Westwood Campus

Listening Sessions
Report Back
December 10th, 2018 | Cincinnati Public Schools Board Meeting

Report Prepared by:

Index

Introduction and Process Page 3

Summary of Insights Page 4
Community Engagement Model Page 7
Appendix
Attachment A: Facilitation Questions
Attachment B: ThoughtExchange Report

2|Page
Introduction and Process
Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) purchased the former Mercy High School building and plans to open a
new school in the building in the fall of 2019, creating a momentous opportunity for CPS. The purchase
of the historic school and campus will provide CPS with the opportunity to bring a new “innovative
educational campus” to the West Side of town and meet the needs of their growing enrollment.
Throughout October and the beginning of November 2018, the Community Building Institute and the
Westwood Coalition hosted a series of listening sessions to let Cincinnati Public Schools hear from the
community about what they would like to see happen at the Westwood Campus, the former home of
Mercy High School. The Community Building Institute (CBI) and the Westwood Coalition hosted four
listening sessions which included community members from Westwood, Mercy Alumna, parents and a
community wide meeting. Each of the four sessions were open to the public. In addition, CBI hosted four
listening sessions with current Cincinnati Public School students. The sessions included a conversation
with 5th and 6th grade students at Westwood Elementary, a conversation with 7th and 8th grade, as well
as 11th and 12th grade students at West High, and a conversation with 11th and 12th grade students at
Gamble Montessori. An opportunity to provide input online was facilitated through ThoughtExchange
for those who could not attend the in person sessions.

Listening Session Schedule

Community Sessions
Session 1: Westwood Community
Date: October 15th | 7pm - 8:30pm
Location: Westwood United Methodist
102 attendees
Student Sessions
Session 1: 5th and 6th Grade Students
Date: October 24th | 9am- 10am
Location: Westwood Elementary
Approximately 15 students

Session 2: Mercy Alumnae Community Session 2: 7th and 8th Grade Students
Date: October 25th | 7:15pm - 9pm Date: October 24th | 12:30pm- 1:15pm
Location: Westwood United Methodist Location: West High
11 attendees Approximately 12 students

Session 3: Parents Session 3: 11th and 12th Grade Students

Date: October 29th| 6:30pm – 8pm Date: October 24th | 1:30pm – 2:15pm
Location: Dater Montessori Location: West High
35 attendees Approximately 12 students

Session 4: Community Wide Session Session 4: 11th and 12th Grade Students
Date: October 30th | 6:30pm – 8pm Date: November 9th | 9am – 10am
Location: Xavier- Cintas Center Location: Gamble Montessori
13 attendees Approximately 15 students

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Summary of Insights
The following is a summary of the key insights that came out of the Listening Sessions with community
members and current CPS students. The summary is organized by insights about the physical place, the
school, the school culture and the community surrounding the school.

About the Place

The former Mercy building and campus is a community anchor in the Westwood community, and
represents a history of high quality education and deeply rooted connection to the community. The
Westwood Campus is a unique opportunity for Cincinnati Public Schools and there are high
expectations for the future of the historically special place. Neighbors, community members, and
Mercy alumna value the former Mercy High School building as a historic, beautiful, and anchoring
building and place in the community. The preservation and upkeep of the building, and the surrounding
grounds, is important to the residents residing near the campus and in the broader Westwood
community. Community members value the preservation of the unique architecture of the building and
the “spirit” of the building. The Westwood Campus needs to continue to feel and be pedestrian and
walkable, and connected to the core of Westwood. Community members expressed concerns about the
impacts of increased bus traffic on the small neighborhood streets and the limited parking on the
campus.

Leveraging and preserving the green space of the Westwood Campus is important. The green space
surrounding the Westwood campus is seen as a physical asset to the future school. Parents and students
recognize the potential opportunities to focus on the outdoor space and environmental education.
Students need to have access to the grounds and be part of caring for them.

