Site supervisor Bill Reed, left, guides Bridgeport Exempted Village School District teachers and staff on a tour of the construction site of the upcoming multipurpose facility “The Bridge.” Staff walked the site as part of a training day. Reed is pictured speaking with fourth grade teacher Kelli Hilt.
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BRIDGEPORT — Teachers at Bridgeport Exempted Village School District gained some more familiarity with educational technology during a service day Oct. 13.
A popular part of the day was the opportunity to tour the construction site of the district’s grant-funded multipurpose facility “The Bridge,” set to open in August 2026. Teachers and administrators donned hard hats and observed the spaces that will soon house classrooms and learning labs, clinics and community areas. Excitement was high as they saw the walls rising, compared to just a few months ago when the underlying infrastructure was still being installed.
Site superintendent Bill Reed said they will soon begin setting steel for the roof in the section that will hold classrooms, then move on to the area that will house the indoor community health and fitness facilities.
High school math teacher Mackenzie Krieger anticipates making good use of The Bridge. He is also one of the College Credit Plus instructors, certified to teach statistics and algebra at the college level. The Bridge, Krieger said, will be a boon to the CCP program.
“It’s exciting to come to work every day and see a little more done,” he said. “We’re excited to see more walls being built.”
Social Studies teacher Jason Hanson was fascinated with the construction and already visualizing completion.
“It’s starting to seem more real,” Hanson said. “I can see myself in there teaching classes, where I’d be in relation to other parts of the building.”
Information Technology teacher Jim Davenport said the tour calls up memories from earlier in the school district’s evolution.
“On our tour, Mr. Hanson and I were the only two that were here when this building was built when we moved over here during 2007,” he said. “We toured this building when it was under construction and it’s just amazing how fast time’s gone, and here we are adding another phase of the building and continuing to improve what we offer our students.”
Bridgeport High School Principal Jack Fisher also looks forward to the benefits for area children and the community.
“It’s impressive how quickly and efficiently they’re going,” he said.
Bridgeport educators attended workshops throughout the day.
In English and Language Arts, Ashley Garrett, a national literacy consultant with Benchmark Education, answered questions about the preschool curriculum software Ready to Advance. She also helped teachers integrate Benchmark’s instructional routines into their lessons in the classroom. Later, Garrett worked with intervention specialists on using tools such as Phonics Intervention.
On the mathematics front Chris Peterson, educational consultant with Savvas Learning Company, focused on the most efficient and effective ways to use the enVision Mathematics program for kindergarteners through eighth graders. He also worked with educators last school year.
Later, Peterson also demonstrated how to use the SuccessMaker program to keep track of student progress. If a student is struggling, an educator can use the software to determine if the student is lacking a prerequisite skill. He showed them how to use other tools to build a quiz around a state standard they might want to strengthen.
Gifted Coordinator Lisa Burrell with East Central Ohio Educational Service Center also reviewed the new rules related to teaching gifted students. The rules were implemented by the state July 1 and call for including goal sheets on the written education plans.
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