Columbus Online Academy Times
Columbus City Schools
October 31, 2022
Poetry
Fall Tanka and Haiku
Autumn The autumn leaves fall, And I wonder what they’d think, If they could, like us. “If I am to decompose, Then how will this tree live on?” I don’t think it’d know, That the tree will sprout once more, Despite the winter.
News
Zoo Professional Development for COA Staff
Photo By Teacher Akia Scruggs
Zoo Field Trip
Photos by Teacher Lindsay Santen
Students in Teacher Lindsay Santen's Environmental Science classes were invited to attend a field trip to the Columbus Zoo as part of their lesson on the Endangered Species Act.
Biodiversity Plot and Data collection at Spruce Run
Photos by Teacher Lindsay Santen
Students in Teacher Lindsay Santen's environmental science classes set up two biodiversity plots at Spruce Run Environmental Education Center, a property owned and operated by Columbus City Schools. One plot is in the forest, and the other is near the creek. They set up the plots at the beginning of the year so they can collect data throughout the year. The naturalist at Spruce Run, Heather Allen, is collecting weekly data about plant diversity, temperature, and precipitation for them to analyze.
Soybean Farm Video Conference
Photo by Teacher Lindsay Santen
Students in Santen's Environmental Science class attended a video conference where they virtually joined a farmer on his combine while he harvested soybeans. Material from the video conference will be used during future lessons, such as GMOs and the Nitrogen Cycle. The photo above is of the farmer explaining to the group that he has a master's degree in animal science and that there is a lot of technology involved with modern farming.
Medical Careers Video Conference Series
Photos by Teacher Lindsay Santen
Students in Santen's anatomy classes have been in medical career-related video conferences sponsored by the Cleveland Clinic. Recently, students have learned about careers in vascular surgery, non-clinical patient care, and diabetes care. These video conferences will continue throughout the year.
October is a time of celebration at Columbus Online Academy
Photo by Emily Santen
Another opportunity for staff members to work together in person was on the district's professional development day, October 21 (below).
Featured Students
Willowhawk Bowen
Willowhawk Bowen is a 16-year-old sophomore. She is an only child. She lives with her mom but visits her dad every other weekend. They have three cats. For a short period of time, they had 12, as one they rescued gave birth to 10 healthy kittens.
Bowen likes many shades of blue, green, and yellow. She enjoys volleyball, tennis, and other sports. Some of her favorite music artists are Of Monsters and Men, Ricky Montgomery, and The Oh Hellos.
She plays various instruments: flute, bagpipe chanter, penny whistle, and a bit of guitar and piano. Bowen loves reading, doing many forms of art, playing video games, RPG games, and starting random crafts. She used to do Ju-Jitsu about six years ago, and she’s considering doing that again.
Bowen has been on the super honor roll at least three out of the four quarters in her freshman year. She was awarded a Certificate of Honor for outstanding academic achievement last year. She received a Certificate of Recognition from the Achieving Standards of Excellence Foundation in eighth grade.
She is currently a seasonal employee at the Columbus Zoo. Bowen said, “I practically grew up there, and I always wanted to be a zoologist, so this was my first pick at employment.” She works with humans as opposed to animals but said she still loves being there. She plans to get another job in food and beverage in the second semester closer to home. She would love to sell her art (such as doing portraits, creating wire jewelry, photography prints, etc.), but she’s not quite sure how to start, so click here if you'd like to purchase some of her work!
Eventually, she wants to get a degree in either zoology or wildlife biology and become a field researcher. Bowen wants another job in the latter half of the school year, preferably in a coffee shop.
She went from being in the Columbus Gifted Academy in grades four through eight to Whetstone High School last year. Bowen said, “I was incredibly bored in class; all the teachers went so slow with their coursework. I was bored out of my mind. On top of that, students weren't even allowed to leave the building! It was an environment that really took a toll on me.” She thought Columbus Online Academy would let her get her work done in her own time, go outside to take breaks, and enable her to take multiple college courses to earn extra credits. Bowen said, “I like how I don't have to be on the same Zooms every day, and I can work at my own pace. With this, I am not stuck inside a physical building wasting my time.”
Bowen added, “It is not hard at all. The classes I am taking through COA are very easy. Only the College Credit Plus classes are sufficiently challenging so far. The only hard part is some personal grievances with how the academy works, such as this being our "home school," which takes away the ability to earn credits for sports or other extracurriculars at another school.” She explains, “For example, I can participate in band at Whetstone, but I do not earn credit for that class.”
Amani Douglas
Amani Douglas, a 17-year-old in 12th grade, is one of the newsletter staff members. Douglas has been awarded for honor roll and attendance, and she got honor roll for all As and Bs.
Douglas likes to listen to music, play video games on her phone, Nintendo Switch or PS5, and watch videos on Youtube or Tiktok. She also likes to read online stories on her phone and binge-watch her favorite movies and tv shows.
