fort frye local school district communicator/cadet... · ing a healthy life balance, there are...
TRANSCRIPT
Marc h, 2017
Fort Frye Local School Distr ict
S U P E R I N T E N D E N T ’ S M E S S A G E
-Stephanie Starcher, Superintendent
Winter greetings! Recently, I attend-
ed meetings in Columbus where I met
an individual who was familiar with
southeastern Ohio. When I shared with
him that I am the Superintendent of Fort
Frye Local Schools, the gentleman com-
mented how Fort Frye is a wonderful
school community. It certainly is!
We are quickly approaching March
17, which is the end of the third nine-
week grading period. I hope your child
is still working hard and will have a suc-
cessful end to the school year.
During the winter months, superin-
tendents frequently deal with school de-
cisions related to inclement weather.
Thus far, we have definitely had a mild
winter with only two school days can-
celed due to inclement weather.
Our district students and staff do not
“make-up” the first five school days that
are closed due to emergencies such as
weather. Then school closing day #6,
day #7, and day #8 are online learning/
blizzard bag days where students com-
plete an online or hard copy (blizzard
bag) assignment for each academic class
period missed. These assignments are
due within two weeks of the date as-
signed. After school closing day #8, the
district has make-up days scheduled at
the end of the school calendar. Hopeful-
ly, we will not have very many more
school closing days this school year!
Our administrative staff is already
very busy planning for the 2017-2018
school year. Feedback from our stu-
dents, families, and community is valued
and appreciated because it helps us con-
tinuously improve our services to kids. I
welcome the opportunity for construc-
tive feedback and the sharing of ideas on
how Fort Frye Local Schools can contin-
ue to strive for excellence. I can be
reached at my office at 740-984-2497 or
by email at:
This newsletter is filled with lots of
information about our schools and stu-
dents and has great resources for parent-
ing. Enjoy!
K N O W ! C E L L P H O N E
U S E I N C H E C K
Teens spend an average of nine
hours a day on their smartphones.
Yes - you say - you’ve heard it be-
fore, you know it’s unhealthy for
them for a number of reasons, and
you have rules in place to reduce
their screen time. Very good;
you’ve got your child’s phone use
in check, but how about yours?
According to Common Sense
Media, the average parent spends
nearly as much time on their phone
as their tweens and teens – and no,
it’s not all about work. Adults re-
portedly spend about 1 ½ work-
related hours on their phones each
day, but as for the other 7 ½ hours,
we’re spending it just like our chil-
dren; texting, playing games,
watching videos, listening to music,
shopping and checking social me-
dia.
Picture this: The school day has
just ended and parents are lined up
in the parking lot, waiting for their
children. One child jumps into her
dad’s car, excited to tell him about
acing her math test. But before she
can even speak, dad gives her the
“hold-on-a-minute” signal and con-
tinues on with his phone conversa-
tion.
In another car a mom scrolls
through Facebook, liking and com-
menting on pictures and posts from
her “friends,” while her younger
child in the back seat tries over and
over again to get her attention. In
yet another car, a mom and dad sit
together, waiting for their child.
But instead of talking to each other,
one is texting and the other is
checking email. Sound familiar?
While cell phones are fantastic
at keeping us connected, enter-
tained, up-to-date and a whole lot
more, they can also serve as a huge
distraction in our daily lives, our
work and specifically in our parent-
ing, as seen in the above examples.
In fact, many experts agree that
cell phones are ruining families’
lives. The reasoning behind it
comes from studies like the one led
by Catherine Steiner-Adair Ed.D., a
clinical instructor in the department
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DISTRICT NEWS
of psychiatry at Harvard. Based on
interviews with more than 1,000
children ages four to 18, she tells
us:
Kids hate our screens: Children say
they feel frustrated, sad and angry
that they are regularly having to
compete with digital devices for
their parents’ attention. Being “put
on hold” by a parent, for example,
so that he or she can continue on
with a casual phone call or catch up
with “friends” on social media, ba-
sically says to a child that the per-
son on the other end of the phone
or post is more important.
Just because we can connect to
work 24/7, doesn’t mean we
should: Being a good employee
shouldn’t mean your employer has
instant access to you at any given
time; yet this is a common reason
parents give for remaining
“plugged-in” during family time.
Feeling like you’re always “on-
call” makes it hard to relax and
even enjoy time spent with family –
and that may put your other job at
risk – your job of being a good par-
ent.
Screens aren’t good for marriag-
es, and that’s not good for kids:
When you and your significant oth-
er are together with a moment of a
free time, do you find yourselves
on your phones instead of interact-
ing with each other? If so, you’re
not alone. But if such behavior is
regular and ongoing, it can cause
problems to arise in your relation-
ship. This not only affects you and
your partner, but your children as
well. Plus, research has proven time
and again that children learn behav-
iors modeled by their parents.
KNOW! IF YOU HAVE A
SMARTPHONE ADDICTION
We jokingly talk about our chil-
dren (and maybe ourselves) being
addicted to our smartphones, but in
reality, it is no laughing matter.
Cell phone addiction is real and can
be destructive to the lives of those
who truly cannot control their use.
Ever heard of “nomophobia”?
