Williamstown High School art teacher and theater director Ashley Whipkey, left, shows Wood County Board of Education members Judy Johnson, Ron Tice and Debbie Hendershot a puppet made by sophomore Nathaniel Hull Thursday during the first of three Local School Improvement Council events held at the high school. Whipkey said Hull plans to turn his hand puppet into a full sized “Big Bird” suit he can wear by the end of next year. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

WILLIAMSTOWN – Williamstown High School hosted the first of three Wood County Schools Local School Improvement Council Showcase, giving students a chance to present projects that reflect a year’s worth of learning, creativity and collaboration.

“In an LSIC showcase, we have the teachers bring out and highlight things that the students have worked on throughout the year,” Superintendent Christie Willis said. “And every year, Williamstown has a wonderful presentation, and tonight just solidifies another great showcase for them.”

The evening featured a range of academic and creative displays, which Willis said show learning isn’t limited to traditional essays and tests.

“We had the kids playing the violins. We had marketing materials that were introduced. The elementary was here also, and they had worked on a book called ‘Washington Spy,'” Willis said. “The creativity of how they express what they learned was very evident in so many of the presentations. The kids’ creativity really comes out and shows their understanding of the content.”

Willis received lessons on the marimba from junior Jillian Carr and sophomore Candence Bland, who then played a piece the pair had just learned the night before.

“It was a bit stressful,” Carr said about the short learning time.

Carr said she has just started playing the vibraphone but Bland has been playing the marimba for a while.

“I started playing in fifth grade,” Bland said.

The pair said they are working on the logistics of getting their instruments onto the football field next year for halftime shows.

Art teacher and theater director Ashley Whipkey showcased sophomore Nathaniel Hull’s hand puppet he made for board members, saying this was just the start of his project.

“He wants to create a full-body puppet with working animatronics,” Whipkey said. “He’s looking to have that completed next year.”

Brian Kesterson – an eighth-grade history teacher, local Civil War expert, historian and writer – had many pieces on display for visitors to view. They included vintage 1800 rifles, uniforms from local veterans and even objects he dug up himself at Fort Boreman.

“I just love sharing the history and meaning behind everything to the kids,” Kesterson said.

One of those kids was fourth-grader Ellie Lara-Sakmar.

“I love history,” she said. “The Civil War is probably my favorite.”

The next LSIC event is scheduled for April 23 at Parkersburg South High School. Willis said there will be some new additions.

“One thing that we’re adding to the showcase this year is the Wood County Tech Center,” she said. “I think it’s going to be great if people in the community can come out and see what the tech students do as well, because that’s another component of our high schools that we’re going to showcase this year.”

She said that these events are not only a celebration of student work, but also an opportunity for the community to show support.

“The teachers and the students work really hard in preparing, and they really are excited to share their efforts from the year, and they’re very proud about what they have learned and accomplished,” she said. “So if there’s folks in the community who would be willing to listen to them, they’d be excited to share their learning for the year.”

Douglass Huxley can be reached at dhuxley@newsandsentinel.com.