Mrs. Christina Martin was honored by the Coalition of Rural and Appalachian Schools (CORAS) at their conference to recognize outstanding elementary teachers in our region.
(Photo Courtesy of Adena Local Schools)
The Coalition of Rural and Appalachian Schools serves 110 school districts over 32 counties in the region of Ohio known as Appalachia.
Mrs. Martin received a Outstanding Elementary Teacher Star Polisher Award and a book written by Dr. Jim Mahoney, who spoke at the conference. The book is titled, “To Lead Is to Teach”.
ATHENS, Ohio (Feb. 22, 2022) – The region’s K-12 students now have access to a variety of online STEM educational activities thanks to Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service, which recently launched the Appalachian STEM Enrichment Academy, a web-based platform that brings together a mix of STEM topics and activities into a central online location.
The Academy is one of several Voinovich School projects focused on STEM education and outreach that promotes Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.
Building on topics of interest and relevance to students in southeast Ohio, the Voinovich School has developed online lessons across six “tracks” including water, energy, engineering, technology, remediation, and sustainability. The tracks also align with areas of expertise from the Voinovich School’s more than 40 years of research and engagement in regional issues. The online lessons are free and accessible to the public.
The Academy meets a growing need for virtual content and hands-on activities that can be utilized inside or outside of the formal classroom. Organized into grade bands, the lessons include videos, interactive online activities, and non-screen activity suggestions to appeal to the learning styles of different age groups.
“The Academy will appeal to K-12 students, formal and informal educators, and families providing a variety of activities delivered in a learning model where students gain knowledge through their experiences,” said Jen Bowman, Director of the Voinovich School’s Environmental Program. “The activities are place-based in that they provide an experience for students to apply what they have learned to a familiar, local environment on the topics of water, energy, engineering, technology, remediation, and sustainability.”
Funding from the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office (DOE EM PPPO) PORTSfuture Program, the AEP Ohio Foundation, and Ohio University are making the Academy possible. Supplemental grant funding and partnerships across the region, such as the Ohio STEM Learning Network Southeast Hub and the Ohio University Museum Complex, are enabling additional growth in the number of lessons and topics delivered through the Academy.
“DOE is extremely pleased to continue supporting the communities in our region through academic enrichment opportunities,” said Joel Bradburne, Portsmouth Paducah Project Office Manager. “Ohio University’s Voinovich School has been an excellent partner in developing and sharing resources that educate students and encourage them into future STEM careers.”
Through the Voinovich School, Ohio University is in its 12th year of an ongoing grant with DOE EM PPPO to perform activities related to community engagement, STEM outreach, and informing cleanup and repurposing of public assets at the DOE PORTS facility near Piketon, Ohio.
“For more than a decade, DOE EM PPPO has provided vital resources for the PORTSfuture Program to launch and grow STEM outreach offerings to regional students and teachers,” said Stephanie Howe, PORTSfuture Program Director. “In addition to the online academy, these resources currently support a wide array of initiatives including: in-classroom instruction through our student ASER summary project and other class presentations; expanding the Voinovich School’s support to students for district, state, and international Science Fairs competitions; hands-on Summer STEM Days at county fairs; participating in DOE’s annual Science Alliance; and expanding our collaborations with partners, including site contractors, to support their student engagement activities.”
Since 2004, ongoing support from the AEP Foundation and AEP Ohio Foundation has enabled Voinovich School programs that blend applied research in watershed restoration and renewable energy in the region with STEM training for the next generation of environmental scientists, emphasizing training citizen scientists, making data accessible, and designing environmental education for K-12 classrooms.
Plans are underway for direct engagement with area classrooms later this spring. To learn more about the Appalachian STEM Enrichment Academy and access the online materials, visit www.appalachianstemacademy.org.
Chillicothe (Monday, February 14, 2022)– As part of the Ohio Department of Transportation—District 9’s Planning Department, the district’s Environmental Office is seeking public input for a Landslide Remediation on S.R. 772 in Ross County.
