Principal Chrissy Butts: 'We have some ideas for the school and needs of the campus'

The Loudonville-Perrysville School Board, at its meeting Monday, May 9, was challenged to consider upgrades to the facility at Loudonville High School.

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Principal Chrissy Butts, alluding to a tour of other area high schools with board member Bruce Davis and Athletic Director Tyler Bates, said in her monthly report to the board “we have some ideas for the school and needs of the campus, including building an auxiliary gym and additional classrooms. Our goal is to get rid of the modular classrooms as they have exceeded their life expectancy.”

Must junior high classrooms are in two of the three modulars on the LHS campus, with the third used for meeting space and storage. The modulars were installed, as used facilities, in 2010, when the Perrysville Junior High School was closed and junior high classes moved to the high school. At the time of their installation, a life-expectancy of seven years was placed on the modulars.

Addition of the auxiliary gym would eliminate the need of sports teams driving to remote facilities for practices, Butts said.

“We met with Superintendent Catherine Puster and Treasurer Christine Angerer with our proposal and expressed our desire to apply ESSEER (pandemic relief) funds to get something tangible accomplished,” Butts said. “We want to be transparent. This is about the needs of the district, not the wants. We are trying to get us to the same place as other schools. The high school administration team would love to meet with the board and further discuss our ideas and develop a plan.”

Butts noted ESSER funds expire in 2024 and the district needs to plan on how to use them, or lose them.

Principal Chrissy Butts updates board on several subjects

Butts also communicated with the board on student mental health, athletics, course updates and graduation events.

She expressed thanks to staff and others who have supported efforts to provide mental health support for students, including counselors David Lance and Kristen Thiebaud, Liaison Mindy Wilson and Appleseed Counselor Kayla Crew.

She also cited Prevention Educator Leanne White for providing classes for high school students on issues like tobacco use, vaping, alcohol, marijuana, stimulant and opioid use, along with addictions and other behaviors, including food, gambling and phone use.

She also announced that eighth-grader Laila Manchester and teacher Maggie Thomas participated in the Stat Power of the Pen competition May 12, and mentioned the robotics team participation in the World’s Competition in Dallas earlier in the month.

Athletic Honor Roll Luncheon will be held May 23 for students who have made the athletic honor roll. Mayor Jason VanSickle, an accomplished LHS athlete in his day, will participate in the program, along with former Ashland University Women’s Basketball Coach Sue Ramsay.

The high school and athletic department also honor two renown LHS coaches, Mike Warbel (football), and Carolyn Vickers Carmichael (volleyball and girls track) in special ceremonies during athletic events Aug. 26 and 27.

She reported that three new classes will be offered at the high school next school year: home economics, taught by Mary Bowers; leadership, taught by Aimee Ross; and career exploration, taught by Pete Snyder. will

A fourth, a woods course, will be taught by Ron Lance in the first semester, with Ben Drown taking over in the second semester if the district is unable to employ a new teacher with the credentials for this class.

Butts also reported Bates and Davis got looks at how the sports Halls of Fame at Monroeville, Dalton and Orrville High Schools are enhanced using touchscreen technology, and offered a confident report that funding could be obtained to do this at LHS.

Graduation ceremonies will be conducted Friday, May 27, with senior breakfast and awards ceremonies held the day before.

Loudonville Library Director Mallinak thanks community for passing levy

Loudonville Public Library Director Melissa Mallinak attended the meeting and extended thanks to the entire community for the support and overwhelming passage of the renewal levy for the library.

Puster announced that summer school for selected student will be held June 6-16, with the school providing transportation to the sessions and food.

She announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will no longer fund school lunches, and the school will return to the pre-pandemic method of lunch funding. Application for free and reduced lunches will be available in July.

The board approved the May version of the school five-year financial forecast as prepared by Treasurer Christine Angerer.

Donations accepted by the board included $500 from Jean Thoensen for the McMullen School; $1,000 from the Mohican Area Community Fund for the junior high art club; 17 books for the school library from the McMullen School from the Parents Association; and $180 for science fair awards from the Academic Boosters.

The board accepted the resignation of Scott Pringle as director of pupil services. Pringle has accepted the position of West Holmes High School principal.

Resignations were accepted for Jacob Puster, assistant high school custodian; Judy Weiser, bus driver; Digna Carder, Budd School paraprofessional; and Ann Gardner, another paraprofessional at the Budd School.

It added Sarah Carroll and Trevor Ritz to the substitute teacher list. Board member John Carroll abstained in this vote because Sarah Carroll is his daughter.

Contracts were renewed for the following teaching personnel: continuing, Caryn Reisinger and John Battaglia; five-year, Chelsea Portz, Alicia Vaughan and Mary Bowers; three-year, Courtney Charlton and Shelby VanSickle; and one year, Rachel Albrecht, Kristen Thiebaud, Mike Baker, Jael Edgerton, Justina Martinez and Emily Roblin.

Jerrica Lapointe was designated a volunteer softball coach.

The board hired high school English teacher Aimee Ross to assist the district with editing school policy; hired Mitch Voltz as assistant high school custodian; and hired, for the 2022-23 school year, Trevor Ritz as seventh-grade math teacher and Sarah Smith as high school intervention specialist.

Next board meeting will be Monday, June 13 in the Loudonville High School cafeteria.

This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Additional classrooms, gym suggested for Loudonville High School