Portrait of a Titan
Portrait of a Titan
A Portrait of a Titan is a collective endeavor that engaged our community in developing a collective vision that articulates the aspirations of every student in the Berea City School District. The Portrait of a Titan is the first step in framing a new vision for our school district and revolves around three guiding questions:
- What are our community's hopes, dreams, and aspirations for our young people?
- What skills and mindsets do our children need for success in this rapidly changing and complex world?
- What are the implications for the design of the learning experiences—and equitable access to those experiences—we provide in our school systems?
The Portrait of a Titan is the "North Star" to help guide the district.
About the Process
Beginning in October 2021, our school community engaged in a process to make 21st-century learning a reality for all students. The ultimate goal was to unite our community in shaping our district's future direction through the Portrait of a Titan design. This approach involved the entire school community—educators in partnership with students, parents, businesses, and others to ensure a meaningful impact in our schools. Students, parents, business leaders, community leaders, faith leaders, higher education professionals, teachers, school counselors, building principals, and central office administrators came together to create our Portrait of a Titan Design Team. Throughout the community, there are diverse perspectives, and it is important to honor and respect those perspectives. This committee was tasked with identifying core competencies that every Berea City School District student should possess and understanding how these competencies would help prepare students to succeed in a quickly changing world.
Through the process, including feedback from the team, families, and most importantly students, the district has captured what they believe are the most important competencies that reflect the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of all Titans. The competencies that have been identified are ALL applicable across all content areas and grade levels. The Portrait of a Titan is a collective vision that articulates our stakeholders’ aspirations for ALL of our students.
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.