Jim Jenkins, right, receives his 2024 Indian Lake Schools Distinguished Alumni Award from Dr. Rob Underwood Thursday evening. (Indian Lake SCHOOLS PHOTO)

Driver’s Education added to curriculum

The Indian Lake Board of Education added Drivers Education to the high school curriculum and presented the 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award during their regular April Board of Education meeting Thursday evening, April 11.

The board voted to enter into an agreement with the Muskingum Valley Educational Service Center to provide driver education and training. Superintendent Dr. Rob Underwood explains this is a real need for students in the area.

“It’s going to be a combination of classwork that will be online — that can take place in the (Lakertime) classroom or on their own time. Then we’re also going to provide the driving portion. We’re really excited to be able to offer this to our students starting, hopefully, in the 2024-25 school year.”

There will be a cost to the drivers ed program, but Underwood hopes the added convenience of offering the course at school will help students and parents be better able to obtain this needed skill.

In his report, Superintendent Underwood recognized both Caiden Nicol and Cam Tuttle for their athletic success. Nicol was named Special Mention and Tuttle was named Honorable Mention All-Ohio in Basketball this season.

Dr. Underwood also expressed his gratitude to longtime Indian Lake Elementary School custodian, Deb Anderson. She plans to retire at the end of the school year after serving 27 years for the Indian Lake District.

Finally, Board of Education members and Dr. Underwood moved to the ILHS auditorium to present the 2024 Indian Lake Schools Distinguished Alumni Award to Jim Jenkins.

A 1963 Indian Lake High School graduate, Mr. Jenkins was a long-time Indian Lake math teacher and principal. He later served as Indian Lake Schools superintendent.

A record 19 community members submitted letters recommending Jenkins for the award, officials noted. The theme of interpersonal skills and possessing a unique ability to make each and every person he encountered feel valued and important, was interwoven throughout every recommendation letter for the distinguished alumni award.

One nominee commented, “Jim lives and breathes Indian Lake. No job was beneath him; from shoveling snow to driving a bus. Jim does not deem himself superior to others, rather he relates to everyone as his equal.”

Furthermore, nominees said that he always put his students first. He spent summers memorizing photographs so that he could call each student by their name. In one story, a student who had been in an accident showed up at the Jenkins’ home late at night. Jim got out of bed and spent the entire night with the family. He later stated that he is always available for his students, anytime or anywhere.

From 1967-1971, Mr. Jenkins taught math and coached cross-country, basketball, and baseball at Ridgemont Schools. He was hired at Indian Lake in 1971 where he taught high school math, drove bus, and taught driver’s education until 1975.

Then he was promoted to the role of middle school principal, a position he held for 19 years. In 1994, he was named superintendent and he served in that capacity until 1999 when he retired after 32 years in education with 28 of those years at Indian Lake.

As superintendent, Mr. Jenkins spearheaded the effort to build a new middle school and add on to the high school. Each person who nominated him noted that he was the only person who had garnered enough trust to lead a large bond issue and then to see a major construction project through to its completion.

“Perhaps Mr. Jenkins’ greatest accomplishment and a major part of his lasting legacy to this community is found in this beautiful auditorium that we are in tonight,” Dr. Underwood said. “It was his visionary leadership that led to the Indian Lake campus, which is a concept that not only continues to serve as a tremendous sense of pride for our constituents, but it also helped to unite the Indian Lake community.”

In 1969, Mr. Jenkins married Georgianna, his wife of well over 50 years. The couple has two children and six grandchildren.

Although Jim was extraordinarily dedicated to his profession, he still found time for his family and for community service. He was a member of the Logan County Library Board, Mary Rutan Hospital Board, Lions Club, Rotary Club, the Huntsville United Methodist Church, and he coached countless youth sports over the years.

In other action, the board:
• approved the voluntary student insurance provider for the 2024-25 school year as Guarantee Trust Life Insurance company administered by Student Protective Agency;

• approved the debt service payment of $210,981.25;

• accepted the $533 donation from the Women of the Moose and $245 from the Galilee Lutheran WELCA for student lunches; $2,000 to the Student Needs Fund from J. Campbell; $20 to Student Needs Fund from the GoHondaGo Program;

• approved 2024-25 teacher stipend for VIS;

• bus cleaning for May and June, eight hours per driver maximum for Harry Alltop, Rebecca Babb, Sue Ball, Nancy Beatty, Lori Carpenter, Holly Dalton, Aaron Dodds, Amber King, Tom Klofta, Tammie Martin, Tonya Neer, William Shaffer, Lynne Snipes, Amy Stevens, Sandy Stultz, Ken Turner, Steve Warniment and Dan Young;

• approved van driver stipend to transport homeless students and students displaced by the tornado — Jen Ignarski, $20 per hour, paid with Homeless Grant Funds, effective for the remainder of 2023-24; and private vehicle transport of students by Jeff Couter and Jamie Hampton;

• approved bus driver contracts for the 2024-25 school year: Lynne Snipes as driver for afterschool route (21st Century Grant; and back up drivers Lori Carpenter, Amber King; Sue Ball as driver for special needs preschool, Holly Dalton as driver for special needs extra duty route, L. Mike Pusey as an aide for special needs extra duty route; Nancy Beatty as driver for OHP shuttle; and

• approved classified contracts for Kelli Yoder, elementary educational assistant; and Lindsay Imm, $5,400 to provide visually impaired services.

Members moved their next meeting to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 23, in the board office.