Loudonville FFA fundraising for greenhouse hits $200,000 mark

Jim Brewer
·2 min read

LOUDONVILLE − Fundraising generated $200,000 toward the $367,000 price tag for a new greenhouse project for the Loudonville FFA.

Kenny Libben, who is involved in the fundraising effort, reported the totals during a presentation made mostly by student FFA members on the greenhouse project during Monday’s meeting of the Loudonville-Perrysville Exempted Village Schools Board of Education.

More:Loudonville school district cancels interviews with finalists, hires superintendent

Community generosity also was exhibited during a drawing sponsored by the Loudonville-Perrysville School Foundation for teachers to receive gift cards from Teachers Pay Teachers, a nationwide program in which teachers can share lesson plans.

The foundation agreed to give 20 gift cards through a drawing for which 30 teachers signed up, so there would be 10 teachers who lost in the program. Michelle D’Amico, president of the McMullen School Parents Association, said her organization would pay for the remaining 10 gift cards.

The board approved affiliation with the Knox-Morrow Athletic Conference, effective in the 2024-25 school year. All Redbird teams except soccer will compete with Danville, East Knox, Fredericktown, Centerburg, Cardington-Lincoln, Mount Gilead and Northmor.

Scott Brickner, athletic director and assistant principal at East Knox, was on hand to welcome the Redbirds. For two seasons the Redbird wrestling team competed in the KMAC, and last year the football team did.

The Redbird soccer team is affiliated with three other teams that are members of conferences where most members do not have soccer programs.

In other business the board:

  • Approved spending $26,241 in COVID relief funds for a new dishwasher at McMullen Elementary School.

  • Adopted resolutions for Music In Our Schools and Youth Art Month.

  • Adopted a security plan for state testing.

  • Approved holding the prom and post prom at Ashland University.

  • Hired Jedediah Johnson as industrial technology teacher and Kelly Dye as an intervention specialist for the 2023-'24 school year.

  • Authorized the McMullen Parents to proceed with their project to install a new floor in the school gym.

  • Authorized spending no more than $20,000 on a used school van.

New superintendent hired

More:Loudonville-Perrysville Superintendent Puster, board explain resignation decision

The board hired Jennifer Allerding as new school superintendent, effective Aug. 1, as the Times-Gazette reported in an earlier story.

The hiring was preceded by two special meetings, Wednesday and Friday, March 8 and 10, when the board discussed and interviewed candidates.

There were 19 applicants for the position, the board had said. The field had been narrowed to five.

Two other special meetings, scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, March 14 and 15, involved interviews, but were canceled after the board agreed to hire Allerding.

She replaces Catherine Puster who resigned effective July 31.

The board will next meet at 6 p.m. April 10 in the Loudonville High School cafeteria.

This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Loudonville FFA greenhouse funding hits $200K; Redbirds join KMAC