In MSD Wayne Township, each of our students is more than a number, more than a test score.

While we have become so trained to focus on standardized testing data — and I agree it has its place — I challenge you to get engaged in our schools to see first-hand the amazing work happening each and every day with all of our students. Success is prevalent throughout our district and measured individually, student by student. In Wayne, our students come first and we make decisions that best serve the needs of all of them.

Ben Davis High School students and German American Partnership Program participants, along with German teachers Kristen Dawn and Wesley Ziliak, hold a plaque sponsored by the Goethe Institute, the German Foreign Office, and the United States government acknowledging Ben Davis High School’s commitment to international education and cultural exchange. Through the GAPP exchange, students from Gymnasium Letmathe in Iserlohn, Germany, stay with host families from Ben Davis to attend school, sporting events, visit local sites of interest, and even spend a few days in Chicago. In turn, the student from the host family has the opportunity to return the visit and be hosted by their former guests the following Spring. They will attend the partner school and visit various cities including Cologne and Hamburg. This is the sixth time the exchange has taken place since the program began in the 2009-2010 school year.