kids so if they want to (become) a teacher, hopefully they can get a start on that teacher education curriculum.”

The district has also adopted a 10-point grading scale used by the majority of other local districts. Ripley said under the prior system, a student who scored less than 70 percent would fail the assignment.

“We started looking at other grading scales. It was actually a parent who brought the concern,” Ripley said, adding a student in another district might score 78 percent and receive a C-plus, while a Bridgeport student would have received a D. He said this has increased the number of students achieving a place on the honor roll and principal’s list.

“We had to look at what was fair for kids, because when it comes down to seniors applying for scholarships, our kids should be on the same playing field as everyone else,” he said. “Most colleges you go to have a 10-point scale, so we adopted it.”

In this and other projects, input from students is paramount.

“We tried to involve the students in as much as we could, because we wanted them to own these changes coming their way and to really hear that student voice,” Ripley said.

Ripley said the district also continues integrating technology with the classroom. They are working with Apple Professional Development. Ripley said every student has an iPad. An Apple trainer also meets with staff to train them in how to effectively integrate these tools and enhance instruction.

Leslie Kosanovic was moved from four days a week to full time as curriculum director. Ripley said Kosanovic is organizing visits to Touchstone Labs in Wheeling, the HVAC program at Belmont College and other educational destinations.

“There’s a big push in Ohio for career-based learning and career training before you graduate, so that’s one of our focuses this year,” Ripley said.

Student council members rotate onto the board every month.

“We want them to ask the board questions, and we want to ask them questions. Ultimately it’s the students that we’re here for,” he said.

The district is also working with athletic trainer Cole Smelley, another Bridgeport graduate, to offer sports-specific training. Ripley said Smelley is developing different routines for the teams.

“That was a student’s suggestion as well, on our athletics. We have student representatives now on our board, and they have that voice to let them know here’s what the student council’s working on each month.”

In other matters, Ripley reported meeting with students, parents and staff to discuss the “dated” dress code and how it might be updated.

“The dress code that we used to have, our students weren’t even allowed to wear shorts to school,” Ripley said. “Our students are allowed to wear shorts now. They’re allowed to wear ripped jeans as long as they’re presentable. … We have great kids. … We’ve seen that it’s been a positive change for our kids.”

The district also held a 100-year celebration that numerous graduates attended. Ripley thanked Cash, Rosnick, McConnaughy and Puskas along with the student council for organizing the event at Perkins Field

The board also approved a request from the student council to grant all Bridgeport students free athletic passes for the year.

“They could come to all games for free, unless it’s a tournament game,” Ripley said. “We didn’t want to have any kind of stipulation on that for a kid to come and support their peers. If you’re here, we allow them in for free.”

The district has also worked with preschool and kindergarten teachers and made a proposal to the Bridgeport Education Assistance Foundation and Al Scheid, a 1950 graduate of Bridgeport High School, to help provide children ages birth through 4 years old with sets of 12 books.

“We had about 79 families come and get book sets for their kids,” Ripley said. “Reading is such an integral part of a kid’s growth.”

Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief funding allowed for projects such as a new shingle roof over the elementary and high school wings. A new flat roof will be installed over the remaining portion of the building in 2023. Other upgrades include improvements to the heating and cooling system, a schoolwide air ionization system, and summer camps.

The district was able to use ESSER funding to purchase new iPads, a new math curriculum and hire two more tutors to help with pandemic-related learning loss.