Ridgeview Teacher honored at OSU - Pickerington Local School ...

9Managing GrowthMaryKirby from pg. 1Ann Kirkby.Mrs. Kirkby is a social studiesteacher. She has been an educatorin the District for a number ofyears, and she has even taughtmany of the staff here at PRJHS.This shows a tremendousamount of dedication to theteaching profession.Mrs. Kirkby is an inspirationto everyone. She has beendiagnosed with cancer but hasn’tlet her illness hold her back. Shecomes to school wearing wigsand caps after losing her hairduring chemotherapy treatments.Chemotherapy is one of the ways inwhich doctors try to remove cancerfrom the body.Regardless of how she feels, shecomes to school every day with asmile on her face to be with herstudents! Mrs. Kirby helps all ofher students achieve their goalsand we mean all of them. She isan inspiration to so many teachersand so many students.On Saturday, November 1, therewas a Living With Lung CancerFoundation balloon launch inMrs. Kirkby’s honor. Hundredsof balloons filled the air like akaleidoscope.What an incredible woman! She’sfighting this disease every day andstill only thinking of others. Mrs.Kirkby is an inspiration to all whoknow her.November 2008 | The School Bell | www.pickerington.k12.oh.usschool alignment from pg. 1minimize or eliminate the use ofmodular classrooms from Districtfacilities at the K-6 level.by December in order to beginestablishing busing and walkingboundaries.Next fall, more than 2,000 eager minds will fill the hallsof the newly constructed Toll Gate Middle, SycamoreCreek Elementary and Toll Gate Elementary schools.In 2007, voters approved a bond issue that affordedthe District the opportunity to construct three newfacilities to accommodate the District’s growing studentpopulation and lessen the need for portable classrooms.“The construction of these buildings represent the hardwork of the District taxpayers,” said Vince Utterback,business manager. “We are currently within budget andare expected to open doors for students at the start ofnext school year.”Sycamore Creek Elementary Schoolis in the final phase of construction.Work is continuing on the interior ofthe building.a cost savings to the taxpayer,” said Utterback.Both of these schools are in the final phase ofconstruction as well.The District is also expected to receive an estimated $50million for future renovations from the Ohio SchoolFacilities Commission. This money is contingent uponvoter approval of extending the current ClassroomFacilities Maintenance Levy, and will be received aspart of a matching or segmented program based onthe construction of Toll Gate Middle, Sycamore CreekElementary and Toll Gate Elementary schools.“The underlying goal is to providea safe, nurturing and welcomingeducational environment for ourstudents,” said Jim Sotlar, assistantsuperintendent.The plan assigns school attendanceareas based on street address andsubdivisions. The proposed plancan be viewed on the District’s website at www.pickerington.k12.oh.us.The members of the schoolalignment committee presentedthe plan to the Pickerington Boardof Education during its October 7Board of Education meeting.“The purpose of the plan is tooutline the new boundary lines andfuture school assignments for theelementary and middle schools,”said Sotlar.The plan needs to be finalizedDuring the informational meetings,the District gathered somevaluable information throughfeedback. These comments, and thepresentations made by concernedparents to the Board, allowed thecommittee to review the plan andreview potential adjustments.“We have been reviewing anddiscussing the needs and concernsof our parents,” said Sotlar.“Developing a plan such as this is amajor undertaking. We must createa plan that will sustain futuregrowth,” he continued.There are some residential areas inthe District that have low studentpopulation, but the District hassystems in place such as openenrollment to accommodatethose families.Although Toll Gate Middle Schooland Toll Gate Elementary School areon the same property, they are twoseparate facilities.“The two schools are joined by acommon breezeway that connectsthe two buildings. This type ofarchitectural design allowed theDistrict to maximize its landresources, which ultimately results inSycamore Creek ESSchool bell from pg.1in-depth coverage of the District, its operations and support organizations.The School Bell is not just a community newsletter but a news magazine,or “newszine.”This redesign also represents a significant cost savings to the District.Although we have expanded the format and content, the changes in design,printing and distribution resources will generate a cost savings of 40percent from the previous year.