It’s the fear of having no mobile
phone, as in accidentally leaving it
at home or the battery dying with
no charger in sight. There are peo-
ple who simply cannot function
“normally” without having their
phone on them. Similar to drugs,
smartphone use can trigger the re-
lease of dopamine, the chemical
that controls the brain’s reward and
pleasure center and alters a per-
son’s mood. And just like alcohol
and other drugs, tolerance can
quickly build, causing one to need
even more screen time to experi-
ence that same pleasurable reward.
New research released by Com-
mon Sense Media tells us that par-
ents of teens and tweens are now
spending as much time on their
phones as their children. About
60% of these parents believe their
teens are addicted to their phones,
but less than 30% of these same
parents believe themselves to be
addicted. In this same study, 56%
of parents admit to checking their
mobile devices while driving in the
car with their children, while 51%
of teens say they witness it. Dan-
gerous in so many ways!
Smartphone (or internet) addic-
tion is about impulse-control –
which we know is not a strongpoint
for tweens/teens – and apparently
many adults as well. Smartphones
can be helpful and fun in a variety
of ways, and spending time on
them is perfectly ok – until it’s too
much.
But how much is too much? Ac-
cording to health experts, it be-
comes a problem when virtual rela-
tionships take precedence over real-
world relationships; when one
struggles to complete tasks at
school, work or home because of
time spent online; when a person
begins concealing his/her amount
of smartphone use or gets extreme-
ly irritated when their online activi-
ty is interrupted; when there is con-
stant fear of missing out on some-
thing if not online; if the person
experiences phantom vibrations
from a text or update that did not
actually occur; and of course it’s a
problem if a person is willing to
risk their safety or the safety of oth-
ers for a peek at their digital up-
dates.
Consider these questions,
adapted by HelpGuide.org, to de-
termine your level of dependency
on your digital device(s):
-Do you absent-mindedly pass the
time by using your phone even
when there are better things to do?
-Do you lose track of time when on
your phone?
-Do you spend more time on your
phone than talking to real people
face-to-face?
-Do you wish you could be less
connected to your phone?
-Do you regularly sleep with your
smartphone ON, next to your bed?
-Do you use your phone at all hours
of the day/night—even when it
means interrupting other things?
-Do you use your phone while driv-
ing or doing other activities that
require your focused attention?
-Are you reluctant to be without
your smartphone, even for a short
time?
-Do you ALWAYS have your
smartphone with you and feel anx-
ious if you accidentally leave it at
home?
-When you eat meals is your
smartphone always a part of the ta-
ble place setting?
-When your phone buzzes do you
feel an intense urge to check for
texts, tweets, updates, etc.?
-Do you find yourself mindlessly
checking your phone multiple times
a day even when you know there is
likely nothing new or important to
see?
-While there are no set guidelines to
determine if a person has a
smartphone addiction, there are cer-
tainly behaviors that can signal a
problem. If you (or your child) an-
swered yes to four or more of the
questions above, it may be time to
take action to break your digital
habit. If you aren’t able to stick to
the limits you set for yourself, strik-
ing a healthy life balance, there are
experts who can help.
*Contact your family physician for
treatment information and guid-
ance.
Sources: CommonSenseMedia.org:
Dealing with Devices – The Parent-
Teen Dynamic. May 2016. CNN:
Kelly Wallace - How much time do
parents spend on screens? As much
as their teens. Dec 2016.
HelpGuide.org: Smartphone Addic-
tion - Tips for Breaking Free of
Compulsive Smartphone Use.
TREASURER’S REPORT
-Stacy Bolden, Treasurer
We are working on updating our
five year forecast which will be pre-
sented at the May Board of Educa-
tion Meeting. The forecast is done
in October and then updated in May
of each year. The two main
sources of funding for our district
are state funding which is calculat-
ed with the governor’s biennial
budget; and local funding which is
class 1 and class 2 property taxes
and public utility personal property
tax. The first draft of the Ohio
Governor’s budget proposal has
been released and unfortunately
shows Fort Frye losing just under
$30,000 per year in state funding.
However, this is the first of a multi-
step process and we look for the
budget to change again before the
final proposal is approved. On a
positive note, our public utility per-
sonal property taxes increased sub-
stantially. Therefore, the district
will not deficit spend in FY2017.
Please be advised that Fort Frye
Local Schools has opportunities for
part-time employment substituting
for teachers and classified staff.
Please contact the superintendent’s
office for more information.
CURRICULUM -Karen Kubota, Curriculum Director
At the beginning of each school
year, the teachers at each of the Fort
Frye buildings develop a goal that
will address a low performing area
based on academic data. The teach-
ing staff then works through a se-
ries of steps to change adult imple-
mentation strategies that will move
the low performing area to a higher
performing area. A common goal
that each building chose for this
year is to implement and improve
the practice of writing across all
content areas. The District Leader-
ship Team has also determined that
this focus will improve over-all stu-
dent academic growth which is a
low performing area of the district’s
report card. We agree that students
need to be able to respond in writ-
ing in subjects relating to Social
Studies and Science, as well as
Math, Language Arts, Music, Phys-
ical Education, Art, and other elec-
tives. The ability to write is not on-
ly necessary in school but even
more important it is an essential job
skill that enhances communication
and thinking skills.