ROS-SR 772-10.60 (PID: 115231) –It is proposed to perform a landslide remediation project on S.R. 772 at the 10.60 mile mark in Ross County. The project includes the construction of a drilled shaft retaining wall, pavement repair and installation of guardrail. The project is located in a rural area of Huntington Township.
The project will require approximately 0.019 acres of permanent right-of-way. The permanent right-of-way is located along the stream channel.
No homes or businesses will be removed by the project.
The roadway will be closed for the duration of the project. The state detour will be S.R. 772 to C.R. 167 (Blain Highway) to U.S. 50 to S.R. 772. The state detour is approximately 15.5 miles
The funding for the project is 80% Federal and 20% State. The environmental commitment date is 4/1/2022. The project is currently expected to be awarded 7/1/2022.
Written comments should be submitted by March 16, 2022, or the deadline date that is posted on the web site, to: Greg Manson, ODOT District 9 Environmental Supervisor, 650 Eastern Avenue, Chillicothe, Ohio 45601 E-Mail: greg.manson@dot.ohio.govThe environmental review, consultation, and other actions required by applicable Federal environmental laws for this project are being, or have been, carried-out by ODOT pursuant to 23 U.S.C. 327 and a Memorandum of Understanding dated December 14, 2020, and executed by FHWA and ODOT.
The Lancaster Festival Committee is currently putting together their schedule to celebrate art, music and community for the summer of 2022.
“We appreciate the support of the community and are looking forward to celebrating with you all July 21-30 when the Lancaster Festival lights up this town.”
For ways individuals or groups can volunteer or donate to the Lancaster Festival, see their list of needs below:
The Dublin Jerome Boys and the New Albany Girls were the District team champions at the 2022 D-I tournament at Ohio State University Saturday.
The Lancaster Girls placed 18th overall with the Boys placing 20th. Neither Teays Valley or Marietta swimmers placed as a team.
Meanwhile, the D-II State qualifiers have been announced for area swimmers in the tournament in Canton this Thursday through Saturday. Despite good performances, area swimmers had to wait for other District times from across the state to determine who qualified. Those placing in the top two of their events were guaranteed automatic qualification. The area D-II qualifiers are:
(Columbus) –The Ohio Department of Commerce’s Division of State Fire Marshal announced the recipients of the 2022 Training Reimbursement Grants, which includes 208 fire departments in 70 counties throughout the state totaling $456,743.70.
Many area village and township fire departments received anywhere between several hundred dollars up to $4,000.
“We’re committed to providing next-level training to any current and prospective firefighter so all are equipped to go home safely at the end of their shift,” said State Fire Marshal Kevin Reardon. “Through training reimbursement and other grant programs, our office strives to get financial support into communities served by those first responders.”
While all firefighters, career or volunteer, are required to have the same level of basic training for state certification, this grant helps fire departments go beyond the basics to complete more advanced, nationally recognized training.
The fire departments were selected based on a variety of criteria, including the fire department’s annual budget, annual number of fire incidents and the resident population served by the fire department. The State Fire Marshal Training Reimbursement Grant application period opens every December. For more information, visit the grants application page.
Bowl For Kids’ Sake is back!! It is officially on the calendar for May 1st at Shawnee Lanes in Chillicothe.
(Image from Big Brothers/Big Sisters of South Central Ohio)
The May 1st Bowl for Kids Sake in Chillicothe will be the only one held in the five county area covered by BBBS of South Central Ohio (Ross, Pike, Pickaway, Fayette, Highland), but Director Erin Alsop says the May 1st bowling event in Chillicothe will be open to all of the counties to participate. She added that they hope to get back to conducting the bowling fundraiser in each of the other counties next year.
Participtants wanting to bowl in the event can find donor forms on the BBBS website, which can be found here: http://www.bbbssco.org/bowl-for-kids-sake.html to see more information about this annual event, and how to get involved!
