Marietta Elementary School principal Brittany Schob hugs elementary student Dimitri Beaver during the Focused and Fierce award at the Board of Education meeting Monday. (Photo by Amber Phipps)

The Marietta City Board of Education received updates from various personnel and Superintendent Mary Schaeffer Monday as faculty and students prepare for their summer break.

Also during the regular monthly meeting, students and staff were recognized for the monthly Focused and Fierce awards and the retirements of a handful of longtime staff members were acknowledged.

“We’re doing a lot of planning for next year … we’re entering into a partnership and pilot program with Magic School AI,” said Schaeffer. “We’ll be able to use Magic School as a platform across the district at no cost.”

At April’s meeting, Schaeffer discussed the use of AI in classrooms and how the program could teach students to properly interact with these newer systems. She said there would be a committee consisting of one faculty member from each building whose duty would include gathering data and ensuring the district complied with the AI policy.

“I think it’s going to be a nice piece to be able to implement next year and look at the platform before making any kind of decision on if we’d like to use and purchase Magic School AI,” she said.

Phillips Elementary School student Logan Stiles stands beside principal Kristi Lantz as she reads his award during the Marietta City Schools Board of Education meeting Monday. (Photo by Amber Phipps)

Director of Student Services Alison Woods provided updates on students that will be attending the district for the upcoming school year who originally attended the Ewing School.

Due to the Washington County Board of Developmental Disabilities’ tax levy failing in the fall, the board had to reorganize and make decisions to cut programs they offered that weren’t state mandated.

“Overall we had four students come back from Ewing … and any incoming kindergarteners,” said Woods. “We’re ready, we’re excited.”

She said they developed a plan on how those students would reintegrate with the district. Board member Taylor Huffman asked Woods if she could provide the board with a written form describing the plan.

“We have new teachers coming to our resource classrooms with our students coming back from Ewing School,” said Woods. “With the high caseload we have coming for kindergarten, we are going to have to open some more resource rooms and we’ve added two teachers.”

Marietta City Schools Board of Education member Chris Fennell shakes high school student Aamon Harper's hand during Focused and Fierce awards at the regular Board of Education meeting Monday. (Photo by Amber Phipps)

Schaeffer said it’s important that students who are coming from Ewing feel welcomed and “at home.”

Director of Curriculum and Technology Tim Fleming said shared state testing updates with an increase to 70% of high school students testing proficient in algebra. He said each grade improved from the previous year and he applauded the teachers at the district.

“These are good indications of what our teachers are doing,” said Fleming.

Fleming discussed teacher retention and how as staff retire or move away, their knowledge goes with them so he said it’s crucial “we invest time, money and effort into our teachers.”

Awards and recognitions Monday night included the Kiwanis Club’s seventh- and eighth-grade Builders Club, who received Honors Awards.

May’s Focused & Fierce Awards:

* Dimitri Beaver, Marietta Elementary School, presented by Principal Brittany Schob

* Logan Stiles, Phillips Elementary School, presented by Principal Kristi Lantz

* Zoey Bettinger, Washington Elementary School, presented by Principal Kris Schoeppner

* Aamon Harper, Marietta High School, presented by Principal Garrett Davis

Retirees included Bernie Boice, Christy Boothby, Anne Burnworth, Cindy Burton, Tonja Cullen, Coleen Fleming, Lisa Gardner and Susan Miller.

Amber Phipps can be reached at aphipps@newsandsentinel.com