Students helping during holidays

FORT RECOVERY — During the holiday season, Fort Recovery students are helping those in need both at home and abroad.
Principals Matt Triplett and Jeff Hobbs told Fort Recovery School Board at its meeting Tuesday about their students’ service projects.
Hobbs also gave updates about the Ohio Graduation Test (OGT) and Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) test as well as cell phone rules at Fort Recovery High School.
Fort Recovery Middle School has been participating for about a decade in Operation Christmas Child, a program through Samaritan’s Purse International Relief that collects and delivers shoeboxes filled with supplies and gifts for those in need.
Since 1993 the program has delivered more than 95 million shoeboxes filled with gifts in 130 countries.
This year, students in Fort Recovery raised enough money to ship 109 shoeboxes and have already started saving for next year, Triplett said. The middle school’s student council has taken over leadership of the project from former teacher Diane McClung.
“I’m glad that the tradition continues,” said Triplett, noting that McClung made the trip to Texas this year to help pack shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. “I know Diane is very excited it hasn’t gone by the wayside.”
Fort Recovery High School students raised money to buy gifts and supplies for local families in need. With student council and Future Business Leaders of America leading the way, they raised nearly $7,000 and were able to sponsor 14 families, Hobbs said.
“It’s pretty cool,” he added. “Those people come in and pick that stuff up and they’re very appreciative. It’s pretty neat.”
Superintendent Shelly Vaughn also noted that businesses involved with the high school program have worked to help connect some of those families in need with potential job opportunities.
The high school received results Tuesday from its fall Ohio Graduation Tests. The school’s two new students passed all five sections of the tests, and all four who had failed a section in the spring also passed.
Freshman will take the PARCC test, which is part of Common Core State Standards, for the first time this spring. It will be worked into the regular exam schedule, Hobbs said.
He also noted that he has been working with a group of students to modify cell phone rules. The new policy will allow cell phones to be used for texting and music during lunch in the commons and gym.
Cell phone use will still be banned in the classroom area during school hours.
“I love this, because I think kids need to have some ownership,” said Hobbs. “They need to know that you’re listening to them and their opinion makes a difference.”
In other business, the board:
•Reviewed the agenda for the school district’s professional development day scheduled for Jan. 16. It includes discussion about the district’s continuous improvement plan, use of E-days, PARCC testing, technology, assessments and a variety of other issues. They will also meet with teachers who have gifted certification to discuss services and how to improve them.
•Accepted donations of more than $7,000, including $2,000 apiece for the elementary and middle school activity funds from Fort Recovery Elementary PTO.
•Approved the eighth grade trip for March 29 through April 3 to Washington, D.C.
•Accepted the retirement of second grade teacher Mary Jo Schwieterman effective May 31.
•Approved the contract with Mercer County Health Department for nursing services for 2015 at a cost of $3,780.
•Renewed its membership with Ohio School Boards Association for $3,465.
•Set its 2015 organizational meeting for 6:30 p.m. Jan. 13 and elected Jose Faller president pro-tem.
•Reviewed a breakdown of spending on the high school renovation project. All of the $3.4 million slated for the project has been spent, as was required to be done by the end of the year.
•Gave its support an application by Christine Thompson from Ball State University’s Applied Anthropology Laboratories for a 2015 American Battlefield Protection Program Interpretive Signage Development Grant. The money would be used to design signs with maps, graphics and text for the village that would provide information about the Battle on the Wabash and the Battle of Fort Recovery. Faller and Vaughn agreed to write letters of support.