Local News, Events, Entrtainment & Opinion Darke County Ohio

Local News, Commentary & Events
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Greenville Public Library… Summer Reading at the Library
Even with the restrictions due to Covid, Greenville Public Library's Children’s Department hosted a very successful Summer Reading Program. Specialist Julie Kennett reported more than 150 kids enrolled. They were able to pick up special packets from the Library and to keep track of their minutes of reading and to do the enclosed crafts. Thirty-eight prizes were given out over the weeks... read more .

Edison State VP of Business and Community Partnerships Earns Doctorate Degree
Edison State Community College Vice President of Business and Community Partnerships Rick Hanes has earned a Doctorate of Education from Miami University after successfully presenting his dissertation study entitled, “The Effects of Performance Based Funding on Decision-Making at an Ohio Community College.” Edison State President Dr. Doreen Larson said of Hanes’ achievement, “Great leaders in... read more .

Darke County Parks asks for your vote
The Darke County Park District needs your support this November. The Citizens for Darke County Parks committee would like to highlight a few points that you, the voter, need to know before casting your ballot on Issue #1 for this .5 mill levy. To homeowners of a $100,000 home, this levy will only add $1.46 a month. Here are a few things that Darke County residents will gain with... read more .

Darke County Republican Women… DCRW to host Congressman Warren Davidson
Reception to be held at Montage - GREENVILLE, OHIO – The Darke County Republican Women’s Club (DCRWC) is hosting a reception for Congressman Warren Davidson (R-OH8) from 2:30-4:30 p.m. on September 19 at Montage in Greenville. The reception is limited to only those who have sent an RSVP prior to the event. “The ladies of the Darke County Republican Women’s Club are thrilled to be able to provide this... read more .

Darke S.W.C.D… Ohio’s 2020 Fall Hunting Seasons Starting
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Hunting season is fast approaching, and Ohio’s hunters are invited to kick off the year beginning Tuesday, Sept. 1 with opening days for squirrel, mourning dove, and more, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. “Fall in Ohio is an exciting time with so many hunting opportunities available,” said Division of Wildlife Chief Kendra... read more .

Along Life’s Way… Got a Grabber? By Lois E. Wilson
I was recently introduced to a” Grabber.” No, it’s not the grabber you might encounter who grabs your purse and runs. It is a personal health-care tool. It is also called a picker or reacher. Its purpose is to help one pick items up from a distance or down from a height. The grabber was necessary for me to use when for a time I was not allowed to bend over and touch my toes, pick things up from... read more .

Greenville Public Library… A Request from your Library
The Greenville Public Library still has a great deal of empty shelf space due to many books not having been returned to the Library. As we know, when Covid struck in March everything went into lockdown suddenly. Many patrons had materials checked out and were not able to return them for the next two months. When the Library partially opened in May, materials could be returned by... read more .

Edison State Community College… Edwards named Edison State Employee of the Semester
Edison State Community College recognized outstanding employee performance at the Fall Convocation, which was held virtually on Monday, August 17. The Employee of the Semester award speaks to Edison State’s commitment to quality and sustaining positive employee engagement. Employees are recognized for making a difference to members of the campus community, going... read more .

Poultry Days A Success
The 69th annual Poultry Days was one for the history books. First the festival rescheduled to August, then it moved to Heritage Park and lastly in response to last minute state restrictions the social portion of the festival was cancelled. All that with masks and social distancing. While the festival lacked many of the things that people come to expect of poultry days the community enjoyed... read more .

Puzzle Pete Visits the Hives: A to Z, Lois E. Wilson
Pete says to complete the answer words starting with the letters of the alphabet. The letter “B” is placed as the fourth letter in each answer. Each dash stands for a letter. He hopes you don’t get stung by this swarm of B’s. Wilson's completed set of books has a new edition – now six volumes – of published poetry. Volume 1 is out of print and no longer available, however Volumes 2-6 are... read more .

Reopening Darke County… Fun times ahead in September
It has certainly been a challenging year, but there is still a lot to be thankful for. September is looking like it might be the time to finally get outside and enjoy all that Greenville and Darke County have to offer. The Darke County Parks have been open throughout the pandemic and many locals have rediscovered the trails - both bike and walking. As fall approaches, there is no better... read more .

Broke Wife, Big City… A van after my own heart, By Aprill Brandon
It’s been said that fortune favors the bold. Which, if true, would explain a lot about my life. At best, I can probably be described as casually feisty. And that’s only after an entire pot of coffee. So, fortune doesn’t so much favor me as ignore me most of the time and then suddenly remember I’m there, which is when she surprises me with either a slightly larger than normal tax return... read more .

Darke County Center for the Arts… DCCA to hold Annual Meeting
The Darke County Center for the Arts will hold its annual meeting on Thursday, September 10, 7 p.m., in the Meeting Room on the third floor of the Greenville Public Library, 126 W. Fourth St., Greenville. All DCCA members are invited to attend. The agenda includes election of officers and trustees and reports from the last fiscal year. Immediately following the annual meeting, the board of trustees... read more .

Eldora adds $50,000-to-win "Governor's Reign" on Sept. 22 & 23
ROSSBURG, Ohio (August 18, 2020) – Eldora Speedway officials, in concert with the Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1, have announced an addition to Eldora’s 2020 calendar. A new event – the “Governors Reign” – is scheduled for Tuesday, September 22nd and Wednesday, September 23rd. Sanctioned by the All Star Circuit of Champions (ASCoC), the... read more .

Edison State’s Nate Cole Named OCCAC AD of the Year
Nate Cole, Edison State Community College Director of Athletics and Student Life, was voted as the Michael Rickard OCCAC Athletics Director of the Year for 2019-20. This accolade comes after Cole guided the Chargers to their first OCCAC All-Sports Award in school history. “I am truly honored to be named the OCCAC Athletics Director of the Year,” said Cole. “This award belongs to the great coaches... read more .

Art of Recovery Goes Virtual, Explores Mental Health Amid Pandemic
The Tri-County Board of Recovery and Mental Health Services is seeking entries from local artists for its annual Art of Recovery exhibit, this year to be displayed virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Artists who have been affected personally, through a family member or friend, or anyone whose art reflects recovery from mental illness or addiction are invited to participate. Artists display... read more .

Richards shines during 4-H fair horse competition
GREENVILLE-Like so many other 4-H horse riders, 15 year old Torie Richards, a sophomore at Tri-Village, is one of the busier exhibitors at the fair. Showing in several classes with two different quarter horses, Willard and Remi, Richards has found a lot of success in the show ring. From the barrels and poles to the gate jumping, Richards has proven to be a fierce competitor and is... read more .

Along Life’s Way… The Journey Forward, By Lois E. Wilson
The minute we are born, we begin our life journey. At first the goals are basic: learning to feed ourselves, learning to crawl, stand up, walk, and talk are some accomplished in the early months and years. As we mature, the goals become more difficult, important, and personal. You develop new goals of education, career-development, family pursuits, and later retirement. At any... read more .

Wilson wins Cancer Association’s Gourmet Dinner
Cancer Association of Darke County held their annual Gourmet Dinner Raffle Fundraiser earlier this year. Mark Davis and Tim McKibben of Eikenberry's IGA are shown with Julie Graber of the dinner club (that prepares the Cancer Association's Gourmet Dinner.) Sharon Wilson was this year's winner. Eikenberry's once again donated the ingredients for the dinner, which featured beef tenderloin... read more .

Big Brothers Big Sisters… The Winery at Versailles supports BBBS
The Versailles Winery located on State Route 47 in Versailles hosted their annual fund-raising for charity event called the Adult Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, July 18th from 6:00-9:00 pm with proceeds from the tickets sales and live auction items benefiting Big Brothers Big Sisters of Shelby and Darke County and non-perishable canned food donations to Grace Resurrection food... read more .

Great Darke County Fair… Harter wears more than just one hat
GREENVILLE- Sixteen year old GraceLynn Harter may very well be the busiest 4-H person on the fairgrounds this year. A member of the Silver Hoofs 4-H horse club, Harter showed in multiple events at the 2020 fair winning several ribbons over the course of the shortened fair with two different horses. Gunsmoke (aka Mokey), is a full blooded Arabian. She does contesting, saddle seat... read more .

Puzzle Pete’s Add-On Anagrams #8, Lois E. Wilson
Pete has created four puzzles with a 3-letter word starting each of them. Use the three given letters plus an additional letter to answer the first clue. Use all of those letters plus an additional one for the next clue, etc. Put each letter you add on the dash in the add-on letter column. Arrange the three letters in the add-on letter column to answer the final clue. Each dash stands for a letter. Pete’s hint: if you... read more .

Great Darke County Fair… Contesting brings home big wins for one 4-H’er and another steals the heart of the crowd, By Brandy Lewis – GREENVILLE - Kara Strait was elated to win not one big show of the day but two! The 11th grader from Troy Christian rode her horse, Sinica, in the Senior Poles Championship Friday morning. Her quarter horse made a perfect run to take her to first place. Strait rides two to three hours a day and said Covid-19 helped her spend more time with her horse. The... read more .

Broke Wife, Big City… An evening with Stephen King, By Aprill Brandon
When it comes to long-term relationships, it’s important to surprise each other every once in a while. If you’ve been together long enough, this can be done as easily as accidentally listening to your partner when they’re talking. Which is how I heard the following last night. “If you weren’t so scared of spiders, I’d take you down into the sewers by my mom’s house.” That was an actual sentence uttered... read more .

Great Darke County Fair… Brinksteader shows Grand Champion steer
GREENVILLE- At the ripe old age of 12, Lance Brinksteader stood tall at the Darke County Fair Saturday. The Arcanum student took his 1321 pound steer to the winners circle as Grand Champion. A member the Darke County 4H Beef Club, Brinksteader said it was only his second year of showing and was very surprised at his achievement. “I really thought it would take several years for this to... read more .

Garst Museum… Remembering the Past—Embracing the Future
Something new in the neighborhood? Indeed there is! On Friday, August 14, 2020, Garst Museum celebrated the near completion of its new parking lot by recognizing the people who helped make it a reality. Invited guests were Jim Buchy, Eunice Steinbrecher, Keith Faber, Darryl Mehaffie, Pete Hemer, Rodney Oda, John Marchal, Steve Gruber, Darren Reeves, and Tim Flora. Keith Faber, Ohio... read more .

Rismiller takes two honors in Beef Showmanship
GREENVILLE- It was a dream come true for 16 year old Riley Rismiller Friday. Rismiller won the showmanship ribbon in the intermediate division, outshowing three others in her class, then she beat out the top four overall winners to win Showman of Showman on opening night at the fair. Sadie, a breeding heifer, is Rismiller’s pride and joy and the two made for a great team in the show ring. Rismiller has been... read more .

Midmark announces Inn at Versailles to be reborn
New construction to begin this fall - Aug. 19, 2020 — Midmark Corp., a leading provider of medical, dental and veterinary equipment, technology and services, today announced plans to rebuild The Inn at Versailles (Inn), a Midmark facility established to service local patrons, and Midmark customers and employees before a devastating fire occurred in October 2019. The plans to rebuild the Inn... read more .

American Pickers to Film in Ohio
Mike Wolfe, Frank Fritz, and their team are excited to return to Ohio! They plan to film episodes of the hit series American Pickers throughout the area in October. We understand that with the proliferation of COVID-19, we are all facing very uncertain times. We at American Pickers are taking the pandemic very seriously and will be following all guidelines and protocols for safe filming as... read more .

Along Life’s Way… Speaking in “Tongues” By Lois E. Wilson
There are many uses of the words “tongue” and “tongues” in the Bible. They represent three different forms: the organ tongue, language(s), and for good or bad discourse. It is interesting the way certain words and their idioms invade our language. The phrase “speaking in tongues” is one of the spiritual gifts described in 1 Corinthians 12 7-11, 28 (NIV). Paul explains that God chose some people... read more .

Edison State Board Members Receive Top Honors
Two longstanding members of the Edison State Community College Board of Trustees received esteemed community honors recently. Tom Milligan, co-owner of Western Ohio Cut Stone and Darryl Mehaffie, a retired educator, both received awards of distinction from their respective communities. Tom Milligan, who has been on Edison State’s board for 21 years, having been selected by the governor... read more .

Darke County Parks… DCP takes part in Monarch Monitoring
On July 28th, park naturalists Mandy Martin and Megan Schmidt took part in the Monarch Larva Monitoring Project (MLMP). The two naturalists worked together to survey over 100 milkweed plants at Shawnee Prairie Preserve. During this survey, they searched for eggs, different stages (instars) of caterpillars, pupae and adults. After over an hour of inspecting each milkweed plant, they were able... read more .

Darke County Friends of the Animal Shelter
The Darke County Friends of the Shelter is a 501 (C) 3 Non-Profit Organization made up of various community members of Darke County. The purpose of this organization is to help with the additional needs of the Darke County Animal Shelter. In 2012, after four years of planning and fundraising, the Darke County Friends of the Shelter broke ground for Scentral Park dog park and celebrated the Grand... read more .

Puzzle Pete’s Add-On Anagrams #7, Lois E. Wilson
Pete has created four puzzles with a 3-letter word starting each of them. Use the three given letters plus an additional letter to answer the first clue. Use all of those letters plus an additional one for the next clue, etc. Put each letter you add on the dash in the add-on letter column. Arrange the three letters in the add-on letter column to answer the final clue. Each dash stands for a letter. Pete’s hint: if you are stuck... read more .

Representatives Manchester, Jones Introduce Local Control Legislation
COLUMBUS – State Reps. Susan Manchester (R-Waynesfield) and Don Jones (R-Freeport) today announced the introduction of legislation that protects local control for school districts during a pandemic. “School districts are best suited to make decisions that will ensure our students are taught in a safe and conducive learning environment,” said Manchester. Under the bill, any orders or rules from the Department of Health would... read more .

Broke Wife, Big City… Eat your heart out, Rod Serling, By Aprill Brandon
By reading this column, you’re traveling through another dimension. A dimension, not only of sight and sound, but of the contents of your wallet. A journey into a heinous land whose boundaries are those of your credit limit. Next stop – the Credit Card Zone. The place is here. The time? Now. Street scene: summer. A woman is on the sidewalk, pacing back and forth as she talks on her cell phone. Age: Thirty... read more .

Edison State Community College… Spring 2020 Dean's List Announced
August 14, 2020 - Dean's List… Edison State Community College recognizes 589 students for excellence in academics on the Spring 2020 Semester Dean’s List. To be eligible for the Dean’s List a student must have at least a 3.5 grade point average and carry a minimum of 12 hours for the semester. Anna: Ethan Amsden, Emily Bertke, Brynn Billing, Bart Bixler, Jennifer Blackburn, Megan... read more .

GNB Announces Retirement and Promotions
Recently GNB Banking Centers recognized the retirement of Brad Bixler and the promotion of Angela Benedict and Natasha Lefeld to officer level positions. Brad Bixler was a Senior Vice President, Chief Loan Officer, Troy Banking Center Manager, and the previous Arcanum Branch Manager. Brad joined the GNB family in 1980. Born and raised in Pitsburg, he and his wife, Lisa, made Pitsburg their home where... read more .