With this emphasis on writing,
Fort Frye will be exploring the Col-
lins Writing Program to be used as
a framework for the writing pro-
cess. The Collins Program provides
teachers with writing strategies that
will help students understand and
remember content in a more mean-
ingful way. It also provides short
and frequent writing activities that
engage students in the content of
which they are working. The dis-
trict’s goal is to see an increase in
quality writing in all content areas,
as well as an increase in content
understanding. Professional devel-
opment for our teachers will begin
in the spring and continue into the
fall. As families, you will begin to
see this program being used in the
2017-18 school year.
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TECHNOLOGY UPDATE -Ryan Henry, Technology Coordinator
During this time of the year we
seem to use our robo call system
more than in other seasons. Have
you been receiving our calls? If
not, we likely have outdated infor-
mation for you. When cell phone
numbers and email addresses are
changed you will need to update
them in Infinite Campus. Many
people also do not know that stu-
dent’s cell phone numbers can also
be added to the call list in addition
to your own.
To update your information you
can log into Infinite Campus from
the Fort Frye website. Click on the
Household Information tab. Here
you can update your home phone
number (or cell if you do not have a
land line). You can also update
your primary mailing address.
In the Family Members tab you
can update cell phone numbers,
email addresses, work phone num-
bers, etc. Students may also receive
calls from the system if you update
their cell phone number under their
name on the family members
tab. The student can then log into
Infinite Campus and select their
contact preferences.
Once you have your information
updated you can select how you
want to be contacted under the Con-
tact Preferences tab. In the Contact
Preferences you can select if you
want emails, phone calls, and text
messages and to which phone num-
bers. The different types of calls
include Emergency, Attendance,
Behavior, General Notification, Pri-
ority Notification, and Teach-
er. They all should be selected, be-
cause when a robo call is sent we
could use Emergency, General No-
tification, or Priority Notifica-
tion. Attendance should be selected
because daily attendance calls are
sent out for students that are absent
from school and the school has not
received any calls from the parents.
Always remember to notify the
school of any changes so that the
emergency medical cards can also
be updated. We like to have the
most current data when possi-
ble. Thank you for helping us keep
families involved!
PARENT/TEACHER
PARTNERSHIP -Pam Bostic & Carly Spindler
Our Parent Teacher Partnership
group has met on three of the four
topics for the 2016-2017 school-
year. We are excited about how the
discussions are opening the lines
communication between parents,
teachers, administration and com-
munity.
Our first group meeting was to
discuss how the district collaborates
with the community. This is an area
we felt very positive about, but dis-
cussed ways of improving the rela-
tionship with our community. Each
school has a variety of activities:
Open Houses, Reading Nights, Art
Nights, and Community Days.
These are just a few of the many
activities both during and after
school hours to invite community to
our schools.
Commitment and volunteering
was the topic of our second group
meeting. This is a difficult area of
discussion due to some legal con-
cerns with background checks and
fingerprinting. We want to encour-
age volunteerism in our schools and
are trying to come up with ways to
increase the district’s commitment.
Some members of the Parent
Teacher Partnership attended the
Fort Frye High School Open House.
We assisted in creating a question
and answer forum for parents and
teachers of sixth through eighth
grade students. The atmosphere was
positive. The classroom was filled
with standing room only. Both par-
ents and teachers left with a better
understanding of concerns each may
have. This was a wonderful indica-
tion of the commitment to success
of both parents and teachers. Door
prizes were given away to those
who attended the forum. Thank you
to all the local businesses who
donated: Citizen’s Bank Company,
Sponey’s IGA, B &W Pharmacy,
Wings, Etc., Skinner Firestone, Rub
a Dub-Dub Pet Salon, and Amy’s
Flower Shoppe (apologies if any
were omitted).
Our third group meeting was
about trust. Gaining trust between
schools, parents and students is so
important for student success. Turn-
ing negative educational experienc-
es into positive experiences are
sometimes the most difficult. We
are here to work together.
The last topic for the group will
be a discussion of the next steps to
be taken. We will reflect on the
2015-2016 and 2016-2017 Parent
Teacher Partnership.
STUDENT OPTIONS
-Andy Schob, HS Principal
As we move into February and
the 3rd Quarter of the 2016-17
school year, many plans are in pro-
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FORT FRYE HIGH SCHOOL
gress for the 2017-18 school year.
All our plans start with the ques-
tion, “What is best for our stu-
dents?” A friend and mentor of
mine made the statement “Our stu-
dents are our customers, if we don’t
provide them what they want and
need, someone else will.” That
statement has stuck with me as stu-
dents do have options. We want
Fort Frye to be the best option for
their present and future.
College Credit Plus (CCP)
courses are great opportunities for
some students and families to take
advantage of in high school. We
continue to make changes and add
options for students at the Fort Frye
High School Campus where they
can get the full support of our high
school staff and still enjoy their en-
tire High School experience at Fort
Frye. In addition to the 12 College
classes we offer “face to face” with
our staff, we have made several
agreements beginning next school
year to add more class options our
students need. Fort Frye is working
with 14 other school districts to
begin sharing different courses
through poly-com/distance video
system to offer almost any course a
student wants and cannot get at the
high school already. We are work-
ing with institutions of higher learn-
ing to provide Speech either at
FFHS or through the poly-com sys-
tem. Future plans are to add CCP
Psychology, Biology, and Physics.
