Tuesday, March 31st, 2015

Townsend approved as New Bremen superintendent

By David Giesige
NEW BREMEN - New Bremen schools' newly hired superintendent expects to face major challenges but feels her experience has prepared her well for the task.
Dr. Andrea Townsend, the current director of elementary education at Springfield City Schools, was named New Bremen Local School District's next superintendent at Monday night's special board meeting.
Townsend, 46, was awarded a three-year contract with a starting salary of $105,000, treasurer Deb Meyer said. Townsend will take over July 1, when current superintendent Howard Overman retires after 20 years in New Bremen and 35 total years in education. In addition to her salary, the board will pay her for any days worked in April, May or June, not to exceed 20 days, at a per diem rate equal to the contract amount.
Townsend will face some big challenges immediately, board president Scott Bertke said.
"Our declining enrollment, a potential new building and ever-changing testing standards will probably be the biggest issues she'll have to deal with," Bertke said.
Townsend served on a levy committee that helped Springfield schools successfully pass its last four levy issues - two renewals and two for additional money.
Earlier this month, board members discussed renovating or replacing the elementary school building. Sections of the school were built in 1929. The board would seek a levy if renovations or replacement is deemed necessary.
Also under her direction, Springfield City Schools' enrollment rose by 200 students in two years, Townsend said. She believes she can increase enrollment at New Bremen as well.
Fifteen years ago, New Bremen's total enrollment stood at 963 students. In 2014, that total had fallen to only 782 total students, Overman said.
Townsend has worked at almost every level of education. Since beginning her career in education in 1998, Townsend has served as an elementary school teacher; a middle school teacher; an elementary, middle and high school principal; and as superintendent of North Dayton School of Discovery.
She received her Bachelor of Elementary Education at Ohio Dominican and her Masters of Administration at McDaniel College in Maryland. She later earned her Doctorate of Educational Leadership from Walden University.
She and Stephen, her husband of 19 years, are very excited to come to New Bremen along with their 16-year-old son, Matthew, Townsend said.
"Matthew is very much looking forward to coming to New Bremen," Townsend said. "He'll be a senior this year."
"The district is very similar to the place where I grew up. I prefer the small-town setting to the big city," Townsend said.
She added she frequently has camped in the New Bremen area and has a number of friends and family in the area.
Townsend was selected from among 10 applicants. She and Jason Wood of Franklin Monroe Schools stood out as the most qualified, board members said.
"We had two very good candidates that had what we were looking for," board president Scott Bertke said.
Townsend's overall presence and knowledge impressed Bertke and other board members, he said.
Board member Shelly Busse cast the lone vote against hiring Townsend.
Busse said she would support Townsend in every way but felt Wood would have been a better fit for New Bremen.
"This is a democracy. We all get our vote," Busse said. "I felt (Wood's) strengths aligned more with our vision but I completely support Andrea."
Overman said he is happy with the board's choice and equally happy with his time with the district.
He listed earning the respect of the students as his proudest achievement as superintendent.
"I gave them my best effort inside and outside of the classroom," he said.
Additional online story on this date
FORT RECOVERY - Fort Recovery scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to regain the lead against Celina and then added three insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth to open the 2015 high school baseball season with a 7-3 win at the Indians' baseball field. [More]
Subscriber and paid stories on this date
CELINA - City council members and union leaders appeared to find common ground at Monday's first public session about controlling rising health insur
SHELBY COUNTY - A May 19 trial has been set for a Fort Loramie man charged in a traffic accident that killed a Minster teen.
John L. McGee, 19, For
CELINA - City councilman Fred LeJeune on Monday night renewed calls to beautify Celina's parks, inviting fellow council members to join him Saturday for a Lakeshore Park cleanup.
Celina routs St. Henry in season opener
ST. HENRY - The Celina softball team didn't have many chances to practice outside or even scrimmage an opponent prior to its first game at St. Henry on Monday. Head coach Nicole Driggs still had a great feeling entering the game.
Monday Roundup
Compiled by Colin Foster and Gary R. Rasberry
Wyatt Felver pitched a complete-game, one-hitter to lead Parkway to a season-opening win over St. Marys, 3-0, Monday night.
CELINA - Even after losing a number of key players, including eight seniors, from last season's district semifinal team, Celina baseball coach Andy Mikesell is optimistic about the Bulldogs this spring.
CELINA - While most coaches lament the end of a season, Celina softball coach Nicole Driggs hated to see the 2014 year come to a close as her squad was peaking before losing in an 11-inning sectional game at Shawnee.
COLDWATER - Last year was a great one for the Coldwater baseball team with 30 wins and the program's sixth state baseball title.
