OTSEGO LOCAL SCHOOLS
Superintendent's Weekly Update - March 25, 2022
Next week is Musical Week! Make sure you get your tickets below and come out and support our students!
Senior Citizen Dinner is Wednesday. Reservations are closed but if you signed up the dinner starts at 5:30.
Knights Have Your Back has a really exciting new project. Please take a look at the information below. We would love any support you can give our students!
Have a great weekend!
Adam
Knights Have Your Back Armory Project
Dear Valued Community Member,
When our Otsego children leave school for the weekend, the last thing they should have to worry about is how they are going to get their next meal. Knights Have Your Back was created to provide the Otsego children in need with non-perishable food to take home over the weekends. The food is placed discreetly in each child's backpack every Friday in order to ensure that no Knight ever goes hungry. This program has grown drastically since its development in 2017 and is currently providing food to over 25 Otsego families each week.
For the past five years, Knights Have Your Back has proven to be successful at providing food for our Otsego Knights over the weekends and has supplied more than 4000 bags of food to our Knights in need. But, we now believe we can do even more! There is a need in our community that extends beyond just providing food over the weekends. We are thrilled to introduce the Knights Have Your Back Armory program. The Armory will be a stand alone building located outside of the high school that will provide access to non-perishable foods, hygiene products and other necessities to help make our Knights more successful. This will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to ensure that at any time our Knights need it, they will have access to items that fulfill their basic needs.
In addition, the Armory will continuously be taking private requests from students for items that they may need; for example: a winter coat, gloves, socks, or even a prom ticket. The mission of the Knights Have Your Back Armory is to provide food and resources that each of our Knights deserve. By eliminating hunger and improving the overall well-being, we believe that we can better our community, one Knight at a time.
We have big goals, but we cannot do it alone! Funding of this project will be completed by sponsors like you, along with the labor being completely funded by Penta Career Center students. We couldn’t take care of our Knights without your gracious donations. For more information or to donate, please contact Jessica Vollmar at jvollmar@otsegoknights.org or CLICK HERE TO DONATE and learn more about the project.
Sincerely,
Jessica Vollmar MS, RD, LD
Knights Have Your Back Advisor
Board of Education Highlights
Information Items
Recognition of Otsego Junior High and High School Students of the Month for March:
6th Grade – Clara Seeger, Toby Powell; 7th Grade – Reese Genson, Aron Martinez-Lopez;
8th Grade – Brooke Bergman, Ivan Ortega; Freshman – Max Miles;
Sophomore – Josie Grizzard; Junior – Dakota Keifer; Senior – Donovan Ellis
Treasurer’s Financial Reports / Recommendations
A. Approve the Financial Report
B. Approve the E-rate contract with NBEC
C. Approve the revised Student Success and Wellness Budget
D. Approve the Weston Public Library’s Appropriations for 2022
E. Approve the FMLA documents
F. Approve all donations to Otsego Local School District
Superintendent Recommendations
A. Approved the 2022-2023 Services with North Central Ohio ESC
B. Approved the MOU Annual Agreement with the Wood County Sheriff’s Office for 2022-2023 for DARE/SRO
C. Approved the Athletic Training Services Agreement
D. Approved the appointment of a board member to the Weston Public Library
E. Approved an update to the 2022-2023 High School Program of Study course description for Honors Spanish 4A/4B
F. First reading of the following 2022-2023 Handbooks – Otsego Extended Care, Preschool,
Elementary, Junior High, High School, Athletic Coach’s, and Athletic Code of Conduct
G. Approved the following changes to personnel:
Resignation:
Jane Gray, district nurse, effective end of 2021/22 school year
Anna Leitner, intervention specialist, effective August 15, 2022
2021-2022 Substitute Teacher Contract:
Katlynn Pristas
Certified Employees’ One-Year Limited Contract for 2022-2023 School Year:
Nicholas Krabill High School Math Teacher
2022-2023 School Year Volunteers:
Hana Jennings
DECA Recognition
Penta-Otsego DECA Recognized for Outstanding School-Based Enterprise (SBE)
Knight & Day Café and Knights’ Customs Spirit Store, the school-based enterprises at Otsego High School, were among 461 school-based enterprises achieving Gold Level Certification for the 2021-2022 school year and will be recognized during DECA’s International Career Development Conference in Atlanta, GA.
