Alumni Banquet
Groveport Madison High School will host the 129th annual Alumni Banquet on May 20 at Groveport Madison High School, 4475 S. Hamilton Road. Dinners are $25 each and will be served at 5 p.m. Reservations must be made by May 12. Make checks payable to and send to: Groveport Madison Alumni Association, P.O. Box 382, Groveport, OH 43125.
Groveport Garden Club
The Groveport Garden Club meets the first Tuesday each month at Groveport Zion Lutheran Church, 6014 Groveport Road. Call Marylee Bendig at (614) 218-1097.
Legacy of Love 5K
Alex’s Legacy of Love 5K will be held at the Groveport Recreation Center, 7370 Groveport Road, on April 23 at 2 p.m. Register at www.thealga.org. This chip-timed 5K features music, finisher medals, awards, swag bags, and an online raffle. The Virtual 5K is back this year as well. Walk or run at a time and location of your convenience and the ALGA Team will deliver or mail your packet to you. Alex’s Legacy of Love 5K is a fundraiser for the Alexandria Leigh Goodwin Angel Foundation, an organization committed to creating a positive, loving world through random acts of kindness. Created in the memory of Alexandria “Alex” Goodwin (pictured here), a 2014 graduate of Groveport Madison High School, who had just finished her sophomore year at Capital University at the time of her unexpected passing in 2016. To date, the foundation has given over $7,000 in scholarships to Groveport Madison grads and Capital University students,and thousands more to various organizations and causes throughout central Ohio. For information visit www.thealga.org.
Eastland-Fairfield camp
Eastland-Fairfield Career & Technical Schools will host its annual Career Exploration Summer Camp for local middle school students on June 6-7. Registration is now open to families interested in participating.
Families with middle school students currently in grades 6-8 and who reside within the Eastland-Fairfield Career & Technical planning district are encouraged to explore the opportunities at the camp, held at Eastland Career Center, 4465 S. Hamilton Road, Groveport.
The camp allows students to sign up for one or two sessions that will give a hands-on look at career paths through engaging and fun activities. Last year, more than 300 middle school students attended the camp.
Early registration is encouraged. There is no cost to register or attend the camp. This year’s program lineup will allow students to explore careers in fields such as (but limited to) cosmetology, cyber security, construction, architecture, engineering, animal health, dentistry, law enforcement, firefighting, computer programming, graphic design, and more.
For information or to register, visit www.EastlandFairfield.com/SummerCamp or contact Toby Fischer via email at tfischer@efcts.us or call 614-836-4530, ext. 1506.
Alum Creek Drive project
Brad Foster, chief deputy of operations for the Franklin County Engineer’s office, said a proposed project improving Alum Creek Drive from State Route 317 to Groveport Road, has a projected construction time frame of 2028 to 2029.
The estimated cost is $58.5 million, with 80 percent covered by federal dollars and the remaining 20 percent from $11.5 million in local money, including public and private funds.
Replacing the bridge crossing Big Walnut Creek and adding additional lanes to Alum Creek Drive without major interruptions to traffic are key pieces of the project. Foster said many of the shipments heading to the new Intel facility in Licking County will pass in and out of the Rickenbacker airport.
“Alum Creek Drive is a major thoroughfare,” said Foster. “We need all stakeholders (Columbus, Groveport, Obetz and Madison and Hamilton townships) on board.”
Arbor Day in Groveport
The city of Groveport will hold Arbor Day events on April 28 at 1:30 p.m. at Glendening Elementary and at 2:30 p.m. at Groveport Elementary.
Glendening Art Show
Glendening Elementary, 4200 Glendening Drive, Groveport, will hold its art show on May 4 from 5:30-7 p.m.
Student Art Show
The annual Groveport Madison Schools District Art Show was held during the State of the Schools Celebration on March 14. The art show showcases the talented student artists in the schools.
The 2023 District Art Show Best of Show winners are: Lil’ Cruiser Campus – George Matthews; Asbury Elementary – Jaycee Wilson; Dunloe Elementary – Sia Lebron Velaquez; Glendening Elementary – Hector Rivera Rangel; Groveport Elementary – Aleya Lawrence; Madison Elementary – Karolina De La Torre; Sedalia Elementary – Angelique King; Middle School Central – Izais Jonson; Middle School North – Kieyann Walden; Middle School South – LaMaya Graves; Groveport Madison High School – Mame Guisse; Superintendent’s Choice Award: Akeela Spears.