Along Life’s Way… Is Being Proud OK? By Lois E. Wilson
On the inside of a Dove chocolate wrapper was the quote, “Don’t stop until you’re proud.” Reviewing what the Bible states about “being proud” and “showing pride,” they can be negative attributes. Proverbs 16:18 (TNIV) “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” Throughout history, others have commented in a like manner about these qualities. Some have offered cautions toward... read more .

Darke County Solid Waste District… Tire Recycling Day Near
Tired of looking at those old tires lying around? Not only are they an eyesore, they can be dangerous. The Darke County Solid Waste District and the Ohio EPA want to help you with your tire problem. The district and EPA will be sponsoring a used tire collection on Wednesday, September 23, 2020, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. In addition to tires to being an eyesore, they are a nuisance to rural citizens who find... read more .

Puzzle Pete and “EC,”A to Z, Lois E. Wilson
Pete says to use the clues to determine the answer words. Their starting letters and the letters “EC” are given where they appear in a word. Each dash stands for a missing letter. Pete says, “Give it a try!” Wilson's completed set of books has a new edition – now six volumes – of published poetry. Volume 1 is out of print and no longer available, however Volumes 2-6 are available and are offered... read more .

Poultry Days Barbecue Moving Forward
Versailles will offer is its 69th annual Poultry Days barbecue on August 14-16th, 2020. While COVID related restrictions didn’t allow the social portions of the festival the community is moving forward with the annual barbecue. This community of 2,800 plans to sell 20,000 chicken dinners over the weekend. Join us in celebrating the 69th Annual Versailles Poultry Days, August 14-16th... read more .

Duck Derby & Duck-N-Run 5K Winners Announced
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Shelby & Darke County held their 14th Annual Duck Derby and Duck-N-Run 5K virtually Thursday August 6th, at 7:30pm. The Duck Derby had 2,492 ducks “adopted” by community members and local corporate sponsors. Due to safety precautions instead of having our Duck Derby & 5K at Tawawa Park’s Mosquito Creek, this year’s Duck Derby winners were chosen randomly... read more .

Along Life’s Way… Stick-to-itiveness, By Lois E. Wilson
He found a pair of jeans without a patch, put them on, combed his hair, and then tried to polish the tops of his shoes into a shine. They were too worn for that. He didn’t want to stick out like a sore thumb. After all it was the early 50’s. Reaching the kitchen, he grabbed one of his Mom’s homemade sticky buns. When he tried to kiss her goodbye, she backed away and said, “You have sticky fingers!” He... read more .

OSU Extension… 800 Boxes of Food to be Distributed
ANSONIA, OH -- Shared Harvest Foodbank, in partnership with OSU Extension, Darke County, and Darke County United Way, will host their fifth “drive-thru” food distribution at Ansonia Local Schools, Wednesday, August 19th from 4:30-6:30 PM. Shared Harvest is preparing 800 boxes to be distributed to Darke County residents for this hands-free food distribution. A family receiving food... read more .

Powell Announces ‘Community Conversation’ Event
ARCANUM – State Rep. Jena Powell (R-Arcanum) today announced she will be hosting a community conversation event with Troy Fire Chief Matthew Simmons to discuss COVID-19 numbers and statistics. The event will be held via Facebook Live on Wednesday, August 12th at noon. “I look forward to discussing COVID-19 with a well-respected leader in our community,” said Powell. “This community... read more .

Puzzle Pete’s Double Alphabet Scramble, Lois E. Wilson
Complete the 8-letter answer words using the clues. The fourth letter of each is given. The answer words all start with a different letter of the alphabet. Work up and down. Cross off each letter as it is used. Pete hopes the puzzle doesn’t scramble your brain—but improves it. Wilson's completed set of books has a new edition – now six volumes – of published poetry. Volume 1 is out of print and no longer... read more .

Broke Wife, Big City… The Five Stages of House Cleaning With Children, By Aprill Brandon
Stage One: Optimism(-ish)… Hey kids! Come here please. ...Guys? Come on, I know you hear me. ...BECAUSE I SAID SO. Don’t make me start counting. One! TWOOO...good choice. OK, now before you start groaning, hear me out. Today we’re going to clean the house! Yay! (Fifteen minute pause for loud whining and fake tantrums) Wow, those are some really good points you guys made... read more .

Cake and Egg Contest Winners Announced
While the social portions of the Poultry Days Festival were canceled and chicken rescheduled to August 14-16 several events adapted. In this part of the world we believe keeping traditions alive is important. Two Versailles traditions are the annual Egg Exhibit and Cake Contest. Instead of delaying these events for a year the Versailles Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center which is the... read more .

Edison State Earns Top Honor—OCCAC All-Sports Award
July 28, 2020 - Edison State Community College (D-II) has been selected as the 2019–2020 OCCAC All-Sports Award winner. This season marks the first for which this honor has been given to Edison State. Last season, Edison State finished as the 2018–2019 runner-up among all nine schools in division II. “I am very proud of all the coaches and student-athletes for being named the OCCAC All-Sports Award... read more .

Along Life’s Way… Vanity or Sanity? By Lois E. Wilson
Most people have some vanity. They care how they interact with and appear to others. Fortunately over the years, techniques have advanced to the point that many birth defects and injuries from accidents can be corrected or greatly improved by surgical intervention. Plastic surgery or cosmetic surgery can alter some of the results of aging—hence began the face lift. As in my verse below, it is... read more .

Darke County Parks offers virtual animal encounter
On the last day of both Outside the Box virtual summer camps, naturalists asked the campers what camp would they like to do next. Almost all of the kids said ANIMALS! So, by popular demand, DCP is excited to offer one last 'camp' for the summer. The Virtual Animal Encounter Camp starts Monday, August 17. During this Zoom featured camp, participants will meet the hawks, owls, snakes and other... read more .

Darke County Endowment for the Arts announces grant awards
Darke County Endowment for the Arts recently granted funds to four applicants who submitted requests for financial assistance with their arts-related projects. According to DCEA Chair Marilyn Delk, one of DCEA's major purposes is to help organizations and individuals achieve artistic goals that benefit the citizens of Darke County. The grants were awarded to: Ansonia High School Art Club, Friends... read more .

Stuff the Bus for United Way on July 31
This is Stuff the Bus Week for Darke County United Way. As you can imagine, the start of the school year will look a little different for our students and teachers. We have been told by numerous superintendents that EACH student will need his or her own school supplies this year. There will be no shared classroom supplies this year. Please help us make this the most successful school supply drive... read more .

Puzzle Pete’s Add-On Anagrams #6, Lois E. Wilson
Pete has created four puzzles with a 3-letter word starting each of them. Use the three given letters plus an additional letter to answer the first clue. Use all of those letters plus an additional one for the next clue, etc. Put each letter you add on the dash in the add-on letter column. Arrange the three letters in the add-on letter column to answer the final clue. Each dash stands for a letter. Pete’s hint: if you are... read more .

Poultry Days Announcements
Social portion cancelled; Chicken sales, Miss Chick and Little Miss Poultry Days pageants will still be held. Bulk chicken sales deadline extended… In response to additional restrictions announced by the governor Poultry Days has canceled the social portion of the August 14-16th festival. The Governor's mask mandate cannot be reasonably adhered to and there is potential for additional restrictions... read more .

Broke Wife, Big City… You will not defeat me, By Aprill Brandon
I always assumed I would have an arch nemesis someday. My personality kind of demands it. Obviously it would be someone who was cool and awesome, someone worthy of battling a badass antihero with a heart of gold such as myself. But also clearly someone with less wit and less awesome hair. Imagine my surprise, then, when my arch nemesis turned out to be the sun. Oh yeah. Let’s talk about... read more .

Big Brothers Big Sisters… Harry D. Stephens Memorial contributes to BBBS
Harry D. Stephens Memorial Trust Fund has recently awarded a grant to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Shelby & Darke County. Big Brothers Big Sisters is designed to create and support one to one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. This grant in specific will assist with purchases for the mentoring programs in Darke County. Our mentoring programs consist of many... read more .

Poultry Days Presale Ride Tickets
Poultry Days will offer carnival rides in 2020. The State of Ohio has issued COVID related requirements for the operation of carnival rides and the Darke County Health Department has approved those rides being offered at Poultry Days. Big O Amusement will offer twelve carnival rides on Saturday August 15th and Sunday August 16th at Heritage Park. Ride all day for $20 if you purchase at the festival or... read more .

Darke County Parks… Bike Rentals Back at Bish Discovery Center
Bike rentals are back! The Darke County Park District is once again offering bicycle rentals to the public. Bikes are available to rent from the Bish Discovery Center, located at 404 N. Ohio St. in Greenville. Bikes are accessible for $5 an hour. DCP currently only accepts credit card payment for rentals. Current operating hours for the Bish Discovery Center are 12:00 pm-4:00 pm Monday-Friday. As... read more .

Along Life’s Way… Relationships: Some Thoughts, By Lois E. Wilson
As we proceed through life, we have many relationships with people. Some may be for only a short period of time—a passing relationship. There are several other categories. We hope most relationships are “friends.” A few of the qualities in a good friend are: Knows me and my faults but likes me anyway. We share goals and secrets. We want the best for each other and are true and loyal in our... read more .

Darke County Center for the Arts… What Happens Next? By Marilyn Delk
Carnegie Hall recently announced the cancellation of their 2020 season; so did the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Lights on Broadway have been dark for months, and nobody knows when they will shine once again. These nationally known venues are joined in their responses to the COVID-19 pandemic by countless concert halls and performing arts centers across the nation... read more .

Darke County Parks educates visitors through interpretive signage
If you haven’t taken a walk through the pollinator meadow on the south side of the Bish Discovery Center’s parking lot, you’ve missed out on a variety of bumble bees, butterflies, dragonflies and more that call this habitat “home”. This meadow has been growing and evolving for the past 2-3 years from the original seeding, followed by subsequent planting through grants and support from U.S. Fish... read more .

FDA Warning About the Dangers of Hand Sanitizers With Methanol
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning to consumers and health care providers about hand sanitizer products that are labeled as containing ethanol (also known as ethyl alcohol) but that have tested positive for methanol contamination. Methanol (i.e., methyl alcohol or wood alcohol) is a substance that can be toxic when absorbed through the skin or ingested and can be life-threatening when ingested... read more .

Puzzle Pete’s “C” You Later: A to Z, Lois E. Wilson
Complete the A to Z answers below using the clues from the left column. They all end in the letter “C.” Each dash stands for a letter. Pete was surprised to find an answer for each letter of the alphabet. Pete says that he hopes that you don’t get lost at “C.” Wilson's completed set of books has a new edition – now six volumes – of published poetry. Volume 1 is out of print and no longer available, however Volumes 2-6 are... read more .

Big Brothers Big Sisters… BBBS Duck Derby & Duck N Run 5K will now be Virtual
The isolation we're all feeling now is often what our youth feel when they don’t have a mentor or positive role model in their lives. Please help support mentoring for at-risk youth in our community by joining the Virtual 2020 Duck N Run 5k! We are prioritizing the health and safety of our runners, walkers, sponsors, volunteers, and staff and are responding to guidance from health and governmental officials... read more .

NJCAA announces pandemic plan, Joshua Brown
July 14, 2020 - Fall sports move to spring, winter sports to start in January. PIQUA — Local high schools may still be awaiting official guidance as to what their fall sports seasons may look like. But Edison State Community College got word of the National Junior College Athletic Association’s plans Monday night. The NJCAA announced its plan of action for the 2020-21 sports year... read more .

Broke Wife, Big City… Box Spring Hot Box, By Aprill Brandon
It was the title that came first. It floated up from the mysterious depths of my sleep deprived brain, like a phoenix rising from the ashes of a terrible night. Or arose like a zombie. That wanted to eat my brain. Was eating my brain. Or something. I’m so tired. Anyway, the point is. What is the point? Oh, right. The point is I know what you’re thinking. What is up with that title? It’s a funny story... read more .

Red Cross Issues Heat Safety Tips as Temperatures Climb
Miami Valley, Ohio July 19, 2020 — It’s hot out there and the soaring temperatures can be dangerous. The American Red Cross has steps people can follow to help stay safe when it’s hot outside. NEVER LEAVE CHILDREN OR PETS IN YOUR VEHICLE. The inside temperature of the car can quickly reach 120 degrees. Other heat safety steps include: Stay hydrated, drink plenty of fluids. Avoid... read more .

Poultry Days moves to Heritage Park
Poultry Days 2020 will be held in Heritage Park! The Health Department has approved holding the festival subject to adhering to a safety plan and the county remaining healthy. The festival which will be held August 14-16th will utilize the amphitheater for entertainment and cars will enter the chicken drive thru from Klipstine Road. This will be the first time the festival has been held in a different location... read more .

Commissioner’s Corner, June 2020
It seems that Darke County has made it through the first half of 2020 in relatively good shape. It has been a unique year for all of us, but slowly, very slowly, things may get back to normal. The Covid-19 virus has taken its toll on everyone, but here in the western part of the state we have been most fortunate to have a lesser effect on us with fatalities and infections. Ours being one of the larger... read more .

Edison State Community College… Lady Chargers Excel Both On and Off the Court
July 15, 2020 - It is amazing when teams compete at the highest level and are poised to possibly go all the way. What’s even more amazing is when these athletes excel in the classroom as well. Not only did the Edison State Community College Lady Chargers win the OCCAC Title, the District Championship and advance to the National Tournament, but they are now also being honored... read more .

Along Life’s Way… Guilt Trips, By Lois E. Wilson
Family psychologist John Rosemond points out that until “parenting” took over in the 1970’s, parents did “child rearing.” I remember my parents tried to bring me up to be an acceptable and contributing member of society. They did not lower themselves to my level—their idea was that children need encouragement and elevation of skills to eventually fit successfully into an adult world. I was taught that... read more .

Powell Encourages Women to Share Athletic Accomplishments
ARCANUM – State Rep. Jena Powell (R-Arcanum) today is encouraging women in her district to share their athletic achievements in wake of renewing calls for the passage of House Bill 527, also known as the Save Women’s Sports Act. The bill aims to promote fairness among athletics and preserve the integrity of school sports. The legislation ensures that biological women are not forced to compete against... read more .

My Favorite Aunt and Uncle, By Joe Facinoli
Growing up, we ate a lot of pancakes, and waffles, and french toast. Cheaper, I guess, for our parents to feed us 5 kids (all born within 9 years), on my Old Man's school principal's, nothing salary. Mom had to shop wisely (which means almost always buying the cheapest grocery products), but some of the syrups she brought home were barely passable. We ended up using more of the lousy ones, just trying to find some taste... read more .

Puzzle Pete Runs A to Z with A and Z, Lois E. Wilson
Puzzle Pete has found words that start with the alphabet letters A to Z. Use the clues to find the answers. Each answer word has at least one “A” and “Z” letter in that order. They are placed for you where they occur. A few answers may have an extra A or Z which are not given. Each space stands for a letter. Good luck! Wilson's completed set of books has a new edition – now six volumes... read more .

