The Cambridge City School District Board of Education members got up close and personal with several outstanding programs and classes being offered at the Cambridge Middle School during Thursday night’s board meeting which was conducted at the Middle School.
At the beginning of the meeting, Superintendent Dan Coffman recognized sixth grade math teacher Kellie Spratt who recently won the Coalition of Rural and Appalachian Schools Outstanding Middle School Teacher Award.
Career Exploration teacher Tamara Gibson talks to Superintendent Coffman and several board members about the Career Exploration program at Cambridge Middle School. Students, l to r, Chelsey Wells, Sarah Riggs and Malik Lewis are pictured in the student-run school store.
Following the presentation, the board visited the Career Exploration classroom to learn about the program from teacher Tamara Gibson. Gibson highlighted the activities that are taught in the Career Exploration program including the student-run store.
Teacher Alexe Nicholes updated board members on her greenhouse class where students, utilizing a greenhouse on the property, learn about plants, and then grow and sell them. The students also research famous greenhouses and do a presentation about the greenhouses they research.
Board members also visited the STEM Lab where teacher Angela Hannon talked about the robotics classes, the design and modeling classes, and the air and space courses offered at the Middle School.
“It is important that our board members get to visit our schools and see the impact that the decisions they make in the board room have in the classroom,” Coffman said. “We have so many great programs at each school and we want to take time to highlight them for our board members and for our community.
“We also want to thank the teachers and administrators who do a great job implementing these programs everyday for taking time to talk to us tonight about their programs,” Coffman added.
Angela Hannon, Middle School STEM teacher, talks to board members in her STEM Classroom during the Cambridge City School District Board of Education meeting.
In other business, the board approved continued participation in the Inter-district Open Enrollment Program; entering into a College Credit Plus agreement with Muskingum University for the 2023-2024 school year; membership into META to take advantage of cooperative purchasing opportunities; the treasurer to competitively bid and complete the procurement process for food service management for the 2023-2024 school year; and the treasurer to take actions necessary to complete the sale of personal property including entering into a contract with Kaufman Realty and Auctions, LLC.
In personnel matters, the board approved amendments to the existing contracts for Superintendent Coffman, Treasurer Ed Wright, and Business Manager Dave Caldwell as well as a resolution to approve the 2023-2024 Administrative, Administrative Classified and personal service contract salary schedules.
The board approved the resignation of Waylon Mohler; and the unpaid leave of absence for Jennifer Hickman, Daniel Seckel, Blake Arnett, Kim Kennedy.
The board approved the hiring of Holly Ditto as substitute custodian, Eric Vansickle and Michael McLaughlin as head mechanics, Leah Maleski as cook at Primary, Darren Hayes as custodian at CPS, Nathan Wright as substitute cook, and Olivia Perkins as a kindergarten classroom aide.
The board also approved the hiring of Elizabeth Patterson as nurse at St. Benedict’s School, Paige Mathews as a substitute teacher, Breanna Bailey as a CIS teacher, and Aaron Todd as a CATS Club After School Program teacher.
The board approved the hiring of Austin Campbell as assistant baseball coach, Bryan Craft, Tim Fox, Isiah Abel, Kevin Gunn, Logan McCort and Melissa Haines as assistant track coaches; Mike Birkhimer as assistant softball coach; and Alaina Tharp as cheerleading advisor.
The board approved Pete Messer, Aaron Mathews, Lee Stoner, Jason Kenworthy and Karen Goggin as athletic volunteers.
The next board meeting will be on Thursday, April 13, 2023, at 5 p.m. at a location to be determined.