About the School: Academic Focus and Curriculum

The Westside community views the Westwood Campus as an opportunity to add a school with high
academic standards, and proper resources and support to the Westside. While differing opinions
where presented in terms of the Westwood Campus becoming a college preparatory, Montessori or a
different model of school, across the board community members and parents would like the school to
provide a Westside school option with high academic standards, and proper resources and attention
from the District.

Community members and parents talk about the Westwood Campus as an opportunity to expand
High School options on the Westside. Throughout the listening sessions, there was a focus on the
Westwood Campus serving the community as a high school. Community members talked about the
infrastructure of the former Mercy building being designed to serve high school- aged students because
of the amenities it has, including a science lab and computer room. There is a significant contingent of
people who feel that Gamble Montessori should move to the new space.

The school should focus on professional pathways, wide career awareness, and local and regional co-
op opportunities. Students and parents recognize the importance of exposure to co-op opportunities,
experiential learning and other training opportunities, like exposure to training in the trades. Students
recognize the need for more exposure to options for paths after high school. We heard from older

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students that they wished they had been more aware that their grades in freshman and sophomore
years can impact their options for after high school. Students want lots of hands on learning through
labs, libraries, and art and music rooms. The incorporation of the arts and a technology rich school are
important parts of making the school successful. Students and parents also recognize the importance of
embedding more life skills training, like financial literacy, into the school.

The design of the physical space in the school and the atmosphere that is created matters, and effects
students’ abilities to be successful. Creating an environment that feels safe and “theirs” is critical to
the school’s success. Both parents and students who are currently enrolled in CPS schools on the West
Side recognize the challenges of space constraints and overcrowding in current buildings. For students,
this includes recognizing that darkly lit and overcrowded hallways do not create a welcoming
atmosphere for students. Students recognize that student art being displayed in the buildings and other
cosmetic improvements can be powerful in creating a more positive and welcoming atmosphere in a
building. Students are concerned about the stress of accessing their lockers and being able to have a
place to store personal belongings and books while at school. Some students appreciate amenities such
as desks that have storage capacity for books/personal items, and recognize the benefits of grouping
grade level classrooms within different parts of the buildings. Young people want spaces to work in
teams, study together and socialize outside of the classroom. Students value flexible spaces in the
schools, which might include a quiet room or accessible outdoor space, where they can access necessary
resources but also step out of the formal classroom structure. Other students recognize that places like
libraries and computer rooms as having the potential to serve that role in a school building, but they do
not feel they are currently flexible, welcoming spaces in their buildings.

About the School Culture

Students recognize that supportive teachers, school staff and supportive peers make a difference in
their personal and academic successes. The Westwood Campus needs to have a student to adult ratio
that adequately supports students’ needs (adults includes teachers, parents, counselors, volunteers
and active community residents). Students value opportunities to engage with teachers in a one-on-one
or smaller group setting, developing more personal relationships with the teachers. Students also
recognize the value of additional staff resources like college and career counselors, as well as mental
health professionals, having a consistent presence in the school buildings. Mentors, positive role
models, and parent support are important for students. Students need to feel supported socially and
emotionally- there needs to be enough adults in the building to deal with everything from serious
mental health challenges to daily drama.

Students recognize the benefits of a positive school culture and peer-to-peer relationships that create
a supportive environment for students. Peer to peer relationships among students are crucial to
students success. Younger students talked about the significant distractions and challenges that result
from “drama” and negative peer relationships in school buildings. Older students talk about the
balancing act of an increased work load, extracurricular activities, employment and planning for their
next steps after high school and their reliance on their peers for support. Worries about school safety,
bullying, suicides and discipline in the school buildings are pervasive issues.

The Westwood Campus should engender the image of quality, and be something to be strived for. The
school should be and feel “west side centric” – connected to the people, families, and traditions that

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have grown up there. Academics should be challenging but students should feel supported, not
challenged to succeed “against all odds.” Students and parents recognize that students have different
learning styles; a school having proper resources and teachers who have the bandwidth to recognize
and respond to the different needs of students creates an environment where all students can be
successful. As technology permeates classrooms and computers are used for testing, students are aware
of the need for hands on learning and instruction to supplement technology.

