CAHS Family Update
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Although the CAHS community has benefitted from Ms. Lewis's leadership as an assistant principal since 2015, it is an honor to welcome her as the new Head Principal for this school year! Learn more about her background and accomplishments in this article from the district.
Marian Bryant is joining the CAHS Admin Team as an Assistant Principal. Primarily, she will work with the Class of 2029 and the Class of 2027. She is excited about maintaining a supportive, high quality learning environment to ensure success for all. Ms. Bryant loves art, fashion, and exploring different music genres. She welcomes students to share their favorite song, band, or musician with her!
Lizeth Espinoza is joining the Admin Team as a Leadership Intern for this coming school year. She has been teaching Spanish for the past ten years—five at Marion Franklin and the last five at International High School. She looks forward to meeting our students and families and to working alongside such a talented team of educators and administrators.
Stephanie Dobbins is excited to return to CAHS as an alum from the Class of 2008! She will be joining the CAHS Humanities Team and will be teaching Intro to Humanities, American Humanities, and AP Government. After earning her Bachelor’s degree in History and Master’s in Teaching from Harding University, she completed Teacher Leader Endorsement at The Ohio State University. She has previously taught at New Hope Christian Academy, Brice Christian Academy, Portsmouth High School, and Marion-Franklin High School. Outside of the classroom, she enjoys relaxing at the pool, spending time with her family, and fitting in the occasional nap.
Ryan Miller is joining the CAHS Math Department. He will be teaching Algebra I and Geometry. He recently graduated from Franciscan University of Steubenville with a degree in Math and Education. He grew up in the Lewis Center, Ohio area in a large family of 6 kids. He has played soccer since childhood and up through all four years at college. He enjoys watching and playing sports for fun and hanging out with friends and family.
Maria Strunck is joining the CAHS Specialized Learning Center. She grew up in Columbus, Ohio in the Westgate neighborhood. She worked as a substitute teacher, grades K-12, primarily in Westerville and Olentangy school districts through the Educational Service Center of Central Ohio. While studying for her Intervention Specialist teacher's license at The Ohio State University, Ms. Strunck worked as a paraprofessional at Olentangy Berlin High School's multiple disabilities classroom. She served students with Autism, Down Syndrome, and Cerebral Palsy. She is excited for her first year as a Full-Time teacher serving students at Columbus City Schools.
Kayla Thomasetti is excited to join the Humanities 9 & 10 team at CAHS this year! Previously, she taught theatre at Mifflin High School, English at Circleville High School, and both English and theatre at Cristo Rey Columbus High School. She loves being in nature, gardening, reading, theatre, cheering on Ohio State, and traveling with her husband and baby!
At our Welcome Celebration on August 18, many caregivers were able to write a note to their rising freshmen. In the days since, we have had a number of volunteers from our school community writing a few more to make sure each student receives a personal note the first day of school. The job is almost done! But if any caregivers or staff would be interested in writing 5 or so short notes over the weekend, please contact the family ambassador for more details: dshowalter1@columbus.k12.oh.us
We are looking for CAHS parents who are fluent in English and also speak one of these languages: Arabic, Nepali, and Somali. Our family ambassador would like help in setting up WhatsApp groups in these languages for parents to connect about school details for this school year. If you are interested in helping, please text Deborah Showalter's google voice number: 614-636-1355 or email: dshowalter1@columbus.k12.oh.us
Stock up on CAHS Spirit Wear! The online store will be open until September 20. Pick up will be at the school around the first full week of October. Questions? Contact Ms. Webb at: awebb@columbus.k12.oh.us
Welcome new and returning CAHS families! We're excited to have you. PTA meetings are a great way to feel connected if you are not getting much information from your student or if you'd like to get to know more about CAHS teachers, staff, and upcoming things they have planned. We meet remotely in the hopes that you can join us, even if you have transportation, mobility, or schedule challenges.
The first Friends of CAHS PTA meeting will be Thursday, September 18 at 6:30pm.