Career exploration and experi-
ence to help prepare students going
to college or interested in a career
has been a focus. We started a Ca-
reer 7 and Career 8 nine-week class
rotation this school year that is go-
ing very well. Our students partici-
pate in job shadowing in 7th and
10th Grade. We have revamped our
Seniors in the Job Market to pro-
vide skills our students need when
they leave high school and added a
2nd semester internship option for
students that would benefit from
that option. We are currently col-
laborating with Building Bridges to
Careers and Job and Family Ser-
vices to increase exposure to career
options and resources to support
students including tutoring and
mentoring.
CHARACTER BUILDING -Rachael Tullius, Assistant Principal
At Fort Frye High School, we
decided that Positive Behavior In-
terventions and Supports (PBIS)
would be a main focus for the 2016
-2017 school year. PBIS is a proac-
tive approach to establishing behav-
ior supports and social culture. It is
needed for all students to achieve
social, emotional and academic suc-
cess. In the past, school-wide disci-
pline has focused mainly on react-
ing to specific student misbehavior.
Research has shown that the imple-
mentation of punishment, especial-
ly when it is used inconsistently
and in the absence of other positive
strategies, is ineffective.
We set positive expectations in
areas around the building including
the classroom and non-classroom
areas (hallways, cafeteria, study
hall, auditorium and the parking
lot). Expectations are set not only
for students but also for the adults
who support the students. In all are-
as we focus on our “ARMOR”
which stands for Attitude, Respect,
Motivate, Ownership and Respon-
sibility. For instance the attitude
that we expect from our students in
the hallway is to be courteous to
others and from the adult support is
to be present and interact. Expecta-
tions were discussed at the begin-
ning of the year and there are char-
acter education lessons taught peri-
odically during our WIN period on
Wednesdays.
What is WIN and how does it go
along with PBIS? We have a WIN
period once a week on Wednes-
days. WIN stands for “What I
Need” and students are given an
hour a week for WIN. It is sched-
uled every week that we have a full
5 days of instruction. During WIN,
class sizes are small and the teacher
can support students any way they
need. Students are given time to
check Infinite Campus for missing
assignments. They can make up a
test and can go to any teacher if
they need extra support in a particu-
lar subject/area. This helps support
our academic success.
WIN is also used to teach char-
acter education. Teachers use this
time to review our PBIS plan and
teach character lessons that focus
on Attitude, Respect, Motivate,
Ownership and Responsibility. Stu-
dents have had lessons on attitude
and respect. They learned the dif-
ference between a positive and neg-
ative attitude and discussed how a
positive attitude makes a difference
in all areas of our school. Encour-
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FORT FRYE HIGH SCHOOL
aging videos are also used to mo-
tive students during character edu-
cation. The next character educa-
tion lesson will be on “motivate”.
They will discuss what it means
and how to motivate each other.
PBIS focuses on reinforcing posi-
tive behaviors and developing inter-
ventions for students at high risk.
We felt the need to implement WIN
with our junior high students.
Therefore, starting 2nd semester, a
30 minute WIN was added on
Wednesdays for 7th and 8th graders
during their math block. For career
education, junior high students
leave their career 9 week course on
WIN days and get the ARMOR
character education with Marla Ho-
erst. We will continue to focus on
our PBIS to help our students be
successful.
GUIDANCE NEWS
-MaryBeth Shultz, HS Guidance Counselor
While there is much paper and
computer work that goes on behind
the scene, the focus still continues
to be the appropriate development
of students, both college/career and
social/emotional. Our resource
room is frequently used by students
to check grades, fill out applica-
tions, complete correspondence,
complete schoolwork, tutor, and
sometimes just as a place to relax
and recharge for a few moments.
Students and staff have thrived on
the guidance office “open door”
policy as evidenced by frequent
drop-ins, phone calls, emails, and
use of the guidance website.
Successful activities completed
thus far include the senior barbe-
que, 3nd Annual College Applica-
tion Month, “How to Pay for Col-
lege” Seminar, numerous college
visits, 2nd annual We are Fort Frye
Community Day, annual CCP
Meeting (notes online and letter of
intent copied here), and 8th graders
tour and sophomore hands-on visit
to Washington County Career Cen-
ter. Kudos to the “frequent flyer”
seniors who have applied and been
accepted to many institutions of
higher education. They are now fer-
vently completing scholarships.
Events to look forward to this
spring include class meetings and
individual scheduling appointments
starting in February and continuing
through March. If students are
looking for summer enrichment,
check out the guidance website or
stop by the guidance office. There
are many programs appropriate for
grades 7-12.
Those families who would like
assistance from local community
support agencies please check out
the Washington County Department
of Jobs and Family Services http://
www.wcdjfs.org/ or Washington
County Family & Children First
http://www.wcfcfc.org/. Both agen-
cies offer free programs and fun yet
educational activities in support of
healthy families.
Though commencement is not
until May 27, the staff is encour-
aged that many seniors are on track
to receive a diploma with honors,
earn an industrial credential and
start employment, and/or earn an
associate’s degree.
Senior parents this is a gentle
reminder that the Free Application
for Student Aid (FAFSA) should be
filed and if you need help there are
FAFSA Workshops locally offered
via WSCC and on Parent-Teacher
Conference Days. Also local col-
lege representative are available to
help seniors with scholarships, too.