Trinity Kids Academy accepting enrollment
Trinity Kids Academy (TKA) in Greenville is Darke County’s only Christian-based preschool. TKA is based at Trinity Wesleyan Church, located at 1400 E. Main St., Greenville. Trinity Kids Academy seeks… - To provide a safe, clean, well-equipped, child-friendly environment, conducive to meeting the basic physical, educational and social needs of each child and where the teachers will enjoy teaching... read more .

Broke Wife, Big City… Can we talk for a minute? By Aprill Brandon
Hey. Hi. How are you doing? Busy? Yeah, me too. But if you have a minute, could you come over here? *pats chair* Oh, you’d rather stay there? Sure, no problem. We can just do this right here in the kitchen then. Look, I know this won’t be easy. But it’s time. We’ve put this off for long enough. I know, I know. I’ve been dreading it too. But...sigh... We need to talk. How long have we been together now? Going... read more .

Big Brothers Big Sisters … BBBS Secures Funding for Local Youth Mentoring Programs
Greenville Rotary Club recently awarded Big Brothers Big Sisters of Shelby & Darke County a grant. The funds received are earmarked specifically for Darke County afterschool programs held at Ansonia, Versailles and Privilege Schools during the 2020-2021 academic year. “The support we receive from Greenville Rotary Club and the surrounding community is truly a blessing for our agency. It enables us to... read more .

Edison State Information Session Set for July 23 via Zoom
July 08, 2020 - Regional Locations Info Session - Edison State Community College will be hosting a FREE information session on Thursday, July 23, at 11:00 a.m. This session will highlight the various career paths at the Edison State regional campuses and will be held via Zoom. This information session is for students and the community to learn more about Edison State’s three regional campuses... read more .

Along Life’s Way… Giving Advice, By Lois E. Wilson
It should be noted that advice is frequently the gift offered which few people want to accept. It is difficult for many of us to restrain our judgment and counsel. Being asked for advice inflates our egos. It doesn’t occur to us that the receivers of the advice probably in reality are trying to gain our support and approval of their own choices. Advice is cheap. Where do you go for it? Is it to the wrong people... read more .

Coalition Launching Media Campaign about Opioid Use Disorder
Greenville, Ohio - The Coalition for a Healthy Darke County is excited to join 33 other communities across Kentucky, Massachusetts, New York and Ohio in launching a series of communications campaigns for the Healing Communities Study. The campaigns aim to increase demand and prescribing of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) and to increase access to and availability... read more .

Cleveland Plain Dealer… Updated: Ohio releases guidelines for fall learning; schools must develop mask policy, By Emily Bamforth - Jul 02, 2020 - CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Gov. Mike DeWine announced guidelines for reopening schools in the fall on Thursday, though the guidelines weren’t immediately available to review because of an issue with the state’s website. Though the governor initially stated the website had been hacked, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted provided an update... read more .

Puzzle Pete’s Add-On Anagrams #5, Lois E. Wilson
Pete has created four puzzles with a 3-letter word starting each of them. Use the three given letters plus an additional letter to answer the first clue. Use all of those letters plus an additional one for the next clue, etc. Put each letter you add on the dash in the add-on letter column. Arrange the three letters in the add-on letter column to answer the final clue. Each dash stands for a letter. Pete’s hint: if you are... read more .

Broke Wife, Big City… Impossible Girls, By Aprill Brandon
To my dearest daughter on the eve of your 4th birthday, I will never forget the day you were born. Mostly because it’s hard to forget when someone slits your abdomen open and pulls a human being out of it. Then I heard your very first cry and tears welled up in my own eyes. You sounded like a dying pterodactyl. It was a screech so piercing it felt like an icepick was stabbing my brain. And I’m... read more .

Miss Chick Pageant Plans
Miss Chick registration remains open until July 30th with discounted registration through July 15th. Pageant organizers are making plans to continue the 69-year tradition despite COVID. While decisions are not final, procedures are being outlined to maintain safety and social distancing. These additional steps involve limiting attendance, organizing social distancing and providing masks to... read more .

Darke S.W.C.D… Help Track Ohio’s Wild Turkey and Ruffed Grouse Populations
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Citizen scientists can participate in surveying Ohio’s wild turkey and ruffed grouse populations by reporting sightings in July and August, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. Every summer, the Division of Wildlife conducts a turkey and grouse brood survey to estimate population growth. The brood survey relies on the public to... read more .

DeWine unveils 5 guidelines for Ohio schools
Masks required for staff, recommended for students 3rd grade and up - July 2, 2020 - COLUMBUS, Ohio — Gov. Mike DeWine on Thursday unveiled guidance from the state on reopening schools this fall amid the coronavirus pandemic. DeWine issued five guidelines for Ohio schools to follow: 1. Vigilantly assess for symptoms (including temperature checks) 2. Wash & sanitize hands... read more .

Darke County Parks… DCP redesigns family programming
Programming has been anything but ordinary this spring and summer for the Darke County Parks. The naturalist staff have been coming up with some new, unconventional options for the public to take part in. On June 15th, things kicked off with remote “Outside the Box” summer camp. The camp quickly filled and campers picked up their box of supplies from the Nature Center. The week... read more .

Along Life’s Way… Perseverance and Perfection, By Lois E. Wilson
“Per” is defined as “by way of” and “for each.” Those three letters are at the start of many words in the English language. There is a relationship between the two “perseverance” and “perfection.” Perfection is defined as being free from fault, saintly, supreme and unsurpassable excellence. Perseverance means to persist in spite of opposition and/or discouragement Laurence Sterne... read more .

Red Cross… Staying Safe while celebrating Fourth of July
Also, a special opportunity to “Give Back” - The Fourth of July is just ahead, a time when people typically enjoy the summer holiday with backyard barbecues, fireworks or water fun. But this year, celebrating Independence Day will be different due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The American Red Cross offers safety tips you can follow: Continue to social distance by staying 6 feet away from others... read more .

Rep. Powell offers Forge Leadership Network Scholarships
COLUMBUS – Representative Jena Powell (R-Arcanum) is offering students in District 80 scholarships to attend the Forge Leadership Summit. Rep. Powell is offering 75% scholarships to individuals in the district who are accepted into the Leadership Summit hosted by Forge Leadership Network, taking place July 21-25, 2020. The Forge Leadership Summit is a five-day intensive filled with dynamic trainings... read more .

Greenville City Schools Superintendent Update, Doug Fries, Superintendent
Summer 2020 - With the close of the 2019-2020 school year being under an unusual Stay at Home Order it is still time to congratulate another group of outstanding graduates. The Class of 2020 formerly became graduates on May 30, 2020. Two hundred and three graduates received their diploma representing the Class of 2020 during a virtual ceremony as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic condition. The class had... read more .

Puzzle Pete and Independence Day, Lois E. Wilson
Pete enjoys the parades and events of the holiday—his favorite can be discovered by working the puzzle below. Use the numbered clues to find the 4-letter answers to this word chain puzzle. The last letter of each is the first letter of the next answer. Work up and down. The puzzle is started for you. Solve it correctly, then reading down, the first letters of the answers spell out Pete’s awe- inspiring event. Wilson's... read more .

Broke Wife, Big City… Ways to unsuccessfully deal with insomnia, By Aprill Brandon
1. Watch something. But not something too interesting. But also not so boring that it allows your mind to wander. Maybe something you’ve already seen but enjoyed. Preferably where at least one character has a British accent and is trying to solve a crime. 2. Read something. Same rules apply. 3. Eat something. Because, hey, it’s there and what else have you got to do? 4. Count something... read more .

Poultry Days Bulk Chicken Sales Open
Don’t let COVID ruin your summer… It’s time for World Famous Poultry Days Chicken. Are you as tired of COVID as we are? Do you miss seeing your friends and family? Want to gather but aren’t comfortable with large groups. Poultry Days is about friends, families and neighbors. Organize a party August 14-16. Invite the neighbors and order bulk chicken or pick up dinners in the four-lane drive thru... read more .

Dr. Harry G. Thomas Medical Scholarship for 2020 Announced
The Darke County Historical Society is pleased to announce that funds will be available from the Dr. Harry G. Thomas Medical Scholarship Program for the 2020-2021 academic year. The Dr. Harry G. Thomas Medical Scholarship Program, administered by the Darke County Historical Society, was established and funded in 1971 by Lowell Thomas and his sister Pherbia Thomas Thornburg in memory of their... read more .

Darke County Republican Women’s Club to host Amy Showalter
Author, PAC and grassroots influence expert to speak - GREENVILLE, OHIO – Amy Showalter of The Showalter Group and author of “The UnderDog Edge -- How Ordinary People Change the Minds of the Powerful... and Live to Tell About It” will be the featured speaker at the July 13 meeting of the Darke County Republican Women’s Club. Amy Showalter is a PAC and grassroots influence expert who has... read more .

Greenville Public Library… Library Close for Independence Day
The Greenville Public Library will be closed Friday July 3 to commemorate Independence Day which is on Saturday this year. We will be open again on Monday July 6. Our hours are 10:00 to 6:00 five days a week. Actually the Library is only partially open until the pandemic is over. Patrons may call for an appointment to come in to browse and chose books, to use a computer, or to do... read more .

Poultry and Pints Homebrew Competition
Ladies and gentlemen…start your brewing! If you’re a garage brewer or weekend hops warrior, now is your opportunity to enter your favorite beverage in the area’s BJCP homebrew competition. The Midwestern Ohio Brewing Society (MOBS) in collaboration with sponsorship from Endless Pint Brewery and Poultry Days will host its second Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) sanctioned... read more .

Along Life’s Way… Masks and Unmasking, By Lois E. Wilson
Most of us became aware of masks in our childhood when we put one on for our first Halloween event. They were to conceal our identity and add to the effect of the character or animal we were portraying through our costume. We realized that by wearing a bandana tied around the lower part of our faces we could pretend to be an outlaw. We knew they hid their faces so others would not know who they were. We also learned that cowboys wore bandana masks to lessen the amount of dust they inhaled... read more .

Darke County Solid Waste District… Trash Bash 2020 Rescheduled!!
Do you want to help Darke County look it’s best? Join the Darke County Solid Waste District in our twelfth annual Darke County “Trash Bash” Community Clean-up Day on Saturday and Sunday, September 12 & 13, 2020. By participating, you help create a good impression on prospective employers, retail businesses, professionals, and others who visit our “clean” county. "Litter brings... read more .

Cancer Association holds annual BBQ Chicken/Marinated Pork Fundraiser
If you would like to support Darke County cancer patients and enjoy a meal at the same time, order yours today! Each meal contains either BBQ Chicken or Marinated Pork Chop and a Dinner Roll, a Bag of Chips and a cup of Apple Sauce. All for only $8.00. You can order your meals now by calling Cancer Association of Darke County at 937 548 9960, or stopping in the office at 1111 Sweitzer St., Suite C on M-W-F... read more .

Edison State Community College… 100% Scholarships Proving to be a Game-Changer for Students and ESCC - June 23, 2020 - With the continued issues surrounding our nation’s healthcare COVID-19 pandemic, Edison State Community College understands the stress this challenge has placed on each of us and our communities. Graduating high school seniors are no exception as they are filled with uncertainty in many directions coupled with difficult decisions about their plans for... read more .

Puzzle Pete’s “EL” A to Z, Lois E. Wilson
Complete the words below using the clues from the left column. The beginning letter of each word is given. Each dash stands for a letter. All answers end in “EL.” Pete found a word for each letter of the alphabet. He hopes you can solve the “EL-ements.” Wilson's completed set of books has a new edition – now six volumes – of published poetry. Volume 1 is out of print and no longer available, however Volumes... read more .

Broke Wife, Big City… Not all that glitters is marigold, By Aprill Brandon
I once was very mean to a marigold. It wasn’t anything personal. It was in the name of science. Specifically, that name was the Fourth Grade Science Fair. The birthplace of so many childhood wrongs. Somehow I had convinced my teacher of the merit of the hypothetical question “Does Being Nice to Plants Help Them Grow?” A fantastic scientific query when you are both lazy but insecure about being... read more .

Darke County Parks… Parks Program Brings Joy to Nursing Home Residents
Darke County Parks’ naturalist staff has been hard at work brainstorming and developing new ideas for programs that follow current health guidelines. One of the newest initiatives, “Rest Home Roam” started this month. Our groundbreaking program consists of various animal ambassadors visiting the rest homes in and around the county. Since many of these residents have been secluded to... read more .

Greenville Municipal Band postpones summer start to Aug. 2, JR Price, Director, Greenville Municipal Concert Band - The Board of the Greenville Municipal Concert Band has decided to postpone the start of our concert season to Sunday, August 2nd. We are hoping that the spread of covid19 will ease enough by then so that the band can resume our Sunday concerts in the park without creating a risk for everyone involved. We are thankful for the kindness and appreciation that the community has shown us... read more .

Garst Museum Welcomes Visitors Again
Garst Museum opened its doors to the public on June 16, 2020. The staff will be greeting you with smiling faces at the receptionist station located at the entrance to the Lowell Thomas Wing (the front entrance is temporarily closed). Well, you might not see the smiles behind their required masks, but you will see the welcoming twinkle in their eyes! As the museum plans to reopen, its primary concern is for the safety... read more .

DCCA Ticket Refund Requests for Cancelled Events
Ticket holders for shows that DCCA was forced to cancel have until June 30 to contact DCCA to request a refund or consider the amount of the ticket a donation to continuing DCCA’s mission of presenting and promoting the arts in Darke County. Should you choose to donate your tickets and would like a tax letter, acknowledging your valued contribution contact DCCA or simply send us... read more .

Greenville Public Library… Grab & Go at the Library
The Greenville Public Library is now offering a new program called Grab & Go which allows patrons to come into the building one at a time and choose their own books for checkout. All you have to do is call for an appointment and show up at the door! You will be allowed to browse the shelves and take your materials to the circ desk like usual. Right now we can allow only one person... read more .

Along Life’s Way… Their Choices, By Lois E. Wilson
Tired from his week-long business trip, he picked up his suitcase and walked down the hall eager to get unpacked. As he passed his son’s room, through the open door he saw him sitting at his desk with head down, resting on his arms. He looked troubled. “Say, Buddy, what’s the matter? You should be happy. Mom said that you made the Junior High baseball team.” The boy stirred... read more .

Darke County GOP reorganizes
New officers and committees chosen - GREENVILLE, OHIO – The Darke County Republican Party recently met in accordance with the Ohio Revised Code to reorganize for the 2020 and 2021 years. This is done in each even numbered year after new committeepersons are elected in the primary election. The Party congratulated the following election winners: Terry L. Haworth (Precinct 01), Darryl D. Mehaffie... read more .

Puzzle Pete’s Paternal Pair-Up, Lois E. Wilson
Pete says to read the clues in the left-numbered column. From the right column, choose the paternal related answer to each clue and place its letter on the dash to the right of the number. Pete hopes you can make the correct pair-up for each clue. He has put an alphabet below in case you want to keep a record of the lettered answers you have selected. Wilson's completed set of books has a new edition... read more .

Broke Wife, Big City… Welcome to the Neighborhood, By Aprill Brandon
(Based on only a slightly exaggerated true story...) Oh hey, hi! Hi! You must be our new downstairs neighbors. So nice to finally meet you! We’ve seen you moving your stuff in. Not that we were creeping on you from the windows or anything. OK, maybe just a little bit. Haha! Kidding. It was a lot. Sorry. Am I coming on too strong? I’ve been told that before. Although I’m sure that’s coming as no surprise to you... read more .

