The Conversation

ESC of Central Ohio

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Welcome to "The Conversation", the ESC of Central Ohio's podcast! Join podcast hosts John Hambrick and Rachel Daniels every month as they explore a variety of topics featuring voices in education, helping to ignite ideas and inspire change. Want to be part of "The Conversation"? Email us: brenna.schoen@escco.org

10 MAR

Reflections from the Smithsonian National Education Summit

On this episode of The Conversation, hosts John and Rachel chat with Marnie Hallet Szymanski, a history teacher at Margaretta High School who attended the 2025 Smithsonian National Education Summit. She’ll share the insights she gained from the conference and how those strategies are transforming learning for her students. Welcome to Season 3 of The Conversation! This season we’re exploring how educators can rediscover joy, cultivate hope, and reconnect with the educational journey. Join us for a season filled with inspiring stories and meaningful insights that celebrate the power of education. Marnie Hallet Szymanski is a teacher at Margaretta High School. This is her 27th year in the classroom. She currently teaches 8th grade history, psychology, sociology and AP psychology. She is constantly striving to find creative and fun ways to teach her students. In addition to being a classroom teacher she is also the RE Program Coordinator, social studies department head, 8th grade Washington, D.C, trip advisor, student government advisor, senior class advisor, varsity cross country coach, varsity swim coach and JH track coach. Contact the Guest: mhallettszymanski@margarettaschooldistrict.com Links: Smithsonian Newsletter Sign Up: https://si.us9.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=ef149f26b899566ccc91c2354&id=78ccd8b27a The Smithsonian Educator Resources: https://www.si.edu/educators Music: Aaron Boylan, Marysville High School Student

16 min
9 FEB

More Than a Dance: The Campus-Based Transition Prom

Spring is right around the corner which means prom season is about to commence! On this episode of The Conversation, John and Rachel sit down with ESC Intervention Specialists, Kathy Meterko and Rachel Junge to talk about the ESC’s Campus-Based Transition Program and their main event—prom! They'll dive into the planning and logistics behind the event, this year’s theme, and why their prom is such a meaningful and hope-filled experience for CBT students, families, and educators alike. Let’s dive in! This season we’re exploring how educators can rediscover joy, cultivate hope, and reconnect with the educational journey. Join us for a season filled with inspiring stories and meaningful insights that celebrate the power of education. Our Guests Rachel Junge is an Intervention Specialist in the CBT program. She has taught at WINGS for 19 years. Her favorite part of prom is seeing the prom develop from sketches on paper to the finished product and spending the evening with current and former students at the dance. Kathy Meterko is an Intervention Specialist and is in her 19th year of the CBT program. She and Rachel taught together at WINGS for 11 of those years and now she leads the Step class at OSU. Her favorite part of prom is the week of prom because she likes seeing all of the decorations come together, feeling the excitement build, and then enjoying the night with her current and former students. Contact the Guests rachel.junge@escco.org kathleen.meterko@escco.org

21 min
05/12/2025

No Grades, New Mindset

On this episode of The Conversation, hosts John and Rachel sit down with Olentangy Local Schools English teachers Andrea Vescelius and Hannah Rust to explore how their practice of not grading reshaped mindsets and renewed hope for both students and educators. Welcome to Season 3 of The Conversation! This season we’re exploring how educators can rediscover joy, cultivate hope, and reconnect with the educational journey. Join us for a season filled with inspiring stories and meaningful insights that celebrate the power of education. Contact the Guests: Andrea_Vescelius@olsd.us Hannah_Rust@olsd.us

20 min
23/10/2025

Reigniting the Spark: How a Science Externship Brought Joy Back to Teaching

Welcome to Season 3 of The Conversation! This season we’re exploring how educators can rediscover joy, cultivate hope, and reconnect with the educational journey. Join us for a season filled with inspiring stories and meaningful insights that celebrate the power of education. On this episode of The Conversation, hosts John and Rachel sit down with Adam Philpott, a science teacher from Pickerington Local Schools. Adam shares how his externship aboard a research vessel reignited his passion for teaching. Adam Philpott is an Environmental Science Teacher at Pickerington High School North. He graduated with a Master's in Science Education from the Ohio State University. He’s a dad to 5 kids and outdoor enthusiast. He’s a huge believer in having students learn about the natural world by being in it, because as Gandalf says: "The world is not in your books and maps, it's out there."

