Speed bumps have been installed at locations around the high school/middle school, but several other projects are moving along smoothly, superintendent Jim Smith reported Wednesday at a Hillsboro City Schools Board of Education meeting.
And board members accepted the resignation of the high school principal, who is taking a superintendent’s job at his alma mater.
Smith said speed bumps have been installed at crosswalks between the school and the Sam Barnhouse Center, and where people cross the road from the parking lots in front of the school to the track and other athletic areas.
“We had people going too fast. From a safety perspective, we thought it was necessary,” Smith said of the speed bumps.
Speed bumps have also been installed on the access road between the high school/middle school and the elementary school.
Smith said a parking lot behind a corner of the middle school that served as a staging area during construction of the Barnhouse Center will be paved sometime after mid May. He said there are some soft spots in the currently-graveled lot that will have to be reinforced before it is paved, but that the parking lot is an ideal place for those using the Barnhouse Center, especially in the summer months.
Construction continues on practice fields in front of the high school/middle school. Smith said officials hoped to have the project done long ago, but rain days, plus an irrigation system that was installed in the area, have slowed it down. Still, the superintendent said the project should be done by the end of the school year. He has said that conversely, the rain has helped the growth of sod and grass that were placed in the project area.
Plans to add two tennis courts to the four already at the high school/middle school hit a delay, Smith said, when officials learned that the four courts already in place will have to be reconstructed. He said the area where the current courts are located was essentially a parking area before it was turned into tennis courts, that the base was not sufficient, and that those courts will have to be replaced. The two new courts will still be added.
Crews will have a short window to get the work done since the boys’ tennis season is in progress and the girls’ tennis season starts in August.
Bids for the project will be opened on April 28 and Smith said the plan is for the project to be completed by Aug. 1.
In other news, the board accepted the resignation of high school principal Jason Snively and his wife, Marci, a middle school intervention specialist.
Smith said Jason Snively has accepted the superintendent’s position at Danville Local Schools, his alma mater. The Mount Vernon (Ohio) News recently reported that Snively was one of four finalists for the position.
Snively has been with the Hillsboro City Schools for about 10 years. He started as an assistant middle school principal, was the middle school principal and has been the high school principal for about six years.
“I’d like to thank the school and community for their support,” Snively told The Times-Gazette on Thursday. “I learned a lot while I was here, and I hope I gave as much as I was able to absorb. I will miss the school and my colleagues.”
Several second- and third-graders who have been selected as “good apples” by their teachers were recognized by the board. The students included Ryan Wagoner, Alexis Platt, Kayla Seeling, Meredith Dietrick, Cash Reed, Alex Coyle, Skylar Trefz, Luke Holland, Jahari Pitts, Hallie Oxley, Alexandra Bailey, Savannah Trefz, Conner Howland, Mary Jean McKenzie, Sidney Bayless, Cassandra Pagett, Logan Watson, Jackson Howland, Josie Rhoades and Taylor Thoroman.
Principal Jacob Zink said the students are “the cream of the crop,” good students who are helpful to their classmates and others, driven, get good grades and “I expect great things from them in the future.”
The 2016-17 HHS boys bowling team was also recognized for claiming a Division II state runner-up title. The team also won South Central Ohio League, sectional tournament and district tournament titles for the second year in a row. It finished 18-2 in the SCOL and 28-4 overall.
Coach Shane Ison said senior Sajoun Jones was named first-team all-state and has received a scholarship to bowl at Wright State University. He said Tyler King was named all-state honorable mention.
“We are a powerhouse in high school bowling, and that’s a great thing,” Smith said.
In other news from the meeting:
• The school board approved the names of 161 students for graduation, which will be held at 4:30 p.m. May 21. Smith said it is one of the smallest graduating classes Hillsboro has had in recent years. He said it is unlikely that names will be added to the list, but some could be deleted based on grades.
• The board approved its open enrollment policy for the 2017-18 school year. Hillsboro open enrollment is open to all Ohio schools, application deadlines are April 1 to Sept. 30, previous open enrollment students and their siblings will get first preference. Enrollment limitations will depend on space at each grade level, approval of special education students will depend upon teacher limits and space.
• Resignations were also accepted for Vickie Bayless, elementary aide; Laura Johnson, school nurse; Nancy Parry, bus driver; and Toby Turner, custodian.
• The board approved the purchase of two new 84-passenger Blue Bird school buses. Smith said the district typically retires two buses a year after they have reached around 200,000 miles, but does not usually purchase two of the larger passenger buses. He said the district has five other buses that can carry 84 passengers.
Reach Jeff Gilliland at 937-402-2522 or on Twitter @13gillilandj.
