Southwest Messenger - May 5th, 2019

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PAGE 4 - SOUTHWEST MESSENGER - May 5, 2019 Blood drive at Kingston Center The American Red Cross Blood Drive meets in the Kingston Center, 3226 Kingston Ave., from 1-7 p.m. the first Wednesday of each month. To schedule an appointment call 1-800-448-3543 or visit the American Red Cross Blood Drive website. S.A.L.T. at Evans Center The Grove City Division of Police host Seniors and Law Enforcement Together (S.A.L.T.) meetings at 1 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month at the Evans Center, 4330 Dudley Ave. Adults of all ages are welcome to attend. If you would like additional information on other crime prevention programs visit police.grovecityohio.gov or call 614-277-1765. Hydrant flushing in JT The Jackson Township Fire Department will begin its annual hydrant flushing program on May 13. The program will be conducted Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, until all areas of the township have been completed. It is expected that the flushing will take two to four weeks. Hydrant flushing may cause water to become rusty and to appear discolored. Although the water is not harmful to drink, it can cause discoloration of laundry. There are products, available at around the southwest SUMMER BLAST! ELVIS featuring Mike Albert and the Big E Band Saturday June 15, 2019 VILLA MILANO 1630 Schrock Rd. Dinner/Show Tickets $ 49.00 Tables of 10 Available Tickets by Phone: 614-792-3135 Still Good Seats Available most area pharmacies and grocery stores, which should remove the rust from clothing if discolored when washed in the rusty water. For more information, call the fire department at 614-875-5588. Youth Team Tennis Registration is open for South-Western Youth Team Tennis. Students who participate learn teamwork, communication, balance, agility, problem solving and self reliance all whole having fun and making friends. South-Western Youth Team Tennis, part of Midwest Youth Team Tennis, uses smaller courts, shorter racquets and lower bouncing balls so players can feel successful, even beginners. Students in grades 1-8 are encouraged to register. The teams meet on Tuesdays June 4 through July 9 at Grove City High School, 4665 Hoover Road. The cost is $45 per player. Registration closes May 10. To register, visit midwestteamtennis.com. For more information, contact James VanDyne at 614-560-3922 or westlandtennis@gmail.com. Free community meal Bethel Lutheran Church, 4501 Hoover Road in Grove City, will host a free community meal every third Saturday of each month. The food will be served from noon to 1 p.m. For more information, call the church office at 875-0510. Visa • Mastercard • Discover NO REFUNDS Fitness club members learn to fine tune their pushups. FITNESS Continued from page 1 school fitness hour to strengthen and condition their growing muscles and bones. The session that took place on this particular afternoon was inspired by a boot camp class. “It was brutal,” said one student. The idea for a fitness club, Miller explained, was sparked when a call went out from the administration asking teachers to create more after-school activities for their students. “Allison, Sydney and I sat around brainstorming fun activities we could do and we came up with this fitness club for girls,” she said. “We are all fitness buffs so we wanted to bring that sense of comradery and enthusiasm for physical activity and healthy habits to our girls.” When they began signing students up for the after-school club several weeks ago, they were not sure what the level of interest would be. “We have a maximum of 20 students permitted and we hoped to get half of that,” said Miller. Instead, they got more. The reason the Girls Fitness Club members signed up is quite varied. For second grader Ava Beth Ising, she joined the club to make her “wimpy legs” stronger. “They get tired after a while and I want them stronger.” For fourth grader Salia McLeod, she signed up to make friends and burn off energy. “I like being active,” she said. “I’m told it keeps me out of trouble.” And second grader Thalia Weygandt said her family made the decision for her. “I guess they signed me up,” she said. “They’re trying to be healthier and exercise more so here I am.” Initially, Weygandt said she was not sure as to whether she would like the vigorous physical activities that were promised through the club. Ultimately, she ended up liking it. “I prefer walking my dog but yeah, this www.columbusmessenger.com is OK,” she admitted. “It’s nice to move around like this.” When the club held its first session on April 23, the advisors began with an introductory lesson on fitness, healthy eating habits, personal goals and ways to increase muscle and body strength. They also spoke of the importance of lifting each other up and never getting discouraged when they can’t do something. Then came the laps throughout the gym. And then a homework assignment. “We didn’t give them homework,” said Miller with a laugh. “We just asked them to try to put their newfound knowledge of physical activity and strength and conditioning to use after-school.” Many of the girls took it to heart. “They would come up to me in class or in the hall, telling me they worked on leg strength through jumping on the trampoline or they did cardio by running,” Miller said. “Ava Beth told me she’s been working on her calves and another girl told me they started drinking more water instead of sugary beverages.” Though the club, which is in its first year, just started and will only run fourweeks, the advisors said they can tell the lessons are already paying dividends with their budding fitness pupils. “We hope being a part of this club will keep them on the path toward healthy habits and healthy decisions for the long run,” said Muschott, a fourth grade teacher. Muschott said she, Miller and Palsgrove were all active when they were the age of the fitness club students and have continued to maintain that level of enthusiasm for activity throughout their lives. “Healthy habits start when you’re young,” she said. “We want them to have that knowledge of what their bodies are capable of and that sense of confidence that comes from physical activity and being encouraging of others as they try to reach their goals.”
