School Board Recognizes Undefeated Seventh Grade Volleyball Team
The Barnesville School Board recognized the seventh grade volleyball team for its accomplishments this fall of winning the first Buckeye 8 Junior High Volleyball Championship, finishing the season undefeated and maintaining a 4.0 GPA at Thursday’s meeting.
Seventh grade volleyball coach Kinzie Kaplet stated she was lucky to have an “amazing” group of girls for her first year of coaching and how impactful it made the season.
Seventh grade volleyball coach Kinzie Kaplet talks about her “amazing” group of girls who were recognized at the Thursday evening school board meeting for winning the first Buckeye 8 Junior High Volleyball Championship, going undefeated and maintaining a 4.0 GPA as a team. ©Barnesville Area News Company photo.
The team went undefeated and won the first Buckeye 8 Junior High Volleyball Championship, while together maintaining a GPA of 4.0 throughout the season.
“Every single one of them kept their grades exactly where they needed to be,” middle school principal Casey Mayo said. “There was never a concern, they always worked hard, not only educationally and academically, but on the court as well.”
SPELLING BEE WINNERS
Mayo also recognized the first and second place spelling bee winners who will be moving onto the next level of competition. Eighth grader Natalie Showalter won first place while fifth grader Eli Jefferis won second place.
SUPPORT SERVICES REPORT
Director of Support Services John Blattler reported to the board the plan to complete the science rooms floor tiling project will not be possible over Christmas break. The contractor will address temporary issues, such as small holes or damage and complete the job next summer.
Blattler reported D&E Electric visited the high school to assess LED lighting issues. Three 150-watt LED lights were installed over the past couple of days.
Blattler also raised the issue of additional lighting in the parking lot between the bus garage and the school. Curently lights are only up in the front of the school.
Some electrical work was completed for D&E Electric addressing low voltage issue that were affecting equipment, such as printers. Four dedicated electrical circuits were installed taking care of the problem.
FOOD REPORT
Nutrition Group food service director Brian Saner reported the district had a busy and successful month in November with several special events. These included a cow-and-calf visit at the elementary school, where a high school student dressed as a cow and spoke about healthy eating. Students also sampled fresh food through USDA-supported programs.
Veterans Day events took place at school cafeterias while Nutrition Group Vice President Craig Conaway visited the elementary school to interact with students during the Thanksgiving dinner.
Overall, Thanksgiving dinners were well attended across the district creating a positive atmosphere. Staff members also shared food items for the meal.
Saner plans to introduce action stations in January and February, allowing students to customize meals such as fried rice or stir-fry bowls.
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL REPORT
Elementary principal Zack Powell reported the preschool Christmas program originally scheduled for Tuesday but was canceled with school closed due to weather. It was not possible to reschedule during the week due to the third grade Christmas program rehearsals and performances taking place Wednesday and Thursday.
The preschool Christmas program will take place at 9 a.m. Friday, although preschool students typically do not attend school on Fridays.
SOUND SYSTEM CONCERNS
School board member Ed Eberhart brought up concerns for the elementary school needing a new sound system because of ongoing feedback from the community that the system is not adequate.
“It’s not great,” Powell said.
The system is less than 15 years old, but concerns were raised about the cost-effectiveness of upgrading it without proper protection. Any future upgrade would need protective measures to prevent damage to the speakers.
CURRICULUM DIRECTOR REPORT
Curriculum director Clint Abbott reported that a professional development day is set for Jan. 2 for staff to focus on team-based collaboration, including leadership teams and special education teams meeting to discuss staff needs and appropriate student interventions.
The Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) and (Response to Intervention) (RTI) systems in place are “really good,” Abbott said.
Abbott said homeroom teachers are showing interest in learning and using the same intervention programs as intervention specialists. Nearly all students now receive some form of individualized support.