Darke County Parks… Mural Completed at Bish Discovery Center
While the Bish Discovery Center has been closed to the public in efforts to slow the spread of Covid-19, progress inside the building is still being made. One new feature for the building is the addition of a mural on the north wall. Last year, the Rotary Club of Greenville awarded the Darke County Parks funds to complete this project and Naturalist staff went to work brainstorming a vision for the mural. After a couple... read more .

Along Life’s Way… The Three R’s—A Choice, By Lois E. Wilson
The origin of the phrase “three R’s” is disputed. It is attributed to an 1818 space-filler in “The Lady’s Magazine.” Also, it has been credited to a 1795 speech by Sir William Curtis. The phrase is a wry interpretation of the basics we hope all learn: “Reading, ‘Riting, and ‘Rithmetic.” Other groups have created 3-R lists to fit their causes. For example, in regard to sustainability, the... read more .

Save the Date for BBBS Annual Duck Derby
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Shelby & Darke County’s 14th Annual Duck Derby & Duck-N-Run 5K is being rescheduled for August 6th, 2020 at Tawawa Park in Sidney. This fundraiser is open to the public, and individuals and businesses are encouraged to participate. This annual event is a fun and exciting way to support children within our local communities. By “adopting” a Duck Derby rubber duck... read more .

Puzzle Pete’s Add-On Anagrams #4, Lois E. Wilson
Pete has created four puzzles with a 3-letter word starting each of them. Use the three given letters plus an additional letter to answer the first clue. Use all of those letters plus an additional one for the next clue, etc. Put each letter you add on the dash in the add-on letter column. Arrange the three letters in the add-on letter column to answer the final clue. Each dash stands for a letter. Pete’s hint: if you are... read more .

Broke Wife, Big City… 39 Things I’ve Learned in 39 years, By Aprill Brandon
1. As it turns out, living through interesting times really is a curse. 2. Living through interesting times, however, means there are no rules anymore regarding pants. 3. Anything can be a breakfast food. The only limit is our imagination. 4. My husband looks really hot as Grizzly Adams. 5. I look less hot as Frida Kahlo. 6. Money can’t buy happiness. But it can buy useless crap off Amazon when you’re stuck at home... read more .

Darke County Center for the Arts… Not Normal Times, By Marilyn Delk
Truthfully, we don’t know much. We don’t know if the COVID-19 virus will continue to spread, we don’t know if the pandemic will still be defining our lives next month, next fall, next year, we don’t know if schools will re-open, whether or not the Great Darke County Fair will happen, and ultimately, we don’t know how to thoughtfully and efficiently plan for the future. This frustrating truth is experienced... read more .

Darke S.W.C.D… Ohio Hunters Enjoy Spring Wild Turkey Season
Darke County checked 68 wild turkeys this year; 61 in 2019 - COLUMBUS, Ohio – Hunters checked 17,891 wild turkeys during Ohio’s 2020 spring hunting season, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. In 2019, hunters harvested 19,168 wild turkeys during the same time. “Hunting wild turkeys is one of the most cherished and challenging activities for outdoor... read more .

OSU Extension… Pressure Canner Dial Gauge Testing
Did you know your pressure canner dial gauge needs to be checked for accuracy every year? To make sure your canned foods are safe to eat, your gauge must be accurate. Like other mechanical devices, these gauges can malfunction. They can also become inaccurate from the hazards of use, from being accidentally damaged, or from storage where there has been exposure to extreme heat or cold... read more .

Greenville Public Library’s New Databases
Greenville Public Library's Warren Richards reminds everyone “The quest for more knowledge doesn’t have to stop just because your local library is closed. There are many new database options available that we would like to highlight for our patrons. These resources can be accessed via our website by selecting “Ohio Web Library (OWL)” under “Web Resources.” “We were especially excited to... read more .

Along Life’s Way… Learning Links, By Lois E. Wilson
When we are young, our minds are eager to learn. Our parents teach us many necessary activities—how to dress ourselves, how to hold a glass and eating utensils, toilet training, etc. The word “learn” has within it the word “earn.” There is a link between the two words; when we learn, we are earning or making a gain of knowledge—a great reward to one’s self-confidence and esteem. It is hoped... read more .

Darke County Parks… DCP offers Unique Summer Camp Opportunity
The Darke County Parks’ naturalists have been hard at work exploring new ways to offer educational opportunities that adhere to social distancing guidelines. This spring, many educational videos were featured on the Darke County Parks’ Facebook page as well as Youtube. Now, naturalists are transitioning into summer camp season. While originally scheduled summer camps were... read more .

Ohio Absolutely Failed the Graduates of 2020 by Their Inaction, By Stephen Huffman, State Senator, 5th District - Twice on April 28th, Governor DeWine stated, once on the radio and then at his afternoon press conference, that he would allow a conventional graduation if proper social distancing would occur. Shouts of joy from seniors, parents and school leaders could be heard throughout the state as school leaders started to plan for graduation to honor the senior class. A headline on Cleveland.com on April 28th... read more .

Puzzle Pete Asks: What is “IS” A to Z? Lois E. Wilson
Use the clues to find the answer words A to Z. Each answer has “is” placed where it occurs in that word. Each dash stands for a letter. Solve it and you supply the answer to what “is” is. Wilson's completed set of books has a new edition – now six volumes – of published poetry. Volume 1 is out of print and no longer available, however Volumes 2-6 are available and are offered as a fundraiser for Empowering... read more .

Confidently Buy Poultry Days Chicken
The Poultry Days board is committing to sell chicken or provide a full refund. In the unfortunate event that restrictions prevent the sale of chicken, all pre-sale bulk orders will be 100% refundable. There will not be refunds if chicken sales are conducted the weekend of August 14th. For 2020, bulk chicken can be purchased online at versaillespoultrydays.com. Chicken will be sold in coolers of 20... read more .

STAR 88.3 Gives Love in Greenville
Greenville, OH – She was told in the sixth grade that she would end up in a wheelchair, maybe not even make it to graduation. Most people would give up and stop trying. Not Asia Sykes. She graduated this year from Greenville High School, not only walking, but on the swim team, a cheerleader, and a lifeguard. She has a great GPA and already has college courses under her belt. The sky is the limit! STAR... read more .

Education Dive… Half of presidents aim to restart classes in-person this fall, survey finds, Jeremy Bauer-Wolf - May 26, 2020 - Dive Brief: About half of college presidents say it's "very likely" they will resume in-person classes for the coming term, according to a new American Council on Education (ACE) survey of 310 college leaders. In order to restart operations, about two-thirds of presidents with on-campus housing say they plan to set up a space to quarantine students. More than half of all respondents... read more .

Education Dive… State lawmakers wrestle with scope and timing of higher ed budget cuts, Daniel C. Vock - May 28, 2020 - Nearly all public colleges and universities can expect big budget cuts in the coming year, but officials in different states are taking vastly different approaches for determining how big those reductions will be and what they will mean for faculty, staff and students. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, ordered $110 million in cuts to higher education spending for the final two months... read more .

Greenville Public Library… Summer Reading at the Library
Even though the Greenville Public Library building is still closed at this time, the Children's Department is hosting a Summer Reading Program called “Imagine Your Story.” The program will begin June 1st and end August 14th: Julie Kennet explains ”Children can register online, and we will send them a reading log to complete throughout the summer and return to the Library. Completed reading... read more .

Darke County Friends of the Shelter... Your Pet can be a star
Greenville - The Darke County Friends of the Shelter will be making 2021 calendars. Enter your Pet's picture for a chance to become a Star in the group's 2021 calendar. The monthly pictures will be made up of local pets. Bring a photo or digital picture to the Darke County Animal Shelter, located just beyond the Sheriff's Department. All pictures must be submitted by July 6, 2020. You can also... read more .

Education Dive… Ed Dept extends online education flexibilities to year end, Natalie Schwartz
May 18, 2020 - Dive Brief: As colleges weigh whether to open campuses for the fall term, the U.S. Department of Education issued guidance Friday that extended temporary flexibilities around distance education through the end of the year. Colleges can continue to use distance education until Dec. 31, even if they don't have accreditor approval to do so. Accrediting agencies may... read more .

The Hechinger Report… Coronavirus is the practice run for schools. But soon comes climate change, By Caroline Preston - May 23, 2020 - On the eve of each hurricane season, Jamar McKneely worries that this one will bring the next Katrina. McKneely was a teacher at Edna Karr High School in New Orleans when the 2005 hurricane devastated the city and closed his school for months. But instead of a deadly hurricane, this year brought another crisis that shut the city’s... read more .

Education Dive… Colleges pull back tuition increases as pressure to manage costs mounts, Jeremy Bauer-Wolf - May 20, 2020 - In a normal year, many colleges would raise tuition by a few percentage points to keep pace with operating costs. But this is not a normal year. The coronavirus pandemic has ravaged institutional finances, muddied enrollment projections and created a question of whether students can return to campus this fall. And so, despite their budgets being stretched, some.. read more .

Education Dive… Survey: Children's loss of social ties, learning are parents' top closure concerns, Linda Jacobson - May 20, 2020 - Parents are more concerned about their children missing social interactions at school and with peers than they are someone in their family getting sick with the coronavirus, according to a new survey released Wednesday. Fifty-nine percent of the more than 3,600 parents and guardians responding to the nonprofit Learning Heroes’ survey said... read more .

Deep Dive… Uncertain when campuses can open, colleges make their fall plans flexible, Alia Wong - May 18, 2020 - Residential colleges are scrambling to get and provide clarity as to how the COVID-19 pandemic might alter their educational offerings. This guesswork involves questions such as whether campuses will even be allowed to reopen in the fall — and if so, what sorts of changes ought to be implemented to ensure they can operate regardless of how the virus pans out. None can say for sure... read more .

Education Dive… NFHS releases high school sports guidelines during coronavirus pandemic, Shawna De La Rosa - May 22, 2020 - Dive Brief: The National Federation of State High School Associations recently released guidelines detailing three phases of reopening for high school sports. During all phases, it's suggested that coaches and officials may wear masks. The first phase will require temperature checks before workouts, no more than 10 people gathering at one time and that "pods... read more .

The Hechinger Report… With higher ed in limbo, students are switching to community colleges, By Charlotte West - May 20, 2020 - Chris Smith wasn’t planning to spend the summer at a community college. He was going to sublet an apartment in Tallahassee and take classes at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, where he just completed his first year. But Smith ended up back home with his family in Fort Lauderdale when the pandemic forced his classes online, an experience... read more .

Edison State responds to workforce needs with new programs
Edison State Community College is working to meet the needs of the regional workforce, offering various new career-ready degree options in Agricultural Maintenance, Graphic Design, and Web Design. Additionally, the college has developed Equipment Service, Interactive Media, and Paramedic one-year certificates, along with several short-term technical certificate programs that give... read more .

Darke County Republican Women’s Club donates to Senior Shut-In Iniative
Republican women find ways to remain active - GREENVILLE, OHIO – The Darke County Republican Women’s Club (DCRWC) recently donated funds to help support the local Senior Shut-In Initiative. The club usually meets monthly and holds public service programs as well as supporting Republican candidates and causes. With the current health orders in place that has been impossible... read more .

Darke County Solid Waste… Free Document Shred Day
On Saturday, June 6, 2020, the Darke County Solid Waste District will partner with Mercer Savings Bank to hold a “FREE” County Shred Day. This event will allow you to help protect you and your family from identity theft. What is Identity Theft? Identity Theft is a crime in which an impostor obtains key pieces of personal identifying information (PII) such as Social Security numbers and driver's license numbers... read more .

FBI Warns of Child Sexual Abuse Material Being Displayed During Zoom Meetings
The COVID-19 crisis has caused many organizations and schools to conduct virtual meetings/events, some of which are open to the public. Additionally, links to many virtual events are being shared online, resulting in a lack of vetting of approved participants. During the last few months, the FBI has received more than 195 reports of incidents throughout the United States and in other countries in which a Zoom... read more .

Curbside Service at Greenville Public Library
The Greenville Public Library is starting curbside pickup on Tuesday May 26th. Our hours will return to normal with the phone lines open from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm. The Library building itself is still closed to the public until further notice. The services we have been offering by appointment are still in place: printing tax forms, copying/faxing, general answers to questions, help with... read more .

Darke SW Conservation… Ohio’s Wild Turkey Hunting Season Concludes in South Zone
Darke County totals: 60 this year; 44 in 2019 - Hunters have harvested 15,718 wild turkeys after four weeks of Ohio’s 2020 spring hunting season. Wild turkey hunting ended Sunday, May 17 in Ohio’s south zone. The season continues until Sunday, May 31 in the northeast zone (Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake and Trumbull counties). Hunters harvested 17,619 wild turkeys during the first four weeks... read more .

2020 Miss Chick Pageant Registration
Versailles Poultry Days, Inc. is pleased to announce we are now accepting applications for the 2020 Miss Chick Pageant. The contest, sponsored by Versailles Savings & Loan and Versailles Poultry Days, Inc., will take place August 14 & 15, 2020 beginning with personal interviews at noon on Friday the 14th and the onstage interview beginning at 2 PM on Saturday the 15th in the... read more .

WTOL Channel 11… 14-year-old Ohio college grad is just getting started, Jessica Miller, Dave Chudowksy - May 14, 2020 - CLEVELAND — It’s hard to imagine beginning your college journey at just eleven years old. But for a now 14-year-old Amber Bennett, it all paid off. She’ll graduate with an Associates Degree from Cuyahoga Community College today - before even finishing her freshman year of high school. Amber is still a typical teenager. She loves the Cleveland Cavaliers, and she loves to... read more .

Cleveland Plain Dealer… State education officials seek feedback from Ohio parents on reopening schools, By Andrew J. Tobias - May 15, 2020 - COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Ohio Department of Education has asked Ohio parents for feedback as they continue work on a plan for possibly re-opening K-12 schools next school year. State education officials have asked the Ohio Parent Teacher Association to come up with feedback to their draft re-opening plan. The Ohio PTA has set up a... read more .

Education Dive… Many districts still lack consistent plans months into closures, Shawna De La Rosa - May 15, 2020 - Dive Brief: A Center on Reinventing Public Education project tracking 82 school districts nationwide shows 33% still lack consistent expectations for teachers to deliver instruction, while half don't require teachers to give students feedback, The 74 reports. The data shows that, as of May 6, 59% of the districts analyzed are providing curriculum, instruction and monitoring... read more .

Ohio’s 2020-2021 Hunting Seasons Approved by Wildlife Council
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Hunting dates and bag limits for seasons that begin in September 2020 were approved by the Ohio Wildlife Council on Wednesday, May 13, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. “Ohio’s hunting and trapping seasons are developed by wildlife biologists, combining public input with the best science available,” said Division of Wildlife... read more .

Education Dive… School reopenings leave educators in high-risk groups with difficult choice over return, Shawna De La Rosa - May 12, 2020 - Dive Brief: Schools may face staffing shortages when they reopen as teachers at higher risk for severe illness weigh whether to return to the classroom before a coronavirus vaccine is available, Chalkbeat reports. States are beginning to outline reopening plans, despite a lack of testing and growing evidence children transmit coronavirus, and... read more .