(Rio Grande)- The Area Agency on Aging District 7 (AAA7) is once again hosting a virtual version of its annual Art, Essay and Poetry Showcase to be featured on the Agency’s website throughout the month of May which is observed across the country as Older Americans Month.
Historically, the AAA7 hosts an in-person Art Show during May and June. The last two years, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Show has been moved to a virtual platform to support the health and safety of participants and those from the community who attend the event.
This year, the event will continue virtually to offer an opportunity for seniors to showcase their artwork or written pieces (poems or essays). There will be no judging and it will be just for fun and sharing on the AAA7’s website for participants age 55 or over.
To participate, interested individuals should e-mail a picture of their artwork or written piece to info@aaa7.org by Friday, April 15th. Those who are interested should include their name, age, name of submitted work, type of submitted work, and county of residence. Since the showcase will not be held in person, there are no size requirements for the art pieces, but written pieces should be no more than 1,000 words. For artwork, there is a limit of three entries per person and for written pieces, a limit of one poem and/or one essay per person. By sending in their items, participants will be giving the AAA7 permission to share their artwork or written piece on the AAA7’s website for anyone to see who visits www.aaa7.org. If an individuals does not have access to e-mail or a scanner, a hard copy of the written piece or a picture of the artwork can be mailed to: Area Agency on Aging District 7; Attn: Jenni Lewis; PO Box 154; Rio Grande, Ohio,
If you have any questions surrounding the AAA7’s Art Show, please do not hesitate to contact the AAA7 at 1-800-582-7277, or e-mail info@aaa7.org
It’s been thirteen years since the boys from Latham, Ohio have celebrated back-to-back Sectional Championships. At that time, some of the current players were just taking their first steps.
Western’s 69-37 win over Miller Friday harkened emotions from 2008 when the Indians last reached the District Final.
Celebrating has been fresh in their minds on the heels of beating Symmes Valley a week ago for a share of the SOC I title.
Coach Doug Williams says his team knows the job’s not done. They’ll face Federal-Hocking in the D-IV District semi-finals at Wellston HS on February 26th at 3:30pm.
Western blistered the nets Friday against Miller, pouring in nine three- pointers in the first half.
The Indians complemented a 21-11 performance in the 1st Quarter with a 15-0 run to open the second. They outscored the Falcons 27-7 for a 48-18 lead at the break.
Western leads Miller thru 1stQ 21-11 on the strength of perimeter shots and inside play like this. pic.twitter.com/0KJSs3jrmf
The offensive attack was led by Noah Whitt’s 16-points. But there was plenty of action spread across the board for the Tribe’s starting five. Kolten Miller added 15-points, Reed Brewster dropped in 12, including three 3’s in the first period while Drew Haggy and Chase Carter had 8-points apiece.
Western opens 2Q on a 15-0 run. Leads Miller at the half 48-18. Noah Whitt nails one of 9 first half three pointers for the Indians. pic.twitter.com/WXsaxaBvbV
Western’s aggressive offensive approach has been their modus operandi in 2021-22. “We always want to go punch somebody in the mouth right off the bat” said Williams. “If that other team is supposed to beat us, it’s a surprise. If they’re not supposed to beat us, maybe they stop playin’. We always want to strike first.”
The moniker displayed on the back of the team’s warmup is “Attack” which is what Williams wants his team to be known for.
“We know we’re not gonna be the biggest team on the floor – we’re not always the most athletic team on the floor, but we talk everyday about being blue collar, workin’ hard, sitting down and guarding” all elements that will help a team win a game.
Equally impressive were the defensive efforts, which frustrated Miller into multiple one-and-out possessions.
The one bright spot for the Falcons came in the fourth when Kylan McClain hit a free throw to reach 1,000 points for his career. McClain was limited to just 6-points.
Western (21-2) heads to Wellston High School next Saturday to face Federal-Hocking, a 68-61 winner over Whiteoak Friday night. The winner advances to the District Final on March 4th.
