HIGHLIGHTS & HAPPENINGS
Education
Villa 8th Graders Earn Record Scholarships
St. Ursula Villa’s Class of 2020 amassed a new school
record of more than $982,500 in high school merit
scholarship offers to 51% of the class. These offers and
awards from Cincinnati’s competitive high schools are
based on High School Placement Test (HSPT) scores,
student academic records, and teacher recommendations.
Additionally, 97% of the Class of 2020 was accepted
into their first-choice high school. Successful transition
and placement into competitive high schools is the
hallmark of St. Ursula Villa’s Junior High program
which emphasizes study skills, time management,
independence, and student leadership.
Front Row (left to right): Tyler Stegbauer, Marin Conrard, Cooper Stegbauer, Annamarie Handorf, Lauren Horst. Center: Charlie Stautberg,
Carter Stevens, Meg Witzeman, Elizabeth Fager, Catie Workman, Bella Desmond. Rear: Aaron Cross, Carson Doxsey, Mac Rueve, William Kirwin,
Caroline Meisenhelder, Addison Roney, Emily Jennewein, Ali Meisenhelder.
COVID-19 Pandemic Precipitates
St. Ursula Villa’s Shift to Distance
Learning
When Ohio Governor DeWine mandated the closure
of all schools on March 13th to minimize the spread of
COVID-19, St. Ursula Villa rose to this extraordinary
challenge and successfully pivoted from typical classroom
instruction to delivering a Villa education through
distance learning.
St. Ursula Villa administration and teachers worked
diligently to set up a framework to transition students
from traditional face-to-face learning to distance
learning/home instruction. With only a few days to
prepare, the Villa administration decided to quickly
Teachers used videos for instruction, such as this lesson on two-digit subtraction.
launch this dramatic educational shift by using
instructional methods already in place and familiar to parents, students, and teachers. Villa preschool–3rd-grade
teachers regularly used SeeSaw to share classroom lessons, manage student work, and communicate with parents and
students. RenWeb served as the primary parent/school communication portal for all parents as well as the main data
hub for homework assignments and grades for students in 4–8th-grades. Villa teachers implemented instruction via
these systems at the onset of distance learning, refining and adding other methods over the 10-week school shutdown.
Some teachers used Zoom video conferencing to deliver instruction and facilitate class participation while other teachers
created YouTube channels to post instructional videos. Music teachers staged “front porch concerts” with Flipgrid.
Microsoft Teams and Office 365 were also utilized for communication and instruction.
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