District holds first ‘Explorer Day’

by Judy Stringer

Oct. 10 school board meeting

Hudson City School District Assistant Superintendent Doreen Osmun shared some highlights from the district’s first “Portrait of an Explorer Day,” which took place on Friday, Oct. 7.

Portrait of an Explorer is a collection of six competencies that the HCSD staff aims to instill in students to prepare them for successful adulthood. Osmun said a team of about 65 community members, with the help of educational consultants, developed the Portrait in 2019. Hudson’s new Superintendent Dana Addis, she continued, has infused fresh “excitement and enthusiasm” into advancing these competencies by getting students – particularly Hudson High School’s Community First student volunteers ­– involved. The result is six special days of the school year, each devoted to exploring one of the competencies.

The Oct. 7 Explorer Day focused on “Adaptive Problem Solver,” which teaches students to resolve issues and problems even in the face of “a changing environment filled with diverse views, obstacles and sometimes failures,” according to Osmun. Instructional approaches to each day depend on the grade level. During the Adaptive Problem Solver day, for example, elementary students explored “I can…” statements, such as “I can learn and grow from my mistakes” and “I can be flexible, anytime and anywhere.” Older students addressed the concept through fairy tales, physical obstacle courses and/or scavenger hunts. As part of the day, students donned “Explorer University” T-shirts as well.

“And it’s not just about the day, because that doesn’t stop there,” Osmun said. “It is really about living our life as an adaptive problem solver, and how we engage in conversation and respect and really face the problems that come to us each day.”

For more information on Portrait of Explorer, visit hudson.k12.oh.us/domain/2080.

In its legislative agenda, the board approved and thanked fellow board member Tom Tobin for a $15,000 gift from him and wife, Gail, to support the Explorer Day T-shirts and activities. The board also approved the 2022-2023 bus routes. Operations Director Tom Barone said there are 53 bus routes and one van route for this school year. Routes are approved in early October, he said, so route planners and administrators have time to make any needed adjustments after school is underway. 

No SRO action

There was no legislative action or discussion regarding the addition of a third school resource officer to the schools. The Hudson Police Department currently provides two officers who work as SROs at no cost to the district. One officer is assigned to the high school, and the other is stationed primarily at the middle school but also covers elementary buildings, Chief Perry Tabak told Hudson City Council during a Sept. 13 work session.

If a third were added, Tabak said, it would be at the expense of the school district. Under Tabak’s proposal, which was approved by the council but has not been presented to the school board, the schools would pay $100,000 annually for three years to cover salary and benefits of an additional uniformed SRO under a contract between the city and the school district.  ∞