Westwood Campus Listening Sessions Report Back · The Community Building Institute (CBI) and the Westwood Coalition hosted four listening sessions which included community members

Westwood Campus

Listening Sessions

Report Back December 10th, 2018 | Cincinnati Public Schools Board Meeting

Report Prepared by:

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Index

Introduction and Process Page 3

Summary of Insights Page 4

Community Engagement Model Page 7

Appendix

Attachment A: Facilitation Questions

Attachment B: ThoughtExchange Report

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Introduction and Process Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) purchased the former Mercy High School building and plans to open a

new school in the building in the fall of 2019, creating a momentous opportunity for CPS. The purchase

of the historic school and campus will provide CPS with the opportunity to bring a new “innovative

educational campus” to the West Side of town and meet the needs of their growing enrollment.

Throughout October and the beginning of November 2018, the Community Building Institute and the

Westwood Coalition hosted a series of listening sessions to let Cincinnati Public Schools hear from the

community about what they would like to see happen at the Westwood Campus, the former home of

Mercy High School. The Community Building Institute (CBI) and the Westwood Coalition hosted four

listening sessions which included community members from Westwood, Mercy Alumna, parents and a

community wide meeting. Each of the four sessions were open to the public. In addition, CBI hosted four

listening sessions with current Cincinnati Public School students. The sessions included a conversation

with 5th and 6th grade students at Westwood Elementary, a conversation with 7th and 8th grade, as well

as 11th and 12th grade students at West High, and a conversation with 11th and 12th grade students at

Gamble Montessori. An opportunity to provide input online was facilitated through ThoughtExchange

for those who could not attend the in person sessions.

Listening Session Schedule

Community Sessions

Session 1: Westwood Community Date: October 15th | 7pm - 8:30pm Location: Westwood United Methodist 102 attendees Session 2: Mercy Alumnae Community Date: October 25th | 7:15pm - 9pm Location: Westwood United Methodist 11 attendees Session 3: Parents Date: October 29th| 6:30pm – 8pm Location: Dater Montessori 35 attendees Session 4: Community Wide Session Date: October 30th | 6:30pm – 8pm Location: Xavier- Cintas Center 13 attendees

Student Sessions

Session 1: 5th and 6th Grade Students Date: October 24th | 9am- 10am Location: Westwood Elementary Approximately 15 students Session 2: 7th and 8th Grade Students Date: October 24th | 12:30pm- 1:15pm Location: West High Approximately 12 students Session 3: 11th and 12th Grade Students Date: October 24th | 1:30pm – 2:15pm Location: West High Approximately 12 students Session 4: 11th and 12th Grade Students Date: November 9th | 9am – 10am Location: Gamble Montessori Approximately 15 students

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Summary of Insights The following is a summary of the key insights that came out of the Listening Sessions with community

members and current CPS students. The summary is organized by insights about the physical place, the

school, the school culture and the community surrounding the school.

About the Place

The former Mercy building and campus is a community anchor in the Westwood community, and

represents a history of high quality education and deeply rooted connection to the community. The

Westwood Campus is a unique opportunity for Cincinnati Public Schools and there are high

expectations for the future of the historically special place. Neighbors, community members, and

Mercy alumna value the former Mercy High School building as a historic, beautiful, and anchoring

building and place in the community. The preservation and upkeep of the building, and the surrounding

grounds, is important to the residents residing near the campus and in the broader Westwood

community. Community members value the preservation of the unique architecture of the building and

the “spirit” of the building. The Westwood Campus needs to continue to feel and be pedestrian and

walkable, and connected to the core of Westwood. Community members expressed concerns about the

impacts of increased bus traffic on the small neighborhood streets and the limited parking on the

campus.

Leveraging and preserving the green space of the Westwood Campus is important. The green space

surrounding the Westwood campus is seen as a physical asset to the future school. Parents and students

recognize the potential opportunities to focus on the outdoor space and environmental education.

Students need to have access to the grounds and be part of caring for them.

About the School: Academic Focus and Curriculum

The Westside community views the Westwood Campus as an opportunity to add a school with high

academic standards, and proper resources and support to the Westside. While differing opinions

where presented in terms of the Westwood Campus becoming a college preparatory, Montessori or a

different model of school, across the board community members and parents would like the school to

provide a Westside school option with high academic standards, and proper resources and attention

from the District.

