On any other night, the recent passage of a very important levy would’ve been the first item up for discussion and recognition.
But the Bowling Green City Schools Board of Education took 20 minutes out of a meeting that lasted over an hour to honor its student-athletes and coaches for their efforts in the fall sports season.
The Bobcat athletes earned All-Ohio, Player of the Year and all-league awards in the Northern Lakes League Cardinal Division.
Principal Dan Black honored the coaches, who in turn, recognized their athletes. Three coaches — Andrew Drumm (girls tennis), Pat Carney (boys/girls cross country) and Erica Kimple (girls soccer) — were recognized by Black for being named Cardinal Division Coaches of the Year.
Three female athletes — Lily Pollick (golf), Libby Barnett (tennis) and Maddy Adams (soccer) — were named Players of the Year in their respective sports, as was Eli Metzger (soccer).
Following further recognition, board President Ryan Myers and Superintendent Ted Haselman both recognized and thanked the community for voting for the passage of the levy two weeks ago.
District voters, following four failed attempts in seven years to replace a 60-year-old high school, passed a $72.8 million bond issue for a new facility. The levy won by 6,296 (59%) to 4,451 (41%) votes, a difference of 1,845 votes. It will cost district residents with a $100,000 home around $16.14 annually.
“I’d like to thank all the people that took the time to educate themselves for the election. (We’ll have) a new high school for Bowling Green City Schools. I can’t begin to tell you how excited we are,” said Myers. “I have been asked several times, ‘What happens now?’ The board will work with the administration, architects and engineers over the next 12-to-18 months. We’ll establish timelines for how things will be completed. It’s a massive amount of work.”
Haselman, in just his fourth month on the job, echoed Myers’ sentiments.
“I’m ecstatic about the outcome and the community support that people have put their trust in us,” Haselman. “We want to be good stewards of our tax dollars. We have done the process of trying to sell the bonds as soon as possible, as discussed in the presentations, and there’s a lot of work to be done before the shovel hits the dirt. That will be an exciting day. I plan to keep the community updated (on the process).”
The board approved resolutions to issue the bonds and to request qualifications for design professional services.
Haselman noted that the district received a whopping $22,490 in donations, the biggest gift a $10,000 donation from Jerl Machine, Inc., which is located in Perrysburg, for the high school’s track and field team to have a new high jump and pole vault pit.
Board member Ginny Stewart thanked the community for their efforts in raising money to help provide for local students.
“I’d like to thank everyone for (their efforts),” she said. “We were just a couple hundred dollars below the record that was set last year. It’s a very generous community.”
Stewart noted that Kenwood Elementary School and Conneaut Elementary School are in need of donations like snacks, bottled water and socks for both boys and girls that can withstand the winter, plain pants (size six) and underwear (size 6-8). She also notes that students can apply for free or reduced lunches, and says that the local food pantry could use some help, too
“Every little bit helps,” Stewart says. “I’ve been touched by the generosity of our community. I had no idea how successful it has become and how we’ve gotten the donation program going. I thought about how it might be time to pass it along to a community member or a parent, a person who is generous and known by many in our community. I asked principals and administrators, they were very enthusiastic, and when I called Tara Loar, she didn’t even breathe and said, ‘Yes.’
“(Loar) will be contacting the administration and department heads to find out what their building needs or what the department needs are every month. Everything — donations, snacks, food, clothing, sometimes it’s anything that someone can donate that is of use to a student or one of our organizations. I am turning it over to her because she’s a parent and community member who has greater reach. She’ll come to the board meetings and inform us.”
Stewart, who has been sharing at board meeting the needs of each building, did not run for reelection and her last meeting with be in December.
The board also accepted the retirements, all effective June 1, of Anne Babcock, intervention specialist at Crim Elementary, Hans Glandorff, high school science; Debra Pinchoff, second grade teacher at Kenwood Elementary; Brenda Haynes, middle school math; and Patrick Hetrick, physical education teacher at Conneaut Elementary.
