Fort students raise $9K for obstacle course park

FORT RECOVERY - Elementary school and middle school students raised nearly $9,500 in one week to support the creation of the planned Sawyer Overman Ninja Park.

Elementary school principal Laura Brandt at this week's school board meeting said her students raised $8,473.28 during the student council's "Cents for Sawyer" fundraising campaign. The student council spearheaded the event, Brandt said.

"We had dress-up days and a lot of fun, but more importantly the students got to experience how great it is to give to their community," she said.

Brandt highlighted that only $2,683 of the funds raised were in paper bills, meaning the remaining $5,790.28 in change had to be lugged to the bank by the bucketload.

Middle school principal Holly Gann added her students raised $1,000 for the park during the same time period.

Overman, 6, died in an ATV accident in June 2020. Fort Recovery Local Schools officials have said the ninja park would be akin to an obstacle course.

Village councilors on Monday accepted the annexation of a little less than 1 acre of land located along Community Park, which will be used for the ninja park.

In other business, board members recognized middle school staff member Jill Ranly for winning the Ohio Middle Level Association Support Staff of the Year Award.

OMLA is a professional organization for educators, administrators, supervisors, state officials and students, according to the OMLA website. Each year a support staff member who fosters positive, trusting relationships with staff, students and parents is acknowledged with this award, according to the website.

"For all the work she does as a paraprofessional and instructional leader in our school … it's well deserved for Jill," said high school principal Ryan Steinbrunner. Steinbrunner had served as middle school principal when Ranly was nominated.

Ranly was recognized for her "Beyond the Books" program, which takes middle school students on bi-weekly trips to the town library and a handful of associated field trips over the summer.

"We did it every other week for two summers now, taking (them to) the library, checking books out, and then we'll do some kind of fun stuff, just experiences they might not do," she said. "We always kind of tied employment into it. The first time we went to IGA … and they had a budget for their snacks for the day, and they were, like, 'hey, this could be a job you could do when you're a teenager,' different things like that."

In addition, board accepted the five-year fiscal forecast presented by district treasurer Deanna Knapke.

Knapke said revenue from income taxes has increased exponentially, up nearly 25% from fiscal year 2022. The overall forecast projects the district will continue to be in good financial standing through the end of the forecast in fiscal year 2028. Based on current fund balances, the district will have a 60-day true cash day balance at the end of fiscal year 2028, which meets Government Financial Officers Association recommendations.

Board members also,

• approved maintaining the compensation of board members at $80 per meeting not to exceed 20 meetings per calendar year. This only applies to new board members Greg LeFevre and Mitch Fullenkamp, who will begin their term on Jan. 1.

• approved a resolution authorizing Southwestern Ohio Educational Purchasing Council, acting jointly as a member of the Ohio School Consortium, to issue a request for natural gas service aggregation.

• met in executive session for approximately two hours and 40 minutes to discuss employment. Incoming board members LeFevre and Fullenkamp were invited into the session, and no action was taken after exiting the session, according to board president Don Wendel.

The next school board meeting is 6:30 p.m. Dec. 18 in the community room at the high school.