Community members and parents talk about the Westwood Campus as an opportunity to expand

High School options on the Westside. Throughout the listening sessions, there was a focus on the

Westwood Campus serving the community as a high school. Community members talked about the

infrastructure of the former Mercy building being designed to serve high school- aged students because

of the amenities it has, including a science lab and computer room. There is a significant contingent of

people who feel that Gamble Montessori should move to the new space.

The school should focus on professional pathways, wide career awareness, and local and regional co-

op opportunities. Students and parents recognize the importance of exposure to co-op opportunities,

experiential learning and other training opportunities, like exposure to training in the trades. Students

recognize the need for more exposure to options for paths after high school. We heard from older

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students that they wished they had been more aware that their grades in freshman and sophomore

years can impact their options for after high school. Students want lots of hands on learning through

labs, libraries, and art and music rooms. The incorporation of the arts and a technology rich school are

important parts of making the school successful. Students and parents also recognize the importance of

embedding more life skills training, like financial literacy, into the school.

The design of the physical space in the school and the atmosphere that is created matters, and effects

students’ abilities to be successful. Creating an environment that feels safe and “theirs” is critical to

the school’s success. Both parents and students who are currently enrolled in CPS schools on the West

Side recognize the challenges of space constraints and overcrowding in current buildings. For students,

this includes recognizing that darkly lit and overcrowded hallways do not create a welcoming

atmosphere for students. Students recognize that student art being displayed in the buildings and other

cosmetic improvements can be powerful in creating a more positive and welcoming atmosphere in a

building. Students are concerned about the stress of accessing their lockers and being able to have a

place to store personal belongings and books while at school. Some students appreciate amenities such

as desks that have storage capacity for books/personal items, and recognize the benefits of grouping

grade level classrooms within different parts of the buildings. Young people want spaces to work in

teams, study together and socialize outside of the classroom. Students value flexible spaces in the

schools, which might include a quiet room or accessible outdoor space, where they can access necessary

resources but also step out of the formal classroom structure. Other students recognize that places like

libraries and computer rooms as having the potential to serve that role in a school building, but they do

not feel they are currently flexible, welcoming spaces in their buildings.

About the School Culture

Students recognize that supportive teachers, school staff and supportive peers make a difference in

their personal and academic successes. The Westwood Campus needs to have a student to adult ratio

that adequately supports students’ needs (adults includes teachers, parents, counselors, volunteers

and active community residents). Students value opportunities to engage with teachers in a one-on-one

or smaller group setting, developing more personal relationships with the teachers. Students also

recognize the value of additional staff resources like college and career counselors, as well as mental

health professionals, having a consistent presence in the school buildings. Mentors, positive role

models, and parent support are important for students. Students need to feel supported socially and

emotionally- there needs to be enough adults in the building to deal with everything from serious

mental health challenges to daily drama.

Students recognize the benefits of a positive school culture and peer-to-peer relationships that create

a supportive environment for students. Peer to peer relationships among students are crucial to

students success. Younger students talked about the significant distractions and challenges that result

from “drama” and negative peer relationships in school buildings. Older students talk about the

balancing act of an increased work load, extracurricular activities, employment and planning for their

next steps after high school and their reliance on their peers for support. Worries about school safety,

bullying, suicides and discipline in the school buildings are pervasive issues.

The Westwood Campus should engender the image of quality, and be something to be strived for. The

school should be and feel “west side centric” – connected to the people, families, and traditions that

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have grown up there. Academics should be challenging but students should feel supported, not

challenged to succeed “against all odds.” Students and parents recognize that students have different

learning styles; a school having proper resources and teachers who have the bandwidth to recognize

and respond to the different needs of students creates an environment where all students can be

successful. As technology permeates classrooms and computers are used for testing, students are aware

of the need for hands on learning and instruction to supplement technology.

About the Community

The Westwood Campus should remain a strong community anchor and be an important asset that

sells Westwood to the rest of the world. The school should be part of what makes Westwood a

community of choice and strengthens the housing market. Neighbors of the Westwood Campus, Mercy

Alumna and Westside parents value the school’s connection to the Westwood community and the

school’s history of being a neighborhood serving school. The Westwood Campus should focus on serving

students and families from Cincinnati’s West side. Families recognize the value in students being able to

walk to school, or go to school in the community they live in. Families in Westwood and the broader

west side community recognize that having a high quality option in the community would simplify the

logistics of their days and facilitate increased opportunities for kids to participate in afterschool

programs at the Westwood Campus.