A school-based enterprise (SBE) is an entrepreneurial operation in a school setting that provides goods and services to meet the needs of the market. SBEs are managed and operated by students as hands-on learning laboratories that integrate National Curriculum Standards in marketing, finance, hospitality and management. DECA advisors have utilized this effective educational tool for over four decades to provide their students with realistic and practical learning experiences that reinforce classroom instruction, enhance 21st century skill development, and prepare students for college and careers.
The Penta-Otsego DECA members who contributed to the certification were Carson Hollar, Scott Koch, Johanna Lamb, Alyssa Malanowski, Brayden Moon and Nick Seeger with the assistance of their DECA chapter advisor, Ashley Tatham The SBEs at Otsego High School have operated for 6 years and is to be commended for this achievement.
“DECA’s School-based Enterprise Certification Program is a rigorous process designed to help DECA members demonstrate their classroom learning in a practical, learning laboratory, and then translate that into meaningful outcomes,” said Christopher Young, CAE, Chief Program Officer at DECA Inc. “These DECA members are practicing important workplace readiness skills while preparing for college and careers.”
DECA’s School-based Enterprise Certification Program provides recognition for outstanding achievement by school-based enterprises and to motivate SBEs to strive for excellence and growth. SBEs can be certified at three levels: bronze, silver or gold. In order to apply for the certification, SBEs must submit extensive documentation that explains how the SBE demonstrates the practice of various marketing and retail standards. A review committee evaluates the documentation to determine which level of certification has been achieved. DECA’s School-based Enterprise programs are sponsored by Intuit and Otis Spunkmeyer Inc.
About DECA Inc.
DECA is a career and technical student organization that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs who are interested in careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management. DECA enhances the preparation for college and careers by providing co-curricular programs that integrate into classroom instruction, apply learning, connect to business and promote competition. DECA student members leverage their DECA experience to become academically prepared, community-oriented, professionally responsible, experienced leaders. DECA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with more than 225,000 members in 4,000 high school and college chapters in all 50 United States, Canada, Guam, Puerto Rico and Germany.
For more information about DECA, visit http://www.deca.org.
Sun Federal Credit Union Extraordinary Teacher of the Year - Nominate a teacher today!
To nominate a teacher please go to the following link: sunfederalcu.org/teacher For those of you looking at the scholarship opportunity you can nominate a teacher at the following link: sunfederalcu.org/scholarships
The Little Mermaid Tickets are ON SALE NOW!
Swim on over to Otsego High School for a splashing rendition of "The Little Mermaid"!
The talent level is through the seaweed with this cast! There will be singing, dancing, laughter, photo booths with the actors, mermaid toys for sale, LOTS of bubbles, and the characters will fly before your very eyes!
Tickets can be bought at:
https://www.showtix4u.com/event-details/60931
PLEASE NOTE: Tickets will ONLY be sold online until 24 hours before the show! After that, you may still purchase at the door - if we don't sell out!
DATES/TIMES:
Thursday, March 31st at 7:00 pm
Friday, April 1st at 7:00 pm
Saturday, April 2nd at 7:00 pm
Sunday, April 3rd at 2:00 pm
Get your fins on your tickets while you can!
Otsego Town Ball Sign ups
SIGN UP NOW.
Summer ball is back in full swing this year!!!
If you missed in-person sign-ups for 2022 Otsego Town Ball, click the link to register your child(ren). Please share with friends and neighbors.
Player sign up here:
https://forms.gle/uaFCA3BGbFYRdemG7
Coaches/Assistant Coaches/Team Mom/Dad/Helper:
Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050D4AAAAB23A2F85-otbcoach
Thank you,
Otsego Town Ball Community Leaders
Ashton Copeland Memorial Scholarship Fund
Otsego Endowment Foundation Brick Sale
Otsego and Weston Food Pantry Information
The Otsego Food Pantry is always willing to help those in need. This service is by appointment only. Please call, text, or email to schedule.