Douglas’ favorite food is pizza, favorite color is yellow, and her favorite season is summer. Her favorite music is mainly pop, but she likes any music that makes her feel good. Douglas has a big family, but she mostly lives with her mom. Her dad lives in New Jersey with a few of her aunts and cousins. She has one sister on her mom's side, five sisters and three brothers on her dad's side, and she’s the middle child of all of them.
Douglas currently works a paying job at Dunkin Donuts on weekends. “It's a relatively OK job,” she says, “but it can be a little tiring sometimes.” Douglas’ mother enrolled her into COA because she works long hours and thought it would be better if Douglas was at home so she wouldn't have to leave work every week.
Douglas’ long-term goal is to get skilled in photography and become a professional photographer to make enough money to support herself and her family in the future. Her short-term goal is to overcome her shyness and become more open with others. When she was in 7th grade, Douglas was a part of her school's rocket team. Her team got to make rockets and launch them with other teams at other schools. Her team, "Team 2", was one of the national finalists and even received medals.
Hannah Painter
Hannah Painter is a 15-year-old sophomore at Columbus Online Academy. She is a newsletter staff member. Painter loves the color red, and she likes to eat wings. When asked to share a fun fact, Painter said, “I made my first holy communion through a church in my home state, which is Pennsylvania.”
Painter is the oldest of two girls and two boys, and she has a one-year-old daughter named Nova. Painter’s job is being a stay-at-home mother with her daughter. If you asked Painter if she liked her job, she would say she loves it, and according to her, it is her favorite thing to do.
Painter said she enrolled in the Columbus Online Academy because “trying to balance a baby plus trying to go to school was hard and tiring.” Her short-term goal is to get good grades in school so she can graduate, and her long-term goal is to be the best mom and family member she can be. Painter said the best part of Columbus Online Academy is that her classmates and teachers are really nice to her. Painter believes that as soon as she logs into Zoom, she is her most successful self.
Ya'Mailah Thomas
Ya’Mailah Thomas is a 15-year-old sophomore. Thomas said, “I have a large but small family.” She has four siblings, two on her dad’s side and two on her mom’s side.
She likes to listen to any type of music, but mostly rap. Her favorite food is Church’s Chicken. Her favorite colors are pink, white, red, and black. Her favorite sports are basketball and volleyball. She is on the swim and volleyball teams.
She has a volunteer job watching her siblings, which she thinks is fun. She has won awards for honor roll and announcements.
Her long-term goal is to become something she wants to be and something she’s proud of. Her short-term goals are to work on getting rid of her anxiety and to lose weight.
She enrolled in Columbus Online Academy because she was scared of catching monkeypox.
When asked what the best part of Columbus Online Academy is, Thomas said, “Having such nice teachers and people who I feel can guide me through life online.” She said the most challenging part is having to join Zoom and worry about her internet connection going out.
Ja'Kia Smith
Ja’Kia Smith is a tenth grader at Columbus Online Academy. Smith does not have any family in Ohio, but she does have a large family, and they live in New York and New Jersey. She has three brothers, and she is the oldest.
When asked what she likes to do after school, she said, “I spend most of my free time doing my nails or my family member’s hair. I also enjoy taking pictures. I want to get into photography someday.” Smith also plays basketball and loves to dance.
Smith does not currently have a job, but she sometimes takes care of her siblings so that her mom can either go to work or just have some time to herself. Smith said, “I love taking care of my brothers even though they can be a handful sometimes.”
Her favorite food is pizza and her favorite season is winter. When asked about music, she said, “I’m Jamaican, so I listen to a lot of dancehall music.”
Smith said she enrolled in COA because she was having difficulty being in a school building. She said, “I honestly just wanted to try something new.”
Her long-term goal is to become a professional nail technician or photographer. Her short-term goal is to have a better school year than she did last year.
Kayleigh Dodge
Kayleigh Dodge is a 17-year-old senior at Columbus Online Academy. She is a newspaper staff member. Dodge’s favorite color is green. When asked what her favorite hobbies or activities are, she said, “Softball, and I like to sing.”
Dodge has four siblings, two cats, and two dogs. She also has a job at Joseppi’s Pizza in Grove City that she likes.
Dodge enrolled in Columbus Online Academy because it was easier for her to learn online than in person. Dodge has been honored for academics as an honor roll student. Her short-term goal is to graduate from school, and her long-term goal is to get an apartment. She says the best parts of COA are being able to do school at home and the teachers. The most challenging part is computer difficulties.
Featured Staff
Lindsay Santen
Lindsay Santen is an anatomy and environmental science teacher at Columbus Online Academy. She said, "So far, I love my new job. The staff and students are amazing!” After seven years at her old school, she was looking for a change. Santen said, “I enjoy technology, especially Google Apps, and when I saw this position open, I was immediately interested.” She continued, “I think online education has an important place in our society, and I want to be a part of it as it grows. I envision a truly blended learning environment someday where students attend in-person labs paired with online lectures during the day, night, and weekends!”
