Indoor track is now an official club sport in the Licking Heights district after getting approval at the last school board meeting.
Superintendent Thomas Tucker said there would be little cost to the district, because all the coaches are volunteers.
He said they had requested some transportation to events, which the district has done for other club sports. The boys and girls teams have about 15 students each.
The board recognized several student athletes who had received MSL and Central District Honors. Those present included Leo McGee (Soccer), Michael Wande (Soccer), Chris Davis (Cross Country), Amber Vanluvanee (Cross Country) and Catie Campbell (Cross Country).
Campbell, a sophomore, qualified for the National Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships, which will be held in Mechanicsville, Va., in December. Campbell said she hopes to run in college, although she hasn’t yet decided where she wants to go.
A question was raised at the meeting about why the high school soccer team does not currently have its own venue. The team is currently playing at the middle school. It was suggested that since the team has a different schedule than the football team, players could use the football field like many other soccer teams do.
Athletic Director Rita Pendexter said while the teams don’t play on the same days, they do practice at the same times. She said the football field was also not the right size for soccer, and that an attempt to mark a space at the high school for soccer hadn’t worked out.
As to getting a venue at the high school, "We’re working on it," she said. "We would love to have it. We’ve looked into it and talked about it."
Other news
Treasurer Jennifer Vanover brought up the idea of a community group to educate people about the way the school operates and how it’s funded.
She picked up the idea at a recent education conference held by the Ohio School Board Association, she said.
A high school district had created such a group after having trouble passing levies, and had success with it.
The concept would be to meet with various people who have a stake in the process, like council members, the mayor, local business leaders and others to discuss the school’s funding.
Tucker said the district may need to move the graduation ceremony from the gymnasium because of space issues.
The gym was packed at last year’s ceremony. If they do move off-site, he said, "We’re going to do the best we can to keep costs down."
The graduation is tentatively scheduled for May 29 at the Aladdin Shrine Center in Easton, although Tucker emphasized that nothing has been finalized or signed.
He said the center was a great location and a great venue.
The board also discussed the possible purchase of new copiers for some of the schools, comparing prices and discussing the benefits of leasing versus buying. They are currently leaning toward leasing.
Although the district will need to make cuts in spending in the future, Tucker said the copiers are definitely needed.
"We’ll do our homework and continue to be good stewards of taxpayers’ dollars," he said.
