Building Futures, Grounded in Community

Putting the Needs of Students First with a Holistic Educational Approach

At Miami Trace Local Schools education is about more than academics. Guided by the mission “to provide a quality education, with opportunities and relationships that cultivate success,” the district is building a student-centered culture focused on connection and opportunity. Located on a centralized campus in Fayette County, Ohio, Miami Trace is shaping a holistic educational experience that prepares students not just for graduation, but for life beyond the classroom.

Inspiring Learners

The district’s innovative approach begins with its youngest students at Miami Trace Elementary School. This is exemplified through a unique partnership with Farm-Ed, a company that provides AI-powered grow chambers for classrooms. “We looked at this as a great opportunity for our youngest learners to start dabbling in STEM through a hands-on inquiry approach,” shares Sunny Cummings, Assistant Principal at Miami Trace Elementary. Available for students k through 5, the program is most heavily focused on fourth and fifth grade, with lessons adapted for younger students.

Garren Angel, CEO and Founder of Farm-Ed recounts, “The joy that you get when a child lights up from the curriculum is really unparalleled. It’s a different form of education. The child is coming alive.” Through their observations, students are introduced not only to the science of plant biology but also to the principles of data analytics, environmental science, and agricultural technology.

“Really what happens is you change the learner’s outcome,” Angel conveys. “They learn how things work. Most curriculum is based on what, and everybody forgets what, but we remember how. And this translates into subject mastery that they can take with them for the rest of their educational and professional journey.”

An Investment in Holistic Education

The Learning and Wellness Center exemplifies the district’s commitment to students and families. This new facility has been designed to provide space for community partnerships and counseling services, while also supporting students with diverse learning needs. “Through the use of Student Wellness Grant Funds, we were able to construct a new facility,” details Assistant Superintendent Justin Lanman. “The center will be fully operational within the next school year.”

Partnerships with the YMCA and the county’s Ohio State University Extension, offer opportunities for Learning Center students outside of the classroom. “The YMCA is three miles from our campus, so our students can go there and participate in activities, and our YMCA staff and director have been incredible with creating opportunities for them,” expands Lanman. “Our extension offices are agriculturally based, and we are a rural school district, so farming and agriculture is at the heart of a lot of what we do.”

Career Readiness

The district’s strong emphasis on career pathways begins early and continues throughout a student’s time at Miami Trace. Starting next year, the elementary grades will take part in a career day that introduces them to opportunities both within the region and beyond. In middle school learners are introduced to Naviance, a career planning assessment tool that helps direct their interests to potential future endeavors.

Cummings relays, “That’s an ever changing document that will follow them through high school up until their graduation. It  gives them some things to think about, what their strengths are, what their weaknesses are.”

Additionally, Miami Trace High School utilizes the Growing Rural Independence Together (GRIT) program. Through this regional initiative, students work through an assessment called Future Plans, followed by a 45 minute one-on-one session with a certified career coach. “It gives them another avenue to explore and process all of the options that lie ahead for them,” emphasizes Pittser. “Part of our job is to prepare them for the world outside of Miami Trace, whatever that world looks like.”

In partnership with Great Oaks Career Campuses, the district has also developed a pipeline of experiential learning that begins in middle school and extends through high school graduation. This collaboration, active since the mid 2000s, gives students early and ongoing exposure to career pathways, allowing them to connect classroom experiences to real life opportunities.

Through Great Oaks, both on-site at Miami Trace and at the Laurel Oaks campus in Wilmington, students have access to programs in construction, culinary arts, digital media, agriculture, aviation, and more.

Harry Snyder, President and Superintendent of Great Oaks, highlights, “We can help them understand the career trees, that if you want to get into aviation, yes, you can work on the airplanes, but you can also fly the airplanes, you can paint the airplanes. There are different occupations out there that they don’t even have a mindset to know about. That career exploration, that future planning, starts to spread out their horizon.”

Miami Trace’s strong agricultural roots are also supported through the Future Farmers of America (FFA) program, where students gain practical experience aligned with their local community.

“Their goal is to get at least 250 hours in work based learning through our FFA program. During the summer months, many of these students will be active on their local farms or partnering farms, so that builds up their hours,” Snyder elaborates. Students at Laurel Oaks, who are involved in technical programs like welding or airframe mechanics can transition directly into placements with local employers, such as Airborne Maintenance and Engineering Services (AMES). “As long as they’re on track to graduate and they have good grades, those opportunities open up,” he adds.

A District Rich with Possibility

Miami Trace’s focus on future readiness extends beyond skill building. “We want those students to come back to our communities and help contribute to that success,” Snyder acknowledges. Proximity to a growing industrial park means the options will be plentiful for those who choose to stay in the area.

“There’s going to be future opportunities there, from building electric car batteries, to fuel cells, to working web services, to dealing with pharmaceuticals,” he outlines. “So they can still work the family farm, if they’d like, and have another occupation to help foster that livelihood. It’s an exciting time for the Miami Trace community.”

The district is also keeping an eye on regional development, including the arrival of major employers like Honda LG and Amazon. “We have completed projection studies with the Woolpert Group out of Columbus to look into the future and be prepared as much as possible,” says Pittser.

In order to prepare Miami Trace students for the future, STEAM initiatives are interwoven throughout the curriculum, and AI and other emerging technologies are top of mind. “The next 10 years are going to see changes that we don’t even understand,” says Snyder.

“That’s the exciting thing that we’re going to see, that AI is going to disrupt our regular delivery systems, and we have to figure out a way to absorb those changes and continue to be relevant as we move forward in the educational realm.”

The Human Side of Miami Trace Local Schools

The district’s emphasis on lifelong learning is not just for students. “The learning process never stops,” notes Pittser. “It does not matter how old we get, we can learn something new every day. I learn when I’m out among our students. I learn when I’m working with our staff. I learn in the community. Learning is valuable in all assets of life.”

Lanman adds that one of the greatest lessons in leadership is the power of teamwork. “Trying to manage situations independently a lot of times doesn’t yield the best outcome for everyone involved,” he imparts.

“There’s so much expertise on our leadership team  that our conversations always bear fruit. Leaning on the experiences of other people, the guidance and outside perspectives, tends to lend itself to making the soundest decision.”

At its core, Miami Trace is a people-first district. “Hands down, my most rewarding moments always involve the students, and the families and partners that we serve,” reveals Cummings. “Our staff is amazing, and a huge driving force in my everyday life is to serve the staff in a way that is valuable to them and continue to work with community partners within our county and our region.”

Looking Ahead

Miami Trace remains focused on equipping its students not just for academic success, but for a fulfilling life, rich in opportunity, and powered by possibility. Over the next two years, Pittser says the district’s goals remain steady and ambitious. “They are the same priorities we have now, only we will continue to improve,” she asserts.

“We want to focus on the relationships that we do have, while growing new ones. We also want to make sure that the opportunities we’re currently providing are well organized, well structured, productive, and then explore adding those that our students can benefit from in the future.”

AT A GLANCE

Who: Miami Trace Local School District

What: A progressive school district offering a holistic and innovative learning experience.

Where: Fayette County, Ohio

Website: www.miamitrace.k12.oh.us