Westwood residents, business, and civic leadership should be actively involved in the start-up and

operation of the school. Residents should be welcomed and challenged to be engaged in the school.

Several close neighbors to the Westwood Campus commented on their history of feeling welcomed on

the campus and feeling a part of the school. Community members recognize that they can play an

important role in supporting the school by sharing their talents with students at the school. Students

should also be encouraged to get out of the building and learn from the community. Many parents

expressed their desire for the school to be a Community Learning Center.

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Community Engagement Model Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) is an important community partner and an anchor in places where

schools exist. When they make decisions, they impact children and families and people in community

care about outcomes, and what happens in their communities. The process we used to have a

community discussion with the Westwood community about the Mercy campus could serve as a model

for future discussions.

CBI was able to engage with the community in a way that allowed the CPS Board to be present and hear

the conversation but not drive the discussion. We started by working with established civic groups in

the Westwood community to define and vet the process, identify stakeholders and garner support for

co-hosting the conversations with community leaders from Westwood. That community participation

early dictated how and with whom we would engage, and allowed us to make sure that we were indeed

connecting to all the people we needed to and created credibility in the process.

We established clear expectations with the community and CPS about what issues were on the table

and how input would be helpful. We hosted open, targeted community conversations, with the

community helping make the invitation to attend. We used the Appreciative Inquiry model to frame

conversations in a way that helps participants focus on values and assets and future-oriented solutions.

Often community meetings can devolve into complaint sessions. These can leave everyone involved

feeling frustrated and unheard. The Appreciative Inquiry Model, developed by David Cooperrider and

other organizational change professionals at Case Western Reserve University was first used in

corporate organizational change work. It has been translated to community settings with great success

over the years. CBI has been using the approach as a complement to our Asset Based Community

Development perspective for over five years.

Maybe the most important part of the conversation was we talked to students. In four separate

conversations with students; incoming high school students, and veteran high school students who have

some experience, we had open conversations. The students were thoughtful, interested and very

helpful. Their insights have strongly influenced these findings.

The process also provided an outlet for online input and conversation through ThoughtExchange for

those who did not have a chance to attend scheduled meetings. The format is a great way to

supplement the in person conversations and give even more people an opportunity to participate in

decision-making.

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Finally, communicating findings and decisions clearly and early is important to the integrity of the

process. When community is engaged, they want to understand that their comments and thoughts

make a difference in decision-making.

Summary of Key Steps:

• Identify all stakeholders • Work WITH the community, and especially those most likely to be impacted. • Set clear expectations • Convene open, targeted community discussions • Provide supplemental on-line space to communicate • Appreciative inquiry • Communicate findings and decisions

Appendix

Attachment A: Facilitation Questions

Westwood Campus Listening Sessions

Westwood Community Conversation

October 15th, 2018

Facilitation Questions

One on One Introductions 7 minutes

What is your best memory of your own education?

Table Conversation (8-10 people)

Part 1 Questions 20 minutes

What makes you most proud of your children? Of the children in Westwood?

What do children need to be successful in the future?


What does the Westwood Campus (former Mercy High School) add to Westwood?

How should we make best use of the Westwood Campus (former Mercy High School) to serve the

children in this community?

What do we need to do to make sure that the Westwood Campus (former Mercy High School) remains a

wonderful community asset?

Report out – whole room 20 minutes


Mercy Alumnae Conversation

October 25th, 2018


One on one Introductions 7 minutes

What is your best memory of Mercy?

Table Conversation (8 – 10 people)

Part 1 Questions 20 Minutes

What were the three biggest assets at Mercy?

Why did having the school in Westwood matter?

What was challenging about going to Mercy? In Westwood?


What do you hope for Mercy going forward?

What should CPS keep in mind as they plan for the future use of this building?

How can the former Mercy campus best serve the children in Westwood? Throughout the City?

Report Out – Whole room 20 Minutes


Parent Conversation

October 29th, 2018



What is your best memory of your school days?

First set of questions 20 minutes

What makes you most proud of your child(ren)?

What do you hope for your child as they go through school?

What obstacles does your child have in school?

What would contribute most to your child(ren) success in school?

Second set of questions 20 minutes

What would you like to see at the Mercy campus?

What educational innovations do you think are most important to successful students?