Education Dive… Report: Nearly half of principals considering leaving their schools, Shawna De La Rosa - May 14, 2020 - Dive Brief: A new report based on a survey conducted by the Learning Policy Institute and the National Association of Secondary School Principals finds 42% of principals are considering leaving their position, citing heavy workloads, low compensation and lack of evaluation practices, with the percent of principals planning a move higher for those in high-poverty... read more .

The Hechinger Report… Another pandemic-related threat to universities: falling numbers of graduate students, By Matt Krupnick - May 13, 2020 - It hasn’t been long — just five years — since so many engineering students were flocking to California State University, Fullerton, that the university’s College of Engineering and Computer Science was bursting at the seams. There were more than 1,300 graduate students from around the world enrolled then, according to university figures... read more .

Poultry Days Bulk Chicken Sales Open
The committee is excited to announce more options for purchasing World-Famous Poultry Days BBQ Chicken to be served the weekend of August 14th. NEW for 2020, bulk chicken can be purchased online at versaillespoultrydays.com. Chicken will be sold hot and tasty without sides in coolers of 20 halves for $130. All orders for bulk chicken must be placed by July 27th. Coolers... read more .

Cleveland.com… Ohio plan envisions masks for students and teachers, at-home temperature checks when schools reopen, By Andrew J. Tobias - May 13, 2020 - COLUMBUS, Ohio — A draft state plan offering guidelines on how Ohio schools can safely reopen this fall envisions daily at-home temperature checks, hand-sanitizing stations, and required face masks for students and teachers, among other safety measures. Desks would be spaced at least six feet apart, high... read more .

Edison State Remains Committed to Student Success
President Larson Provides State of the College Address - Edison State Community College President Dr. Doreen Larson provided the fourth annual State of the College address online Tuesday morning to update the community with an overview of the accomplishments, strategic initiatives, and vision for the future of Edison State. “Unique times call for the unique responses, and so I think this is the first virtual State... read more .

Cincinnati Enquirer… Preteen student will become youngest graduate of Southwest Ohio college, Max Londberg - May 12, 2020 - An Ohio student will hold a college degree before becoming a teenager. Lucius Garrity will graduate this spring with an associate's degree (and high honors) from Chatfield College. The 12-year-old from the small city of Hillsboro, Ohio, about an hour east of Cincinnati, will be the youngest graduate ever from the private liberal arts college with campuses in Over-the... read more .

Education Dive… Some rural schools reopen with safety measures, Shawna De La Rosa
May 12, 2020 - Dive Brief: A 55-student K-12 school in a rural Montana reopened last week with several safety measures in place, District Administration reported. Administrators at the school decided to open after 76% of parents surveyed said they wanted classes to resume. Class release times are staggered to minimize the number of students in the hall, and the building is cleaned regularly. Students... read more .

DA District Administration… Survey: Teachers need training in trauma, By: Melissa Ezarik
May 8, 2020 - Nearly all educators (98%) agree that training in trauma-informed classroom practices is something all teachers need. And 82% say part of the role of teachers and staff is to connect students experiencing psychological trauma or distress with mental health support services. But 7 in 10 do not feel adequately prepared to implement trauma-informed approaches in teaching... read more .

Benches now available for purchase
Comfortable, contemplative benches as a lasting tribute to family and friends who so enjoy the Great Darke County Fair. Recycled benches are also a great way to advertise your local business in one of the fairs’ most popular sit-down areas. Benches for public use are a well-established and publicly-appreciated way to express our esteem and sympathy or to advertise a business. We see them in cities... read more .

WBUR ed… Public Colleges, Regulators Brace For 'Unprecedented Challenge', Max Larkin
May 05, 2020 - Already, the coronavirus pandemic and efforts to limit its spread has taken a financial toll on colleges. Now, state education officials plan to analyze the state's 24 community colleges and public universities to determine how they would handle the financial impact. At a remote meeting of the state's Board of Higher Education Tuesday, board chair Chris Gabrieli described what he called "an... read more .

Edison State Honors Graduating Class of 2020
380 graduates earned 421 degrees or certificates - While the Edison State Community College 45th annual Spring commencement ceremony was not in the traditional sense, it is more important than ever to take time to recognize the graduating Class of 2020. The Class of 2020 is the first of its kind at Edison State, uniquely poised to achieve greatness as they have demonstrated... read more .

Darke County Solid Waste… Recycle your Out of Date Electronics
The Darke County Solid Waste Management District and 1 Shot Services, Bradford, OH, are joining forces to sponsor an Electronics Recycling Day beginning May 20, 2020 through June 30, 2020, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., at 1 Shot Scrap and Recycling. 1 Shot is located at 6377 Hahn Rd, Bradford, Ohio. This event is normally a one-day event, however, due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, we are extending... read more .

From the desk of Sheriff Toby Spencer
There seems to be some misinformed people, in regards to the role of the Sheriff, when it comes to enforcing the social distancing rules or closing of stores and businesses, etc., with the orders that have been passed down from the State and Federal agencies. These rules and guidelines have been passed down by health agencies across the country. The closing or opening of stores and businesses is NOT the result of a... read more .

Inside Higher Education… Stuck With Off-Campus Housing, By Greta Anderson
May 1, 2020 - After the University of California, Irvine, announced it would close because of the coronavirus pandemic, Summer Joy Pagaduan lost her campus job as a barista and decided to move out of her off-campus apartment and return home. She quickly learned it would cost her more than $1,000 -- and a combined $8,000 for her and four roommates -- to terminate the lease... read more .

Education Dive… School news teams find 'inner strength' reporting historic pandemic, Linda Jacobson - May 4, 2020 - When California’s Sequoia Union High School District considered a credit/no credit grading policy last month, Lora Simakova, a reporter for Carlmont High School’s Scot Scoop, tuned in to a virtual school board meeting to cover the decision. The sophomore posted her story within a couple hours and ended up having the only local coverage of the decision. “The parents and... read more .

Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy to begin at Edison State
The Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy at Edison State Community College is now accepting applications for the 23-week program that will prepare students for a career in law enforcement. Students of the program will meet for six days each week beginning in July and, upon successful completion, will graduate from the program in December. The curriculum of the program... read more .

Education Dive… BREAKING: DeVos releases final Title IX rules, easing colleges' burden to investigate sexual assaults, Jeremy Bauer-Wolf - May 6, 2020 - The U.S. Department of Education on Wednesday issued final regulations that will govern how colleges handle incidents of sexual misconduct on campus. The rules will likely face significant blowback from advocates of sexual assault survivors, who say the department is undoing important protections by reducing... read more .

Darke County Commissioners… Opening Up Darke County
Some of you have heard the news that other counties in our part of the State are “Opening Up” for business. To a point, this is true. However, after consultation with the County Commissioners Association of Ohio, this is not completely accurate. The counties that are opening are following State guidelines. They are opening everything that the State said could open today, AS LONG AS THEY... read more .

USA Today… Amid coronavirus layoffs, high school seniors are too uncertain to commit to a college, Chris Quintana - First, coronavirus canceled spring break. Then it was graduation. College Decision Day, an already decaying tradition of declaring one’s intent to attend a particular school, may be next. Many colleges, desperate for tuition money during the pandemic, have rolled back the traditional May 1 deadline to June 1. That allows families to weigh new financial concerns and get a sense... read more .

Veterinary Technology Program Applications Accepted at Edison State
Edison State Community College is currently accepting program applications for the Associate of Applied Science degree in Veterinary Technology. The Veterinary Technology program at Edison State will train students to work in the field of veterinary medicine as a veterinary technician. Graduates of the program will be prepared to provide care under the supervision of a licensed... read more .

The Columbus Dispatch… Ohio schools, families get creative to honor 2020 high school graduates amid coronavirus, By Allison Ward - May 3, 2020 - Not only are parents of this year’s high school seniors grappling with how to best honor graduates amid stay-at-home orders and strict restrictions on mass gatherings (10 or fewer people), but so are school districts, teachers and entire communities. Driving past Rhonda Snyder’s home in Canal Winchester, it’s not difficult to discern what... read more .

GHS Class of 2020 grads honored
GREENVILLE – Schools across the state are scrambling to find an alternative way to hold graduation and proms, spring sports, concerts and end-of-year banquets have been canceled. This year’s graduating class will have a story to tell like no other. Families and friends are trying to find ways to show the Class of 2020 they are special. As a community, we must find ways to lift up and honor this class... read more .

Bloomburg… Angry Undergrads Are Suing Colleges for Billions in Refunds, By Bob Van Voris and Janet Lorin - May 1, 2020 - College students, kicked off campus by the coronavirus, have a new extracurricular activity: litigation. U.S. undergraduates have sued more than 50 schools, demanding partial tuition, room-and-board and fee refunds after they shut down. The proliferating breach-of-contract suits, many of them filed over the last week, target some of the biggest names in... read more .

Edison State Faculty Honored with Excellence in Teaching Awards
Edison State Community College faculty member Eileen Thompson, of Kettering, has been named a recipient of the May 2020 Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award from the Southwestern Ohio Council for High Education (SOCHE). Edison State nominated award winners based on the institution’s criteria, with special consideration of demonstrated excellence and awards received throughout the past academic year. “We are so... read more .

Greenville Public Library… Library Opens Phone Lines
The Greenville Public Library is starting a step-by-step process to restore services to the public. This will be done in several phases which will depend on government mandates and the containment of the Covid-19 virus. Beginning Monday May 11 the Library's phone lines will be open from noon to 4:00 for the five-day work week. The Library building itself is still closed to the public until further... read more .

Education Dive… Deposits may not be a reliable indicator for college enrollment this year, survey finds, Natalie Schwartz - April 28, 2020 - Dive Brief: Around 17% of 1,171 high school seniors who planned to attend a four-year college full time before the coronavirus pandemic no longer plan to do so, according to a recent survey from Art & Science Group, a higher education consulting firm. Of that group, 40% had already made a deposit to a college. Two-thirds of surveyed students also said they... read more .

Education Dive… Survey: Teachers favor moving on to next year's content in the fall, Linda Jacobson - April 30, 2020 - Sixty-five percent of teachers in a new nationwide poll favor starting next year with "regularly scheduled instruction” over other options, such as revisiting concepts from the end of this semester, extending next school year or offering students the chance to repeat a grade. Conducted by the Collaborative for Student Success, the results show administrators — who made up about... read more .

The Hechinger Report… With decisions coming due, sleepless high school seniors worry college may not be worth it, By Liz Willen - April 28, 2020 - NEW YORK — Picture today’s beleaguered high school senior, stuck at home finishing classes online, stripped of graduation rituals and making college decisions amidst endless coronavirus uncertainty. Add in new financial pressures like parents who are sick or out of work. No wonder 17-year-old Catherine Asiedu clings to the idyllic vision... read more .

EdSource… Even if California college campuses reopen, will most students still come? Larry Gordon - April 28, 2020 - Colette Han has decided to enroll at UC Irvine rather than accept an out-of-state scholarship offer. Colette Han, a high school senior from the Los Angeles area, originally thought of attending Wesleyan College, a small liberal arts school in Georgia. That institution had awarded her a substantial merit scholarship that added appeal. But then the coronavirus pandemic hit. Besides... read more .

Education Dive… Report: US reading, math scores drop after Common Core implementation, Shawna De La Rosa - April 29, 2020 - Dive Brief: Reading and math scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress have seen "historic declines" since states implemented the Common Core English and math standards, according to a new analysis by Pioneer Institute, a conservative Massachusetts think tank. Prior to implementation of the Common Core, from 2003-2013, scores were... read more .

DA District Administration… Digital divide drives new broadband expansion efforts, By: Matt Zalaznick - April 24, 2020 - Even the students in rural Gilmer County, West Virginia, who have WiFi or broadband internet access at home sometimes get caught on the wrong side of the digital divide when the weather’s bad. And students learning remotely without connectivity can snap a picture of a completed homework packet and, if they can find a way to share it with teachers, they get a boost in their... read more .

The Daily Signal… FDA Approves Home COVID-19 Test, Is Overseeing 72 Trials of Treatments, Fred Lucas - April 24, 2020 - The Food and Drug Administration has ongoing clinical trials for 72 drugs to treat COVID-19, therapeutics that aren’t a cure, but which will treat the symptoms of the disease, FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn announced Friday. “When it comes to therapeutics, we are leaving no stone unturned in finding treatments for COVID-19,” Hahn said at the daily White House press briefing... read more .

Education Dive… Colleges announce tentative plans for fall 2020, Hallie Busta
April 27, 2020 - Dive Brief: Colleges nationwide have begun talking, if speculatively, about the conditions under which they would reopen campuses for the fall 2020 term. Since Boston University released a plan earlier this month indicating how it may restart campus operations once it is safe to do so, many more colleges have followed. Their plans range widely, and several acknowledge... read more .

The Times-Gazette… ‘Blended’ learning a possibility this fall, By Scott Halasz
COLUMBUS — Ohio’s K-12 schools will continue remote learning for the rest of the current academic year and there is no guarantee that won’t continue in the fall. Gov. Mike DeWine made the announcement this week during his daily media briefing, saying that despite a positive trend, the coronavirus continues. “To go back to school now with a relatively small amount of time left by a large number of... read more .

Community College Daily… Student journalists keep working through the crisis, By Tabitha Whissemore - April 22, 2020 - Ben Levitt is a senior reporter for the College VOICE, the student newspaper of Mercer County Community College (MCCC). He’s been covering COVID-related actions taken by the New Jersey college prior to the statewide closure of all colleges and schools. He considers the role of journalists more important than ever. “All this information is going around that nobody knows... read more .

DA District Administration… Why absenteeism and attendance are growing school concerns, By: Matt Zalaznick - April 20, 2020 - Chronic absenteeism and tracking attendance are rising equity concerns as large numbers of students have not logged in to online classes several weeks after their schools closed due to coronavirus, according to several published reports. Hundreds of thousands of students lack adequate technology to access online classes while many others log on but face... read more .

Education Dive… College fundraisers fear they won't meet goals because of coronavirus, survey says, Jeremy Bauer-Wolf - April 21, 2020 - Dive Brief: More than 40% of college fundraisers in a new survey are not confident they'll make their goals this fiscal year because of the coronavirus pandemic. At liberal arts colleges, nearly half of fundraising professionals aren't sure they'll meet their benchmarks, the report from consulting firm Washburn & McGoldrick found. The coronavirus has thrown institutions... read more .

Human Resources Dive… College students see internships, job offers cancelled due to coronavirus, By Ryan Golden - April 21, 2020 - Dive Brief: Three-quarters of college students in an April 10 to April 12 survey by College Reaction said internships or post-graduate jobs they secured had been canceled, moved remote or delayed amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The poll, which captured the responses of 822 students, also found that about 90% were at least moderately... read more .

Sports Illustrated… Coronavirus Pandemic Magnifies an All-Too-Real Issue for Some NCAA Athletes, Priya Desai - April 21, 2020 - Before the world turned upside down, University of Mississippi senior linebacker Sam Williams would eat five-to-six meals per day at campus dining halls—each one necessary to fuel his 6’3”, 250-pound body. His scholarship came with a meal plan, ensuring that he could get the calories necessary to train and perform at the level expected of him. But like many... read more .

