About the Product

What was the final product of this endeavor?

The Design Team decided not to call it a Portrait of a Graduate; instead, it was named Portrait of a Titan. The students, parents, community members, and staff wanted to ensure everyone understood the portrait was not just about high school students. Instead, this is genuinely a K-12 initiative.

As a group, the committee identified six key competencies that they felt every student in the Berea City School District should possess by the time they graduate. These competencies should be nurtured at every grade level. They are adaptable, communicator, critical thinker, empathetic, innovative, and leader.

The Design Committee identified several attributes students should possess for each competency:

Adaptable
A Titan...

• Exhibits perseverance in achieving success despite difficulty, opposition, and/or failure.
• Demonstrates agility in thoughts and actions while acclimating to various roles and situations.
• Understands, negotiates, and balances diverse views and beliefs to reach workable solutions.

Communicator
A Titan...

• Develops a responsible digital footprint.
• Listens actively.
• Knows their audience and intentionally speaks and writes with a purpose.

Critical Thinker
A Titan...  

• Understands the “bigger picture” and proposes solutions that are mindful of the impact they may have on other parts of a system and the environment.
• Skillfully observes, analyzes, assesses, and reconstructs information to create alternative solutions.
• Engages in thinking that is clear, rational, open-minded, and informed by evidence.

Empathetic
A Titan...  

• Values and embraces their responsibility to enact behaviors that make the world a better place.
• Shows respect to other people and cultures by demonstrating an awareness and sensitivity to their feelings, opinions, and experiences.
• Demonstrates environmental responsibility through ethical and empathetic behaviors that consider relationships to the natural world and future generations.

Innovative
A Titan...  

• Pursues imaginative and creative solutions to problems.
• Solves local and global issues and concerns.
• Takes risks and knows how to develop, organize, and manage new initiatives and/or ventures.

Leader
A Titan...  

• Exhibits confidence in one’s ability to reach a goal and takes responsibility for outcomes.
• Inspires and includes others by taking initiative, delegating, and being a visionary.
• Cultivates a culture of empowerment, trust, and compassion.

The Portrait of a Titan will be a driving force for our district as we continue to move forward. These competencies will be nurtured, discussed, and modeled in our classrooms. The Portrait of Titan also plays a vital role in the district’s strategic planning.