FORT SPORTS REPORT
--Barbara Sleek, Athletic Director The Fort
Frye fall sports
seasons fin-
ished a little
later than nor-
mal with our
varsity football
team finishing
as the regional runner-up and our
varsity volleyball team advancing
to the regional semi-finals. In addi-
tion, we had 2 Fort Frye cross
country runners advance to the state
meet, so we had all fall sports par-
ticipating well into the month of
November! What a great problem!
Congratulations to all those fall
athletes and coaches including
Coach Eric Huck who was named
the PVC Coach of the Year and
Coach Tiffany Schob who earned
the Eastern District Coach of the
Year for the second year in a row!
We are very blessed to have such
knowledgeable individuals at the
helm of these fall programs.
With the success of the fall sea-
son came a bit of a scheduling de-
lay for that of the winter sports.
The high school boys basketball
teams had to reschedule the open-
ing game with Belpre, but that has
not slowed the success! Currently,
the boys’ varsity basketball team is
enjoying another winning season
and looks to make a post-season
run for another sectional title. A
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FORT FRYE HIGH SCHOOL
special shout out to senior Justin
Anderson who scored his 1,000th
career point on December 17th at a
holiday tournament game in Bel-
mont, Ohio. What a great accom-
plishment as he is the 7th Fort Frye
player to accomplish this feat!
The Lady Cadets basketball
team defeated Frontier in order to
grab the shared title of Co-PVC
Champions with Buckeye Trail.
Their quest for yet another OVAC
championship series with a trip to
Buckeye Trail to avenge an earlier-
season loss fell short with a 36-33
loss to the Warriors during the
OVAC semi-finals. The Lady Ca-
dets prepare to host sectional semi-
finals against Shadyside on Febru-
ary 23rd.
For the 2016-17 season, Fort
Frye is proud to offer wrestling as
another Fort sport. This season, we
had 5 high school wrestlers and 3
junior high wrestlers represent our
school proudly. Fort Frye hosted
the last home meet on Wednesday,
February 8th where they observed
Senior Night for our lone wrestling
senior Clay Baker.
As the winter regular season
rolls to a close, we want to wish our
teams well on all post-season play.
Look for updates on the Fort Frye
Facebook page as tournament seed-
ing and draws begin and hopefully
we will be playing well into March!
Good luck to all! Go Cadets!!!
WE ARE FORT FRYE
COMMUNITY DAY
On December 22, 2016, FFHS
held their second annual We Are
Fort Frye Community Day. Over
thirty local businesses, service or-
ganizations, spiritual centers, edu-
cational, and military organizations
set up information stations for all
FFHS students to interact one-on-
one with them. Many of the at-
tendees were Fort Frye alumni. Stu-
dents were given report sheets to
record information learned from the
assembled visitors. The report
sheets were turned in as part of the
nine weeks grade level competi-
tions. Mr. Bostic’s Archives class
set up a FFHS history museum in
room 202 that was enjoyed by stu-
dents, staff, and visitors. The Fort
Frye FFA set up a variety of activi-
ties in the study hall, Reagan Skin-
ner said, “I never knew how diffi-
cult it was to be able identify foods
by their smell. It was fun and chal-
lenging.”
Recent Fort Frye Graduates
ranging from a college senior to
college freshmen who just complet-
ed their first semester, returned for
an Alumni Panel with current FFHS
seniors and juniors. Dylan Rich-
ards, FFHS senior, attended the
panel and stated, “I learned a lot
from them (the graduates) about
what to expect when you leave Fort
Frye. There was a lot of infor-
mation I hadn’t heard anywhere
else before.”.
The Guidance Office would like
to thank Fort Frye staff, administra-
tion, students, and community
members for their help, cooperation
and participation. Your efforts
made this event a joy and a success!
Students working together to complete We Are
Fort Frye Community Day report sheets.
Students interacting with Sgt. Warner of the Ohio Highway Patrol and Jacob Strahler of
Strahler Ink during Community Day.
OAPSE STAFF HELPS OUT!
Fort Frye OAPSE #447 mem-
bers volunteered to work the con-
cession stand for senior night at the
home basketball games on January
30th for the girls’ game & 31stfor
the boys’ game. This allowed ath-
letic boosters an opportunity to re-
lax and enjoy the game and the
presentations. Thanks to the par-
ents of our students for all you do
Cadet Communicator Page 8
FORT FRYE HIGH SCHOOL
to support The Fort!
For many of the volunteers it
was like “old times” and everyone
enjoyed helping out. OAPSE 447
also plans to sponsor a scholarship
for a Fort Frye senior for the 2017-
2018 school year. Details coming
soon!
Pictured L to R: Jeff Arnold, Theresa Warren,
Mike Garvin, Debbie Dunbarger, Joyce How-
ard, Kelli Walsh and Robin Knotts.
Fort Frye NO MORE Group - Alexandra Dixon, Sophomore
Fort Frye Says No More had a
great time participating in this
year’s We Are Fort Frye Communi-
ty Day. Before the event, No More
had a toiletries drive that involved a
competition between grade levels.
Items such as toilet paper, soap,
deodorant and tissues, were collect-
ed for the Eve Shelter in Marietta.
The seniors won the event with a
donation of over 80 items. As the
winners, the seniors will get to
choose a privilege such as a movie.