Education Dive… Federal officials urge wealthy colleges to reject coronavirus aid — some are, Jeremy Bauer-Wolf - April 22, 2020 - Dive Brief: Harvard, Stanford and Princeton universities won't accept millions of dollars in coronavirus aid amid calls from federal officials for wealthy institutions to turn down the money. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said in a statement Wednesday that affluent colleges "do not need or deserve additional taxpayer funds." Half of the roughly $12 billion in... read more .

Education Dive… Students on remote learning: More creativity, interaction needed, Linda Jacobson - April 21, 2020 - Teachers and administrators are reaching out and communicating with students about how school has changed because of closures, but what students would like is a better online classroom experience and more interaction with teachers and peers, according to survey results from Phi Delta Kappa International. Nineteen percent of high school students responding, for example, said... read more .

Education Dive… Educators in many states report low e-learning attendance, Shawna De La Rosa - April 14, 2020 - Dive Brief: A survey of 5,659 educators by Fishbowl, a community app for professionals, found 35% of respondents reporting online class attendance was as low as 0 to 25% in the wake of school closures due to the coronavirus pandemic, and 55% saying less than half of their students were attending. The survey indicates Michigan has the highest rate of online absences among states... read more .

NPR Ed… Educators Get Creative To Serve Students With Disabilities, By Elissa Nadworny
April 15, 2020 - Despite cranky computers, conflicting schedules, shaky Internet connections and stubborn software glitches, Danielle Kovach got her whole class together a few Fridays ago for a video chat. Kovach teaches special education in Hopatcong, N.J., and this Friday class session was a celebration: They'd made it through the first few weeks of distance learning. Throughout those weeks, she'd... read more .

Politico… 'We're on the edge of the precipice': How the pandemic could shatter college dreams, By Bianca Quilantan - 04/12/2020 - The pandemic and the nation's brutal economic collapse are combining to crush the college hopes of low-income and first-generation students. Some high school seniors are dropping their first-choice schools in favor of colleges that are cheaper and closer to home, early surveys have found. Others are thinking about going part-time, or taking a gap year... read more .

Trib Live… College students cope with shortcomings of online learning during coronavirus, Teghan Simonton - April 15, 2020 - Ironic and goofy humor fills this Facebook page. There’s a picture of a tombstone that reads “Here lies my motivation to do online college classes.” There are GIFs and memes repurposing lines from “Parks and Recreation” and “SpongeBob SquarePants.” Each post is a lighthearted joke, and each one has received hundreds of comments and likes. The... read more .

Education Dive… As summer nears, school districts begin 'scenario planning', Linda Jacobson
April 14, 2020 - Saturday “academies” and extending the current school year are among the possible ways state and district leaders say they plan to use the summer months to counter some of the learning loss expected due to school closures, uneven internet access and delays in implementing formal online instruction. “We’re at the beginning of the conversation of what summer might look... read more .

Education Dive… Colleges use empty dorms to house first responders, healthcare workers, Hallie Busta - April 16, 2020 - Most U.S. college campuses are empty of students and nonessential workers. But that doesn't mean activity there has ground to a halt. In the last few weeks, several institutions nationwide have begun preparing their dormitories for a new group of residents: healthcare workers, first responders and others on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic. Some are pulling long hours and need a... read more .

Education Dive… Report: More students are earning undergraduate credentials, Natalie Schwartz, April 13, 2020 - Dive Brief: About 3.7 million students earned an undergraduate credential in the 2018-19 academic year, up from 3.4 million in 2012-13, according to a new report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Traditional-age students and those who already completed a credential drove the increase. Meanwhile, students age 25 and older accounted for... read more .

Logan Daily News… Ohio high schools to set own graduation requirements, By John Stran
Apr 13, 2020 - LOGAN — As schools remain closed at least until May 1, the normal process of graduating high school has become a bit unfamiliar. The signing into law of House Bill 197 in late March extended school closings to May 1 and exempted all schools from administering state achievement and alternative assessments. Paolo DeMaria, Ohio’s superintendent of public instruction... read more .

NPR Ed… What Teaching Looks Like During Coronavirus Closures
Seventh grade social studies teacher Hannah Klumpe thought she’d have more time. On a Friday, a student asked her, “Do you think they’re going to close school?” “Oh, not right now,” she said. That weekend, South Carolina’s governor announced schools would close immediately — and Klumpe hasn’t seen her students in-person since. She’s not alone. Most of America’s schools are closed... read more .

Ohio Department of Education Continues to Update Website with Coronavirus-Related School-Building Closure Information - 4/13/2020 - In light of the current public health crisis, please be sure to check the Ohio Department of Education webpage regularly. Changes, cancellations and updates will be posted there. As more details become available, the Ohio Department of Education continues to update its website with information related to the ordered school-building closure... read more .

Education Dive… School boards navigate open meeting laws during closures, Linda Jacobson
April 7, 2020 - With group gatherings currently not allowed because of the coronavirus, school boards across the country have been transitioning public meetings to virtual platforms. But if they don’t have a plan for allowing public comments, are they at risk of violating open meeting laws? Such laws vary from state to state, and not all specify whether members of the public have a right to address... read more .

Cleveland Plain Dealer… Schools skip A-F grades during coronavirus disruption, make classes pass/fail, By Patrick O'Donnell - Apr 10, 2020 - PARMA, Ohio – Parma schools Superintendent Charles Smialek thinks his schools are doing the best they can to teach students remotely amid the coronavirus chaos, but he’s not comfortable grading student work with all the disruptions. So he and the district have tossed aside normal grading practices and will grade students on a pass... read more .

Education Dive… Title IX resolutions climb as DeVos pushes to clear backlog, Jeremy Bauer-Wolf - April 6, 2020 - Dive Brief: The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR), which investigates violations of federal discrimination laws, closed thousands more Title IX complaints than it received during the first two fiscal years of the Trump presidency. In the 2017 and 2018 fiscal years, there was an 80% increase in the number of Title IX cases the administration resolved that involved a... read more .

Education Dive… NWEA data predicts students could be up to a year behind in math in the fall, Linda Jacobson - April 8, 2020 - UPDATE: April 9, 2020: Data released Thursday by NWEA, a nonprofit assessment provider, predicts that because of school closures, some students could be as much as a year behind in math when they start school in the fall, while others would experience a slide more typical of what occurs over the summer. Using academic achievement for students in grades... read more .

Pike County News Watchman… COVID-19 results in updates to college credit plus program, By Ohio Departments of Education and Higher Education - Apr 8, 2020 - At the recommendation of Chancellor Randy Gardner and Superintendent of Public Instruction Paolo DeMaria, previously existing statutes, rules, and guidance relating to the College Credit Plus (CCP) program have been updated in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis. The updates attempt to provide as much flexibility as possible for students... read more .

Farm and Dairy… Why milk is being dumped right now, By Rachel Wagoner
April 4, 2020 - There are photos on social media of dairy farmers dumping milk down the drain because processors have no market for it. At the same time, photos are appearing of grocery stores signs saying customers must limit their milk purchases. That doesn’t make sense. What’s the deal? It’s complicated, but basically the industry got turned on end when the COVID-19 crisis hit the... read more .

The Hechinger Report… Planning ahead to catch up students when school reopens after coronavirus, By Bracey Harris - April 3, 2020 - In Mississippi and across the nation, schools closed because of coronavirus are struggling to find ways to educate children remotely. But even as Mississippi’s education leaders adapt to new platforms, experts say, they must begin to plan ahead. Once campuses fully reopen, schools will need clear strategies to catch up students who have been... read more .

Education Dive… College presidents anticipate cost cutting, layoffs from coronavirus, survey finds, Jeremy Bauer-Wolf - April 7, 2020 - Dive Brief: Almost three quarters of college and university presidents believe staff layoffs will be necessary as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new report from research firm ABC Insights. The survey, which is based on responses from 142 top leaders, shows most intend to "hunker down" and wait for the virus to pass. But more... read more .

NPR Ed… 4 In 10 U.S. Teens Say They Haven't Done Online Learning Since Schools Closed, Anya Kamenetz - April 8, 2020 - With most schools closed nationwide because of the coronavirus pandemic, a national poll of young people ages 13 to 17 suggests distance learning has been far from a universal substitute. The poll of 849 teenagers, by Common Sense Media, conducted with SurveyMonkey, found that as schools across the country transition to some form of online learning, 41% of... read more .

Education Dive… 'Major changes' ahead if coronavirus continues to spoil college sports seasons, Jeremy Bauer-Wolf - April 3, 2020 - Every aspect of colleges' budgets are suffering from the economic fallout of the coronavirus, and athletics departments are no exception. Their bottom lines are likely to be further stressed by a decreased payout from the NCAA. And observers fear far greater financial pressures on college sports should the pandemic extend into the fall. Top... read more .

EdScoop… Need online courses? New university consortium has 1 million openings, Written by Colin Wood - Apr 3, 2020 - Acadeum, a company that brokers enrollments in online courses for university students who can’t get into the classes they need at their own institutions, announced this week it’s assembled a coalition of 19 universities that are offering the remote-learning capabilities now suddenly in demand at universities around the country. In an announcement on... read more .

Education Dive… Teachers strategize to keep English learners engaged during COVID-19 crisis, Shawna De La Rosa - March 31, 2020 - Dive Brief: Kentucky teacher Cheri Mann is one of numerous educators nationwide using unique strategies to keep recently immigrated students engaged in learning during coronavirus shutdowns, Chalkbeat reports. Rather than sending students a surplus of emails, Mann creates a daily spreadsheet and walks through the lessons by phone, in addition to sending... read more .

Education Dive… States ease high school graduation requirements as coronavirus closures extend, Naaz Modan - March 31, 2020 - The coronavirus pandemic has shuttered school buildings across the nation at unprecedented speed, with nearly all states closed through April and a handful extending closures through the end of the academic year. For high schools, the rapidly changing situation has thrown usual traditions for a loop: senior proms are being canceled and graduation... read more .

NPR Ed… University Grad Students Step Up To Fill U.S. Coronavirus Testing Void, Lauren Sommer - March 29, 2020 - Academic science labs around the U.S. are rapidly gearing up to run coronavirus tests for patients in need. They're drawing resources from across campus: technology, chemicals and a formidable workforce — graduate students. "Normally, when people say they need someone in an emergency, it's not a science grad student," says Katie Cabral, a bioengineering... read more .

Edison State Expands 100% Tuition Scholarship Offer to All Graduating Seniors
Edison State Community College is committed to easing the burden created by the COVID-19 pandemic and understands the stress this healthcare challenge has placed on every community. Graduating high school seniors are no exception as they may be faced with difficult decisions about their plans for starting college in the Summer or Fall. As part of its ongoing commitment, Edison State has... read more .

Education Dive… Survey: Teachers support school closures, worry about students falling behind, Linda Jacobson - April 2, 2020 - Dive Brief: Eighty-four percent of teachers agree with states’ and districts’ decisions to close schools due to COVID-19, but more than half are concerned students will struggle to learn in a virtual environment and fall behind academically, according to survey results released Thursday. Conducted by the Association of American Educators Foundation, affiliated... read more .

WDTN Channel 2 Dayton… Sidney student dresses up like princess, reads to kids bringing joy during coronavirus, by: Kelley King - Mar 30, 2020 - SIDNEY, Ohio (WDTN) — A Sidney Middle School student is spreading a little bit of happiness to children who need it during the coronavirus pandemic. Twelve-year-old Olivia Breinich is giving children a virtual visit from Disney princesses. A few times a week, she’s set up story time where she dresses up like Disney princesses... read more .

Candidates speak to Darke County Republican Women’s Club
GREENVILLE, OHIO – The Darke County Republican Women’s Club (DCRWC) recently invited all Republican primary election candidates to speak. Those candidates who joined the club for the evening were: Chris Epley and Jeff Rezabek for one seat on the Second District Court of Appeals, Larry Holmes and Matt Harrison for one County Commission seat, R. Kelly Ormsby III for Prosecuting Attorney, and... read more .

USA Today… Apple offers free consultations to help teachers make the best of online learning, Josh Rivera - Teachers across the nation have been expected to flip the switch to online learning when schools started closing their doors in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus in the U.S. "We have really great resources at school, but we don't get to take those home," said Sammy Rebandt, a fourth grade teacher in Jackson County, Michigan. It has been a massive change... read more .

Edison State Steps Up to Support Local Healthcare Facilities
As the COVID-19 health crisis continues to impact area communities, Edison State Community College is stepping up to help local healthcare facilities in need through the donation of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Edison State’s health sciences programs have recently donated 4,200 gloves, 500 masks, 90 lab coats, and 100 gowns to Wilson Health, Wayne Healthcare, and the... read more .

Coronavirus Relief Package Offers Up More Than $30 Billion For Education, By Elissa Nadworny & Anya Kamenetz - March 26, 2020 - The U.S. Senate's $2 trillion coronavirus relief package includes more than $30 billion for education, with more than $14 billion for colleges and universities and at least $13.5 billion for the nation's K-12 schools. Help for K-12 will come, in part, from what's called the Education Stabilization Fund. Part of this money is meant for protecting jobs and paying staff while... read more .

E-Learning at Greenville City Schools, By Laura Bemus, Susan Dankworth, and Jim Hooper
In these unprecedented times, there are many more questions than answers regarding the future of the school year. As of this writing, the Ohio Governor has closed schools through April 3rd, and classes are set to resume on April 6. That could change, but the school district is preparing to begin school again on April 6. Between now and then, schools and teachers will continue to use e-Learning... read more .

Education Dive… Trump signs coronavirus stimulus package, but higher ed leaders say it shortchanges sector, Jeremy Bauer-Wolf@jbeowulf - March 27 2020 - UPDATE: March 27, 2020: President Donald Trump signed a $2.2 trillion emergency aid package Friday afternoon meant to blunt the economic fallout from the coronavirus. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the measure earlier that day. Dive Brief: The U.S. Senate passed the package late Wednesday... read more .

Community College Daily… Handling clinicals, apprenticeships and more, By Ellie Ashford
March 18, 2020 - Community colleges across the country are shifting classes to online instruction in response to the coronavirus pandemic, but they’re finding more challenges in figuring what to do about nursing clinicals, apprenticeships and other hands-on programs. When Ivy Tech Community College (Indiana) restarts classes, “accommodations will be made for labs, clinicals and some technology... read more .

Education Dive… FBI: Online learning raises risks of sexual exploitation, Shawna De La Rosa
March 27, 2020 - Dive Brief: As novel coronavirus closures force more schools to wade into the world of online learning, the FBI is warning educators and families to beware of online sexual exploitation, and urges parents and educators to teach students about the risks and the signs. Children should also be taught about safety and boundaries and be encouraged to have open communication... read more .

Inside Higher Ed… Reporting Their History While Living It, By Greta Anderson
March 24, 2020 - When the University of Maryland’s student-run newspaper, The Diamondback, published its last print edition on March 9, the front page read, “It’s Not Goodbye, It’s See You Online.” The Diamondback staff had no idea how much weight those words would carry about a week later, when colleges across the U.S. hurriedly moved to online instruction in... read more .

