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Portrait of A Dynamo |
A Portrait of a Graduate represents a school district's vision for the 21st century skills, character traits, and/or social-emotional competencies that students need to succeed in college, career, and life. The process of building and implementing a Portrait of a Graduate is a community effort.
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What's New??
On April 9, 2024, Dr. Graczyk introduced the Portrait of a Dynamo initiative to the Allegheny Valley School District community. This marked the beginning of a planning process designed to define the key traits and skills every student should possess upon graduation. Dr. Graczyk emphasized that while rigorous academic standards remain a priority, the competencies developed through this initiative are meant to enhance learning by integrating critical skills and character traits into students’ educational experiences. These competencies extend beyond academics, focusing on the lifelong skills necessary for success in an ever-evolving world.
Over the past year, the District conducted a series of focus group interviews with school board members, staff, students, and community members. Insights gathered from these sessions informed the development of a community-wide survey, which was distributed to local businesses, alumni, students, and staff. More than 200 responses were received and analyzed. The feedback was synthesized into two key categories: Skills and Character Traits.
The findings were shared with the Education Committee in March and presented to the School Board in April 2025. From these findings, the District has identified five core competencies that will serve as the foundation for the Portrait of a Dynamo: Communication, Critical Thinking & Problem Solving, Hard Work, Integrity, and Responsibility. These competencies, aligned with the District’s mission and vision, represent the qualities we believe all students must develop to be successful in college, career, and life.
The next phase involves defining and illustrating these competencies in student-friendly language and creating learning targets appropriate for all grade levels. These will be woven into daily instruction and interactions with students, families, and the broader community. The Portrait of a Dynamo will become a living document—integrated into the District’s comprehensive plan and reflected in classroom practices.
We are proud of this collaborative effort and remain committed to continuously enhancing our educational programs. Through our shared vision, we are confident that Allegheny Valley students will graduate not only with academic knowledge but also with the skills and character needed to thrive in the future.
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Educators and policymakers speak often about 21st-century skills but what does that mean to K-12 education and the workforce? Acknowledging the need to connect these concepts, many school districts are developing a Portrait of a Graduate. A Portrait of a Graduate - or for AVSD, A Portrait of a Dynamo - is not about strategies and methods or instructional practices, it is about knowledge, disposition and characteristics that District students should embody as they move forward in the world. It is a shared vision beyond district personnel.
The Portrait is developed with the input of parents, local business leaders, students, teachers, and district leaders by asking, “What are the core key competencies and dispositions we want our children to have for life beyond the Allegheny Valley School District PreK-12 education?”
Through this process, the District will develop pillars that reflect the skills that universities, employers, and our community say they are seeking. Once these pillars are identified, examples will be clarified and purposefully identified in the District’s curriculum. It is important to note that the District’s Portrait of a Dynamo is meant to complement academics and measures of preparedness. It is does not replace a focus on academic achievement, it shows the District’s commitment to investing in educational experiences for life.
Steps in creating a Portrait of a Dynamo:
- Form a Portrait of a Dynamo committee.
- Engage community members in discussion.
- Brianstorm Portrait of a Dynamo skills.
- Create a visual representation.
- Bring the Portrait of a Dynamo to life across the community.
- Measure progress for all students toward Portraitof a Dynamo.
During the summer, the Allegheny Valley School District administration and Consortium for Public Education representatives have been interviewing District stakeholders including community business owners, students, parents, and board members. The next steps include developing a community survey which will be shared on the Allegheny Valley School District website and newsletter. We cannot stress enough the importance that community members participate in the upcoming survey!