January 2025
Shelby City School Families,
As we start the second half of the school year, I would like to take a moment to thank everyone for the tremendous support you have given our schools. As with all school districts, we have things we need to improve upon, but the overall success that our schools have shown in the classroom, the athletic facilities, and our extracurricular activities would not be possible without the support of our students, staff, families, and community partners. Academically, Shelby City Schools continues to improve as shown on our 2023-2024 School Report Card from the Department of Education and Workforce shows our schools continuing to improve as we received a 4-Star rating for the second straight year with individual stars in Achievement (4-Star), Progress (4-Star), Gap Closing (5-Star), Graduation (4 Star), and Early Literacy (3-Star). The Graduation and Early Literacy had improvements in ratings from the previous years. Our teachers and support staff continue to work hard in giving our students the best opportunities possible.
The Whippet Athletic programs continue to do well in both conference play and in state tournaments. There were four teams who won conference championships in the fall: Girl’s Volleyball, Girl’s Cross Country, Girl’s Tennis, and Football. Congratulations to these teams! The Football team reached the Regional Semi-Finals for the second straight season and finished the year with an impressive 12-1 record. And, the Girl’s Volleyball team won the District Championship, the Regional Championship, and played in the state Final Four before falling in four sets. The Volleyball team finished with a 24-4 record.
Our students in the Performing Arts showcased their talents this fall in various ways. The Shelby Whippet Marching Band performed at the Ohio State University Marching Band’s “Skull Session” prior to the game with Michigan. The Whippets played in front of a packed St. John Arena as well as TBDBITL. This year’s musical, Frozen, Jr. featured over 100 cast members from grades 1-12 as they performed four shows in early December. The cast did a fabulous job that included a little snow shower on the audience at the end of each performance.
It is my honor to work in such a great school district with the people who work here. I am excited to see what the second half of the school year brings. Thank you to all of our community partners who have helped Shelby students be able to perform in all areas of our school. Many things are only possible because of the generosity and continued support from our partners. This includes all of the volunteers who help our teachers, coaches, and directors make things from field trips to final four appearances possible.
Again, thank you for your support. Go Whippets!
–Michael Browning
Michael is in his 23rd year in education, working as a substitute teacher for three years before becoming an Intervention Specialist in the 2004-2005 school year. He taught one year in special education before teaching five years of high school social studies and then six and a half years of 8th-grade history. Michael then began his administrative career as an assistant high school principal for two years followed by five years as a high school principal. In August 2023, Michael officially became the superintendent of Shelby City Schools. Michael has a Bachelor of Arts degree (History) from The Ohio State University, a Master of Arts in Education from The University of Phoenix, and a Master of Education in school administration from Ohio University. He is married to Lauren, and has two daughters, Maya and Harper.
