The upcoming Ohio STEM Innovation Summit will include two presentations from educators in the Indian Hill district. (“Engaging Math Through PBL: Interactive Strategies for AP Math & Geometry” and “Empowering Student Futures: IH Experienceships as a Catalyst for Career Exploration” – view here)
Indian Hill High School (IHHS), a public high school that serves a suburb northeast of Cincinnati, received designation from the Ohio STEM Committee in 2024. The high school’s STEM designation came on the heels of Indian Hill Primary School and Indian Hill Elementary School receiving their STEM designations in 2023. To find out more about Indian Hill High School’s road to becoming a designated STEM School and its approach to STEM education, we asked the following team to collaboratively respond to the questions below:
- Andy Gruber (Current Principal of IHHS)
- Danielle Lintz (Assistant Principal of IHHS)
- Jeff Damadeo (Former Principal of IHHS and Current Director of K-12 Leadership and Career Development)
- Lauren Richardson (Former Instructional Coach & Current Experienceships Coordinator)
Q: Tell us about your school, its students, its mission, and the community that it serves.
A: Indian Hill High School is a vibrant educational community located in a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio, serving students in grades 9-12. With an enrollment of approximately 675 students, our school is dedicated to fostering and realizing the dreams of each individual.
Our mission, the #IHPromise, is a commitment to prioritizing our students by empowering their voices in a personalized, collaborative, and inclusive learning environment. We are guided by five core values—pride, integrity, leadership, respect, and service—which shape the experiences and opportunities provided to our students both inside and outside the classroom.
Indian Hill High School takes pride in being a hub of innovation and growth, where every student is encouraged to explore their passions and reach their full potential. As a central part of the local community, we work closely with families and stakeholders to create a supportive and engaging environment that reflects our shared dedication to excellence in education. Together, we aim to prepare our students to thrive in an ever-evolving world while encouraging a sense of belonging and purpose.
Q: Why did you seek the statewide STEM School Designation? What was involved in seeking the designation, and what did you learn from the process?
A: Indian Hill High School sought the statewide STEM School Designation to celebrate the incredible work of our staff and students in design thinking, highlight our collaborative efforts, and emphasize our focus on process over product. The journey to this designation involved building intentional partnerships with businesses, community organizations, and higher education institutions, as well as fostering cross-curricular connections and providing purposeful professional development.
We worked to showcase how our students lead their own learning and growth while creating new opportunities, and we broke down traditional silos in the high school by prioritizing collaborative and purposeful time among staff. Through this process, we learned the importance of establishing a common language to better connect the work we are doing with our future goals in STEM. Additionally, we recognized the value of the “improve” phase in the design thinking process, understanding that peer feedback, iteration, and engaging with an authentic audience are critical for meaningful learning and growth.
Q: Indian Hill Elementary School and Indian Hill Primary School received their STEM School Designations in 2023. Can you tell us about any collaborations with those schools? And what does students’ previous exposure to STEM education make possible in terms of programming or curricula?
A: A key advantage in our process was the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues who had recently completed a similar initiative. They provided invaluable feedback on timelines, procedures, and key considerations, and served as critical friends, reviewing our developing rubric and artifacts. Mock site visits conducted by primary and elementary school staff further refined our preparations. This collaboration underscored the importance of firsthand experience in understanding and cultivating a true STEM culture, challenging us to enhance our efforts.
Recognizing that mission statements, vision statements, and strategic plans require more than mere display. We have focused on intentionally aligning programs and experiences across all grade levels with the use of three high yield strategies: project-based learning, building thinking classrooms, and leadership. This ensures a consistent philosophy of effectiveness and success, embedding our district’s identity and core values through shared language and experiences. This is evident in the integration of our 5Cs (critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, communication, and citizenship) into daily language, activities, and assessments, rather than simply displaying them on walls. Our district-wide “superpower,” as discussed later, is the design thinking process, which is actively used by learners at every level.
Q: What do you consider your school’s “superpower” in STEM education, and what could other schools learn from your successes?
A: Design thinking is our “superpower”—a point affirmed during a site visit for designation. This approach is woven throughout our curriculum, informing lessons and unit design across all disciplines. To ensure effective implementation, our staff engaged in departmental work to define design thinking’s stages within their specific subjects. This process revealed a need to strengthen the “improve” stage, specifically to shift students’ perception of work as a linear process with a final end goal. In response, we implemented professional learning focused on this area, providing staff with structured peer feedback strategies easily adaptable to any content area. By prioritizing reflection and responsive professional learning, we aimed to maximize student ownership and engagement, reinforcing the idea that work is always being refined.
Q: Students at Indian Hill High School have the opportunity to connect with more than 40 industry partners to get real-world experience. Can you tell us more about your “Experienceships” program?
A: The Indian Hill Experienceships Program, launched in Spring 2022, provides authentic learning opportunities for all students in grades 9-12 by connecting them directly with business partners. The program’s structured approach includes an initial application, a consultation with a mentor coach for résumé and interview skill development, and an onboarding course that deepens their understanding of success skills and professional strategies. This onboarding process unlocks access to a range of experiences developed in collaboration with our partners, including site visits, job shadows, internships, Business at Breakfast networking events, and presentations from Career Connections speakers. These opportunities allow students to explore diverse career paths, build their professional networks, and understand the real-world relevance of their classroom learning in settings ranging from offices to laboratories to boardrooms.
