Miami Trace’s outdoor learning space — commonly known as “The Barn — is completed at the high school for the 2024-25 school year.
Ryan Carter | R-H photos
Miami Trace’s outdoor learning space — commonly known as “The Barn — is completed at the high school for the 2024-25 school year.
Ryan Carter | R-H photos
The 2024-25 school year in Fayette County is almost upon us, and at the Miami Trace Local School District there are some important items district officials want Panther parents and students to know about going into next week.
The first day of school for the staff is Monday, Aug. 12, and the first day for students (except kindergarteners) is Thursday, Aug. 15. Classroom supply lists are posted on TeacherLists.com. The links can be found on the district website at www.miamitrace.k12.oh.us/Back-To-School.aspx.
Kindergarteners will have a staggered start (half of the students attend on Aug. 20 while the other half attend Aug. 21). All kindergarteners begin attending school full-time on Aug. 22.
Open house dates are important to know for families who would like to come visit the campus. All grade levels, with the exception of kindergarten and sixth grade, will host their open house on Tuesday, Aug. 13 from 6-7:30 p.m. The kindergarten open house is set for Monday, Aug. 19 from 5:30 to 7 p.m., and the sixth grade transition night will be held Monday, Aug. 12 from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
“So all grade levels except kindergarten and sixth grade can visit their buildings and walk through their schedules that Tuesday after the Back-To-School Bash,” said Miami Trace Superintendent Kim Pittser. “We try to link it up as much as possible because it’s a trek to get to campus for some families. Having as much as we can on that one night is helpful.”
As previously reported, Miami Trace will host its second-annual Back-To-School Bash from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 13. Families of all ages can play games, enjoy local food truck fare, meet the fall sports teams, rally with the Marching Panther Pride and the Miami Trace cheerleaders, and dunk their favorite coach or school resource officer.
Entertainment kicks off at 4:30 p.m. with a “Meet the Teams” session, followed by a preview of the Marching Panther Pride at 5 p.m. and spirited cheer performances at 5:15 p.m. Throughout the evening, families can enjoy a variety of activities, ranging from competitive games such as Gaga Ball and Four-Square Volleyball to more casual activities such as face painting and a water relay course.
Local first responders will be in attendance to interact with families and students while offering valuable learning opportunities. Also, lining the boulevard will be local food truck vendors offering a variety of dining options like pizza, hot dogs, snow cones, burgers, ice cream, and floats.
Along with fun activities, the district is committed to providing essential information and resources to families as they prepare for the new school year. School officials are thrilled to once again distribute school supplies to students at the Bash, generously provided by United Way through its “Stuff the Bus” program.
Pittser also spoke about the importance of registration, as all students — new or returning — must complete online registration through FinalForms before the start of each school year. The link to FinalForms can be found on the district website.
“This is so important because changes occur in people’s lives, and unless we have this re-registration complete, we may not have some of our students’ most recent information,” Pittser said. “We ask all families to please make sure that the re-registration and FinalForms are finished and complete before students arrive on the 15th. There are some technology sources also mentioned in the re-registration that support our one-to-one initiative, because every student gets a device. So the completion of those technology forms helps students have that device from the get-go.”
Miami Trace students, staff and families are also encouraged to download the Miami Trace Mobile app. It provides easy access to news, events, bell schedules, bus routes, and much more. Families are encouraged to utilize the app to stay connected.
As for student meals, the district has transitioned from EZpay to MySchoolBucks.
“We’re asking all families to please create these MySchoolBucks accounts,” Pittser said. “This will allow them to check meal account balances, they can add funds, they can view the history of their child’s account. It’s definitely more user-friendly than EZpay and it’s more immediate. We have emailed all of our families and have done a call-out emphasizing this.”
Meal prices this year are
– Breakfast $1.50
– Reduced breakfast 30 cents
– Lunch (K-5) $2.70
– Lunch (6-12) $2.95
– Reduced Lunch 40 cents
All families are encouraged to apply for free and reduce-priced meals by completing the online application, which can be found on the district website.
Pittser said the transportation team at Miami Trace is readily available to answer any questions about routes.
“They are going to be available the night of the Back-To-School Bash and open houses,” she said. “There will be a transportation table. Our public is welcome to call them at any time, 740-333-2480. We’re happy to confirm any route assignments for the students.”
Miami Trace officials are excited about the development of the district’s new wellness center.
The district has the opportunity to finance the new building project using Student Wellness Funds and funds reserved for Permanent Improvements, according to Pittser. The project is estimated to cost $1.9 million with 75% coming from Student Wellness Funds.
Legislation for spending Student Wellness Funds changed in October 2023. Following this change, Miami Trace focused on the needs assessment plans to evaluation options. With the legislative changes, any district using these funds is required to have multiple community partners.
For this specific project, identified partners for Miami Trace are Integrated Services for Behavioral Health (ISBH) and Pickaway Area Recovery Services (PARS). However, the district also works with Scioto Paint Valley (SPV) and Southern Ohio Educational Service Center (SOESC) for mental health services.
“The new project will replace our current learning center, which includes the alternative school, special education programs, credit flex options, mental health care and other community-focused activities,” said Pittser.
The MT Wellness Center will be located behind the tennis courts adjacent to the visitor bleachers of the athletic stadium. The district will open bids for the project on Aug. 13. Groundbreaking is anticipated in September with completion by early spring 2025, which adheres to the expiration date of Student Wellness Funds (June 2025).
Another exciting development is the now completed outdoor learning space — affectionately known as “The Barn” — at the high school.
“While it was finished last year on the outside, making sure that our programs have equipment and items inside that extended learning space is really important to us,” said Pittser. “So that’s been transpiring over the summer.”
Some of the features of the outdoor learning space include running water, availability for livestock pens, rack system for modular technology program, full electric and space for building, and additional equipment to support outdoor learning for a variety of content areas — agricultural program, science department, mod technology, construction trades, etc.
“We’re just really excited for what this space holds for our student body,” Pittser said.
Last but certainly not least, Miami Trace is welcoming 24 new employees to the team.
“Ten of those are certified personnel, teachers and speech language pathologists. Fourteen of those are classified staff, our support staff. We’re very excited about our group coming in,” Pittser said.
The new employees include: Kathryn Bennett, food service; Leatha Bennett, high school custodian; Anna Bennington, transportation department; Denise Bierhup, elementary teacher; George Carr, elementary teacher; Mariah Carter, elementary teacher; Mykalley Carter, elementary teacher; Ginger Castle, elementary teacher; Virginia Compton, transportation department; Sara Creed, transportation department; Morgan Gardner, high school secretary; Matthew Hazelip, transportation department; Amanda Hollingsworth, elementary teacher; Randy Leach, high school custodian; Amy Marton, transportation department; Bryce Miller, transportation mechanic; Laci Mollet, transportation department; Abby Patterson, elementary secretary; Earl Perry, middle school custodian; Jordan Price, high school teacher; Thomas Shull, elementary custodian; Kate Waples, speech language pathologist; Heather White, learning center teacher; and Makenzie Wilson, elementary teacher.
“As we approach summer break, June is always appreciated for reflection. By July, we are truly ready for our students to be back on campus — it gets lonely here without them!” said Pittser. “One thing is for sure — there is always much to be done in the summer, and we truly appreciate the extra efforts from our custodial and maintenance teams along with other year-round employees. It takes everyone to ensure preparation for a new school year is complete.
“We are very excited to welcome our Panthers back, and we look forward to seeing many of our families at the Back to School Bash on August 13th.”