MIDDLE SCHOOL REPORT
Mayo reported the school newsletter was shared with the board. Included in the newsletter were character of the month winners, focused this time on gratitude. The characters of the month are
Vada Detling; Axel Wright – fifth grade
Gavin Rykowski; Mallory Winters – sixth grade
Savannah Matthews; Devin Holliday – seventh grade
Jameson Littleton; Alexia Taulbee – eighth grade
Mayo also noted the school’s participation in the United Way Operations Toy Lift. Only two Belmont County schools, Barnesville and Union Local, took part.
SAFETY TRAINING
Superintendent Micah Fuchs said he plans to hold a safety training day at the elementary school in January. The functional exercise will measure and evaluate the district’s communications skills. The school will create scenarios every few minutes and initiate some kind of response to see how teams do and devices work.
Fuchs noted he will have to work out how the exercise might be impacted by the Barnesville fire chief’s retirement. The VFD is usually involved in these types of exercises.
HIGH SCHOOL GYMNASIUM DOORS
Board member Ed Eberhart raised concerns regarding the condition and functionality of the exterior doors in the high school gymnasium, which has become a safety and security issue.
The doors do not close properly on their own. The doors also remain open unless someone physically pulls them shut. This allows unrestricted access in and out of the building during events.
“I think it should be a priority, personally,” Eberhart said. “I’ve said that for two years.”
As of Friday, some adjustments were made and the problem is temporarily fixed, according to Eberhart. However, he still hopes a permanent fix will take place in the near future.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
The board entered into a lengthy executive session to consider employment and prepare for, conduct, or review negotiations with public employees concerning their compensation or other terms and conditions of their employment.
No direct action followed the closed meeting.
TREASURER RECOMMENDATIONS
The board approved the following donations for the month of November:
Campbell Plumly Funeral Home to the seventh grade field trip – $200
Myser & Myser to the high school football team – $900
Barnesville 200 Club to the high school football charter bus – $200
Chestnut Lanes to high school student tickets-football game – $135
Barnesville Pumpkin Festival to high school Future Farmers of America – $300
Barnesville Pumpkin Festival to the high school art club – $300
Minutemen to student lunch accounts – $500
Various donations totaling $5,050 were made for the Middle School Robotics program: Shai Moore, Derek and Lacy Gallager, Katelyn Stephen, Starr’s Used Cars, Braido Memorials, Kirkwood Lodge No 446 F&AM, Barnesville Antique Mall, Douglas Huff, O.D., W.D. Skinner & Son Ins., Rumer-Loudin, Basic Systems Inc., Triple B Trucking, Campbell Plumly Funeral Home, Woodsfield Savings Bank and McDonalds
Total donations for the month came up to $7,585.
The board approved 16 Barnesville Area Education Foundation grants totaling $38,851.86. Details of the grants are shared on Barnesville Area News.
The board approved resolution 25-27, that the urgent necessity of security and protection of school property exceptions allows the board to forgo competitive bidding requirements.
The board approved NVR video camera replacements and upgrades to the elementary school building at a cost of $35,666.47 with Profant Inc. Business Network Team.
The board approved the a purchase order in the amount of $4,000 to the East Central Ohio Educational Service Center for calendar year 2026 for tax valuation services.
SUPERINTENDENT REPORT/RECOMMENDATIONS
The board accepted the retirement of elementary school teacher Clarissa Kernen with her last day of employment being May 26, 2026 and the retirement of Beth Rogers as the high school cafeteria head cook with her last day of employment being Dec. 31, 2025.
The board approved Ayden King as an assistant volunteer wrestling coach for the 2025-2026 school year. The board also voted to non-renew all special fall sports coaching positions now that the seasons are completed.
UPCOMING MEETINGS
The board will have an organizational meeting at 5:15 p.m. Jan. 8 followed by the regular board meeting at 5:30 p.m.
The board also made a motion and approved for member Dennis Huntsman for president pro-tem to preside over the organizational meeting.
A building and grounds meeting will take place at 7 a.m. Dec. 22 in the central office.
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