WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, Ohio — The Washington Court House City Schools monthly Board of Education meeting took place in the district office on Monday, Sept. 16. Multiple presentations were given, including one by the Blue Lion Athletic Boosters and one by the Washington High School administration team and a few students.

BLAB president April Self, president Kim Hays and secretary Briton Sword addressed the board to discuss the latest happenings within the booster club.

“Our mission is to provide the resources and opportunities necessary for all student organizations to thrive and for students to achieve their full potential in their extracurricular pursuits, their athletic abilities and their personal growth,” said Sword.

“We recently just formed committees with our board, we are going to have a fundraising committee, a PR committee, and a sponsorship committee,” said Self.

Self informed those in attendance that the BLAB meets the second Monday of every month at 7 p.m. in the Washington High School cafeteria, and said that anyone is welcome to come and participate.

According to Self, there has been an effort to improve concession offerings, and that the concessions now serve pizza, hot dogs, coney dogs, brats, walking tacos, nachos, pretzels, popcorn, candy, Pepsi products, and Dippin’ Dots.

“We also try to get a local business to come to our home varsity football games,” said Sword. “Last week we had rolled ice cream, the week before we had McDonald’s come in and sell their chicken sandwiches. Ranchers is coming to a game this year as well. So, we try to feature a local business every Friday at our football games to try to promote community.”

Self explained that some BLAB fundraisers include a golf outing, pickleball tournament, softball tournament, spirit wear, senior parking spots, paw print signs, raffles, and auctioning items at certain events.

The group then went through the various donations they have recently made toward athletes and athletics within the district.

They concluded by explaining their athlete of the week award that is new to this year. Each week, all coaches nominate a Blue Lion athlete and one is recognized by the booster club. They get a $20 gift card from Champion’s Grill and they get their photo taken and posted on social media.

“Overall, we think this recognition can significantly benefit the student athletes, their peers, the school and the community,” said Self.

The next presentation was given by the Washington High School administration team and a few students.

WHS principal Brady Streitenberger discussed the goals within the building.

“Number one, we want to focus on communication. That’s communication amongst each other, to our families, and to the community, both improving and increasing that communication. Number two, we want to continue to focus on a positive, supportive culture. We want everyone to feel welcome at the high school, whether you are a teacher, student, or are a parent coming in to sign out your child for an appointment. We feel like if we don’t focus on that daily, it’s probably not going to happen. Lastly, we want to emphasize the impact that we have on our community. In a community of this size, the school will always be a focal point in the community, as it should be, and we have to remember our impact on all of those things.”

Assistant principal Scott Landrum discussed some of the new things going on at WHS, including family entry meetings, new course offerings, flooring in the cafeteria and gym lobby, credit recovery, quarterly newsletter and a spring arts and music trip to New York City.

Streitenberger then highlighted some important data regarding the decrease in suspensions from the 2022-23 school year to the 2023-24 school year.

In the 2022-23 school year, there were 93 out-of-school suspensions, including 18 that were violence-related and 68 that were tobacco- or drug-related.

In the 2023-24 school year, there were only 12 out-of-school suspensions, including seven for violence and 18 tobacco and drug infractions that didn’t always lead to an out-of-school suspension, according to Streitenberger.

“Honestly, we just approached it a little differently. We tried to do a lot more preventative work, getting to know the students and building relationships with them, getting them to trust that we were there to support them and not just move them out if they’ve done something wrong.”

Dean of students Louis Reid spoke about involvement in athletics for fall sports. According to Reid, there are 158 athletes involved in a fall sport and 85 involved in marching band.

Landrum then discussed the work-based learning program for the 2023-24 school year. There were 40 full-time and 31 part-time students enrolled in this program.

“When we looked at those numbers, some of that didn’t make us feel great because we felt like some of those kids were just trying to escape our school. We kind of got together and formed a six-person team. They are consistently working to make sure that this is working for these kids and also for Washington High School.”

For the 2024-25 school year, there are 12 full-time and 27 part-time students enrolled in work-based learning. According to Landrum, the students have to meet eligibility requirements in order to stay in the program, which is a change.

Reid then touched on the PBIS system and the various rewards that students can use their points on. These include free tickets to high school games, gym time during lunch, outdoor dining, snacks and water and removal of detention.

Four students then addressed the board to speak about their experiences at WHS. These students were Cooper Robertson, Jordyn Gray, Jillian Frederick and Kendelle Woods.

Robertson was the first to speak.

“For me, the best thing about Washington High School is the interactions I get to have with the teachers and staff. This could be Mr. Streitenberger coming up to me on a Monday asking me if I watched the NFL games over the weekend, or Pap (Mr. Penwell) telling a story from 20 years ago, or Mr. Sheets telling me the latest in the political spectrum. The teachers work hard to build relationships with us. I think the staff is doing a great job of being our friends as well as being our teachers, and that makes high school enjoyable and not as stressful.”

Gray spoke next about what being a Blue Lion means to her.

“Being a Blue Lion isn’t just about wearing royal blue and white or participating in extracurricular activities. It’s about being recognized as an individual beyond what your GPA is or who you are as an athlete. Our school and community sees each of us as a person with unique talents and amazing contributions. One of the most impactful aspects of our Blue Lion experience is how everyone in the faculty makes us feel known and heard. Our school is dedicated to ensuring that every voice matters.”

Frederick took the podium next to speak about self-advocacy.

“I think self-advocacy is the most important skill you can have, because no matter how academically talented you are, if you don’t have the skills needed to speak up for yourself, you probably won’t make it very far after school. The more I have attended Washington High School, the more I have come to realize that my voice matters. My differences, challenges and uniqueness of every student, that all matters, and this is thanks to the wonderful staff in this district. The adults listen to their students and encourage them to advocate for themselves. I want to thank the WCHCS staff for inspiring future leaders.”

Woods closed the presentation.

“I feel so strongly that the best part of our school is the wonderful faculty. I’ve had the privilege to be taught by many of the teachers and many of them have gone out of their way to provide me with unconditional support in my educational endeavors, as well as support for me as a person. As I was having my millionth breakdown about what I wanted to do with my life, Mrs. Rader was there to help calm me down and remind me that what I am feeling is normal. It’s moments like that that make my experience at school positive. Since joining the high school, I’ve seen the school at its worst and now I can say I’ve seen it close to its prime. It’s the best I’ve ever seen. Mr. Streitenberger goes out of his way to make his students feel included in a positive environment and you can see it reflected in the students. He has made it so I can say that I am proud to be a Blue Lion.”

The next WCHCS board meeting is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. in the district office.