ZOOM MEETING … Attendees of the North Central Local Schools Board of Education meeting are shown here from left to right. Top row: William Hanak, Homer Hendricks, Tim Livengood and Shane Martin. Second row: Brent Saneholtz, Greg Waidelich, Anthony Burnett and Dr. Marcia Rozevink. Bottom row: Leigh Boothman and Eric Moreland.
By: Jerie de Roth
Homer Hendricks, President of the North Central Local Schools Board of Education in Pioneer, Ohio, opened the board meeting held on Zoom Monday, April 20, 2021 by outlining some of the items to be discussed.
William Hanak, Superintendent, spoke about the election on May 4, 2021, which will include a vote on an emergency school levy to avoid deficit spending.
The levy, $420,000 or 3.87 mils for 5 years starting in 2022 is necessary in part because North Central Local Schools do not receive city income tax unlike other school in the county.
He further noted that there is a presentation explaining the need for the levy available at www.NClevy.org.
Hanak warned that the alternative to the levy is to dismantle school programs or to try to get additional city or state funds but that state funds are currently unavailable.
Greg Waidelich’s Computer Class brought a lighter mood by providing a demonstration of a robot built by students.
The purple spider-shaped robot walked at different speeds and performed multiple dance moves. Several students explained that the project started with the 3D printing of plastic exoskeleton pieces, which took most of a weekend, and continued with the assembly of parts from a kit of electronics and servo motors into a working robot.
Eventually the team plans to write their own code for different commands for the robot.
Homer Hendricks requested that the robot be videoed and placed on the school website. Marcia Rosevink, Principal of grades 7-12, remarked, “Last week I was in my office and the door was closed and I hear this scratching.”
“This little robot was out there knocking on my door and it scared the goodness out of me… it was so much fun and the kids were having so much fun.”
“I’m just amazed at the things they can do.” The board meeting aired live on Facebook and the demonstration can still be seen on the school’s Facebook page.
Homer Hendricks commented, “These are the things we need to get out there to show we are working on and allowing our students to explore their horizons in new directions.”
Marcia Rosevink announced that the prom is Saturday, April 24 at the Quality Inn from 7pm-10pm and the Baccalaureate and Graduation will be held Wednesday, May 26th and Sunday, May 30th, respectively.
She stressed that the students overwhelmingly want graduation to be in the varsity gym. Tickets will be limited to a minimum of 6 per student due to the COVID-19 restrictions but they will do everything possible to accommodate requests.
Other discussions included moving some classrooms in the schools, adding a library and possibly a weight room to the high school building. Also mentioned was the opportunity to buy a new bus with federal funds plus the money raised by selling two older busses.
These prospects will be discussed in depth this summer, according to Mr Hendricks, and ultimately principals will control what happens in their buildings.
Andy Morr, K-6 Principal, gave the elementary school report saying state testing is going well and should be finished late in May. While there will be no music program at the end of this year each class will be recorded for friends and family to watch.
Morr mentioned that there will be a field day with three grades, competitions and community members. He thanked Pioneer Subway for supporting a reading program by donating 100 free lunch certificates to students and said that the Kids Heart Challenge earned $8,106.04 for the American Heart Association.
Jerie can be reached at publisher@thevillagereporter.com