Santen has worked in Columbus City Schools since 2004. She has worked at Eastmoor Academy, Beechcroft, East, and now COA. Before that, she held a couple of internships at the Columbus Zoo and the Columbus Metro Parks. Santen said, “I love animals and nature!”
She says, “I was actually kind of on a tv show!” It was a show on Animal Planet. She made it to the semifinal tryouts before getting cut. “I was in the first episode in the tryouts bloopers part for like a second. I can't even remember the name of the show! It was around 20 years ago!” She has traveled to Costa Rica and Namibia to study abroad in college. “Both places are absolutely amazing!”
Currently, she is playing in a sand volleyball recreation league. In high school, she played basketball and wasn't very good, but she still managed to tear her ACL. Then in college, she took all the sports classes she could: ice skating, boxing, weight lifting, volleyball, and racquetball, and she tore her other ACL in racquetball class! Her current favorite sport is hiking. One day she wants to hike on the Appalachian trail for an entire summer, hopefully with her daughter.
Santen has earned a bachelor of science in zoology from The Ohio State University. A couple of years later, she went back for her Masters of Education at The Ohio State University. She is certified to teach 7-12 grade life science classes, and also has a teacher leadership endorsement on her license and should be getting her technology endorsement soon. The most interesting club Santen was in during college was the mountaineering club, where they went to locations around the state and rock climbed outside. “It was so much fun!” she states.
John Siemer
John Siemer is one of the math teachers at COA. He chose this position at a job fair. He is a bit overwhelmed because this is so different, but the people have been great, and the students understand. He taught math and engineering at West for most of his previous 32 years of teaching. ”I have a 28, 4, and 2 year old,” says Siemer, “all three keep me busy.”
He taught Michael Redd, who went on to play for OSU, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Olympic team.
Siemer played football and baseball and was in the senior play in high school. He went to the University of Dayton and majored in secondary education with a focus on math and psychology.
Awards and Honors
Shout Out to Teacher Rachel Narra
Shout out to Ms. Narra for being a great teacher.
Shout out to my Mom
By Christian Manago
By Kristiyonna Manago
Shout out to my mother, Katrina White.
Shout out to Jose Vazquez
By Teacher Lisa Ciminillo
Shout out to Maya Johnson
By Teacher Lisa Ciminillo
TayShawn Pace wins $25
Teacher Anita Lindsay held a contest in her Google Classroom where the winner won $25 for following simple instructions, and the winner was Tayshawn Pace! CONGRATULATIONS Tayshawn!
APEX Aces
Congratulations to the following students who have already completed some Apex courses for credit this year. All of the students' names were entered in a drawing for a gift card on October 28. Hunter Anderson won a $25 gift card.
Accacia H. Health
Anjana S. Health, Physical Science
Ariana P. Alg 2
Caiden R. Health
D'krya J. Art
Giarra J. Health
Gloria W. MWH
Hunter A. Sociology, Algebra 2, Psychology
Jack H. Health
Jaelynn G. Psychology, Sociology
Jamila K. Health
Jefferson C. PC Apps 1
Jolene S. Health
Jose V. Health, AQR, Art
Maya J. AQR
Michelle S. Heatlh
Noha D. AQR
Olivia B. AQR
Ra'Niyea D. Health
Rhoda W. PC Apps 1
Sabin T. Health
Tayshawn P. Art
Urfie R. Spanish 2, Physical Science, French, PC Apps 1, Creative Writing, Psychology, and Sociology
Donations from Telestrations and Blank Slate
Thank you to Telestrations and Blank Slate for board game donations for our in-person mixers. The COA staff members had fun testing the games and appreciate the generous donation.
Announcements
Do you want to learn to code?
Columbus Online Academy offers two after-school coding clubs via Zoom. No experience? No problem! Join us on Thursdays from 4:30-5:30 p.m. Do you have some coding experience but want to learn more? Join us on Fridays from 4:30-5:30 p.m. Can't come this week? No problem! Join us when you can! The Zoom link is on our school Google Classroom in the stream (posted October 27).
$50 Gift Card for Winner of Core Values Art Contest
Internship Hours
Columbus Online Academy Times is a Student-Run Newsletter
Looking for another issue?
Click below for Volume 1.
December Newsletter 2021
January Newsletter 2022
February Newsletter 2022
March Newsletter 2022
April Newsletter 2022
May Newsletter 2022
Staff: Willowhawk Bowen, Ayra Burk, Kayleigh Dodge, Amani Douglas, Ashli Flores Posadas, Trevon Goins-Boykin, Jalonnie Gossett, Hannah Painter, Ja'Kia Smith, Ya'Mailah Thomas
Adviser: Kathy McQuate
Email: kmcquate@columbus.k12.oh.us
Website: https://www.ccsoh.us/domain/4199
Location: 4841 E Livingston Ave, Columbus, OH 43227, USA
Phone: (614) 365-8472