Career Education and STEM Designation: Topics at October’s BOE Meeting

Student Ambassadors lead the Pledge of Allegiance. ©Barnesville Area News Company

On October 15, the Barnesville Board of Education meeting began with 4th-grader Morgan Phillips, 6th-grader Reagan Phillips and 4th-grader Cole Stalder leading the Pledge of Allegiance. The students are all Student Ambassadors.

High School Principal Ron Clark highlighted two career education opportunities during his administrative report. First, Roux Carpenter, owner of the Crowned Owl Barber Company in Bethesda, is opening a barber college starting in January. With Kristi Sloan, our career navigator, Carpenter is working on a 2-year program for juniors and seniors that allows students to take the exam to receive a barber’s license at the end of the second year. This opportunity would be for Barnesville and Union Local schools and would hopefully start next school year.

On November 2, the Appalachian Ohio Manufacturer’s Coalition (AOMC) will bring its Made Tour to the high school gymnasium. The AOMC will bring various equipment and simulation tools for students to explore careers in the manufacturing field. Kara Shutler, the STEM/Advanced Manufacturing Career Navigator for Belmont County, has been working collaboratively with Sloan to get this learning event organized for the high school students.

Elementary Principal Zack Powell reviewed the progress toward increasing student agency and voice. Powell discussed the creation of a STEM Lab at the Elementary School. Classes are scheduled to visit the lab to find problems, create solutions, test them, and then improve the solutions.

Powell shared the Barnesville State Theater Company T-shirt design contest and how it ties into problem-based learning. Barnesville students in K-12 grades are eligible to compete. See more information here.

Director of Special Education and Student Services Clint Abbott announced the September Shamrock Spotlight winners, Music Instructor Devin Blair and Junior Lydia Welch. Each received a certificate and trophy.

Director of Food and Nutrition Brian Saner set up a sampling of new items being offered in the cafeterias this year, including chicken tenders and cinnamon rolls. During October, the elementary school experienced Crunch Day, where the students taste-tested a variety of apples.

Take Nutrition Global and Nutrition Expedition focused on Greece. The featured foods were gyros and tzatziki. Superintendent Micah Fuchs added that Principal Powell was coordinating the cultural experiences in the classrooms with what Saner is doing in the cafeteria. Part of the STEM designation is exposing our students to different cultures.

Athletic Director Brad Hannahs announced that the youth wrestling tournament, usually in January, will be November 14 this year. Hannahs gave the Board an update on the fall sport teams’ achievements and schedules.

Director of Building and Grounds John Blattler stated that Treasurer Adam Quirk and he were working on replacing school buses. Of the buses purchased in 2017, four buses have already been replaced. Blattler would like to purchase two more this school year if funds are available. Some of the buses have approximately 130,000 miles on them.

Blattler shared that Joan Hamilton, a retired elementary instructional aide, donated a magnolia tree, which was planted this week in front of the elementary gymnasium. This tree replaces the magnolia tree removed due to it beginning to split. Blattler expressed his gratitude for the donation.

Purchases/Agreements

The Board approved a $11,600 purchase from Parentsquare Inc. to renew the website and communication system for a year.

The Board passed Resolution #26-20 authorizing the Southwestern Ohio Educational Purchasing Council to advertise and receive bids on the Board’s behalf for the cooperative purchase of one or more school buses. The bid does not require the school to purchase the buses.

Personnel

The Board issued the following one-year supplemental contracts for the 2026-2027 school year:

• Boys Assistant Baseball Coach — Jeff Miller
• Jr. High Assistant Boys Basketball Coach — Sam Wells
• Girls Assistant Softball Coach — Erin Hannahs

The Board approved the following volunteers for the 2026-2027 school year:

The Board approved Erin Meade and Terra Shriver as elementary school after-school tutors for the 2026-2027 school year.

The Board approved Anna Rife as a substitute medical professional for the 2026-2027 school year.

The Board retroactively accepted Etta Moyer’s resignation at the end of her 2025-2026 contract. This action rectifies an earlier oversight.

Policies

The Board accepted the updates to the following policies:

• 6.18 Student Discipline
• 6.41 Student Conduct on School Buses
• 7.33 Drug and Alcohol Testing Policy for Eligible Students
• 7.39 Governor’s Merit Scholarship
• 7.40 Mathematics Placement and Promotion

Other Business

The Board accepted a monetary donation from Hissom’s Service Center to the FFA.

The Board approved a senior overnight field trip to Florida from May 21-24, 2027, for a Carnival cruise to the Bahamas.

The Board approved the National FFA Convention overnight field trip to Indianapolis, Indiana, for October 21-24, 2026.

The Board appointed Christina Stephen to fulfill the unexpired term left open by Tammy Wells’ resignation. See the previous post to learn more about Stephen and her appointment.

The next regular Barnesville School Board meeting is November 19 at 5:30 pm in the middle school cafetorium.

Disclaimer: Author Lisa Gallagher for Barnesville Area News is an employee of the Barnesville Exempted Village School District.

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