Youngstown BOE plans to give seniors an edge

YOUNGSTOWN

An addition to the city school curriculum will help students aim more pointedly on their career and college goals.

The school board, at the recommendation of its curriculum committee, has adopted the addition of senior portfolios to the high school plan.

“I sat on two scholarship committees and the Youngstown City School students who had applied, their scholarship applications were not as competitive as they should be,” said Marcia Haire-Ellis, the school board member who is chairwoman of the curriculum committee.

One of those scholarship panels reviewed applications from across the state, allowing her to see what was submitted from students from school districts all over Ohio, she said. Some almost had a format that they followed that may have given them an advantage, Haire-Ellis said.

The curriculum committee, which also includes Jacqueline Adair and Jerome Williams, recommended that a group be formed including teachers and counselors and two board members beginning in late August to determine the content and timeline for the senior portfolios.

Read more about the plan in Wednesday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.