About the Community

The Westwood Campus should remain a strong community anchor and be an important asset that
sells Westwood to the rest of the world. The school should be part of what makes Westwood a
community of choice and strengthens the housing market. Neighbors of the Westwood Campus, Mercy
Alumna and Westside parents value the school’s connection to the Westwood community and the
school’s history of being a neighborhood serving school. The Westwood Campus should focus on serving
students and families from Cincinnati’s West side. Families recognize the value in students being able to
walk to school, or go to school in the community they live in. Families in Westwood and the broader
west side community recognize that having a high quality option in the community would simplify the
logistics of their days and facilitate increased opportunities for kids to participate in afterschool
programs at the Westwood Campus.

Westwood residents, business, and civic leadership should be actively involved in the start-up and
operation of the school. Residents should be welcomed and challenged to be engaged in the school.
Several close neighbors to the Westwood Campus commented on their history of feeling welcomed on
the campus and feeling a part of the school. Community members recognize that they can play an
important role in supporting the school by sharing their talents with students at the school. Students
should also be encouraged to get out of the building and learn from the community. Many parents
expressed their desire for the school to be a Community Learning Center.

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Community Engagement Model
Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) is an important community partner and an anchor in places where
schools exist. When they make decisions, they impact children and families and people in community
care about outcomes, and what happens in their communities. The process we used to have a
community discussion with the Westwood community about the Mercy campus could serve as a model
for future discussions.

CBI was able to engage with the community in a way that allowed the CPS Board to be present and hear
the conversation but not drive the discussion. We started by working with established civic groups in
the Westwood community to define and vet the process, identify stakeholders and garner support for
co-hosting the conversations with community leaders from Westwood. That community participation
early dictated how and with whom we would engage, and allowed us to make sure that we were indeed
connecting to all the people we needed to and created credibility in the process.

We established clear expectations with the community and CPS about what issues were on the table
and how input would be helpful. We hosted open, targeted community conversations, with the
community helping make the invitation to attend. We used the Appreciative Inquiry model to frame
conversations in a way that helps participants focus on values and assets and future-oriented solutions.
Often community meetings can devolve into complaint sessions. These can leave everyone involved
feeling frustrated and unheard. The Appreciative Inquiry Model, developed by David Cooperrider and
other organizational change professionals at Case Western Reserve University was first used in
corporate organizational change work. It has been translated to community settings with great success
over the years. CBI has been using the approach as a complement to our Asset Based Community
Development perspective for over five years.

Maybe the most important part of the conversation was we talked to students. In four separate
conversations with students; incoming high school students, and veteran high school students who have
some experience, we had open conversations. The students were thoughtful, interested and very
helpful. Their insights have strongly influenced these findings.

The process also provided an outlet for online input and conversation through ThoughtExchange for
those who did not have a chance to attend scheduled meetings. The format is a great way to
supplement the in person conversations and give even more people an opportunity to participate in
decision-making.

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Finally, communicating findings and decisions clearly and early is important to the integrity of the
process. When community is engaged, they want to understand that their comments and thoughts
make a difference in decision-making.

Summary of Key Steps:

• Identify all stakeholders
• Work WITH the community, and especially those most likely to be impacted.
• Set clear expectations
• Convene open, targeted community discussions
• Provide supplemental on-line space to communicate
• Appreciative inquiry
• Communicate findings and decisions

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Appendix

Attachment A: Facilitation Questions

Westwood Campus Listening Sessions
Westwood Community Conversation
October 15th, 2018

Facilitation Questions
One on One Introductions 7 minutes
What is your best memory of your own education?

Table Conversation (8-10 people)

Part 1 Questions 20 minutes
What makes you most proud of your children? Of the children in Westwood?

What do children need to be successful in the future?