Education Dive… Wi-Fi and hotspots 'still won't work' for rural districts lacking connectivity, Naaz Modan - March 27, 2020 - When Troy Kilzer received the U.S. Department of Education’s guidance Saturday night urging schools to continue learning for all students despite closures, he thought, “Well, that was a no brainer.” But the director of schools for rural Chester County Schools in southwest Tennessee said providing accessible remote learning during the coronavirus outbreak that has... read more .

Education Dive… Rural colleges take steps to weather coronavirus, but will it be enough? Natalie Schwartz - March 24, 2020 - A few weeks after the coronavirus was detected on American soil, one small liberal arts college in rural Appalachia made the call to cancel in-person instruction and ask students to leave campus. But rather than continue classes online, as many other colleges were doing, officials at Berea College, in Kentucky, said they would find other ways for students to... read more .

Darke County Sheriff’s Office COVID19 Response
Due to the changing circumstances related to the COVID-19, the Darke County Sheriff’s Office has made changes in daily operations. These changes are a necessary response to keep the public, Sheriff’s Office employees and first responders safe and healthy. It is important that we follow the advice and orders of the Governor, Ohio Department of Health and the Darke County General Health District. The efforts that are... read more .

The Daily Signal… School Closures—and Accidental Homeschooling—Continue. Here Are More Resources for Families, Lindsey Burke - As of today, 91,000 public and private schools in 39 states with more than 41 million students collectively, have closed because of the coronavirus, according to Education Week. As parents continue to navigate their new role as homeschool instructors, resources are being made available online to meet the needs of families. Some schools have... read more .

Education Dive… As coronavirus spreads, college enrollment officers report concern filling fall classes, Jeremy Bauer-Wolf - March 18, 2020 - Dive Brief: College enrollment officials are reporting widespread concern that they won't be able to fill their fall 2020 classes due to the novel coronavirus, a new EAB report reveals. The consulting firm surveyed about 250 enrollment leaders and asked on a scale of 1 to 5 how worried they were about meeting their enrollment goals for the coming semester... read more .

Bloomburg… Students on Spring Break Fail to Heed Coronavirus Warnings, By Anders Melin
March 16, 2020 - ‘We’ve been drinking Coronas all day bro,’ one reveler says. As global markets nosedived, hundreds of college students crowded onto a beachfront stage on a warm Texas afternoon. The tightly packed throng lingered for hours Thursday, soaking up the sun and other typical Spring Break fare, including bikini and push-up contests and free music shows, seemingly oblivious to... read more .

Darke County Parks… Maple Sugarin’ a Huge Success
On Saturday March 7th, Darke County Parks hosted its annual Maple Sugarin’ at the Prairie Festival in conjunction the Friends of the Darke County Parks Waffle Breakfast. Around 640 people enjoyed the sausage and endless waffle breakfast with coffee, tea, juice, or milk. This was a record-breaking year, with people lined up through the entire duration of the event. Fifty volunteers assisted with the... read more .

eSchool News… 7 cool–and slightly funky–TED-Ed Lessons to watch at home, By Laura Ascione - March 18th, 2020 - TED-Ed Lessons offer a video library and the chance to build and customize lessons for students. Many schools across country are closed for two weeks–or longer–due to the COVID-19 outbreak, and a great number of districts have moved online to help students stay current with their learning. If you’re a teacher communicating with your students while school is closed, or if you’re... read more .

First Presbyterian Church of Greenville… FPC announces arrival of new pastor
First Presbyterian Church of Greenville Ohio, a member congregation of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church located on 114 E 4th Street in downtown Greenville, announces the arrival of its new pastor, Andrew C. Gilman. Pastor Gilman relocated with his wife Jenna and their two young children Sienna and Shane, from Kettering Ohio. Pastor Gilman, known as Pastor Andrew to the church community, grew... read more .

Greenville Police Department… COVID-19 Precautions
To ensure we can continue to serve our community throughout this emergency, the Greenville Police Department has enacted certain internal policies to keep our employees healthy through the following methods: All calls will be screened and persons asked a series of health related questions. All non-emergency calls will be taken via telephone. The dispatcher will take your initial information and have an officer... read more .

Education Dive… Labor Department aims to grow apprenticeships with new rule, Natalie Schwartz - March 12, 2020 - Dive Brief: The U.S. Department of Labor released final regulations this week establishing a new system to evaluate apprenticeships that could make it easier for employers and education providers to create their own programs. Starting in mid-May, the Labor Department will allow several kinds of entities — including colleges, trade associations and employers — to monitor and establish... read more .

Greenville Public Library Closed due to Virus Concerns
In response to the growing COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, Greenville Public Library will close all facilities to the public beginning at 8 p.m. on Monday, March 16, 2020. Library leadership will reassess the closure on a weekly basis and use current information from health officials to determine the best date to reopen. Additionally: All events and programs are canceled until further notice. All meeting... read more .

Bloomburg… College Towns to Clear Out as Virus Upends Local Businesses, By Janet Lorin
March 10, 2020 - Coronavirus is upending college campuses, as schools including Harvard and Amherst move to online classes and tell most students not to return to campus. School communities will get pinched economically. Colleges operate as mini-cities, drawing thousands of visitors who stay in nearby hotels and eat at restaurants. They host conferences and athletic tournaments, and... read more .

Education Dive… Future of Sex Education Initiative issues updated standards, Shawna De La Rosa - March 13, 2020 - Dive Brief: The Future of Sex Education Initiative recently released its second edition of "The National Sex Education Standards: Core Content and Skills, K-12" in an effort to support teachers seeking a medically accurate, trauma-informed and inclusive sex education. The resource was produced by Advocates for Youth, Answer and the Sexuality Information and Education... read more .

Big Brothers Big Sisters… Bowl For Kids’ Sake raises $43,777
VERSAILLES - Big Brothers Big Sisters of Shelby and Darke County’s Bowl For Kids’ Sake, March 6 and 7, at Bel-Mar Lanes in Sidney and McBos Lanes in Versailles was supported by 142 businesses who sponsored, made general donations, or donated prizes for the event, and brought together 352 bowlers to make up the 71 participating teams. Executive Director Jennifer Bruns said... read more .

The Columbus Dispatch… Gov. Mike DeWine: School closures could be extended; restaurants, bars could be closed, By Randy Ludlow - Gov. Mike DeWine believes Ohio’s classrooms may not be able to reopen this spring to complete the school year as the state’s number of coronavirus cases continues to spiral. And, the governor also disclosed in a round of appearances on Sunday morning national political talk shows that he is looking at potentially closing restaurants and bars across Ohio. Appearing on CNN... read more .

Bloomburg… NCAA Leaders Say ‘Everything Is on the Table’ for March Madness, By Eben Novy-Williams - March 2, 2020 - The National Collegiate Athletic Association is examining all options for the upcoming men’s basketball tournament, including the possibility of holding games without fans, as coronavirus continues to spread across the U.S. “If you can think of it, it’s something that we’ve gone through an analysis around,” NCAA Chief Operating Officer Donald Remy said... read more .

Education Dive… College completion rates still rising in most states, Jeremy Bauer-Wolf
March 2, 2020 - Dive Brief: Most states increased their six-year completion rates between 2009 and 2013, new data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center (NSCRC) reveals. Some of the states that experienced the biggest gains during that time were among the most populous in the country, the report notes: Ohio, Georgia, Michigan, New York and California. Notably, 33 states... read more .

Greenville City Schools… Positive Climate and Culture in our Schools, By Stan Hughes, Greenville High School Principal - The climate and culture of a school building affect all aspects of educating our students. Climate and culture affect adult morale, student learning, and community involvement in our school systems. Positive and healthy climate and culture boost morale, growth, and positive interactions between the community and the schools. These two concepts are interconnected... read more .

Education Dive… 4 crucial pieces of guidance as districts prepare coronavirus response, Naaz Modan - March 6, 2020 - Since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) first advised schools to prepare for increased employee and student absenteeism last week, many schools and districts on the West Coast and in a handful of states nationwide impacted by the coronavirus have temporarily shuttered buildings due to outbreaks. Washington and California have been hit hardest so far... read more .

Cleveland Plain Dealer… Ohio graduates won’t have to be “proficient” in math or English, under state superintendent’s plan, By Patrick O'Donnell - CLEVELAND, Ohio – High school students won’t have to be “proficient” in either math or English to graduate, under minimum required test scores proposed by State Superintendent Paolo DeMaria. They will just need to know enough to do the most basic of jobs. New high school graduation requirements passed this summer require most... read more .

Darke County Sheriff… Courthouse has New Entrance and Security Measures
The Darke County Board of Commissioners and the Darke County Sheriff announce the opening of the new Courthouse entrance and the start of enhanced security measures. On Monday March 9, 2020 citizens attending the Darke County Courthouse will find the new entrance open for business. The entrance is located directly off of the W. Fourth Street sidewalk at the rear of the courthouse. This will be the... read more .

Education Dive… Report: Safety tip lines flag bullying, drug use, suicide risk, Naaz Modan
March 2, 2020 - More schools are using safety tips lines, but not just for gun violence prevention — the technology is addressing bullying, drug use and suicide risk among students. Those are among the findings of a nationwide study looking at how schools are using tip lines as a safety measure. The report, which was conducted by RTI International, a nonprofit research institution, was based... read more .

Education Dive… A new state bill could challenge key interstate distance learning pact, Jeremy Bauer-Wolf - March 4, 2020 - The U.S. Department of Education frustrated consumer advocacy groups last year when it issued new federal rules concerning the state authorization of distance learning providers. In the final regulations, the agency deviated from federal negotiators' initial consensus in at least one significant way: States participating in agreements allowing institutions based in other states to offer... read more .

Safety a priority at Greenville City Schools… By Jeffrey S. Cassell, GCS Director of Administrative Services - Safety is now always a concern for schools, staff, students and parents. There are districts, business, and venues in the news many times a year. We do not want that to be here in Greenville. So, as a district we take steps to protect our students and staff. Staff and students are trained using the ALICE system. ALICE stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate. The order of use... read more .

NPR Education… Without Warning System, Schools Often 'Pass The Trash' — And Expose Kids To Danger, Erin B. Logan - April 6, 2018 - Update from NPR: Education Secretary Betsy Devos announced new measures to tackle the rise in reported incidents of sexual misconduct against students in grades K-12. The most recent federal numbers show 9,700 annual incidents of sexual assault or attempted rape in public elementary and secondary schools. This is a fifteen fold increase in... read more .

Pew Research Center… Democrats overwhelmingly favor free college tuition, while Republicans are divided by age, education, By Hannah Hartig - American adults generally support making tuition free at public colleges and universities for all U.S. students, yet there are sizable partisan and demographic differences in views of tuition-free college. Republicans, in particular, are divided by age and educational attainment in opinions on this issue. Among all U.S. adults, 63% favor making... read more .

Education Dive… Soft skills are an invaluable 'counterpart to STEM.' Here's how a USC program is equipping teens, Linda Jacobson - March 2, 2020 - Adaptability is a competitive advantage, Chris Swain, a product designer, entrepreneur and lecturer at the University of Southern California, tells the young men and women gathered for his presentation. “How often are we not getting what we want out of the world?” he asks them. “Every single day.” But students' ability to show those they... read more .

Education Dive… Teacher merit pay linked to higher student test scores, Linda Jacobson
Feb. 24, 2020 - Dive Brief: Merit pay programs for teachers are associated with a significant increase in student test scores, according to a new review of 37 studies, including 26 conducted in the U.S. But the effects depend of how the program is designed. Programs combined with professional development produced the greatest results. “Integrating merit pay with effective professional development... read more .

Inside Higher Education… Senate Might Rebuke DeVos on Borrower Defense, By Kery Murakami
February 28, 2020 - For all of President Trump’s controversial policies, it has been rare for the Republican Senate to formally condemn the administration. But lobbyists on both sides of the debate over U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos's borrower-defense rule say it’s increasingly possible that the Republican Senate could join the Democratic House in rebuking the administration over the rule critics say makes... read more .

Education Dive… Report identifies strategies for scaling work-based learning, Shawna De La Rosa - Feb. 27, 2020 - Dive Brief: A new report from the National Governor’s Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) aims to narrow the gap between what employers need and the type of skills employees entering the workforce possess, identifying core elements of system changes governors can use to embed work-based learning in K-12. The lessons were collected as NGA worked with 19 states and... read more .

Tucson.com… Arizona House panel votes to allow community colleges to offer 4-year degrees, By Howard Fischer Capitol Media Services - Feb 18, 2020 - PHOENIX — A House panel voted Monday to allow community colleges to offer four-year degrees, calling them a less expensive and more accessible alternative than universities. The 7-3 vote by the House Education Committee for House Bill 2790 came despite objections from the Arizona Board of Regents and the three state... read more .

Darke Southwest Conservation District… Assistance available to protect privately owned Wetland Habitat - Sign-up Deadline is March 27, 2020 - COLUMBUS, OH, Feb. 14, 2020 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) encourages people and groups wanting to restore and protect critical wetlands to consider enrolling their property into conservation easements. This year, NRCS will invest in technical and financial assistance to help private landowners... read more .

Education Dive… Can colleges keep up as Title IX guidance shifts and splinters? Jeremy Bauer-Wolf - Feb. 19, 2020 - Colleges and universities have faced an avalanche of sexual assault lawsuits in recent years arguing that they botched cases in ways that have slighted both victims of sexual violence and students accused of it. The increase in cases comes as the legal outlook around Title IX, the federal law that governs sex discrimination on campuses, grows more complex. U.S. Secretary... read more .

Greenville City Schools… Happy CTE Month, Andrea Townsend, Director of Career Technology & Special Education - February 16, 2020 - February is known for love and it is the PERFECT month to celebrate CTE Month. That’s because students, families, employers and educators LOVE Career Technical Education (CTE)! Please join Greenville High School Career Technical Education Center (G-CTEC) in celebrating CTE Month! According to aeseducation.com, Career and technical education (CTE) is... read more .

Chalkbeat… In a damning audit, Indiana calls on two virtual schools to repay $85 million in misspent state funds, By Stephanie Wang - February 12, 2020 - A special investigation by state auditors found that officials from two Indiana virtual charter schools misspent more than $85 million in state funding by inflating enrollment and funneling millions to a tangled web of related companies. In what has become one of the nation’s largest virtual charter school scandals... read more .

Education Dive… FRAC report finds 12.4M students received free and reduced-price breakfasts last year, Shawna De La Rosa - Feb. 14, 2020 - Dive Brief: The School Breakfast Scorecard, released by Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), reports 12.4 million children received a free or reduced-price school breakfast on an average school day in the 2018-19 school year, down 6,000 students — a relatively small percentage — from the prior year. For every 100 students who participated... read more .

STABLE Account and Edison State Help People with Disabilities Save and Invest
Edison State Community College has become the first college in America to offer STABLE Accounts as a way for faculty and staff to save and invest their wages for qualified expenses for themselves or a loved one with a disability. Ohio’s national Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) account, known as STABLE Account, exists so that people with disabilities can increase their... read more .