What do schools need to be doing to prepare their students for the future?

How can Westwood support children?



Community Wide Conversation

October 30th, 2018



What is your best memory of your school days?

First set of questions 20 minutes

What made you, and/or your children successful in School?

What resources did the school provide that contributed to that success?

What do young people need today to be successful at school, in life?

What barriers exist that keep children from being successful in school? In life?

Second set of questions 20 minutes

What kinds of educational opportunities does CPS need to add to support children?

How might the former Mercy campus add to their portfolio?

How can CPS maximize their investment at the former Mercy campus to best serve the community?


Conversations with young people

Questions for 5-8th graders

What do you like best about your school?

What are you good at?

What is hard for you at school?

What gets you excited about school?

What do you wish were different about school?

What do you THINK high school is going to be like?

What do you HOPE high school will be like?

Questions for high school students

What gets you excited about school?

What are you good at?

What is hard for you at school?

What is helping you get ready for life after high school?

What do you feel like you need to accomplish to be ready for life after high school?

What do you wish were different about high school?

What advice would you give middle schoolers coming up?

Attachment B: ThoughtExchange Report

Cincinnati Public Schools - Fall 2018 | Thoughtexchange Summary Report 1

Westwood Campus ConversationThoughtexchange Summary Report

127Participants

132Thoughts

3,237Ratings

In the fall of 2018, Cincinnati Public Schools engaged their community in a conversation about a new school community on the West Side. Participants were invited to share thoughts, rate the thoughts of others, and discover the results of the exchange. Read on to learn about the Hot Topics and Top Themes that emerged in this exchange.

% What are some important things to consider for our new school community and building in Westwood?

PARTICIPATION BY WESTWOOD RESIDENCE

PARTICIPATION BY ROLE


H OT TO P I C SHot topics are thoughts considered interesting or highly engaging to groups of participants, but may not be reflected in the top themes. They consist of Interesting thoughts and Common interest thoughts. Interesting thoughts are hot topics that were rated high by one group of participants and rated low by another group, indicating areas of disagreement. Common interest thoughts are hot topics that were rated low by both groups of participants, indicating areas of agreement.

INTERESTING THOUGHTS

Would like a Westwood Campus as if it was a high school like Walnut Hills.

Want a entrance exam for the best qualified students to attend. I am a Mercy

alum and own a house nearby.

4.8 1.3

A high-performance school like Walnut Hills – entrance exam, quality programs

and teachers. Westwood neighborhood needs invigoration for growth to

encourage new homeowners.

5.0 1.1

Not just another public high school. Make this campus a copy of the Walnut Hills

campus; there are families exiting the CPS area for better schools.5.0 1.1

Group A Group B

Group A Group B

29 (50%) 14 (24%)

TOPIC 1

Notable demographic breakdowns are as follows:

▪ In Group A, 43% of participants are Community Members and Mercy Alumnus compared to 0% of participants in Group B.

▪ In Group B, 80% of participants are CPS Parents, Guardians or Students compared to 59% of participants in Group A.


COMMON INTEREST THOUGHTS

What need is unfulfilled in CPS? What new ideas are other urban districts

implementing? What can set the Westwood Campus school up for success?

What if it isn’t a success?

1.7 1.8

Logistics such as extracurricular, resources, curriculum, and business

opportunities. What sports will be available and where will they be played,

schools hours and day, traffic. And widening Werk Road, course offerings,

work studies/co-op.

1.9 2.8

The new school has to attract kids from the entire city. It has to be a magnet

school. Consider making this a STEM school or a language-based school,

like Spanish.

2.2 2.4

Could Gamble Montessori High School be moved to this location? The current

Gamble site is at capacity and limits the number of AP classes students have

access to. The facility itself is not suited for older kids.

1.4 5.0

There is already a school on the West Side which has a great curriculum

alternative, Gamble Montessori High School. Gamble was not included in the

District's original facilities master plan, therefore did not receive an adequate

space to grow as a great alternative.

1.5 5.0

Students at Gamble don't feel appreciated. Gamble students work for CPS to

give us a building that wasn't done and not to mention the building is 60-plus

years old.

1.1 4.9

Group A Group B

Group A Group B


H OT TO P I C S


Would like Westwood Campus building to get new windows to fit the

historical appearance of the school building just as we did for Westwood

Elementary. To keep the historical value and capability of it being registered on

the historical buildings in City of Cincinnati.