Altogether, No More gathered
145 items for Eve and presented the
surprise at Community Day. No
More would like to thank all of the
students who participated in the
drive and look forward to student
participation in future events.
SPRING TESTING - Tracey Huck, Test Coordinator
Ohio Graduate Testing (OGT)
for the seniors who are still needing
to take tests will occur from March
13-17, 2017.
On Tuesday, March 21, all jun-
iors attending the high school and
PSEO will take the state-wide ACT
test in Room 203 from 8 am-12:00
pm. Washington County Career
Center juniors will take the test at
the Career Center campus. Taking
the ACT test is a state requirement
for all students in the graduating
class of 2018. Two make-up days
for this test will occur Wednesday,
April 19 and Wednesday, May 3.
American Institute of Research
(AIR) online testing for grades 7-11
begins in April. On Monday, April
3, some students in grades 10-11
will be re-taking English/Language
Arts (ELA) tests. On Wednesday,
all students in grades 7-10 will take
ELA tests for their grade level.
Make-ups will occur on Thursday
and Friday of that week. Student
Learning Objectives (SLO) testing
is scheduled for April 10-13 and 19
-21. On Wednesday, April 26 the
following tests will occur: Science
8, 10th grade Biology, and 11th
grade American Government.
Make-ups for these tests will occur
on Thursday. On Friday, 10th grade
American History students will be
testing. On Monday, May 1, stu-
dents in Math 7, Math 8, Algebra,
Geometry and Integrated Math 2
will be testing. Make-ups and re-
takes will occur during the rest of
the week as well as any make-ups
for Science 8, Biology, American
History or Government. Students
in Mrs. Lang’s Career Tech (CTE)
classes will test on May 8, 9 and
10. Students taking the AP Calcu-
lus test will take the national test on
Tuesday, May 9. Students still
needing to make up AIR or CTE
tests will make these up during this
same week of May 8-12.
LOCAL DISTRICT SPELLING
BEE WINNERS
During the evening of January
19, 2017 the Fort Frye Local Dis-
trict Spelling Bee took place. Quali-
fying students in grades 5-8 partici-
pated and represented all three ele-
mentary schools around the district
along with the junior high. This
year’s bee took place at the high
school auditorium. Congratulations
to this year’s winners and a “Nice
Job” goes out to all of the students
who worked hard and participated
in this year’s bee. Winners of the
2017 Spelling Bee were…
1st Place- Catie Sleek(FFJH)
2nd Place- Kiera Knox (FFJH)
3rd Place- Brandon Dye (Beverly-
Center)
4th Place- Jackson Lowe (Salem-
Liberty)
ELEMENTARY NEWS: Beverly-Center, Lowell, and Salem-Liberty
Cadet Communicator Page 9
KEEPING KIDS SAFE IN
CYBERSPACE
With today's technology at their
disposal, school-age children can
quickly learn so much about the
topics they're studying in class, as
well as those that interest them
most. Computers and the Internet
are dramatically changing the way
even the youngest students are
now learning.
Children are still children, no
matter how savvy they are with the
high-tech tools they use in school
and at home. As enriching as com-
puters and other technologies can
be, they can also carry potential
dangers. Just as children are re-
quired to wear helmets when bik-
ing, they need protection and adult
guidance when working with to-
day's technologies.
To ensure that children are us-
ing computers in safe and age-
appropriate ways, parents need to
educate themselves about the ben-
efits and risks of the tools their
children use. The Internet offers a
variety of web-based resources for
families, including
www.staysafe.org. Additionally,
school technology supervisors,
school resource officers and public
and private agencies offer these
suggestions to help families make
their children's tech time safe and
rewarding.
Place the computer your chil-
dren use in a common space, not in
a bedroom or other out-of-the-way
place. In many families, children
are only allowed to use the com-
puter when parents are at home
and are required to ask before us-
ing the computer, both for home-
work and pleasure. This can help
you be more aware of when they
are online and what they are doing.
Preview the Web sites your chil-
dren visit. At school, computers
have blocking software that elimi-
nates the possibility of children
stumbling onto inappropriate sites.
Little Clickers
(www.littleclickers.com) and the
American Library Association
(www.ala.org/parentspage/greatsit
es/) offer a host of family-friendly
suggestions.
Become an informed software
consumer. Although there is won-
derful software available for chil-
dren of all ages, some can be sex-
ually suggestive, violent or educa-
tionally lacking or may contain
advertising.
Before you buy, read software
reviews and, if possible, preview
the software. Many stores will al-
low you to try out software before
you purchase. Parenting magazines
and Web sites such as The Chil-
dren's Technology Review,
www.childrenssoftware.com, and
Common Sense Media, www.
commonsensemedia.org, are good
resources for software reviews and
information.
Instruct children to never give
out personal information online.
This is particularly important for
children in the upper elementary
grades and early middle school
years who may begin using the
Internet with less supervision,
communicating with friends online
and managing their own Web pag-
es.
WHY DOES ATTENDANCE
MATTER?
EVERY SCHOOL DAY COUNTS IN
A CHILD’S ACADEMIC LIFE.
A missed school day is a lost
opportunity for students to learn. In
this era of increased accountability
for states, districts, and schools, the
connection between student attend-
ance and learning is being studied
more than ever before. As a result,
education agencies are asked with
increasing frequency to report at-
tendance data in a standard manner
to allow comparisons across organi-
zations and jurisdictions.
