Crumbling Track At Alexander Puts Athletes, Entire Program At Risk

Fourteen years after its construction, the running track at Alexander High School is still occupied by student athletes. But the coat of black rubber is showing its age; in fact, it has been for years.

Athletes and parents spoke out at Wednesday’s school board meeting.  They say it’s time for an upgrade.

“Our track is undeniably unsafe for athletes to properly practice on, causing athletes to not be at their full potential when it comes to the day of the meet,” said Brianna Wallace, an Alexander graduate.

Breaks and cracks plague the entire Alexander track. During the season, standing water, mud and even ice make their homes in holes along the runway.

So what are students doing to train? According to head coach Nate Schaller, these athletes have no other option.

“I had regional qualifiers this year, for sprinters and distance, all of which had injuries. … It makes it hard. It’s hard on the sprinters, it’s hard on the distance kids, our field events we can barely practice really.”

New Federal Hocking Football Coach Hopes To Strengthen Program Durability

For many teams, week six of the 2019 high school football season was just another Friday night under the lights.

But for the Federal Hocking Lancers, it would be their last.

The team had struggled to field a full roster for years, but that night marked a low point for the Lancers. A string of injuries reduced their lineup to so few players that they would have to forfeit the rest of that season’s games.

“I felt like it wasn’t fair to anybody — the coaches, the staff, the people that are our supporters, just everybody,” Federal Hocking rising senior Chase Hogsett said.

The injuries were just the latest in a series of hardships. In the five years prior, the Lancers had won only one game, long haunted by a 40-game losing streak.

In 2020, Federal Hocking’s football team left the Tri-Valley Conference in favor of smaller school matchups.

But despite picking up two wins, the team played a short five-game season — once again forfeiting their final weeks.

Still, hope remained among the Fed Hock faithful.

For Many Vinton County Residents, Only Source Of Clean Water Is Outside The Home

Nearly a third of Vinton County residents are living without reliable access to clean water — whether to drink, to cook, or even to bathe.

“And the ones that do have water, it’s like dirt, it’s like a muddy water,” County Commissioner Mark Fout said.

It’s not a new problem either.

“The quest for clean water for Vinton County has been with my family for 21 years and that was the first time that we moved here,” local resident James Satory said.

Federal funding has allowed Vinton County to place multiple water dispensaries throughout the county. Director of development Terri Fetherolf says it’s the department’s top priority.

“We make sure that every person that wants it has access to drinkable, safe, reliable water,” Fetherolf said.

They’re cheap, easy to access, and placed strategically near areas without clean water. The tanks are a step in the right direction, but not a permanent solution.

Fetherolf hopes that someday, clean water lines will run to every home in Vinton County. It’s going to cost millions of dollars, but she wants residents to know that they are determined to put up a fight.

“We want to make them aware that we’re still working on this, we haven’t given up, we’re working on your behalf.”

Ohio Legislature Finalizes Reform To School District Evaluation System

The Ohio Legislature passed an ambitious education bill despite a transformative amendment introduced midway through the bill’s life cycle.

Ohio House Bill 82, originally introduced to revise standardized test requirements, will now remedy longtime complaints about the state’s school district evaluation system. 

The bill’s initial provisions remain intact, however. It will allow high school juniors to opt out of the annual state-funded ACT exam and remove the state’s ACT/SAT graduation requirement starting with the class of 2023. 

The issue stems from students not planning to attend college blowing off a test they did not need to take.

To many administrators, including Federal Hocking Superintendent David Hanning, this decision was a no-brainer.

“We have a significant number of students – I think it’s better than 50% – that don’t go to college,” Hanning said. “You know, they get a job and they go right out into the workforce.”

The state had been spending $4.9 million every year to administer these tests. Meanwhile, hundreds of universities – including Ohio University – are no longer requiring the ACT through new, ‘test-optional’ admission policies.

Most notably, students’ apathy toward standardized tests has a direct impact on school report cards — an annual performance rating which in turn affects economic development and homeownership. 

Athens School District Hopes To Improve Equity And Accessibility With New Buildings

For decades, the Athens City School District comprised several elementary schools that each served a distinct sector of the community. But that will soon no longer be the case.