4.2 1.4

Building in past has been beautiful and well-loved. Can we expect pride of

ownership on part of CPS community, including instilling that in the students?

Neighborhood depends upon it.

4.2 1.8

Westwood Campus should be appealing to the neighborhood's surroundings

like it always was with Mother of Mercy H.S. Beautiful exterior.4.8 2.0

Group A Group B

Group A Group B

30 (51%) 20 (34%)

TOPIC 2






I don't think we need a new school on the West Side. There are enough schools

on the West Side. I think the High School James N. Gamble should be moved to

the Mercy Building to expand CPS enrollment.

2.3 2.1

There is a need for an additional elementary school on the West Side. This could

be the current Gamble building slightly renovated if Gamble moves. The West

Side elementary schools are overcrowded.

2.2 2.3

If not either of these, I’d like to see a technical high school. Woodward is the only

one, but it’s far and doesn’t seem like a true tech school. CPS doesn’t contract with

Great Oaks which leaves a need that needs to be filled.

2.3 2.2

Group A Group B


H OT TO P I C S


Would not like another Western Hills University or Gamble Montessori. They

already exist and are not needed.4.6 1.3

Would like Westwood Campus to consider Westwood or City of Cincinnati

West Side students first. Make it a high-qualifying school with options to all

SMART and overachieving students.

4.3 2.2

A school that Eastsiders would send their kids to. No CPS West Side high school

that good families want to send their kids to.4.8 1.6

Group A Group B

Group A Group B

22 (38%) 24 (41%)

TOPIC 3






Worry about what kind of school this will be – so far we hear words like

innovative, but innovations can be good and can be bad.2.6 1.8

Consider partnering with the Cincinnati Rec Commission to bring a rec center and

community learning center to Westwood. Maximize the opportunities to create

partnerships and ease the burden with shared responsibility on maintenance.

1.5 2.5

Maybe this school could deviate from the national Department of Education

curriculum. This would give the opportunity to experiment with best practice

curricula to give the best education to our kids.

2.3 1.8

Group A Group B

You can dig into each exchange to discover additional topics that are important to your peers

my.thoughtexchange.com/discodash/#rjhykxxkm

https://my.thoughtexchange.com/discodash/#rjhykxxkm


TO P T H E M E SUsing an algorithm, thoughts are grouped together by topic to form themes. The theme names reflect the key words for each topic as generated by the algorithm.

GAMBLE MONTESSORI

Gamble Montessori High School is the first non-chartered public Montessori

High School to receive American Montessori Society accreditation. A new

building would make great improvements to student and teacher life, enabling

more access to established excellent educational opportunities.

3.8 8

Gamble is lacking in space for a computer lab, library, and Community Learning

Center. Having spent time at Walnut Hills and seeing the benefits of a well

provided library and computer lab, it is important to provide these to Gamble.

3.5 10

WESTWOOD WALNUT HILLS

Would like Westwood Campus to be a place of opportunity for high-school

students to succeed and achieve goals and sports. Doing both would attract all

types of students. Again, make it like a successful Walnut Hills type of environment.

4.0 37

Not just another public high school. Make this campus a copy of the Walnut Hills

campus; there are families exiting the CPS area for better schools.4.0 33


FACILITIES

Small class sizes. All students perform better when class sizes are smaller. More

school options, hopefully, will lead to smaller class sizes.3.5 28

The school should be as high tech as possible. In order to be competitive

and current.3.1 30

The new school should fill any voids that currently exist as far as curriculum and

experience that currently exist in CPS West. As a Westsider, my experience with

CPS and its offerings, I chose to travel across town to attend Walnut Hills because

of its offerings.

3.7 24

This is an opportunity for CPS to bring something new and innovative to the

West Side along with using current best practices from other schools. The

program focus for this school has the potential to encourage families to move to

Westwood so that their children are eligible to attend the school.

3.4 36

The three West Side zip codes are the fastest growing in CPS schools, and

community is an important part of Montessori education. Community is an

important component of Montessori education. This goes hand in hand with an

increased need for Montessori space and community desire.

3.7 10

That all students' – even the current students – needs be considered. They need

space and support from the community.3.5 6

NEW AREA OF FOCUS

COMMUNITY

Documents

Westwood Campus Listening Sessions Report Back · The Community Building Institute (CBI) and the Westwood Coalition hosted four listening sessions which included community members