Priest honored for winning state award

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent writer

Recognitions were at the forefront of Wednesday night’s brief Van Wert City Board of Education meeting.

The board honored VWHS Principal Bob Priest, who was named the 2019 Ohio School Counseling Association “Administrator of Year”. He was nominated by school counselors Frankie Bowen and Ava Burkheimer.

“He supports and promotes our school counseling program in a manner that allows my office to directly address student mental health issues, including a partnership with in-house and out-house counselors for students who are otherwise not able to access therapeutic needs outside of the school day,” Bowen told the board.

“It’s actually my privilege to work with them,” Priest said. “I’m not going to pretend to understand all of their training and everything that they do. The award should go to them — they’re the ones doing the work.”

Board members also recognized Keagon Hammons, who was named Division IV Second Team All-Ohio defensive lineman in football and Caylee Phillips, who finished sixth at the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s Division II State Cross Country Meet. The board also heard from Quiz Bowl coach Anita Zuber, who updated the board on the squad’s success, including winning a recent competition that aired on Channel 44 in Lima.

Assistant Superintendent Bill Clifton told the board a new two-year school calendar will be up for a vote next month. It’s the first time the district has used the two-year format, with a committee of teachers and administrators creating the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school calendars.

“Both of these calendars are well in compliance with the required minimum hours (910 for kindergarten through sixth grade, 1,001 for seventh through 12th graders),” Clifton explained. “We have extra hours built into the calendars to accommodate cancelation and delay days, so we are in good shape with respect to the hours.”

The calendars also include 182 staff days and 174 student days per school year.

During the meeting, board members accepted the resignations of high school intervention specialist Karen Emerine and Assistant to the Director of Maintenance Mark Carter. Both will retire at the end of the current school year. The board also accepted the resignation of varsity girls’ tennis coach Eli Alvarez.

In other business, the board approved the reading improvement and achievement plan, and accepted a $150 donation from the Convoy United Methodist Woman for hats and gloves for students in need.

Superintendent Vicki Brunn said the board office will be closed from Monday, December 23, until Monday, January 6, 2020.

The Van Wert City Schools Board of Education will hold its annual organizational meeting, tax budget hearing, and regular meeting at 5 p.m. Wednesday, January 8, 2020, in the First Federal Lecture Hall of the Niswonger Performing Arts Center of Northwest Ohio.