Construction crews are putting the finishing touches on two state-of-the-art facilities for Athens elementary students. The new Morrison-Gordon and East elementary schools will house students from pre-K through third grade beginning Aug. 25.

The project marks the launch of a district-wide consolidation, which will channel students into fewer yet larger school buildings to ensure the most efficient use of educational resources.

“We went through a process with the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission to review all of our facilities, K-12, and then to talk about whether we wanted to make any changes to the structure or format,” Superintendent Tom Gibbs said.

The commission found that the district’s elementary school buildings were so out of date that it would be more cost-efficient to replace them altogether.

What began as an opportunity to bring these buildings up to par with modern standards had become something much bigger.

Mask Policy Stirs Animated Discussion At Alexander School Board Meeting

ALBANY, Ohio — The Alexander Local Board of Education was forced to balance the interests of its constituency against federal health recommendations Monday night when a passionate dialogue on mask mandates emerged at a special meeting. 

The district is one of many across the nation seeking reasonable coronavirus prevention following widespread vaccination efforts.

When Alexander school board members first took their seats, there was little to anticipate. The board expected it would simply uphold current CDC recommendations for masks in schools.

Under those guidelines, all students and staff would wear facial coverings in a “classroom setting,” while those vaccinated could step outside the classroom mask-free. Athens County Health Commissioner Dr. James Gaskell voiced support for that motion. 

But what followed was an animated discussion among community members. Concerned parents and staff who petitioned for a less restrictive policy shared a common sentiment — vaccinated individuals, and students 10 and under, should not have to wear a mask. 

New Lexington Football Provides Small Teams With More Experience

High school football is at the heart of fall in Southeast Ohio.

But the smaller schools in our region have a hard time competing with larger teams. There just aren’t enough players on the roster to challenge varsity lineups in practice.

That was the case for the New Lexington Panthers.

“We’ve got a roster of about 43, so our [starters] are going against freshmen and sophomores,” head coach Kevin Board said.

This year, Board wanted to change that. Nearly a dozen schools are traveling to Perry County this month for the New Lexington seven-on-seven summer league.

“To get [our starters] to come out and compete against other guys, juniors, seniors, it’s an opportunity for us to get some good competition as well as the other schools,” he said.

With fewer players on the field and none of the hard-hitting action, it’s a completely different sport. But it serves as an opportunity for offenses to test their playbooks, and for defenses to work on coverage schemes.

And for the Panthers, it’s a chance to build chemistry with a new starting quarterback.

Bill Would Offer Ohio High School Students A Do-Over On Last Year’s Classes

School administrators are raising questions about a new bill designed to help high school students get back on track following pandemic-related setbacks.

The High School Education Recovery Act would establish the Supplemental School Year Program. This would allow students at all public high schools to retake classes they completed during the 2020-2021 school year. 

Schools would be required to update student transcripts, replacing their old grades with the new ones. The program could provide a significant GPA boost to all high school students enrolled last year – including those who have already graduated.

An Ohio House committee held its second hearing on the bill June 9. Nearly two dozen bipartisan co-sponsors are already on board to implement this universal blueprint for the academic recovery process.

Many schools, however, are already compensating for the setbacks by strengthening their summer school and online education programs. 

“Our learning loss is large, no different than any other school district,” Athens High School principal Chad Springer said. “We responded to the pandemic in a way that befitted Athens High School.”

For schools like Athens, adapting credit recovery efforts under the proposed Supplemental School Year Program would be simple.

“We’re already doing credit recovery, we would just replace the grade from the prior year,” Springer said. 

Ohio University Professor Leads Mental Health Initiative Within National Guard

Athens County resident Dr. Todd Fredricks is a jack of all trades.

He’s taught family medicine at Ohio University for nearly a decade. For even longer, he’s dedicated himself to serving his community. He’s worked in emergency rooms, urgent cares and most recently as a psychiatric hospitalist for the Ohio Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services.

But his latest ventures reach far beyond the Athens County border. Fredricks is on his fourth rotation in Kuwait, serving as a senior medical officer for the West Virginia National Guard.

“In the West Virginia guard we have a tradition of supporting our own units,” Fredricks said. “And so, it’s expected that West Virginia doctors, nurse practitioners and physician assistants … We just know that we’re going to be obliged to take care of our own people.”