The primary rationale for high-
quality attendance data is the rela-
tionship between student attendance
and student achievement. Teacher
effectiveness is the strongest
school-related determinant of stu-
dent success,1 but chronic student
absence reduces even the best
teacher's ability to provide learning
opportunities. Students who attend
school regularly have been shown
to achieve at higher levels than stu-
dents who do not have regular at-
tendance. This relationship between
attendance and achievement may
appear early in a child's school ca-
reer. A recent study looking at
young children found that absentee-
ism in kindergarten was associated
with negative first grade outcomes
such as greater absenteeism in sub-
sequent years and lower achieve-
ment in reading, math, and general
knowledge.2
RESEARCH SHOWS THAT ATTEND-
ANCE IS AN IMPORTANT FACTOR IN STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
Poor attendance has serious im-
plications for later outcomes as
well. High school dropouts have
been found to exhibit a history of
negative behaviors, including high
levels of absenteeism throughout
ELEMENTARY NEWS: Beverly-Center, Lowell, and Salem-Liberty
Cadet Communicator Page 10
their childhood, at higher rates than
high school graduates. These differ-
ences in absentee rates were ob-
served as early as kindergarten, and
students who eventually dropped
out of high school missed signifi-
cantly more days of school in first
grade than their peers who graduat-
ed from high school. In eighth
grade, this pattern was even more
apparent and, by ninth grade, at-
tendance was shown to be a key
indicator significantly correlated
with high school graduation.
The effects of lost school days
build up one absence at a time on
individual students.
NATIONAL CHILD
SAFETY COUNCIL
On Monday, November 21,
2016 the Beverly Village Police
Department hosted Kerry Kazaam
on behalf of the National Child
Safety Council. Kerry Kazaam put
on a fantastic magic show and
talked with students about staying
safe!
BEVERLY-CENTER VETERAN’S
DAY ASSEMBLY
ELEMENTARY NEWS: Beverly-Center, Lowell, and Salem-Liberty
Cadet Communicator Page 11
BEVERLY-CENTER
CLASSROOM SPELLING
BEE WINNERS Congratulations to all the partici-pants and winners of the Decem-ber 7, 2016 Spelling Bee! 1st Grade 1st place: Harrison Miller 2nd place: Laken Stottsberry 3rd place: Cody O’Brien
2nd Grade 1st place: Jacalyn Lee 2nd place: Jocelyn Lee 3rd place: Everett Sampson
3rd Grade 1st place: Reiley Miller 2nd place: Peyton Bell 3rd place: Lucas Kirkpatrick
4th Grade: 1st place: Treven Hughes 2nd place: Laine Spindler 3rd place: Janessa Ross
5th Grade: 1st place: Aubrey McIntire 2nd place: Brandon Dye 3rd place: Madison Wright Alternate: Phinn Spindler
6th Grade: 1st place: Keira Knox 2nd place: Bishop Dowler 3rd place: Brenden Schultz Alternate: Kelson McCurdy
FIFTH GRADE GIVES BACK
TO THE COMMUNITY Through the generous donations
from families, fifth grade students
were able to purchase 184 items
that will provide at least 2 break-
fasts, 2 lunches, 2 dinners, and toi-
letries for three families in need! A
big thank you to Sponey’s IGA for
donating three hams and their time
and support with helping our stu-
dents grocery shop! What a great
community to be a part of….Cadet
Strong!
Cadet Communicator Page 12
ELEMENTARY NEWS: Beverly-Center, Lowell, and Salem-Liberty
-Megan Miller , Principal
-Krista Ross , Principal
DINOSAUR BONE HUNT
Marietta College Professor
Rocky Freeman visited the Lowell
Elementary fourth grade class again
this year to share her knowledge of
fossils and dinosaurs. Students
completed their own "fossil dig,"
viewed and held real fossils, and
even got to keep a chunk of fossil-
ized dinosaur bone to take home!
We had a blast! Thank you, Rocky,
for visiting Lowell Elementary!
POPCORN CLUB
On Friday, January 20, the
Lowell Elementary first grade class
“Popcorn Club” took place. This
event was to celebrate students’
third quarter iReady results. Mrs.
Ross joined the students for lunch
in the classroom and she was
pleased to hear that all first graders
improved on their iReady reading
and math diagnostic assessment
this quarter. After lunch the 1st
graders presented their third readers
theater.
Kindergarten and second grade
students attended “Animal Picnic”
with rave reviews. Nice job, First
Grade!
ANCIENT ARTIFACTS Morgan Liedtke, 4th grade teacher
Salem-Liberty’s fourth grade
students have been studying the
Paleo-Indian, Archaic, and Wood-
land Periods in Ohio. We have
talked about the huge glacier that
used to cover the northern part of
Ohio and how the people have
slowly progressed with their cul-
ture, art, tools, access to food, and
homes. On Grandparent's Day, Al-
lyson McAfee's grandfather,
brought in some very interesting
artifacts from those time periods to
share with the class. He brought in
molars from a mammoth, spear
points, pottery pieces, and other
tools that the Indians from those
time periods used in Ohio. The stu-
dents were amazed to see how
much we can learn from these peo-
ple by studying the artifacts they
left behind.
