Fort Recovery schools busy with events

FORT RECOVERY — The next month looks busy for Fort Recovery students and staff.

Fort Recovery School Board heard about upcoming school events and activities during its meeting Monday.

Tony Stahl, Fort Recovery High School principal, highlighted FFA week, which started with a tractor drive-in for students today. It includes a petting zoo for children from 9 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. Wednesday, a community breakfast from 6 to 8 a.m. Thursday and Agricultural Olympics — activities promoting agriculture — for high school students Friday afternoon.

Fort Recovery High School Drama Club will also be performing “Frozen Junior” with shows at 7 p.m. Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Stahl added.

Fort Recovery Middle School student council is collecting items this week for the Ronald McDonald House Charities, noted middle school principal Ryan Steinbrunner.

The middle school will also host a quiz bowl tournament March 18 with at least six teams attending.

Fort Recovery Elementary School principal Kelli Thobe pointed out that its student council’s final event of the year, “Celebrate Reading” week, kicks off Feb. 27 and continues through March 3.

The school board also learned from Thobe that preschool registration will be offered online this year starting March 13.

In other business, school board members Sean Kahlig, Jake Knapke, Nick Wehrkamp and Don Wendel:

•Learned senior Alayna Laux advanced to the state FFA public speaking contest after she won second place at the district level competition. Mara Wenning also participated in the contest and came in fourth place.

•Heard senior Chase Kaiser was named as the high school’s nominee for the Franklin B. Walter state award. Kaiser will meet in April with other students from Mercer County schools, when a nominee will be selected as the county representative.

•Approved a one-year contract with Jutte’s Landscaping.

•Appointed treasurer Deanne Knapke as its public records officer.

•OK’d one-year contracts with non-teaching employees Mandy Newton and Grant Pottkotter, and extra-curricular contracts for the remainder of the school year with freshman baseball coach Ethan Schoen and for the 2023-24 school year with high school cheerleading advisor Jennifer Steinke.

•Approved changing Michelle Stammen’s work assignment from first grade to second grade teacher effective Aug. 1. (Superintendent Larry Brown noted the change was planned, with Stammen shifting to first grade in 2022 to accommodate the larger-than-average class size.)

•Accepted Ian Homan as a volunteer baseball coach.

•Hired substitute Dani Brown.

•Accepted several donations, including a $1,000 grant from philanthropic group Psi Iota Xi for the Beyond the Books program.

•Paid a $233.72 invoice to Beacon Graphics.