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BERGHOLZ -- Members of the Edison Local board of education heard from its youngest board representative during its Sept. 27 meeting at John Gregg Elementary School.
Gavin Berardinelli, a sixth-grade pupil at John Gregg, addressed Superintendent Bill Beattie, Assistant Superintendent Julie Kireta and board members.
He thanked the board for the opportunity to speak and thanked them for their hard work in making the district a better place to learn.
One of the topics he touched on was transportation, letting officials know the camera system seems to be working well for students' safety.
Regarding nutrition, Berardinelli expressed his thoughts about the Styrofoam trays being used in the cafeteria and how they could be a possible concern.
He cited his reasoning, saying officials should look into whether the trays are cost-effective when compared to using plastic trays, as they are washed and reused.
He said Styrofoam adds to the trash and he is not sure if they are being recycled.
The board replied they would look into the matter of the trays to address Berardinelli's concerns.
The student continued his report, informing the board, "Officer Clark is nice and makes me feel safe."
His reference pertains to Mark Clark, who is employed by Springfield Township, and who serves in the capacity of resource officer at John Gregg. He is on site to ensure the protection of students and serves as a trusted adult the children can go to if they have a problem.
Berardinelli relayed his thoughts on the technology used at the school.
"Our technology is working well," he said. "The safety feature put in place to block unwanted sites is good, although sometimes the Wi-Fi is slow."
The sixth-grader concluded his report by telling the board, "The teachers and staff at John Gregg are nice and work hard."
"I would recommend when we have professional development days, that they be held on either Fridays or Mondays so we can have a three-day weekend."
After the report concluded, Vice President Ron Smyth responded to Berardinelli, saying he had made "outstanding, excellent points."
"We wouldn't know these things without your perspective," Smyth commented. "I thought you did a fantastic job for this being the first student report. I'm really impressed."
Board President Aaron Richardson said of Berardinelli's feedback, "We really, really appreciate you coming out and making such good points."
He informed the pupil the board will see him again in April. There are seven students serving as representatives for the district.
Each was selected from a pool of applicants to serve a one-year term for the 2023-24 school year.
In addition to Berardinelli, student representatives include, Jaxon Sciance, fifth grade, Stanton Elementary; Dara Collopy, seventh grade, Edison Junior High; Amelia Ault, eighth-grade, Edison Junior High; Audrina Reese, ninth grade, Edison High; Rilee Givens, 10th grade, Edison High; and Katie Phillips, 11th grade, Edison High.
John Gregg Principal Tammy Burchfield presented an update on her school to those in attendance.
She informed the board of the many positive comments she has received, and which are steadily coming in from parents and those using the school's road in regard to the new fencing placed around the playground area.
Burchfield touched on the art room's new tables, which she described as looking "amazing and perfect for art."
"We have a slogan we say at the end of every day," she told officials. "We say, 'Let's get to work today so ...' and the children all reply, 'We are prepared for tomorrow.'"
The district's mission statement and motto is, "Prepared for Tomorrow."
Burchfield found a way for all preschool through sixth-grade pupils to learn the statement and incorporate it into their daily lives.
Special days on which the school has focused include Superhero Day, Patriot Day, Remembering 9/11 Day, Spirit Corner Day and Dress-up Day.
Spirit Corner Day features "Burchfield bucks" where children can spend the "money" on popcorn once a month.
Wildcat Literacy Night will take place Thursday; Halloween activities will feature a parade which is well-attended, and the fifth and sixth grades will be having a dance.
A Veteran's Day breakfast will be held Nov. 10. An assembly will take place at 9 a.m.
The school's Christmas program will be held Dec. 13, Burchfield noted.
The board thanked Burchfield for her report and congratulated her on the many activities and events she and the staff are working on.
Kireta reported on the high school's newest programs, focusing on vocational agriculture courses.
She informed board members of their progress, stating, "We expanded our career pathways options."
"In our agricultural program, there are currently 218 students," Kireta said.
"Our new engineering and design program has 50 students enrolled, and the medical bioscience course has 54 students," she added. This is the second year for the program, Kireta noted.
"Our vocational agricultural program has added drones as part of its course," Kireta continued.
She explained there are two larger drones which can fly up to a mile and smaller drones which are used to practice in the gymnasium if the weather is not cooperating.
There is a lot of technology used in the area of agriculture, according to Kireta, who noted coding is involved with drones.
"There are three programs in place: Info tech, engineering and agriculture," she stated. "These are hands-on and a visual way of learning to code."
Kireta commented there are two tests given to the students who are learning coding with drones, both of which are state approved.
The first is the Federal Aviation Administration remote pilot certification, and the second is a small, unmanned safety institute certification, level one.
During the meeting, the board also:
• Approved the certified substitute list; approved supplemental contracts; and rescinded the supplemental contract of Derek Gulling as E-Sports coach.
• The board accepted the resignation of Alan Schultz, bus mechanic, for retirement purposes, effective Jan. 1.
• Members accepted the resignation of Jeanne Kosegi, administrative secretary, effective Jan. 1.
• The board approved the employment of Cynthia Knight, bus driver, effective Oct. 2; rescinded the service agreement with Fatima Smuck for grant writing services; approved the employment of Smuck for grant writing services; and accepted the resignation of Jeremy Maddox as assistant softball coach.
• Members approved the employment of Amanda Gump as assistant treasurer, effective Oct. 1; approved the employment of John Charles Glenn as a bus mechanic, effective Oct. 2; and aligned the administrative contract to reflect sick leave should be cumulative up to 332 days maximum.
• The board approved a contract with Jefferson County Juvenile Court for the school license program, effective Sept. 1 to Aug. 31.
• Board members approved a memorandum of understanding and transition agreement with Family First, Community Action Council of Columbiana County and Head Start.
• The board approved a clinical services agreement with the Village Network for the 2023-24 school year; approved the payment in lieu of transportation for Leland Hannan; approved a data services agreement with the Muskingum Valley ESC for fiscal year '24; and approved a cooperative agreement with the Jefferson County Board of Developmental Disabilities for special education services, effective through June 20.
• The board approved a memorandum of understanding with the Edison Local Education Association; revised the administrative salary and fringe benefit agreement.
• Members approved payment to Bricker Graydon for legal services rendered through Aug. 31.
• The board approved an overnight field trip for the rural soil's agricultural team to go to Columbus to compete in state competition, Thursday.
• The board approved a visual impairment service agreement with the Toronto City School District for the 2023-24 school year; and approved the treasurer's report.