APPRECIATION FROM
SECOND GRADE
Recently, Mrs. Blain had the
second graders write letters of
appreciation to Salem-Liberty
teachers and staff as part of their
AHIB monthly lesson. Each month
all classrooms, K-6, are required to
hold class meetings focusing on
topics such as respect, honestly,
empathy, commitment and
appreciation.
AUTHOR VISITS STUDENTS @
SALEM-LIBERTY
The Kindergarten class had an
author visit them during the month
of December. Her name was Louise
Holmes. She narrated her book,
“Rudolph’s Plight Before Christ-
mas,” while third grade students
acted it out.
Mrs. Holmes is the great grand-
mother of one of our kindergarten
students, Preslee Croston. Mrs.
Holmes also graciously gave each
of the students in the class a copy
of her book. Thank you, Mrs.
Holmes!
SERVICE DOG VISITS
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
Salem-Liberty and Lowell Ele-
mentary had a nice surprise visitor
in December. Kylie Seese, an OSU
student and Fort Frye graduate, is a
volunteer for a nonprofit organiza-
tion called 4 PAWS FOR
ABILITY.
This organization has dogs that
are bred, selected, and trained spe-
cifically to meet the needs of indi-
viduals who are eligible to receive
a dog. 4 PAWS dogs are raised in a
variety of settings, some within one
of our five prison programs, some
on college campuses, and some in
foster homes. All dogs return to 4
Paws to complete their final ad-
vanced training under the direct
supervision of a Training Director.
Both elementary schools were
blessed with a visit from Kylie and
her current 4 PAWS pet, Yax.
VETERAN’S DAY
ASSEMBLY To honor past and present vet-
erans, Lowell Elementary along
with Salem-Liberty held an assem-
bly on Thursday, November 10.
Multiple members of the Lowell
American Le-
gion750 were pre-
sent for each event.
At Salem-Liberty
the 5th & 6th grad-
ers sang five songs
to honor the Amer-
ican Legion mem-
bers, while veteran
guest were intro-
duced at Lowell.
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ELEMENTARY NEWS: Beverly-Center, Lowell, and Salem-Liberty
Cadet Communicator Page 14
ELEMENTARY NEWS: Beverly-Center, Lowell, and Salem-Liberty
CHRISTMAS CONCERT
During the
month of De-
cember stu-
dents at both
Lowell and Sa-
lem-Liberty
performed a
wonderful
Christmas pro-
gram titled,
“Christmas
Wishes.”
All grades
K-6 took part in this program. Stu-
dents in fourth grade even per-
formed using their recorders. This
was a wonderful way to kick off the
holiday season.
SPELLING BEE WINNERS
Congratulations to all the partic-
ipants and winners of the December
2016 Spelling Bee! The top three
spellers in fifth and sixth grades, as
well as the fourth place alternates
were invited to attend the District
Spelling Bee that was held on Janu-
ary 19, 2017 in the High School
Auditorium.
Salem-Liberty Winners were:
First Grade 1st Macy Merrow
2nd Ava Cecil
3rd Hayden Davis
Second Grade 1st Treyson Schmitt
2nd Ava Huffman
3rd Nevaeh Howard
Third Grade
1st Carter Brown
2nd Parker Burris
3rd Christy Willis
Fourth Grade 1st Kaitlyn Cassidy
2nd Alexander Lowe
3rd Conner Roberts
Fifth Grade
1st Kianna O'Brien
2nd Kameron Walters
3rd Zach Huffman
Alternate: Hunter Clevenger
Sixth Grade
1st Jackson Lowe
2nd Dawson Layton
3rd Bryce Moncrief
Alternate: Mattie Schneider
Lowell Elementary Winners were:
First Grade 1st place: Fischer Whittekind
2nd place: Alyssa Lang
3rd place: Evan Honchul
Second Grade 1st place: Ella Dowler
2nd place: Dakota Robinson
3rd place: Jamison Jadwin
Third Grade
1st place: Mason Weckbacher
2nd place: Jack Rauch
3rd place: Silas Makris
Fourth Grade 1st place: Austin Wittenbrook
2nd place: Madison Stephens
3rd place: Taylor Hendershot
Fifth Grade
1st place: Kaden Dowler
2nd place: John Scoggan
3rd place: Cortlyn Wittekind
Alternate: Emma Snyder
Sixth Grade
1st place: Gage Mace
2nd place: CJ Riddle
3rd place: Dante Henderson
Alternate: Joseph Stevens
WHO TO ASK….
Superintendent 740-984-2497 Stephanie Starcher
Treasurer 740-984-8260
Stacy Bolden
Curriculum 740-984-2497
Karen Kubota
Beverly-Center 740-984-2371
Megan Miller, Principal
Fort Frye HS 740-984-2376
Andy Schob, Principal
Rachael Tullius, Assist. Principal
Mary Beth Shultz , Guidance
Ryan Henry, Technology
Barbara Sleek, Athletic Director
Lowell Elementary 740-896-2523
Krista Ross, Principal
Salem-Liberty 740-585-2252
Krista Ross, Principal
Transportation 740-984-2497
Stephanie Starcher
*For transportation emergencies
from 6:00 a.m.-8:00 a.m. and
4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. please call
740-984-2376 ext. 320.
Cadet Communicator Page 15