From Portrait to Impact: Brunswick City Schools shares their districtwide transformation

For more than a decade, Battelle for Kids, along with our EdLeader21 network, has been at the forefront of developing Portraits of a Graduate—shared community visions that expand the view of student success in enrollment, enlistment, entrepreneurship, and employment. Today, Battelle for Kids brings the Portrait to life through our Portrait to Practice work, which purposefully integrates essential academic content with durable skills for future success. This year, we have worked to highlight the impact of the Portrait, showcasing stories and evidence of student growth and demonstrate real-world application.

We have worked with dozens of districts, helping them implement their community's shared vision, including those in our SOAR Ohio professional learning communities, part of the EdLeader21 network. One way that districts are showcasing and demonstrating the blending of essential academic knowledge with their Portrait durable skills is through community-wide events. One such event has grown over the years at Brunswick City Schools in Brunswick, Ohio. A member of SOAR Ohio, Brunswick has worked diligently since the launch of their Portrait of a Graduate, which they call the Journey of a Blue Devil, to integrate and amplify its core purpose: to empower students with the essential knowledge and skills to be future-ready.

They recently shared their story of success through an email, and we love these first-person accounts of what Portrait to Impact looks like!

We are excited to share a success story that illustrates how we have transitioned from developing our Portrait of a Graduate to actively implementing it in our district. Four years ago, we launched our "Excellence Showcase" event. Last year, we took a significant step by intentionally weaving the Journey of a Blue Devil into the event's framework, and the impact was remarkable.

Rather than treating our Portrait as just a set of ideals on a wall, we demonstrated how these competencies actively shape our students' daily experiences. ?

The transformation was visible everywhere. Our art teachers created displays showing how artistic expression develops our core competencies. Music educators explained how their programs enhance these same skills. But what really brought it to life was our Excellence Exhibition in the gym. What makes this exhibition so special is how it breaks down the typical grade-level silos that exist in education. For example, elementary students who came to share their coding club projects discovered a progression of learning opportunities awaiting them on their Journey of a Blue Devil. After sharing how their programming challenges develop adaptability skills, students explored middle school Project Lead the Way exhibits, where hands-on problem-solving builds critical thinking abilities. They also connected with high school students leading a Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Student Visionaries of the Year campaign, whose compassionate fundraising work exemplifies empathy in action. This powerful glimpse into their educational journey ahead happened within a single gymnasium! ?

While the event showcases our excellence to the broader community, it also creates valuable connections among our own students and staff, who don’t often have the opportunity to witness the remarkable work occurring across different grade levels and buildings. This year, we pushed even further by spotlighting deeper learning activities from our classrooms. The growth has been incredible - we nearly doubled our displays and had to open additional parking to accommodate attendance!

What really stood out was watching our students engage with visitors, their genuine excitement showing through as they demonstrated their learning. You could see our competencies in action as students confidently interacted with community members.

What's particularly powerful about this initiative is that these competencies aren't just for our students. Through critical thinking and intentional planning, our leadership team transformed what could have been a simple open house into a dynamic demonstration of our Portrait of a Graduate in action. It's become a powerful example of how we're living our commitment to preparing students for lifelong success through meaningful relationships and deeper learning experiences.

As we reflect on this success, we thank Battelle for Kids' for helping our district transform our Portrait of a Graduate from vision into practice. Your support has been instrumental in our journey.

We're incredibly proud of how the Journey of a Blue Devil has become an integral part of our district's identity, and we felt compelled to share this story as a testament to the power of meaningful partnership and collaboration in driving positive change in education.?

Learn more about how we help learning organization's embark on a future-ready journey at bfk.org.