Before heading overseas, Fredricks spent the first year of the pandemic filling his role as a medical liaison for the guard. He was brought on by West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice to advise the state’s COVID-19 response and vaccine distribution plans.

So when Fredricks was deployed in March, he quickly recognized the inefficiency of the National Guard’s COVID-19 testing procedures.

In fact, his plane hadn’t even landed in Kuwait when he decided it would be his duty to bring about change.

Ohio Senator And OU Alumna Wants Asian American History Taught In Schools

Last month, Illinois became the first state to mandate Asian American history in its K-12 curriculum.

Now, an Ohio University alumna elected to the Ohio Senate is fighting for a similar provision — one that she says is long overdue.

“We’ve been in this country for years, hundreds of years, and our history has never really been talked about,” Sen. Tina Maharath said.

Maharath, who serves Ohio’s 3rd Senate District, is the daughter of two Southeast Asian refugees. She was the first Asian American woman elected to the Ohio Legislature in 2018.

Last week, Maharath introduced the Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History (TEAACH) Act.

“To discuss the contributions that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders bring to our state — whether that be politically, economically or even culturally,” Maharath said.

The bill would require Ohio public schools to develop Asian American history curriculums, while still giving lots of flexibility to local administration.

TALLMADGE REC CENTER PROCEEDS WITH GRADUAL REOPENING

10.04.2020

The Tallmadge Parks and Recreation department is following in the footsteps of other such departments around the county and state — expanding its hours and available services Sept. 28 in line with the Responsible Restart Ohio guidelines.

Both the soccer field and basketball Court 1 are accessible to Rec Center guests – the field permitting one small group at a time, and the court limited to one household per hoop.

Adam Bozic, the Board Advisor for the Parks and Recreation department, hopes to enforce wearing a mask at all times in either arena.

“We’re always in the building, we’re always alert and present. And we’ll help enforce that as we see needed,” Bozic said.

Staff members throughout the first and second floors will be responsible for upholding the mask mandate. Still, Parks and Recreation Superintendent Jessica Simons recognizes the challenges that come with such a regulation.

COVID-19 impacts parks & recreation in Tallmadge

04.14.2020

The Lions Park in Tallmadge, Ohio is more than just a home for the local Lions Clubhouse. This park features basketball and tennis Courts, a baseball diamond, pavilions, playgrounds, and more. In the late spring and summer months, this is where most of the city’s youth come to gather.

But for the foreseeable future, many beloved parks will remain dormant.

“There are certain things that we’ve had to close because of guidance from the governor, in regard to, specifically, playgrounds,” Parks & Recreation Superintendent Jessica Simons said.

Simons says the department has taken swift action in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Governor Mike DeWine’s social distancing policies have influenced restrictions on the Recreation Center and many local parks and playgrounds. It could even impact this summer’s season for Maca Pool.

“We may have to delay the opening of Maca Pool this year just due to all of the stay-at-home orders,” Simons said. “We are planning to still open at this point if the stay-at-home order is lifted when they say it’s going to be lifted; we hope to open in the beginning of June.”

THE MOST EXHAUSTED BAND IN THE LAND

04.27.2020

Ohio University lifted the cease and desist on the Marching 110 on March 2 after nearly five months of restrictions. Following a wave of hazing allegations against student groups, the band was the second to last organization to learn of its investigation outcomes.

According to the executive summary from the Office of Community Standards and Student Responsibility, investigators identified unsanctioned traditions and concerning behaviors within the band, particularly in specific sections. None of those behaviors, however, caused physical harm to students.

Initial incident reports filed to CSSR included allegations of alcohol use and distribution, violence and coercive behavior, according to Taylor Tackett, director of the CSSR. The six reports filed throughout fall semester prompted a limited cease and desist on the band Oct. 10 — the Thursday before homecoming.

Allan Dalton, a former band manager who graduated after fall semester, reflected on how the decision’s timing affected the historically festive weekend.

“It was very dark, very solemn — it was like the Grinch stole Christmas that week,” Dalton said over a video call. “During homecoming, there are dozens, if not more, band families that get together. They get to meet their grandlittles, their great-great-grandlittles, and share stories … [Freshmen] were denied that experience this year, they don’t know their family trees.”