#karinbutyn

Sextortion, the act of soliciting money from an individual by threatening to release private photos, sometimes AI altered, has directly impacted young people in our country at an unprecedented rate.  This criminal act has led to a direct increase in both suicidal ideation and suicide in young victims that often see no other options.  Ohio County Schools has been working diligently on an education campaign focused on digital safety in elementary students and honest conversations about sextortion for middle and high school students.  Current research from The Center for Missing and Exploited Youth indicates that one group of children commonly targeted are well-known, high school aged athletes.  On March 11th at 9 A.M., Wheeling Park High School is offering the opportunity for both male and female athletes to learn about this criminal act directly from the professionals who deal both with the preventative measures of educating young people, but also with the criminal aftermath.  Split by gender, male athletes will hear from Bradley Mason of the West Virginia State Police.  He currently works in the Crimes Against Children Unit.  Our female athletes will hear from Katie Banal of Harmony House.  She is the Community Education Coordinator. The presentations will address internet safety for high-school aged children including the definition of sextortion, warning signs of sextortion, refusal skills for responding to predators, how to report sextortion concerns, and current events/trends/stats regarding sextortion.  “We are focusing on providing commonly targeted groups with specific skills and solutions in the event they experience these scenarios,” explains Dr. Nicole Shepherd, OCS Behavioral Specialist, “we want our students to know they are not alone, and have a pathway to help in the event they need it,” she adds. Topics like this as well as several other similar sessions will be available on a larger scale to interested community members, parents, and students of all ages and school districts at the upcoming Ohio County Schools Mental Health Fair, scheduled for 4/23 from 5-7 at West Virginia Northern Community College.  More information to follow.  Read the full article

OCS Robotics is pleased to present the third annual "The Gateway to the West Signature Event".  This VEX VRC Robotics Competition is scheduled to take place at the Highlands Sports Complex with middle school teams competing January 28th-29th, and high school teams competing January 30th and 31st. The competition runs daily from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with free admission for all spectators. This Signature Event is one of 12 middle school and 29 high school events in the world this year and is the only VEX Robotics Signature Event in the state of West Virginia.  Participants are joining the competition from 16 states and Canada. Currently, 80 high school teams and 76 middle school teams are scheduled to compete. Tournament winners will qualify for the VEX World Championships in St. Louis, Missouri.   Sponsored by and according to the REC Foundation, “This tournament is one in a series of events supported by the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation. The competition season culminates each spring, with the top-performing teams from the state levels competing against each other at the VEX Robotics World Championship.” OCS Robotics is in its fifth year with countywide, competitive teams with a total of 17 robotics teams across both middle school and high school levels. Six teams represent Wheeling Park High School and 11 teams represent the various middle schools of Ohio County.  Wheeling Park High School’s CTE programs assist in bringing the event to life. They work to create the banners, trophies, stickers, and assist with providing the hospitality room for volunteers. The Operations Center in Ohio County work diligently to set up the environment, and various OCS employees function as volunteers during the duration of the event.  The event has a variety of sponsors making the competition possible. West Virginia University Robotics Engineering, West Virginia Department of Education, Expand, The Stifel Endowment, Siemens, Visit Wheeling, WVU Medicine, the Ohio County Commission, McKinley Architecture and Engineering and the W.Va. Robotics Alliance are responsible for helping bring a Signature Event to Wheeling, W.Va.  Read the full article

Ohio County Schools is aiming to reach its youngest population through a unique event designed to offer guidance to families of our youngest clientele.  On January 10th, from 11-1, future students will be invited to attend Tiny Patriots.   “Tiny Patriots is a way to meet our incoming students even sooner.  We know that parents can feel anxious about next steps, and this is the perfect opportunity to put faces to names and programs while benefiting from community resources and activities,” states Ohio County Schools Director of Public Relations, Karin Butyn, "This is also a come and go event during the hours of 11-1.  Families can explore at their leisure."  The program is slated to take place at the Ohio County Public Library and will host a resource fair with various entities that are heavily involved in the early childhood process including OCS specific tables for frequently asked questions and developmental check.    “This event hits on the 48-hour eve of registration.  Registering on time is so important.  During the two hours, we hope parents and guardians come to learn more about Ohio County Schools programming and take advantage of the various resources our community offers, such as Birth-3, HeadStart, WIC, and WVU Medicine,” states Butyn.  “For so many of our families, learning starts in Ohio County Schools.  We can’t wait to give our families the opportunity to feel at home even sooner,” states Butyn. Registration for the event is not required, but is recommended so appropriate t-shirt sizes can be ordered.  Register on Ohio County Schools Facebook Page with the Google Form linked at the top of the page, or go to https://tinyurl.com/TinyPatriotsForm.  Families can also register by calling the office of Public Relations at 304-243-0493.  Read the full article

“Despite all that modern science and technology have revealed about the world, something in us still longs for magic and mystery.” -Mackenzie Carro from “Hunting a Monster.” The above quote is embedded into a unit that Wheeling Middle School teacher, Trish Cronin utilizes in her ELA classes.  Their school year begins with a “Myths, Legends, and Cryptids” unit that involves articles about urban legends including Bigfoot and The Kraken.  Living in WV, students have a natural progression into one of WV’s favorite legends: Point Pleasant’s Mothman.  Earlier this year, the state of WV put out an opportunity for educators to apply for a “WV Tourism Grant.”  This grant offers financial support to encourage the tourism of our state to students, particularly with trips that revolve around culinary opportunities.  Ms. Cronin applied for the grant with the hope of taking WMS students to see Point Pleasant in person.  Wheeling Middle School was 1 of 123 applicants…and 1 of 9 to receive the grant!  This Monday, 110 students and 19 chaperones will venture to Point Pleasant for a unique day filled with WV history and lore.  “Students are going to be split into three groups, and they’ll check out the Riverfront Park Mural, visit Tue-Endie-Wei State Park, and check out the Mothman Museum with an interactive rootbeer making presentation,” explains Cronin.  “Students also get to participate in a lunch and learn session with Village Pizza Inn, where speakers will talk about what it means to be a tourist town and the culinary business, " she adds. Retired Mason County teachers will serve as tour guides as well as “Mothman Guru,” Denny Bellamy.  “I’m so excited to show our students a full look at a community that took a legend and made a national spotlight,” adds Cronin.  WMS would like to thank the WV Tourism Grant, Operations at Ohio County Schools, Cassidy Law, Mother Jones, St. Johns, WVU Medicine, The Murad, Berisford, Quinn, and Grosso Families, Wheeling Rubber Products. Dairy Queen, and Panhandle Restoration for making donations or supplying efforts to ensure anything above the cost of the grant is covered.   “Our students really helped to make this happen.  Their investment in the curriculum and asking the community to take an active role made a huge difference,” states Cronin.  “I also want to thank Mr. Turbanic and Ms Bayes from WPHS.  Their students pressed over 130 sweatshirts for us so our students had a memorable takeaway from the experience.  Mr. McCardle also deserves a huge shoutout for embracing the idea and helping us put a huge trip together.” We can’t wait to see pictures of the students.  Thank you to all involved!  What an AMAZING #OpportunityinOCS. Read the full article