Pictured left to right: David Noris, Apex Learning account executive; Brandi Pullins, secretary; Steve Rovtar, EOS science teacher; Dr. Scott Ebbrecht, director of alternative education and assessment; Rhonda Hoffman, administrative assistant; Dr. John Kellogg, superintendent.
Westerville City Schools was one of six programs nationally to receive the prestigious 2015 Apex Learning Award of Excellence in Spring 2015.
The Apex Learning Award of Excellence recognizes innovative schools and districts across the country for excellence in implementing blended and virtual learning programs that result in higher student achievement. Apex Learning Representative David Norris stated, “Dr. Ebbrecht and the entire staff at the Academic Enrichment Center (AEC), where the Educational Options for Success (EOS) program is located, are to be commended for being a leader in utilizing digital content to enhance student engagement, academic achievement, and graduation rates. EOS is truly a model program and, for this reason, I continue to refer other school districts to Westerville to learn from one of the best programs in the United States.”
The district will be honored at a regional Blended Learning Conference during the 2015-16 school year.
The EOS Program serves students who have become, for many different reasons, disenfranchised from the traditional high school experience. The AEC also acts as a district “hub” that coordinates and provides program options for all 15,000 students in the Westerville City School District and for those outside the district. At the AEC, the primary objective for each student is to facilitate successful school completion and develop skills to be successful within the school and community environments they will face upon their transition from the program. Countless students have benefited over the 14 years of the EOS program’s existence, with the vast majority of students earning their high school diploma, as well as the formation of an established plan for what comes next in terms of college and/or a career.