Otsego Food Pantry
c/o Lisa Hatfield
PO Box 261
17700 Beaver Street
Grand Rapids, OH 43522
Phone: 419-830-1051
Email: otsegofoodpantryoh@gmail.com
Housed in the Grand Rapids First Presbyterian Church – Supported by our Community!
Athletics
Junior High and High School Athletic Events
Saturday, March 26
10:00 - V SB (H) McComb
11:00 - JV BB @ Evergreen
11:30 - V BB (H) Evergreen
12:00 - JV SB (H) McComb
Monday, March 28
5:00 - V SB @ Central Catholic
Tuesday, March 29
4:30 - HS TR @ Rossford
5:00 - V SB @ Evergreen
5:00 - JV SB (H) Evergreen
Wednesday, March 30
4:30 - JH TR @ Liberty Benton
5:00 - V BB (H) Miller City
Friday, April 1
5:00 - V SB (H) Defiance
5:00 - JV SB @ Defiance
Saturday, April 2
11:00 - JV SB (H) Hilltop (DH)
11:00 - JV BB (H) Patrick Henry (DH)
Softball Fundraiser - Order today!
Otsego Egg My Yard Fundraiser
JH Soccer Information and YOUTH CLINIC
Safe School Helpline
Dear Parents, Students and Friends,
Recent polls show that parents’ first concern about schools today is their child’s safety. That is my concern as well. Fortunately, the Otsego is very safe. However, no community is immune from the threats of violence and drugs that endanger public schools nationwide.
We are introducing a Safe School Helpline® to help prevent such actions. It is designed to assist you in reporting any wrongdoing that impacts our schools, our students, or our staff – anonymously, so as to protect your privacy. For example, you may wish to report acts of violence, theft, drug or alcohol use, weapons, or sexual harassment.
Just call from a touch-tone phone to 1-800-4-1-VOICE, ext. 359 (418-6423) to leave your information. Or TEXT: 614-426-0240 Then type: TIPS Your message will not be traced, and you will not be identified. The Safe School Helpline® team will transcribe and fax your message to school officials, so appropriate action can be taken.
Thank you for your continued support to provide a better education for all Otsego students.
800-418-6423 (800-4-1-VOICE ext. 359)
TEXT: 614-426-0240
Then type: TIPS
COMMUNITY EVENTS SECTION
Questions, Concerns, Comments, or Rumors
SPONSORS
Otsego Board of Education
President: Brad Anderson banderson.otsego@gmail.com
Vice President: James Harter jameslharter@gmail.com
Board Member: Mark Tolles mdt814@cs.com
Board Member: Jessica Mehl jmehl.jd@gmail.com
Board Member: Gordon Digby gdigby44@gmail.com
Adam Koch, Superintendent
Email: akoch@otsegoknights.org
Website: www.otsegoknights.org
Location: 18505 Tontogany Creek Road, Bowling Green, OH, United States
Phone: 419-823-4381
Twitter: @AdamKoch_Otsego
Lisa Austin, Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent/EMIS Coordinator
Email: laustin@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381
Lauri Dunham, Special Education Director
Email: ldunham@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381
Stephen Bihary, School Psychologist
Email: sbihary@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381
Luke Swartz, Technology Director
Email: lswartz@otsegoknights.org
Website: www.otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381
Katrina Baughman, Elementary Principal
Email: kbaughman@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381
Twitter: @KBaughman723
Becky Buchman, Assistant Elementary Principal
Email: bbuchman@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381
Twitter: @buchman_becky
Kevin O'Shea, High School Principal
Email: koshea@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381
Twitter: @KosheaOHS
Jon Rife, Junior High Principal
Email: jrife@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381
Twitter: @OJHS_Principal
Tom Ferdig, High School Athletic Director and Assistant Principal Grades 6-12
Email: tferdig@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381
Eva Vasher, Director of Transportation, Custodial, and Maintenance
Email: evasher@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381
Emily Bires - Director of Food Service
Email: ebires@otsegoknights.org
Phone: 419-823-4381
Twitter: @Otsego_Cafe