16 min
20/06/2025

Human Centered Design with Smart Columbus

On this episode of “The Conversation”, John and Rachel sit down with Andreya Veintimilla, Design Research Lead at Smart Columbus, to explore the world of human-centered design. Together, they discuss how this approach shapes project development, the importance of designing with people in mind, and how it drives innovation within communities. This episode of “The Conversation” is a continuation of our series “Emerging Technologies”. This series aims to highlight new technologies that are transforming our everyday lives and local communities. Andreya Veintimilla is a designer and human-centered urban development leader. Her approach to design is grounded in research and systems thinking to connect innovation initiatives to organizational and community goals. She has over 10 years of experience designing and delivering collaborative solutions across public, non-profit, and private sectors including product and service innovation, digital transformation, architecture, and urban planning. Currently, Andreya is the Design Research Lead at Smart Columbus where she leads design initiatives from discovery through implementation phases across an evolving portfolio of community innovation projects. Andreya is passionate about co-designing equitable and sustainable urban futures Links Andreya Veintimilla Recommends to Learn More: Connectcentralohio.com/digitalskillshub Franklincountydigitalequity.org

19 min
28/05/2025

Urban Air Mobility

On this episode of "The Conversation", John and Rachel chat with Ted Angel at the National Advanced Air Mobility Center of Excellence (NAAMCE). Together they'll dive into the next transportation revolution: flying cars! Ted Angel is the Director of Aerospace Affairs for the Dayton Development Coalition. He is charged with executing Aerospace and Defense strategy in the Dayton Region. Prior to his role as the Director of Aerospace Affairs, he was the Senior Enlisted Leader for the Agile Combat Support Directorate, Air Force Life-cycle Management Center and Chief, Acquisitions and Sustainment for the Aircrew Flight Equipment career field. He advised program executive officers and senior materiel leaders on enlisted matters and lifesaving aircrew flight equipment programs. Before his tenure at the Coalition, Ted spent 27 and half years in the United States Air Force, serving in every major leadership role including Aircrew Flight Equipment Superintendent, Squadron Superintendent, Command Manager and Senior Enlisted Leader. Ted was born in Texas and raised in the Warren, Ohio area. Ted received his B.A. from American Military University in International Relations and has completed all Senior Enlisted Military education, including the Joint Special Operations Forces Senior Enlisted Academy (JSOFSEA). Ted is an active volunteer in his community in his spare time and he and his wife Adina have three adult children and reside in the Dayton Region. NAAMCE

20 min
03/04/2025

Beyond the Buzzword: Practical Applications of AI in the Classroom

On this episode of “The Conversation”, Rachel and Christina, sit down with Jake Miller, a Personalized Learning and EdTech Specialist at Summit ESC and the ESC of the Western Reserve. Together, they explore the real-world impact of AI in education, discussing how both students and teachers can leverage this technology for learning, creativity, and innovation. Tune in for insights, practical applications, and a look at the future of AI in the classroom! This episode of “The Conversation” is a continuation of our series “Emerging Technologies”. This series aims to highlight new technologies that are transforming our everyday lives and local communities. Jake Miller has been a Personalized Learning & EdTech Specialist at Summit ESC and ESC of the Western Reserve since 2022. Before taking on that role, Jake spent 5 years as a technology integration specialist and 14 years teaching math, science, and STEM. Jake has also worked extensively in educational technology as a speaker, presenter, podcaster, blogger, and author (of the book Educational Duct Tape: An EdTech Integration Mindset). Jake has presented at several local and national conferences, including ISTE, FETC, OETC, and at Google’s New York City location. Links Jake Miller Recommends to Learn More: https://app.diffit.me/ https://chatgpt.com/ https://www.magicschool.ai/ https://app.schooljoy.com/login

21 min
07/03/2025

The Future of Ohio - Trends & Predictions

On this episode of “The Conversation”, John and Rachel chat with Dr. David Staley, a history professor at The Ohio State University and a futurist. Together, they’ll learn about rapid technology advancements and the impacts they’re having on our local industries, our economy and our daily lives. Let’s dive in! This episode of “The Conversation” is the start of a new series “Emerging Technologies”. In this series, we’re highlighting new technologies that are transforming our everyday lives and local communities. Dr. David J. Staley is a writer, designer, futurist, historiographer, educator, advisor, and journalist, and was recently described as an "eclectic academic." He is an Associate Professor in the departments of History and Design at The Ohio State University, and is the author of Alternative Universities: Speculative Design for Innovation in Higher Education, the co-author of Knowledge Towns: Colleges and Universities as Talent Magnets and author of Visionary Histories, a collection of his essays about the future. He is an honorary faculty fellow at the Center for Higher Education Leadership and Innovative Practice (CHELIP) at Bay Path University, where he contributes the "University Design" column, and was recently named a faculty associate at the Centre for Higher Education Transformations (CHET) at the University of Bristol. He is the host of the "Voices of Excellence" podcast, and president of Columbus Futurists, a local think tank. In 2022 he was awarded "Best Freelance Writer" by the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists for his "Next" futures column with Columbus Underground. Links Dr. Staley Recommends: https://columbusunderground.com/author/dstaley/ https://columbusfuturists.org/ https://podcast.osu.edu/voices-of-excellence/ Contact Dr. Staley: staley.3@osu.edu

33 min

Welcome to "The Conversation", the ESC of Central Ohio's podcast! Join podcast hosts John Hambrick and Rachel Daniels every month as they explore a variety of topics featuring voices in education, helping to ignite ideas and inspire change. Want to be part of "The Conversation"? Email us: brenna.schoen@escco.org

Creator

ESC of Central Ohio
Years Active

2023 - 2026
Episodes

23
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© 2026 ESC of Central Ohio
Show Website

The Conversation