Fairview Fast 5

You’ve likely heard a lot about artificial intelligence recently. It seems that everywhere we turn, people are asking, "Is AI good or bad?" Like most emerging technologies, it will likely be both.

A better question for educators is, “How can students learn to use AI tools and take ownership of their own learning?”

Since January 2025, the Fairview Park City School District has received $180,000 in Ohio TechCred grants to support professional development on the responsible and effective use of AI tools. This work is not about chasing trends. It’s about preparing our staff to thoughtfully integrate technology to save time, differentiate instruction, and customize feedback. The training also challenges us to design assessments that emphasize depth of understanding to “AI-proof” learning tasks to guard against cheating.

Skeptics might see this training as an investment in yet another new technology, a distraction from education, chasing “innovation.” Fundamentally, however, it is an investment in people. People who are responsible for teaching students the skills necessary for success in the future economy.

The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 highlights that the most in-demand skills are not just technical. They include critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and resilience. These are not new ideas for us. They are already embedded in our Student Skills Profile and central to our strategic plan.

Preparing ALL students to succeed in a fast-paced, competitive workforce will require more collaboration, such as Ohio’s TechCred grant. Policy makers, business leaders, and educators have an opportunity to invest in a skill that has been a hallmark of American ingenuity: life-long learning.

Thank you for your support of the Fairview Park City Schools. Enjoy this edition of the Fairview Fast Five Newsletter. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Warm Regards,

Keith Ahearn

Words that usually live quietly on note cards and in books stepped into the spotlight at Gilles-Sweet Elementary in January, where students turned complex vocabulary into a fun experience as part of the WordMasters Challenge.

The WordMasters Challenge is a national vocabulary competition for students in grades 3–8 that emphasizes learning challenging words and using them to complete analogies.

As part of the WordMasters Challenge, these fourth and fifth-grade gifted students are given 25 vocabulary words to learn at three different times during the school year.

Some athletes can often make the game look easy.

What is rarely seen is the time, work, discipline, and experiences behind the scenes that help create opportunities for athletes to excel.

Behind senior Will Allen’s basketball performance at Fairview High School are years of work and preparation that have brought him - and the team - to this historic point in school history.

The 2025-2026 Warriors have already secured this year’s Chagrin Valley Conference Metro title with a win over Trinity on Jan. 21. It’s been a “three-peat” for the Warriors this season, winning the conference championship the last three consecutive seasons, and six out of the last eight years. The team also finished with a perfect 10-0 conference record.

In an age when data is everywhere, few people know how to organize, analyze, or use it to answer meaningful questions. Recently, a Fairview High School project gave seniors hands-on experience using real-world data to explore issues and guide decision-making.

Seniors in Contemporary Mathematics recently completed a project using American Community Survey data - along with original research - to explore how communities could ask questions to help make decisions.

The American Community Survey (ACS) is an ongoing survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau that collects detailed information about communities nationwide.