Wednesday, August 12th, 2009

District to charge fee to attend athletic events

Fort Recovery Junior High

By William Kincaid
FORT RECOVERY - For the first time ever, the school district will begin charging admittance to junior high athletic events, interim high school Principal Ed Snyder said.
"We've always been resistant to this," Snyder said during the regular school board meeting on Tuesday night, pointing out Fort Recovery is one of the last schools in the area to charge patrons.
Tickets to junior high volleyball and football games will be $3 for adults and $2 for students.
However, both adults and parents who attend multiple events can save money by purchasing a season pass. Students who pay $5 and adults who pay $10 can go to every junior high sporting event, Snyder said.
"We're hoping that that works well," Snyder said about the season pass.
Asked why the district decided to charge, Snyder said due to rising expenses involved with the sports.
"We just felt it's time now because of finances," he said.
Snyder also reported that the number of students playing sports this fall is consistent with previous years.
"Those numbers are okay. Our enrollment is not growing," he said.
There are 30 girls on the volleyball team; nine boys and 16 girls on the cross country team; 11 boys and no girls on the golf team; and 40 boys on the football team.
Though the football rooster is low, Snyder said the coaches still intend to have a junior varsity and freshman team this year.
On Aug. 19, there will be a mandatory Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSA) meeting in the elementary auditeria for all athletes and their parents, Snyder said.
In other news, elementary Principal Shelly Vaughn said the school will hold the open building night and the meet the teacher meetings together before the beginning of the school year.
"We've changed things pretty dramatically from years past," she said.
The joint meetings will be held Aug. 18 for parents of students in K-2 and Aug. 20 for parents of students in third through fifth grades.
"The whole idea behind this kind of schedule is that parents can have some choice about how to plan their evening/evenings and we are hopeful that by building it all into one night, there will be better attendance at those grade level meetings," Vaughn wrote in a recent newsletter.
Vaughn also said the fifth-grade schedule will have a middle school feel this year as a study hall has been added.
Additional online stories on this date
First wet, then cold and now too dry
Late planting due to a wet spring, unseasonably cool weather and a lack of rainfall are combining to put a triple whammy on local crops.
Rain has b [More]
The golf season got underway this week, with Celina's girls opening up their season by hosting the Celina Invitational on Tuesday at The Fox's Den. [More]
Subscriber and paid stories on this date
WAPAKONETA - Unlike seasonal flu shots, most senior citizens will be on the bottom of the list to get the vaccine currently being created for the H1N1 virus.
The Mercer County Sheriff's Office continues to investigate the drug-related death of a 46-year-old Celina woman found at her home May 10.
Rebecca
Mercer County
Identity theft remains the fastest growing crime in the U.S. with the Federal Trade Commission estimating that as many as 9 million Americans have their identities stolen each year.
ST. MARYS - City council passed an emergency resolution Monday evening eliminating the position of assistant fire chief.
"That position is no longe
WAPAKONETA - The Auglaize County Health Department on Tuesday discussed its role in encouraging area school districts to test new staff members for tuberculosis (TB).
ROCKFORD - Thanks to a $3,000 state grant, Parkway students will get hands-on opportunities in community relations.
"This follows the governor's le
Sidney resident Jeffrey Hobbs will replace Dave Warvel
FORT RECOVERY - A new high school principal was hired by the board of education on Tuesday night to replace Dave Warvel, who resigned Aug. 1.
Jeffr
Officials with the Mercer County Economic Development office on Tuesday finalized a revolving loan to help a St. Henry business fund a large renovation project.
MONTEZUMA - The Cottage at Willow Grove has reopened to sell unique home and garden decor.
Becky Cook of Celina operates the business herself now. She was one of the three original operators of the shop at that location, formerly called Those Girls at Willow Grove.
New hair salon to include massage, facial, nail, makeup services, too
MINSTER - A beauty shop offering a full spa experience will open Aug. 31 in Minster.
An experienced cosmetologist, Molly Winemiller of Sidney will open Studio Sixty Six Salon and Spa on state Route 66 in a new strip shopping center.