But as Cavaliers coach Brian Harlamert said, last year is last year.
COLDWATER - Appropriately, the Coldwater softball team has new jerseys to go with a team that is nearly completely new.
Ken Fisher's Lady Cavs lost nine seniors from 2014's 9-15 season and has just 18 players in the program, 12 of whom are either freshmen or sophomores.
FORT RECOVERY - The Fort Recovery baseball team finished near the top of the Midwest Athletic Conference last season.
If head coach Jerry Kaup has it his way, the Indians will stay in that upper-echelon in 2015.
FORT RECOVERY - Taylor Guggenbiller always knew she wanted to be a softball coach, she said.
And a few years removed from high school, Guggenbiller was given a chance to become the head coach at her high school alma mater.
MARIA STEIN - The Marion Local Flyers advanced to the Division IV district round for the first time since 2009 in Dustin Woods' first year as head coach.
Marion expects to have strong, solid season
MARIA STEIN - Julie Overman was excited when the opportunity to take the reigns of the Marion Local softball program presented itself.
"Marion Loc
MINSTER - Veteran head coach Mike Wiss and his Minster Wildcats baseball team endured a bumpy start last season before winning 16 of their final 22 g
MINSTER - Last spring was a dream softball season for Minster head coach Scott Robinson as he helped direct his program to the Midwest Athletic Confe
NEW BREMEN- There will be a new skipper in the dugout for the New Bremen Cardinals baseball team this spring.
First-year coach Chad Wells picks up
Griesdorn seeking consistent play
NEW BREMEN - Veteran New Bremen softball coach Craig Griesdorn is looking to build a winning team this spring with a small, but solid, group of returning players.
ROCKFORD - After a 14-14 season and a trip to the district tournament, Parkway baseball coach Luke Clouse will look to build on the successes from last season.
ROCKFORD - While veteran Parkway softball coach Mark Esselstein has to fill some spots vacated by graduation, he has a solid core of six players - five seniors - from last year's 15-6 team to work with.
ST. HENRY - St. Henry lost nine seniors from last year's team - a group that won 26 games, shared the Midwest Athletic Conference championship with Coldwater, was Division III district runner-up and the regular season poll champions.
ST. HENRY - A handful of players return to their old spots for St. Henry this season while coach Kylie Huelsman is still trying to figure out where others fit.
ST. MARYS - At this time last spring, first-year head coach Jeff Dieringer was sorting through piles of potential candidates to fill his St. Marys Ro
ST. MARYS - Faced with a roster loaded with inexperience and underclassmen in 2014, St. Marys softball coach Sue Grothause and her squad endured a few bumps en route to a 3-10 finish overall and 3-6 in the Western Buckeye League.
CELINA - After 15 years as an assistant coach in the Celina track and field program, former Bulldog runner Eric Wagner takes over the head coaching
COLDWATER - New Coldwater track and field coach Palngji Goshit inherited an experienced group of athletes this season.
A 2011 graduate of Wartburg College in Iowa, Goshit feels blessed to have inherited a talented program.
FORT RECOVERY - Numbers have grown steadily within the Fort Recovery track program faster than head coach Eric Hemmelgarn could have ever imagined.
MARIA STEIN - Marion Local has a blend of youth and experience on the girls' and boys' track teams this year.
More than 40 athletes are out for coach Matt Schmackers' team and the Flyers are hoping to have a few athletes make a return trip to Columbus.
MINSTER - Following an eight-year drought from the top spot of the Midwest Athletic Conference standings, head coach Jesse Magoto's Minster Wildcats
NEW BREMEN - The New Bremen boys and girls track teams are hoping to find a way to break out of the middle of the pack in the Midwest Athletic Conference this spring.
ROCKFORD - While the numbers are solid for the Parkway track team, both the boys and girls will deal with differing issues ranging from inexperience to depth.
Fifteen letterwinners, a loaded distance group and an experienced field events team has the St. Henry boys on the right path in 2015.
The girls have a lot of youth but plenty of experience back in hopes of landing in the top percentile of the Midwest Athletic Conference at the end of the year.
ST. MARYS - With one year under his belt, St. Marys track coach Rob Cisco feels the majority of the growing pains are out of the way as he prepares to help take the boys and girls to the next level in the Western Buckeye League.
CELINA - After a historical season in 2014, the Celina boys tennis team is in for a major rebuilding year in 2015.
After winning a share of the We
Roughriders hope to improve spot in WBL standings
ST. MARYS - Brice Brenneman and his St. Marys tennis team concluded the 2014 campaign with a seventh-place finish in the Western Buckeye League. As h