www.columbusmessenger.com In Education May 5, 2019 -SOUTHWEST MESSENGER - PAGE 5 District expects to see increase in EL students By Dedra Cordle Staff Writer South-Western City School officials are predicting steady growth in the enrollment numbers of students classified as English Learners. At the April 22 board of education meeting, program coordinator Ed Kennedy said data indicates there could be as many as 3,325 EL students enrolled in the district for the 2019/20 school year, which is an increase of 21 students from the current school year. He added that while growth is projected in all buildings, one area that will continue to see added growth throughout the years is the “Franklin Heights corridor.” “We are seeing many families move into the areas whose schools will feed into Franklin Heights High School,” he said, referring to East Franklin, Finland, Harmon and West Franklin Elementary, as well as Franklin Woods Intermediate and Finland Middle. Community Focus around the southwest Immunizations in Jackson Township Franklin County Public Health will offer adult and childhood immunizations on May 13 at the Jackson Township Administration Building, 3756 Hoover Road in Grove City. Most insurance plans are accepted but discounted services are available for those with no insurance. To schedule an appointment, call (614) 525-3719 or visit www.myfcph.org. Gardens at Gantz plant sale Join the Gardens at Gantz volunteers as they celebrate the 26th annual Gardens at Gantz Herb, Perennial and Landscape Plant Sale from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. May 11 at Gantz Park, 2255 Home Road. Due to park construction, the sale is in the Gantz Farmhouse parking lot. This is a rain or shine event. Browse a wide variety of culinary and landscape herbs, native perennials, rain-garden plants and more. The Grove City Tree Commission in conjunction with Five Springs Farm Nursery & Landscaping and Hickory Lane Farms offer a selection of trees and bushes. Volunteers are on-site to answer gardening and tree care questions. Cash, checks and credit cards ($15 minimum) are accepted at the plant sale and cash or check payment only at the tree sale. Proceeds benefit the Gardens at Gantz Farm volunteers, celebrating 28 years of dedication and cultivation to garden improvements, youth and adult education and book donations to area schools. For more information, call 614-277-3058 or 614-871-6323. Screenings at Evans Senior Center Amity Care Home Health Services provides a nurse at the E.L. Evans Senior Center in Grove City to do free diabetic screening and blood pressure testing every first and third Wednesday of the month from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information, call Amity Care Home Health at 334-6800. He said the demographic that will grow throughout that area is the Latino population. “For many years, we saw a lot of growth with our Somali and Arabic speaking families in that corridor but now we are projecting an increase of our Latino families.” Kennedy said those projections do not come as a surprise to the district, nor are they unprepared for the influx on a staffing level. “Spanish is our number one language with EL students, with Somali and Arabic following,” Kennedy said. His data indicates 71 percent of EL students speak Spanish as their primary language, followed by 20 percent for Somali and Arabic speakers. He also reported that when students enroll in the program, a majority are doing so when they are at the pre-functional or basic level of learning the English language. “Of that group, a majority are at the younger levels, such as the elementary or All smiles Messenger photo by Dedra Cordle On April 20, more than 80 children and adults from across the region came to the West Jefferson Community Center to participate in an Easter egg hunt designed specifically for those with special needs. One such participant was Carson Groves, a 6-year-old student at J.C. Sommer Elementary, who was all smiles as he came into a room filled with eggs attached to balloon strings to accommodate those with mobility issues. The event, which organizers hope will become an annual tradition, was made possible through a partnership with the village of West Jefferson and the Autism Society of Central Ohio. intermediate age,” he said. Kennedy said it takes one to two years for students to have a proficient grasp on conversational skills, while it takes five to seven years to become proficient with their reading and writing skills. He said when it comes to older students who enroll and are testing at the pre-functional or basic level it is “all hands on deck” to get them to graduate on time. One step the district is taking to lessen the language gap is through a Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy grant. According to Kennedy, the district was recently awarded a $200,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Education that, in part, allowed officials to purchase books for the middle to high school grades. “We have found that pleasure reading helps advance their understanding of the English language,” said Kennedy. He said a favored genre of students is the graphic novel. “Graphic novels are popular because they are able to show you the action while telling you what is happening,” he said. The grant was implemented this year, and Kennedy said it is already paying dividends. “We have seen a 0.5 to a 0.8 percent increase in grade level growth after just the first semester,” he said. Another positive thing about the grant, he added, is that most of the reading materials can be accessed online so there are no waiting periods for the return of popular materials. “We think this will be a great tool for our students,” he said. In other news, Amy Schakat, the coordinator of Career-Technical Education, said the middle grades will be introduced to four new courses next year. They include an introduction to financial literacy, entrepreneurship, app development and strength and fitness. And at the high school level, Westland will add a Bilingual Customer Service Certificate.
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Southwest Messenger - May 5th, 2019

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