Buckeye Local field improvements expected before season opener
DILLONVALE -- The Buckeye Local Board of Education learned recently that work on Buckeye Local High School's Ron Pobolish Football Field is proceeding and is expected to be completed in time for the Panthers' first home football game.
At the board's June 29 meeting, Superintendent Coy Sudvary said crews with Hickory Valley Sod Farm LLC have replaced drainage structures for the field that date to the 1950s, when it opened, and extended them to the sidelines.
He said following recent steady rain, he was pleased to find no puddling there.
Sudvary said crews with Rain One will be installing a new sprinkler system for the field that will be tied to a weather monitor at the Wheeling-Ohio County Airport.
"So if it rains, the sprinklers will not turn on, but when there is no precipitation, the system will kick on and provide the necessary saturation for the new sod," he explained following the meeting.
Sudvary said the work was delayed by severe winter weather and this spring's heavy rain but is expected to be completed in time for the Panthers' first home football game on Aug. 28.
The work is part of ongoing improvements to the field and World War II Memorial Stadium.
Sudvary said new goal posts will arrive soon and crews with McCart Construction also will be replacing one of three sections of bleachers on the home side.
He said the wood and fiberglass seats will be replaced with metal ones and concrete in that area will be sealed to alleviate another water issue.
Last summer, crews installed a new, accessible bleacher section and new fencing around the stadium and refurbished the surrounding athletic track.
In other business:
Board members acknowledged recent Buckeye Local High School graduate Jenna DelVecchio, who emerged as state champion in the 100-meter hurdles at the state track and field championship held June 4-7 at Ohio State University.
Believed to be her school's first state champion in the sport, DelVecchio also was named Ohio High School Athletic Association Division IV Track Athlete of the Year.
She has set new school records in the 100-meter and 300-meter hurdles.
The daughter of Doug and Julie DelVecchio, she has signed to compete in track at Youngstown State University.
It also was noted that Bri Sellars, another 2026 Buckeye Local graduate, was crowned queen of the Harrison County Fair.
Sellars is an active member of the Shamrock 4-H Club and a beekeeper, selling her bees' honey and beeswax, and has attended the Ohio State Fair for several years.
The daughter of Daine and Nicole Sellars, she plans to attend West Liberty University and major in microbiology.
Board member Melissa Supanik, its legislative liaison, discussed several bills pending in the state legislature.
Supanik noted House Bill 3, also known as the School Bus Safety Act, has been passed by legislators and awaits signing by Gov. Mike DeWine.
If approved, it will raise fines for illegally passing a school bus, currently capped at $500, to $250 to $1,000, with repeat offenses punishable by a fine of $2,000 and the potential suspension of the violator's driver's license.
It also would allow school officials to use video from school bus safety cameras in pursuing charges for illegal passing.
Supanik said pending in the state legislature is House Bill 304, which would allow students to use time spent in extracurricular activities, including sports and marching band, toward the 120 hours of physical education required for graduation.
The board adopted a cybersecurity plan addressing potential breaches in compliance with House Bill 96, which was approved by the legislature last year.
In related business, the board approved an $8,700 contract with Cowbell, an international company, for cyber risk insurance.
The board approved an agreement with the East Central Ohio Educational Service Center for the agency to provide virtual Spanish instruction for the upcoming school year.
The district had advertised for an in-person Spanish instructor but was unable to secure one for the current year.
The board approved the hiring of Jason Kovalski as principal of Buckeye Local Junior High School, a position he held in the past; and Karen Eddy, Ashley Krzys and Cheryl Pompeo as assistant band directors, with Pompeo overseeing the dance line.
The board also approved the following athletic personnel: Isaac Rine, head athletic director; Jeffery Patrick, head baseball coach; Donald Yeager, head girls track coach; Jackson Otto, head wrestling coach; Joe Soos, head softball coach and assistant boys basketball coach; Trevor Zanes, eighth grade assistant football coach; Erica Call, eighth grade volleyball coach; Brooke Barlow, seventh grade volleyball coach; Carly Long, eighth grade girls basketball coach; Greg Bahen and Kenny Richardson, co-assistant football coaches; Justin Driscoll, volunteer football coach; and Erica Call, seventh grade volleyball coach.
The board accepted the resignation of Vicki Kourim, secretary at Buckeye Local High School, who is retiring after 27 years of service to the school district.
Other recent retirements from the school district include Jami Cammer, whose 35 years of service included stints as a teacher and guidance counselor; Tom O'Connell, a teacher for 33 years; school bus drivers John Sindeldecker, with 31 years of service, and Kecia Sindeldecker, with 29 years; Wendy Besece, a mental health counselor for 30 years; Roxann Green, a custodian for 30 years; Audrey Rubright, a teacher for 29 years; and Mike Todoroff, a custodian for the district for 11 years.