Q: Indian Hill High School has recently undergone some major renovations. What additions, changes, or improvements to the facilities support Indian Hill’s commitment to building students’ technical capacity and offering continuous STEM exposure and development?
A: Over the past four years, Indian Hill has undertaken a district-wide initiative to modernize its learning environments. At the high school, this transformation began with re-outfitting all classrooms and flexible learning spaces. We replaced traditional rows of desks with diverse seating options designed to foster engagement, collaboration, flexibility, and personalized learning. We recognize that learning is an active process, and these spaces reflect that philosophy. To further support high-yield strategies like project-based learning and building thinking classrooms, each classroom now features expanded whiteboard space and enhanced technology, promoting student mobility, collaboration, and the effective showcasing of learning.
This commitment to innovation extends to career pathways, particularly in computer science. Two new Digital Arts & Technology Labs have significantly expanded our offerings in computer science, digital arts, and digital media. Most recently, a newly constructed lab expanded our eSports capacity from 8 to 30 players. Furthermore, in the development of new classes, we’ve also explored the integration of industry-recognized credentials in the areas of computer science, digital media, problem solving, and leadership. These credentials further distinguish our graduating seniors, increasing their competitiveness and life readiness.
This past August marked the official opening of the Indian Hill Entrepreneurs’ Center, coinciding with the launch of our K-12 Department of Leadership & Career Development. This center serves as a hub for innovation in experiential learning, leadership development, entrepreneurship, and career pathway development.
Q: “The BIG Pitch” is an experiential learning opportunity that came out of student feedback about what would make their high school experience even better. Can you tell us about this program?
A: The BIG Pitch at Indian Hill High School is a transformative experiential learning initiative inspired by student feedback on enhancing their high school experience. This program engages students in a dynamic process of identifying real-world problems, brainstorming innovative solutions, and bringing their ideas to life using the design thinking framework. Students submit proposals, collaborate with mentors, and participate in workshops to refine their projects while conducting research and addressing the needs of the school community. After an elimination round, top contestants compete in a final event, vying for funding from a $10,000 grant provided by the Indian Hill Foundation.
The program emphasizes that STEM and innovation are for all learners, providing equitable access to meaningful experiences and helping to break down educational barriers. Aligned with the Indian Hill Strategic Plan, The BIG Pitch fosters student agency, entrepreneurship, and real-world problem solving while nurturing learners as doers, learners as individuals, and learners as the whole child. More than a competition, it exemplifies the power of student-led innovation and collaboration, showcasing what students can achieve when given the opportunity to dream big and make a lasting impact.
Last year’s Big Pitch had two winners. One was a “Student Run Endowment” project, which secured multiple grants to fund a stock investment program. This program offers students hands-on experience in managing investments, thereby expanding business education across all grade levels. The second was B.A.S.E., an initiative aimed at enhancing business education across all grade levels in the Indian Hill School District.
Q: The adage “it takes a village” certainly applies to providing students with a topnotch STEM education. Can you talk about the ways that students, teachers, parents, alumni, and/or community members have contributed to the excellence of Indian Hill High School’s STEM programming?
A: Learning is both an active and collaborative process. Success is a collective experience, intentionally cultivated and celebrated. While shifting practices, implementing new programs, or redefining an educational identity is challenging, it is never done in isolation. Teachers are at the heart of creating meaningful learning experiences for students, fostering their development as both learners and individuals. A thriving learning culture values shared expertise and leverages the unique talents each educator brings to the classroom.
But true success also requires extending beyond school walls and engaging the community. Our students are their children, and they share our desire for their success. The Indian Hill community strongly supports our work, empowering us to dream big, challenge the status quo, and remain future-focused. We take this responsibility seriously and consider it a privilege. We are also fortunate to be surrounded by a vast network of professionals who contribute their expertise and life stories. Whether serving as project judges, volunteers, guest speakers, mentors, Business at Breakfast partners, or IHExperienceship partners, our parents and alumni are integral to our #IHPromise and what makes Indian Hill so special.
Q: What advice would you give other educators interested in implementing a STEM-based curriculum or in seeking the state’s STEM School Designation?
A: If your high school is looking to implement a STEM-based curriculum or pursue the state’s STEM School Designation, here’s a game plan to set you up for success:
First, assemble a core team of committed staff—your “A-team”—who will drive the process forward with focus and collaboration. Remember, STEM is more than the acronym; it’s a mindset and approach that prioritizes problem solving, design thinking, and interdisciplinary connections.
Next, reach out to schools that have already earned the designation to learn from their experiences, and stay engaged with informational sessions provided by the Ohio STEM Learning Network and the Department of Education and Workforce.
You should also send your team to professional development opportunities like the “Fostering STEM Institute” to build expertise and strengthen your approach. Establish a community advisory group composed of local business leaders, industry professionals, and higher education partners to offer valuable insights, guidance, and support.
Lastly, spend time deeply understanding the rubric provided by OSLN—it’s your roadmap for aligning goals, identifying strengths, and addressing gaps as you work toward transforming your school into a STEM leader.
Q: Is there anything else you would like to tell us about your school or the STEM School Designation?
A: We are incredibly proud of the work our school has done to achieve the STEM School Designation and recognize that this milestone provides us with even more opportunities to grow and further enhance our commitment to innovative, student-centered learning.
About this piece: This interview was edited by Lucy Bryan for the Ohio STEM Learning Network. Read more about the author and her work at: https://www.lucybryan.com/