Part 2 Questions 20 minutes

What does the Westwood Campus (former Mercy High School) add to Westwood?

How should we make best use of the Westwood Campus (former Mercy High School) to serve the
children in this community?

What do we need to do to make sure that the Westwood Campus (former Mercy High School) remains a
wonderful community asset?

Report out – whole room 20 minutes

Westwood Campus Listening Sessions
Mercy Alumnae Conversation
October 25th, 2018

Facilitation Questions
One on one Introductions 7 minutes
What is your best memory of Mercy?

Table Conversation (8 – 10 people)

Part 1 Questions 20 Minutes
What were the three biggest assets at Mercy?

Why did having the school in Westwood matter?

What was challenging about going to Mercy? In Westwood?

Part 2 Questions 20 minutes

What do you hope for Mercy going forward?

What should CPS keep in mind as they plan for the future use of this building?

How can the former Mercy campus best serve the children in Westwood? Throughout the City?

Report Out – Whole room 20 Minutes

Westwood Campus Listening Sessions
Parent Conversation
October 29th, 2018

Facilitation Questions
One on one Introductions 7 minutes
What is your best memory of your school days?

First set of questions 20 minutes

What makes you most proud of your child(ren)?

What do you hope for your child as they go through school?

What obstacles does your child have in school?

What would contribute most to your child(ren) success in school?

Second set of questions 20 minutes

What would you like to see at the Mercy campus?

What educational innovations do you think are most important to successful students?

What do schools need to be doing to prepare their students for the future?

How can Westwood support children?

Report out – whole room 20 minutes

Westwood Campus Listening Sessions
Community Wide Conversation
October 30th, 2018

Facilitation Questions
One on one Introductions 7 minutes
What is your best memory of your school days?

First set of questions 20 minutes

What made you, and/or your children successful in School?

What resources did the school provide that contributed to that success?

What do young people need today to be successful at school, in life?

What barriers exist that keep children from being successful in school? In life?

Second set of questions 20 minutes

What kinds of educational opportunities does CPS need to add to support children?

How might the former Mercy campus add to their portfolio?

How can CPS maximize their investment at the former Mercy campus to best serve the community?

Report out – whole room 20 minutes

Conversations with young people

Questions for 5-8th graders

What do you like best about your school?

What are you good at?

What is hard for you at school?

What gets you excited about school?

What do you wish were different about school?

What do you THINK high school is going to be like?

What do you HOPE high school will be like?

Questions for high school students

What gets you excited about school?

What are you good at?

What is hard for you at school?

What is helping you get ready for life after high school?

What do you feel like you need to accomplish to be ready for life after high school?

What do you wish were different about high school?

What advice would you give middle schoolers coming up?

Attachment B: ThoughtExchange Report
Westwood Campus Conversation
Thoughtexchange Summary Report

In the fall of 2018, Cincinnati Public Schools engaged their community in a

conversation about a new school community on the West Side. Participants
were invited to share thoughts, rate the thoughts of others, and discover the
results of the exchange. Read on to learn about the Hot Topics and Top Themes
that emerged in this exchange.

127 132 3,237

Participants Thoughts Ratings

%% What are some important things to consider for our new school community and building
in Westwood?

PARTICIPATION BY WESTWOOD RESIDENCE

PARTICIPATION BY ROLE

Cincinnati Public Schools - Fall 2018 | Thoughtexchange Summary Report 1

HOT TOPICS
Hot topics are thoughts considered interesting or highly engaging to groups of participants, but may not
be reflected in the top themes. They consist of Interesting thoughts and Common interest thoughts.
Interesting thoughts are hot topics that were rated high by one group of participants and rated low by
another group, indicating areas of disagreement. Common interest thoughts are hot topics that were rated
low by both groups of participants, indicating areas of agreement.