Friends of CAHS PTA is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Friends of CAHS PTA monthly meeting
Time: Sep 18, 2025 06:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
*Every month on the Third Thu, until May 21, 2026, 9 occurrence(s)
Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
Monthly: Calendar link
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us05web.zoom.us/j/84465733322?pwd=veKhLFn05u5Y6RKcl2YBvL73bYuaFo.1
Meeting ID: 844 6573 3322
Passcode: 315973
Link to PTA survey: We'd love to hear from you so we can make the PTA work for everyone! Thank you for your time.
Vaccines:
Please make sure your student is up to date on all state-required vaccines (ORC 3313.67) to avoid being excluded from school in September.
9th graders must have their 7th-grade Tdap (Tetanus) and first Meningococcal (MCV4) vaccines.
12th graders must have a second Meningococcal vaccine.
Medications at School:
All medications—prescription or over-the-counter—require a medication authorization form signed by both a parent and a healthcare provider. This includes items like inhalers and EpiPens.
Find forms here: https://www.ccsoh.us/Page/1211
Health Screenings:
During the 2025–2026 school year, students in grades 9 and 11 will have state-required health screenings (ORC 3313.69). These include:
Vision and hearing checks
A dental screening for new students
Emergency Contacts:
Please update your contact information in Infinite Campus so we can reach you in an emergency.
Dental Clinic Coming This Fall!
We’re excited to share that CAHS is once again partnering with The Smiles Program to offer a dental clinic at school on October 6th and 7th, 2025.
If your child:
Hasn’t had a dental check-up in the last 6 months, or
Had a check-up at school last year
—they’re eligible for this clinic!
During the visit, a licensed dentist will:
Check your child’s teeth and mouth
Do a cleaning
Take X-rays if needed
Apply fluoride and sealants
Provide fillings if necessary
Each student will bring home a dental report card.
More information and permission forms will be sent home.
You can sign up now at:
👉 https://www.myschooldentist.com/35588_sch
If you have questions or need help with your child’s health needs, please call Nurse Tina at (614) 365-6252.
Tina Peterson RN, BSN
School Nurse
Columbus Alternative High School
614-365-6252
We have a new group started for parents and caregivers who speak Spanish as their primary language! Thanks to parent Leticia Luna-Escobar for hosting this one. Feel free to join using the QR code or link and share with others in our community including parents/caregivers of rising freshmen. It will be an informal way to connect on school-related topics in Spanish.
- Download the Infinite Campus PARENT or STUDENT app to your phone.
- Type 'Columbus' when it asks for the district then select CCS and Ohio
Looking for a fun and educational way to spend your free time? With a Columbus Metropolitan Library card, you can access Culture Passes that grant you free admission to some of central Ohio’s most popular cultural institutions. Whether you're interested in museums, theaters, or other cultural experiences, these passes provide a fantastic opportunity to explore the local arts and culture scene without any cost.
To take advantage of this offer, simply visit your local library for in-person checkout. Culture Passes are available on a first-come, first-served basis, and supplies are limited, so don’t miss your chance! Please note that passes cannot be reserved ahead of time. Visit your library today and see what’s available — it’s the perfect way to discover new adventures around the city while supporting your local library.
For our CAHS families living in the Linden community, check out this wonderful collection of resources and programs.
Dear Families,
I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself as we prepare to head into the 2025-2026 school year. My name is Deborah Showalter and this will be my fourth year as family ambassador at CAHS. I will be sending out newsletters twice a month and will also share information on the PTA Facebook Page (Columbus Alternative High School PTA, Friends of CAHS).
High School is an important time for our kids to grow in independence. However, the support of parents and caregivers is still so important each step of the way. When the student, caregiver, and teachers/administrators/support staff work together as a team there is the best chance for academic success and emotional well-being. I'm looking forward to finding new ways to build this teamwork over this coming school year. Thanks for the role you each play!
Take Care,
Deborah Showalter
CAHS Family Ambassador
Columbus Alternative High School
School Year Office Hours
Monday - Friday
7:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Website: https://www.ccsoh.us/CAHS
Location: 2632 McGuffey Rd, Columbus, OH 43211, USA
Phone: (614)365-6006