Outgoing Bellefontaine City Schools Board of Education members Tim O’Rielley, left, and Joan Haushalter were honored during their last meeting Monday evening. (EXAMINER PHOTO | MANDY LOEHR)
‘Calm down kits’ introduced
Two retiring Bellefontaine City Schools Board of Education members were recognized by the district and fellow board members during their final meeting Monday evening for their many years of service.
Member Tim O’Rielley began his time on the board of education Jan. 1, 2004, and President Joan Haushalter began her service Jan. 1, 2008, and retire with 16 and 12 years, respectively, after each working with three superintendents, Larry Anderson, Beth Harman and current Superintendent Brad Hall.
O’Rielley served as board president from 2008 to 2010, and Haushalter has served in the president role since 2011.
The pair and their fellow board of education members helped to oversee the purchase of approximately 65 acres of property along Ludlow Road in 2009 for $390,000 that is now the site of Bellefontaine Elementary School for kindergarten through second-grade and Bellefontaine Middle School for grades six through eight, which were opened with the start of the 2013-14 school year, Hall said.
They also were instrumental in hiring full-time school resource officers through the Bellefontaine Police Department beginning with the 2017-18 school year.
“We are very appreciative of Joan and Tim’s dedicated service to our district, and being particularly passionate about academics, helping to strengthen our College Credit Plus programming,” the superintendent said. “They have been very involved and engaged board members, and have always worked to make sure that our students have everything they need. Their attitudes have helped to push us all forward.”
“One of the most rewarding things that a person can do is to give of their time and talents to the education and success of our next generation,” Haushalter read in a joint statement on behalf of her and O’Rielley.
“We are proud to live in Bellefontaine and honored to have served on the Bellefontaine City Schools Board of Education. We know we are leaving the school board in the hands of five very capable board members, with a wealth of experience and knowledge and enthusiasm, and the common goal of always doing what is best for our students.”
New members Mark Fissel and Colin Yoder were elected to fill the two board seats during the November election, and begin their terms Jan. 1. Brenda Sanford also was re-elected to the board in the election. Board Vice President Scott Abraham and member Anne Reames continue serving in their positions.
Also during the meeting, Bellefontaine Intermediate Associate Principal Jenny Salyer presented information regarding new “calm down kits” that have been assembled for each classroom at the school through the building’s receipt of a Mary Rutan Foundation grant.
The kits have a number of “tools” — from stress balls, to Rubix cubes, resistance bands, LEGOs, eye masks, timers and etc. — to enable the students to take several minutes to “give their brains a break” and to self-regulate following lunch or recess or at other points during the school day.
“Our third-, fourth- and fifth-graders are at a somewhat difficult age, where they’re not itty-bitty, but they’re not big kids either,” Salyer said. “Sometimes we expect big kid concentration out of them, but they might need a few minutes to themselves to self-regulate.
“With the calming kits, they get a chance to do that and to make those transitions a little easier. We’ve seen fewer discipline referrals since we implemented them.”
Salyer also related that the school has created a “re-set room” where pupils can spend a few minutes each day if need with similar items, but with more space to decompress.
In other action, the board:
• extended the following high school supplemental contracts for the current school year: Jason Calton, head boys tennis; Jere Daniels, Paula Deardurff, Katina Elwood, Keri Fergus, Jeremy Karg, Hannah Rodenhausen, musical production assistants; and Chris Westhoff, drama adviser;
• extended the following middle school supplemental contracts for the current school year: Randy Crace, assistant wrestling;
• extended a supplemental contract for school year 2020-21 to Jeff Turner, head high school boys soccer;
• accepted the resignations of Jane Linville, cook, effective Nov. 8, and Joanna Reser, middle school media aide, effective Dec. 4;
• accepted the resignation of April Jameson, high school educational aide, and extended a long-term substitute position to replace Tara Gastineau, effective Nov. 15;
• extended one-year contracts to Trevor Carnes, second shift custodian; and Wendy Rutan, media aide and educational aide;
• approved $200 stipends to Building Leadership Team members Sara Core, Angie Haver, Angie Horvath and Molli Jackson;
• approved a $2,000 stipend to Jenny Salyer for serving as the district coordinator of Positive Behavior Intervention, with the stipend to be paid from Title IV funds;
• approved a change in assignment for Lisa Wren from educational aide six hours to media aide seven hours, effective Dec. 16;
• approved a change in time status for elementary school cook Candida Solano from 2 1/2 hours to three hours;
• re-appointed Tammy Fowler to the Bellefontaine Joint Recreation Board, effective Jan. 1, with a term to expire Dec. 31, 2022; and
• re-appointed Anne Reames as the board’s representative for a three-year term on the Ohio Hi-Point Career Center Board of Education.
Members appointed Scott Abraham as president pro-tempore of the board’s 2020 organizational meeting, slated for 6:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 13, which will be followed by the regular monthly meeting. Members have discussed conducting only one regular meeting per month during 2020, with details to be finalized at the upcoming meeting.