TO P I C 1

Group A Group B
29 (50%) 14 (24%)

Notable demographic breakdowns are as follows:

▪▪ In Group A, 43% of participants are Community Members and Mercy Alumnus compared to 0% of
participants in Group B.
▪▪ In Group B, 80% of participants are CPS Parents, Guardians or Students compared to 59% of
participants in Group A.

INTERESTING THOUGHTS Group A  Group B 

Would like a Westwood Campus as if it was a high school like Walnut Hills. 4.8  1.3 
Want a entrance exam for the best qualified students to attend. I am a Mercy

alum and own a house nearby.

A high-performance school like Walnut Hills – entrance exam, quality programs 5.0  1.1 
and teachers. Westwood neighborhood needs invigoration for growth to

encourage new homeowners.

Not just another public high school. Make this campus a copy of the Walnut Hills 5.0  1.1 
campus; there are families exiting the CPS area for better schools.

Cincinnati Public Schools - Fall 2018 | Thoughtexchange Summary Report 2

 Group A  Group B 

Could Gamble Montessori High School be moved to this location? The current 1.4  5.0 
Gamble site is at capacity and limits the number of AP classes students have

access to. The facility itself is not suited for older kids.

There is already a school on the West Side which has a great curriculum 1.5  5.0 
alternative, Gamble Montessori High School. Gamble was not included in the

District's original facilities master plan, therefore did not receive an adequate

space to grow as a great alternative.

Students at Gamble don't feel appreciated. Gamble students work for CPS to 1.1  4.9 
give us a building that wasn't done and not to mention the building is 60-plus

years old.

COMMON INTEREST THOUGHTS Group A  Group B 

What need is unfulfilled in CPS? What new ideas are other urban districts 1.7  1.8 
implementing? What can set the Westwood Campus school up for success?

What if it isn’t a success?

Logistics such as extracurricular, resources, curriculum, and business 1.9  2.8 

opportunities. What sports will be available and where will they be played,

schools hours and day, traffic. And widening Werk Road, course offerings,

work studies/co-op.

The new school has to attract kids from the entire city. It has to be a magnet 2.2  2.4 
school. Consider making this a STEM school or a language-based school,

like Spanish.

Cincinnati Public Schools - Fall 2018 | Thoughtexchange Summary Report 3

HOT TOPICS

TO P I C 2

Group A Group B
30 (51%) 20 (34%)

Notable demographic breakdowns are as follows:

▪▪ In Group A, 61% of participants are Community Members and Mercy Alumnus compared to 0% of
participants in Group B.
▪▪ In Group B, 90% of participants are CPS Parents, Guardians or Students compared to 27% of
participants in Group A.

INTERESTING THOUGHTS Group A  Group B 

Would like Westwood Campus building to get new windows to fit the 4.2  1.4 
historical appearance of the school building just as we did for Westwood

Elementary. To keep the historical value and capability of it being registered on

the historical buildings in City of Cincinnati.

Building in past has been beautiful and well-loved. Can we expect pride of 4.2  1.8 
ownership on part of CPS community, including instilling that in the students?

Neighborhood depends upon it.

Westwood Campus should be appealing to the neighborhood's surroundings 4.8  2.0 

like it always was with Mother of Mercy H.S. Beautiful exterior.

Cincinnati Public Schools - Fall 2018 | Thoughtexchange Summary Report 4

COMMON INTEREST THOUGHTS Group A  Group B 

I don't think we need a new school on the West Side. There are enough schools 2.3  2.1 
on the West Side. I think the High School James N. Gamble should be moved to

the Mercy Building to expand CPS enrollment.

There is a need for an additional elementary school on the West Side. This could 2.2  2.3 
be the current Gamble building slightly renovated if Gamble moves. The West

Side elementary schools are overcrowded.

If not either of these, I’d like to see a technical high school. Woodward is the only 2.3  2.2 
one, but it’s far and doesn’t seem like a true tech school. CPS doesn’t contract with

Great Oaks which leaves a need that needs to be filled.

