Trading in the workaday routine for a morning back in a school building, a group of community leaders traveled with Warren County Public Schools officials on a tour through a number of county schools.

The School Spotlight Tour organized by WCPS provided an opportunity for people invited by the district to get an idea of the current-day academic environment.

Begun in 2014, the annual spotlight tour resumed this year after a two-year interruption brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Though the tour group was escorted on a yellow school bus and fed lunch at Warren East High School courtesy of the district’s nutrition and dining services department, Wednesday’s event functioned less as a trip down memory lane and more as a chance to look at how today’s students are being educated.

“We want to increase stakeholder input. We want our community stakeholders to be a vital cog in what we do,” WCPS Superintendent Rob Clayton said Wednesday morning. “We want people to see exactly what’s happening in our schools, and I think you’re going to see without a doubt a staff who truly care about kids and a staff doing this the best way they know how.”

No one at the schools selected as stops on the tour was aware ahead of time of the visiting group.

The group visited GEO International High School, Jennings Creek Elementary School and Warren East High School, roaming the halls and visiting classrooms.

At GEO International, visitors observed a class working on a chemistry exam and a group in another class work on creating a podcast.

An opt-in school for international and refugee students that opened seven years ago, GEO International prioritizes accelerated English-language learning and college and career readiness in its student population.

Chris Higgins, vice president of construction for Scotty’s Contracting, came away impressed at the academic atmosphere there.

“We interact in this community constantly and with the workforce here, and it’s so important to see the dynamic in the schools and the investment these schools make in the community,” Higgins said. “I loved being at (GEO International). I was unaware of the investment in our foreign students, and I was really glad to see that.”

Clayton said that the event was meant to demonstrate the district’s commitment to equitable opportunities among its diverse population.

“We’re committed to providing the very best opportunities to all of our schools, and that’s a challenge when you’re one of the largest districts in the state of Kentucky,” Clayton said.

At Jennings Creek, visitors gained insight into the features that enabled the school to be recognized in 2020 at the state’s most energy efficient, as well as the emotional connection survivors of last year’s deadly tornadoes forged when the school served as a temporary shelter.

The stop at Warren East involved a visit to the medical arts classroom where teacher Amy Hall discussed preparing students for a potential career in nursing.

Chris Whitfield, general counsel for South Central Bank, said the tour illustrated the role the school system plays in shaping the community’s overall development, highlighting it as a tool that can attract talent to the area.

“As we continue to grow, with the battery plant that is coming and other industries, we want to highlight what we have here to offer, not just to employees but their families as well,” Whitfield said.