(Posted Aug. 15, 2018)
By Sandi Latimer, Staff Writer
The village of Plain City recently reached out to the Jonathan Alder Local School District. At the Aug. 13 school board meeting, Nathan Cahall, who has been interim village administrator for the past month and a half, informed school leaders of plans that lie ahead for Plain City.
“We expect the population to double in 10 years,” Cahall said.
With that in mind, Cahall said the village needs to work on infrastructure first. High on the list of priorities are improvements to State Route 161, one of the major byways that runs through the village.
“Route 161 will be paved to the county line, and better signage will be put in place,” Cahall said.
It will take time to get all that done. However, outside the high school and junior high buildings the evening of the meeting, highway workers were restriping U.S. Route 42 in preparation for the new school year, which starts Aug. 22.
New teachers went through orientation Aug. 16-17. Deputy Superintendent Misty Swanger, who is in charge of curriculum and instruction, said the district welcomed eight new teachers this year. A highlight of the orientation is a bus tour of the district to show teachers where students live.
When students report to class on Aug. 22, they will find teachers ready for collaboration and intervention on two Wednesday mornings a month throughout the academic year. It’s part of the High Schools That Work program. By the end of this year, the program will have provided the school with $20,000 over two years, said Principal Mike Aurin.
The program is designed to create a culture of high expectations that encourages students to make an effort to succeed.
Board members tried to heap praise on their colleague Tom Bichsel for his role in entertaining an Akron girls’ soccer team on a recent Sunday when their bus broke down, but he said it was all the work of Superintendent Gary Chapman.
When the bus broke down in Plain City, Jonathan Alder provided a bus, driven by Tammy Robinson, to transport the girls back to the high school where they spent time in the gym, eating pizza and sipping soft drinks, while admiring the facilities.
“They were really impressed with our gym and facilities,” Bichsel said.
In other business, the board:
-accepted a donation of $250 for the cross country team, raised by the Uptown Plain City Organization through the annual Plain City 4-Miler;
– accepted the resignation of Jordyn Rees as freshman volleyball coach and named Cathy Corbitt as her replacement;
– named Christine Blacka and Mary Jo Boyd as delegate and alternate to the Ohio School Boards Association and Capital Conference Nov. 11-13 in Columbus;
– hired Capitol Aluminum and Glass Corp. to do security work on the vestibule of the junior high building for $72,000; and
– renewed lease agreements with Vineyard Church and Daily Needs Assistance for space at the former Plain City Elementary school building.
At the end of the meeting, board members entered into executive session to discuss personnel matters. The next regular board meeting is Sept. 10 at 6:30 p.m.
