District Newsletter: 09/24/2026

Nine Bexley Seniors Named National Merit Semifinalists

Pictured, Front, from Left: Elisa Perez, Erica Golden, Penny Sidel, and Indio Silva; Back, Boaz Croffoot-Suede, August Brown, Daniel Barnes, and Luke Helon; Inset, Cecelia Lauer

Nine Bexley High School seniors recently received notice from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation that they are National Merit Scholar semifinalists.

Congratulations to Daniel Barnes; August Brown; Boaz Croffoot-Suede; Erica Golden; Luke Helon; Cecelia Lauer; Elisa Perez; Penny Sidel; and Indio Silva!

They are among more than 16,000 high school seniors nationwide who qualified as semifinalists and now have an opportunity to continue in the national competition for National Merit Scholarships. National Merit finalists for the Class of 2027 will be notified in February.

Facilities Improvements & Issue 5: What’s Actually in Phase I?

Click image above to view video 

Click on the above image to learn about Issue 5 online

District to Hold Community Information Meeting on Issue 5

Monday, Sept. 28, 6:30 p.m.

Bexley residents are encouraged to attend a community information meeting discussing Issue 5 on Monday, Sept. 28, beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the High School Library. District officials will be on hand to answer questions and share information about how the proposed Phase I would be funded, what the plan includes, and how the district would move forward after November. Building tours of Cassingham Elementary, Bexley Middle School and Bexley High School will be offered. 

 

ISSUE 5: Do You Know? 

Understanding the Financial Cost: What Does No-New-Tax-Rate Mean?

FACT: The district can structure the bonds to keep residents’ tax rates the same, because district bonds that were issued in 2000, with an effective tax rate of 2.05 mills, are scheduled to expire in 2027. The bond expiration would occur near the same time that Issue 5’s new bonds, with the same tax rate of 2.05 mills, would be issued. This essentially keeps residents’ property tax rates the same as today. Bexley City Schools has long used a combination of property tax and school district income tax to support district operations, and both revenue sources would be used to pay off the 30-year debt (bonds). This combined approach distributes the funding across both property owners and taxpayer income.

You are encouraged to learn more about Issue 5 on the school district’s website at bex.fyi/issue5. 

District Hopes to Add Grass Practice Fields to Cassady Avenue Land for Next School Year 

Bexley Schools currently are working with a local contractor to assess the cost of grading and seeding part of the district’s land on North Cassady Avenue to add grass practice fields for the district’s field athletic teams. The district is also evaluating the cost of fencing the property.

The land on Cassady Avenue was purchased with a long-range vision to develop off-campus athletic facilities and outdoor learning opportunities for Bexley students, similar to those off-campus properties developed and owned by Columbus School for Girls (CSG) and St. Charles Prep Academy. CSG has an athletic complex also on North Cassady Avenue and St. Charles has an off-campus athletic facility on Nelson Avenue.

With Bexley’s current athletic teams sharing access to the Cassingham Complex varsity field and practice field, the practice times are rotated so the same teams don’t always practice late, but the current practice schedules have some student-athletes getting home from practices at 9 p.m. or later during their sports seasons.

Athletic Director Josh DeVoll has shared with district administrators that an extra one or two practice fields would greatly balance the district’s practice schedule for most outdoor sports and improve student-athletes’ daily well-being by allowing them to practice at reasonable times.

Pending the contractor’s assessment and the projected cost, the district is hoping to make two grass athletic practice fields available to Bexley sports teams in time for next school year’s Fall season. Funding for these fields is not part of the Issue 5 request for facilities improvements, and it is expected that some permanent improvement money will be available for these grass-field projects.

 

Bringing Art Off the Page: AP Students Explore the Schumacher Gallery

By Chad Hemmelgarn, Leader of Experiential Learning

Students in Dr. Mabi Ponce De Leon’s AP Art History and AP Art & Design classes recently stepped outside the classroom for a hands-on learning adventure right in our own backyard.

Taking full advantage of Bexley's local treasures, the students visited Capital University’s Schumacher Gallery to explore diverse artistic traditions up close ̶ from Albrecht Durer prints to African and Northwest Coast art.

Reflecting on the impact of stepping into a real gallery space, senior Grace shared, “Being able to go to places and have more hands-on experience for that learning is helpful... you actually get to see what you're learning about, or feel what you’re learning about in a new environment.” Sophomore Lily agreed, adding, “These kind of experiences really just drive home these ideas... because you’re actually physically with them, instead of just looking at a photograph.”

To make the most of the visit, Dr. Ponce De Leon primed her students with thoughtful guiding questions that turned the gallery into an active space for discovery. Rather than simply browsing, students examined how materials work together in mixed-media pieces, analyzed painted naturalistic works, and uncovered deeper meanings across textile, ceramic, and global collections.

For AP Art & Design students, the trip provided a unique chance to connect professional artwork to their own personal projects, exploring how texture and technique bring ideas to life. As Dr. Ponce De Leon explained, seeing original works brings art to life in ways a textbook never can: “Everything’s flat when you see it on a screen... [In person], they get to see how they use the material, what they’re concerned with, what are their interests, what are their hopes and fears. Those are the things that you can't teach out of a book.”

By connecting classroom lessons with incredible resources right here in Bexley, Dr. Ponce De Leon gave her students a fresh, memorable way to experience what they are learning. Trips like this remind us how rich learning can be when students get to engage with art in the real world.

We are so proud of our students for bringing such curiosity to the gallery, and grateful to Dr. Ponce De Leon for creating experiences that make learning come alive!

Important Dates

Sept. 26 (Sat.) – High School Play, Witches!? In Salem?!, 2 p.m. AND 7 p.m., Schottentstein Theater; Purchase Tickets

Sept. 27 (Sun.) – Mahjong for What Matters, Bexley Education Foundation, 1 p.m., High School Gymnasium

Sept. 27 (Sun.) – High School Play, Witches!? In Salem?!, 2 p.m., Schottentstein Theater; Purchase Tickets

Oct. 3 (Sat.) – Cassingham Cardboard Challenge, 8:30-11:30 a.m., School Playground

Oct. 4 (Sun.) – 8th Grade/High School Choral Concert, 2 p.m., Schottenstein Theater

Oct. 10 (Sat.) – Montrose Cardboard Challenge, 9-11 a.m., School Playground

Oct. 10 (Sat.) – High School Homecoming Dance, 7 p.m., School Gymnasium

Oct. 11 (Sun.) – Middle School/High School Fall Orchestra Concert, 2 p.m., Schottenstein Theater

Oct. 14 (Wed.) – Board of Education Regular Meeting, 6 p.m., Bexley City Hall

Oct. 15 (Thurs.) – End of First Grading Period

Oct. 15 (Thurs.) – What’s Next Bexley Transition Fair, 6 p.m., Cassingham Complex

Oct. 16 (Fri.) – No Classes for Students; Teacher Workday