In school and in so much else in life, showing up is the first step to success. Just a few weeks into summer break, students and staff marked two exciting opportunities to demonstrate this fact, and to show how the Intergenerational Schools foster opportunities to show up in and outside the classroom.
Eight Near West Intergenerational School students spent three weeks in June participating in the Health Sciences Discovery Program, a collaboration between University Hospitals, the Korda Institute for Teaching and Hawken School. Our students, rising seventh through ninth graders, joined the program at the Mastery School of Hawken in University Circle to explore real problems in the health sciences.
The work was hands-on and close to home. Students tested soil and paint for lead, collected air quality data across the city, and talked with neighbors about what they knew and what worried them. At the end of the program, they presented their findings and their proposed solutions to professionals at University Hospitals.
That same month, leaders from The Intergenerational School–East traveled to Columbus for Attend Ohio 2026, where they accepted the 2026 District Engagement Award from Stay in the Game. Principal Aziz Ahmad, Curriculum Specialist Jen Orbash and Director of Safety & Facilities Chance DeWerth accepted on behalf of the school.
“This recognition celebrates the hard work and dedication of our students, families, staff, and attendance team. Through our partnership with Stay in the Game and the efforts of so many members of our community, we have reduced chronic absenteeism by more than 19% over the past two years,” said Mr. Ahmad in a message to TIS-East families. “Thank you to our families for partnering with us and making daily attendance a priority.”
The recognition reflects steady progress thanks to the efforts by staff, students, families and community volunteers to help students prioritize attendance—from University Hospitals and the Cleveland Browns/Stay in the Game program providing support to stock a Care Closet to help ensure students have necessary hygiene and school supplies, creating fun ways to track attendance like the “Build a Chomps” classroom attendance tracker featuring the Cleveland Browns mascot, and rewarding students with most improved attendance at the end of the year with new bikes, donated by a generous organization neighboring the school campus.
Both of these summer milestones bring something important into focus: Learning and belonging are not separate goals. Students who feel connected show up, and students who show up learn.
As the last few weeks of summer slide by, we’re grateful for the boundless community that helps bridge learning and exploration outside our classroom walls—and we can’t wait to welcome students and families back within them to kick off another year of transformative education.