Cincinnati Public Schools - Fall 2018 | Thoughtexchange Summary Report 5

HOT TOPICS

TO P I C 3

Group A Group B
22 (38%) 24 (41%)

Notable demographic breakdowns are as follows:

▪▪ In Group A, 65% of participants are Community Members and Mercy Alumnus compared to 5% of
participants in Group B.
▪▪ In Group B, 85% of participants are CPS Parents, Guardians or Students compared to 32% of
participants in Group A.

INTERESTING THOUGHTS Group A  Group B 

Would not like another Western Hills University or Gamble Montessori. They 4.6  1.3 
already exist and are not needed.

Would like Westwood Campus to consider Westwood or City of Cincinnati 4.3  2.2 
West Side students first. Make it a high-qualifying school with options to all

SMART and overachieving students.

A school that Eastsiders would send their kids to. No CPS West Side high school 4.8  1.6 
that good families want to send their kids to.

Cincinnati Public Schools - Fall 2018 | Thoughtexchange Summary Report 6

COMMON INTEREST THOUGHTS Group A  Group B 

Worry about what kind of school this will be – so far we hear words like 2.6  1.8 
innovative, but innovations can be good and can be bad.

Consider partnering with the Cincinnati Rec Commission to bring a rec center and 1.5  2.5 
community learning center to Westwood. Maximize the opportunities to create

partnerships and ease the burden with shared responsibility on maintenance.

Maybe this school could deviate from the national Department of Education 2.3  1.8 
curriculum. This would give the opportunity to experiment with best practice

curricula to give the best education to our kids.

You can dig into each exchange to discover additional topics

that are important to your peers
my.thoughtexchange.com/discodash/#rjhykxxkm

Cincinnati Public Schools - Fall 2018 | Thoughtexchange Summary Report 7

TOP THEMES
Using an algorithm, thoughts are grouped together by topic to form themes. The theme names reflect the key
words for each topic as generated by the algorithm.

GAMBLE MONTESSORI

Gamble Montessori High School is the first non-chartered public Montessori 3.8  8 
High School to receive American Montessori Society accreditation. A new

building would make great improvements to student and teacher life, enabling

more access to established excellent educational opportunities.

Gamble is lacking in space for a computer lab, library, and Community Learning 3.5  10 
Center. Having spent time at Walnut Hills and seeing the benefits of a well

provided library and computer lab, it is important to provide these to Gamble.

W E S T WO O D WA L N U T H I L L S

Would like Westwood Campus to be a place of opportunity for high-school 4.0  37 

students to succeed and achieve goals and sports. Doing both would attract all

types of students. Again, make it like a successful Walnut Hills type of environment.

Not just another public high school. Make this campus a copy of the Walnut Hills 4.0  33 
campus; there are families exiting the CPS area for better schools.

Cincinnati Public Schools - Fall 2018 | Thoughtexchange Summary Report 8

FAC I L I T I E S

Small class sizes. All students perform better when class sizes are smaller. More 3.5  28 
school options, hopefully, will lead to smaller class sizes.

The school should be as high tech as possible. In order to be competitive 3.1  30 

and current.

NEW AREA OF FOCUS

The new school should fill any voids that currently exist as far as curriculum and 3.7  24 
experience that currently exist in CPS West. As a Westsider, my experience with

CPS and its offerings, I chose to travel across town to attend Walnut Hills because

of its offerings.

This is an opportunity for CPS to bring something new and innovative to the 3.4  36 
West Side along with using current best practices from other schools. The

program focus for this school has the potential to encourage families to move to

Westwood so that their children are eligible to attend the school.

CO M M U N I T Y

The three West Side zip codes are the fastest growing in CPS schools, and 3.7  10 
community is an important part of Montessori education. Community is an

important component of Montessori education. This goes hand in hand with an

increased need for Montessori space and community desire.

That all students' – even the current students – needs be considered. They need 3.5  6 
space and support from the community.

Cincinnati Public Schools - Fall 2018 | Thoughtexchange Summary Report 9