Drug Take Back Day
The city of Canal Winchester and Diley Ridge Medical Center, in cooperation with the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration, will host a National Prescription Drug Take Back event on April 22 at the Diley Ridge Medical Center parking lot, 7911 Diley Road, Canal Winchester, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day provides a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications. Since 2010, DEA, along with its law enforcement partners, has collected over 16 million pounds of unneeded prescription medications. Canal Winchester’s collection site is set up in a convenient stop and drop model, allowing those discarding unwanted prescription drugs to remain in their vehicles, drop medications with collection agents, and continue on their way.
City of Canal Winchester officials thank partners and volunteers who have locally assisted in the DEA program, with special thanks to Diley Ridge Medical Center for use of their property.
Note that collectors may only accept pills. Liquids (including inhalers and their refills), as well as needles or sharps, may not be dropped off. The service is free and anonymous; no questions asked.
Visit www.DEATakeBack.com for a list of additional collection sites in other communities.
BPA winners
On March 9-10, students from Eastland Career Center competed in events at the Business Professionals of America (BPA) state conference, held at the Hyatt Regency Columbus.
Groveport Madison junior Ella Dean from the Medical Office program took first place for her performance in the Basic Office Systems and Procedures event.
Groveport Madison senior Hannah Greene (Medical Office) placed second in Fundamental Word Processing.
The BPA national competition will be held in Anaheim, Calif. on April 26-30.
Below is a full list of national qualifiers and top-10 finishers from the BPA state conference.
Local BPA state results: Slimane Ait Raiss (Jr., Groveport Madison, Programming) – Software Engineering Team, National Top 10 ^; Hannah Green (Sr., Groveport Madison, Medical Office) – Fundamental Word Processing, 2nd place ^; Ella Dean (Jr., Groveport Madison, Medical Office) – Basic Office Systems and Procedures, 1st place ^; Ethan Carmichael (Jr., Canal Winchester, Interactive Media) – Computer Animation Team, Top 10; Jacob Caron (Jr., Hamilton Twp., Interactive Media) – Computer Animation Team, Top 10; Dayanara Channakhon (Jr., Groveport Madison, Interactive Media) – Computer Animation Team, Top 10
(^ indicates individual or team has qualified for the 2023 BPA national conference)
SkillsUSA state qualifiers
Eastland-Fairfield Career & Technical Schools will be sending 90 students to the SkillsUSA state conference to compete on behalf of the school district.
State-level competitions will begin in early April with the mandatory knowledge test and skill-specific events will commence on April 14 at various locations. The SkillsUSA Ohio State Championships and its award ceremonies will be held on April 25-26 at The Greater Columbus Convention Center.
Area students who qualified are: Iromy Mendoza Lopez (Sr., Canal Winchester, Pre-Nursing) – Nurse Assisting, GOLD; Massar Yade (Sr., Groveport Madison, Pharmacy) – Medical Math, SILVER; Kole Mustard (Sr., Canal Winchester, Construction) – Carpentry, BRONZE; Aissatou Barry (Sr., Canal Winchester, Pre-Nursing) – Health Knowledge Bowl, 4th; Tannia Flores (Sr., Groveport Madison, Pre-Nursing) – Health Knowledge Bowl, 4th; Evan Schrader (Jr., Canal Winchester, Pre-Engineering) – CNC Milling, SILVER; Charles Neville (Sr., Canal Winchester, Electrical) – Electrical Construction Wiring, GOLD; Conner Ebert (Jr., Canal Winchester, Welding), Mason Napper (Jr., Canal Winchester, Welding), BRONZE; Ayden Cuckler (Jr., Groveport Madison, Aviation) – Drone Competition; Sarah Spencer (Sr., Hamilton Twp., Pre-Dental) – Dental Assisting; Jaden Smith (Jr., Groveport Madison, Pre-Engineering), – Engineering Technology & Design; Mackenzie Spiess (Jr., Hamilton Twp., Welding) – Entrepreneurship; Christopher Lee (Jr., Hamilton Twp., Criminal Justice), – Opening and Closing Ceremonies.
Women’s History Month
Baker Creative in Groveport, founded by Michele Cuthbert and which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, recently completed a project connected with the “Trailblazing Women in Ohio Politics” public television documentary and oral history collection about eight Democratic and Republican women breaking electoral barriers in Ohio. The film was produced by Bowling Green State University in partnership with WBGU-PBS. Each trailblazing woman’s profile covers her own background, upbringing, career trajectory, challenges faced and obstacles overcome – especially in regard to race and gender.
Cuthbert also hosts an award-winning podcast and directs two satellite offices in the United States and two in Europe in addition to the office in Groveport. Her recent accolades include being profiled in the “Hispanic Stars Rising: Volume III” book, mentioned in the Ohio 500 list of the most influential people in the state by Ohio Business magazine, receiving Chief Marketer’s Market Like A Mother Award, and accepting the Better Business Bureau of Central Ohio Torch Award for Ethics on behalf of Baker Creative.