Trump returns to cuts in higher ed budget proposal, Jeremy Bauer-Wolf
Feb. 10, 2020 - Dive Brief: The Trump administration on Monday released its $66.6 billion budget proposal for the U.S. Department of Education, which would slash the agency's funding by about 8%. Among its provisions, the budget plan would eliminate subsidized federal student loans and the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. It would also open Pell Grants to students in... read more .

The Hill… Connecticut HS girls sue to block transgender athletes, By John Bowden
02/12/20 - The families of three Connecticut high school girls who run cross country are suing in an attempt to block transgender students from participating in girls' sports in the state. In a statement, a law firm representing the three families accused school officials associated with Glastonbury High School and Canton High School of forcing girls "to compete against boys" by allowing transgender girls to... read more .

Deep Dive… Making the grade: Why school construction costs are climbing and projects are stalling, Joe Bousquin - Feb. 14, 2020 - When California-based C.W. Driver Cos. began work on the new 94,000-square-foot K-8 Cadence Park School campus in Irvine in 2016, the overall construction costs came in at $475 per square foot. But in 2019, as the firm started mapping out the construction of Heritage Fields School No. 3, another K-8 campus for the Irvine Unified School District... read more .

CareFlight Adds Fourth Base of Operations in Darke County
DAYTON, Ohio (February 17, 2020) – The CareFlight Air & Mobile program is expanding to include a fourth base of operations in Versailles, in northeast Darke County. The helicopter, to be housed at Midmark Corp.’s private hangar, will serve as CareFlight’s northwest base in the region and will begin responding to emergency calls from that location as early as late February. Once the... read more .

NPR Education… 2 Big Teachers Unions Call For Rethinking Student Involvement In Lockdown Drills, Anya Kamenetz - February 11, 2020 - Ryan Pascal, a 17-year-old student at Palos Verdes High School near Los Angeles, says when her school holds active shooter drills, it's "chaos." The first time it happened, not long after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., in 2018, rumors started flying over Snapchat and text that the school was really under attack. "We... read more .

The Hechinger Report… Some colleges start to confront a surprising reason students fail: Too many choices, By Jon Marcus - February 7, 2020 - MIAMI — By the time Rodrigo Chinchon decided to change his major from architecture, he was two years into college and 15 credits behind what he would need for his new choice: international business. “When I switched, I had a lot of requirements to fulfill. I was sort of lost,” said Chinchon, a student at Florida International University. It will take Chinchon... read more .

Education Dive… Trump's proposed 2021 budget: ESSA overhaul, Title I cuts, CTE emphasis, Naaz Modan - Feb. 11, 2020 - President Donald Trump announced his proposed 2021 fiscal year budget Monday afternoon, once more suggesting cuts to the Department of Education and its notable K-12 programs. Overall, the budget allocates $66.6 billion for the Department of Education, 7.8% or $5.6 billion less than the previous year. Among proposed changes is a push to restructure the Elementary.. read more .

Politico… ‘A nightmare for college athletics’, By Juan Perez Jr.
02/09/2020 - College sports wants a new referee: Congress. Some 30 states, from New York to Nebraska, are weighing competing proposals on student athlete compensation, with their legislative sessions in full swing. California already passed a law that says NCAA players can make endorsements or pitch merchandise without risking their scholarships or eligibility. Powerful university leaders, student athlete... read more .

Education Dive… These lawsuits could change the stakes for higher ed, By Natalie Schwartz
The future of higher education may be decided in the courtroom. New lawsuits — some of which could reach the Supreme Court — are poised to fundamentally reshape higher education by challenging everything from how colleges investigate sexual misconduct to whether they’re doing enough to protect students on campus. “There’s no question that higher education is now in a litigation frenzy,” said Peter... read more .

The Hechinger Report… Students design cooking grills for space and program drones, Tara García Mathewson - Ava Liepins took her first crack at coding last year as a fifth grader at Kennedy Middle School in Natick, Massachusetts. It was fine. The assignment was entirely online, and students learned the basics of coding at computers. This year, the 11-year-old is way more enthusiastic, thanks to a unit in her instructional technology course that had her program a drone to fly through an obstacle... read more .

Education Dive… Study: Tough teachers get better results from students, Shawna De La Rosa
Feb. 12, 2020 - Teachers walk a fine line, says Jordan Catapano, an assistant principal al James B. Conant High School in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. On one hand, he says, educators don't want to frustrate students by setting standards so high an "A" is unattainable. But they also don't want to bore students and leave them thinking the quality of their work doesn't matter. The hope, he says, is students... read more .

Education Dive… 9th-grade math tutoring proves beneficial for low-income students, Shawna De La Rosa - Feb. 5, 2020 - Dive Brief: The nonprofit Saga Education is finding "blockbuster" success tutoring low-income, 9th-grade math students during the school day, according to The Hechinger Report. The tutors, who are college graduates working for the nonprofit AmeriCorps, work with two students at a time in a class teaching the Saga Education curriculum, and 9th-grade math is targeted... read more .

EdTech… Protect Parent Communications with Security Tools and Education, by Autumn Whitefield-Madrano - When an employee of the Clinton Public School District in Mississippi was doxxed, leaving the employee’s private information vulnerable to public misuse, the district took action. But one of those actions — suspending all social media — left stakeholders frustrated. “Losing social media in the middle of the school year had a significant impact on our communication... read more .

Greenville City Schools… Greenville Elementary School Promotes Positive Behavior with Students, By James Hooper, Director of Curriculum and Instruction - Greenville Elementary School, through a grant provided by the Ohio Department of Education, is teaching positive behavior to all elementary students through a collection of classroom tools called the PAX Good Behavior Game. The PAX Good Behavior Game is a preventive intervention used by teachers and schools to teach... read more .

The Hechinger Report… How play is making a comeback in Kindergarten, By Jackie Mader
February 8, 2020 - EVERETT, Wash. — On a sunny winter morning in Sara Stevens’ kindergarten classroom at Pathfinder Kindergarten Center, 5- and 6-year olds spread out across the classroom learning about colors, shapes, engineering and design. Not a pencil or worksheet was in sight, however. These kids were playing. Standing in front of a child-sized kitchen in the corner of the classroom... read more .

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution… Does this match? APS launches digital tool to help with college advising, By Vanessa McCray - Feb 03, 2020 - Figuring out where to go to college can be stressful. There are so many factors to consider: academic reputation, location, cost, and the campus culture for starters. A new digital tool is designed to help Atlanta high schoolers identify their best options and narrow down which colleges they should apply to. The district will launch the Match & Fit List Builder... read more .

Education Dive… Majority of students' feelings about high school are negative, Naaz Modan
Feb. 7, 2020 - Dive Brief: High school students experience mostly negative emotions toward school, with feeling tired among their biggest complaints, according to a new nationwide study by Yale University's Center for Emotional Intelligence and Child Study Center. Stress and boredom were also among the top reasons students felt negative toward school, according to the survey of 21,678... read more .

The Hechinger Report… The science of talking in class, By Jill Barshay
February 3, 2020 - One of the hallmarks of so-called “progressive” schools is freedom for students to talk to each other in class. Students aren’t required to sit quietly all day, obediently listening to a teacher lecture or silently completing an assignment on their own. The Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget, whose theories of child development inspire many teachers today, thought peer interaction was... read more .

Ohio’s White-tailed Deer Hunting Season Is a Success
Darke County harvests 809 deer, compared to 687 the previous year - COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio’s white-tailed deer hunters concluded the 2019-2020 hunting season by harvesting 184,465 deer, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. Deer hunting in Ohio began Sept. 28, 2019, and concluded Feb. 2, 2020. The final harvest total represents all deer taken... read more .

NPR Ed… As Esports Take Off, High School Leagues Get In The Game, Aubri Juhasz
January 24, 2020 - Nowadays, if you're a teenager who's good at video games there's a lot more to be had than just a pot of virtual gold. There's college scholarships, tournament money and high salary jobs. Today, more than 170 colleges and universities participate. And there's money on the table — more than $16 million in college scholarships. Naturally, high schools have followed suit. This... read more .

Bloomingdale to Join Financial Achievement Services
GREENVILLE, Ohio- The Main Street Greenville Board of Trustees announced today that current Executive Director Crysta Bloomingdale has submitted her resignation in order to accept a position at Financial Achievement Services Inc. “The board is very sad to see Crysta leave Main Street Greenville as the Executive Director,” said Phillip Pierri, Board President. “She has been a great asset... read more .

Arcanum graduate serving in a new role, By George Starks
O'Donnell goes from player to coach - NEW MADISON-Basketball has been the one sport that Arcanum graduate Abbey O'Donnell has always been associated with. From her playing days in high school, through four years at Bluffton, O'Donnell has remained attached to the sport she loves. Now instead of wearing the uniform, she's in street clothes and being called coach Abbey or coach... read more .

Education Dive… High school GPA 5 times more likely to predict college success than ACT scores, Shawna De La Rosa - Jan. 29, 2020 - Dive Brief: A study released this week and published in the journal Educational Researcher shows high school grade point averages predict college graduation rates five times more accurately than ACT scores. The study examined 55,084 students who graduated from Chicago Public Schools between 2006 and 2009 and immediately attended a... read more .

Inside Higher Ed… Preparing for Coronavirus, By Elizabeth Redden
January 27, 2020 - The coronavirus has come to U.S. campuses. Arizona public health officials announced Sunday that "a member of the Arizona State community who does not live in university housing" had tested positive for the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). The person had recently traveled to Wuhan, China, where the virus originated. Baylor University announced that one of its students was being... read more .

Education Dive… New rules limit states' oversight of online colleges. How will they react? Lorelei Laird - Jan. 30, 2020 - State attorneys general were left out when the U.S. Department of Education rewrote its state authorization rules for distance education. The department "didn't feel attorneys general had a strong role to play in the potential regulations compared with other groups overseeing colleges," a spokesperson told Bloomberg early last year. But the end result, announced Nov. 1, will certainly affect... read more .

Education Dive… Report: Students earn associate degrees, certificates at equal rates to bachelor's, Jeremy Bauer-Wolf - Jan. 29, 2020 - Dive Brief: Colleges awarded roughly the same number of associate degrees and certificates combined (1.95 million) in 2016 as bachelor's degrees (1.92 million), according to a new report from Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce. Though the authors describe the four-year degree as the "gold standard" for stable... read more .

The Hechinger Report… This math tutoring program gets ‘blockbuster’ results in high-poverty schools, By Tara Garcia Mathewson - January 29, 2020 - The world’s wealthiest families have known for centuries how effective tutoring is. Private tutors long educated the aristocracy and continue to supplement the education of kids whose families can afford it. Now, a national nonprofit has found a way to get tutoring to kids from poorer families, too. And researchers have a growing body of evidence... read more .

NPR Ed… High School Starts At 3 p.m. For These Michigan Students, Kevin Lavery
January 28, 2020 - The final moments of Friday afternoon are slipping away at Eastern High School in Lansing, Mich., as announcements echo through the halls. As students stream through the doors, teacher Dee Halstead is rolling her supply cart to the library. Her workday is just ramping up. "This is my classroom on wheels," Halstead said. "It's my laptop and all of the papers I need to... read more .

Education Dive… Indiana district runs afoul of state officials with enrollment promotion, Roger Riddell - Jan. 28, 2020 - Dive Brief: Indiana's Gary Community School Corporation, currently under state takeover, is facing backlash from state officials over potential violations of state law related to enrollment incentives it marketed in the fall, The Northwest Indiana Times reports. In addition to offering a $25 Visa gift card to parents providing successful enrollment referrals, numerous posts on the district's... read more .

Education Dive… Florida to roll out 'common sense' standards after dropping Common Core, Naaz Modan - Jan. 28, 2020 - Dive Brief: Florida will release new academic standards this week that include changes to English language arts and math instruction, a greater emphasis on civics education and streamlined testing. Florida is one of a growing number of states repealing or pushing to repeal Common Core State Standards. "It really goes beyond common core to embrace... read more .

Cleveland.com… 7 Ohio colleges fall far below average for percent of low-income students with Pell grants, By Emily Bamforth - CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Some of Ohio’s highest-ranked colleges and universities enroll low-income students at far below the national average, according to a report released Wednesday by Washington D.C.-based Education Reform Now. The group examined the percentage of students receiving Pell grants at Ohio colleges, and found that seven schools... read more .

Education Dive… Teacher prep, equity top list of 'hot' literacy topics, Linda Jacobson
Jan. 22, 2020 - Teacher preparation programs are not adequately preparing teachers to provide “effective reading instruction,” according to 60% of the literacy educators, researchers and experts responding to this year’s “What’s Hot in Literacy Survey” from the International Literacy Association. And the 1,443 respondents — more than half of which are teachers — said the greatest challenge... read more .

Education Dive… Building growth mindset requires rethinking lesson structures, Lauren Barack - Jan. 8, 2020 - Dive Brief: Students who feel pressure to succeed may find the idea of a growth mindset uncomfortable and the possibility of failure frightening, Edutopia reports, citing a piece by Michael Bycraft, head of design and innovation for grades 6-12 at the Korea International School in South Korea. To help students adopt this way of thinking, Bycraft started to structure lessons that encouraged... read more .

Ohio Capital Journal… Data Shows 25,600 Homeless Students In Ohio, Number Increasing Annually, By Jake Zuckerman - January 13, 2020 - On any given weekday, about 25,600 homeless students — 1.5% of all enrollees — walked into Ohio's K-12 schools, according to state data from the 2018-2019 school year. Thirteen years ago, it was 7,560, or 0.5% of enrolled students. The data comes from the Ohio Department of Education, which is required under the 1987 McKinney-Vento law to track... read more .

Education Dive… Running without state approval, Lambda School shows challenge of regulating new entities, Jeremy Bauer-Wolf - Jan. 22, 2020 - Less than three years in, California-based coding academy Lambda School has emerged as one of the increasingly popular online alternatives to traditional postsecondary education. Lambda and other entities like it are marketed as self-paced and more affordable than a typical college or university. Their pitch is alluring — in many cases, students... read more .

Greenville’s Cox one of 27 Edison State Student-Athletes Named to OCCAC All-Academic Team - Twenty-seven student-athletes from Edison State Community College have received Academic All-Conference honors from the Ohio Community College Athletic Conference (OCCAC) for the Fall 2019 semester. To qualify, a student-athlete must have completed at least 12 credit hours with a 3.30 GPA. “These student-athletes are giving their all both on and off the court or field... read more .

Education Dive… School gardens teach students about plants and much more, Shawna De La Rosa - Jan. 22, 2020 - Dive Brief: A sensory garden filled with fruits, vegetables, trees and other plants can stimulate students' senses and create the backdrop for many learning experiences, District Administration reports. The gardens can be used for science experiments, studying insects and even social-emotional learning experiences. Some schools — such as Springhill Elementary, an urban Title... read more .

Education Dive… Study: SEL program's impact on state test scores mixed, Linda Jacobson
Jan. 22, 2020 - Dive Brief: A social-emotional learning program focusing on skills such as cooperation, self-control and empathy was associated with some positive results on state tests in reading and math, but the findings don’t match the large gains found in other research on the connections between SEL and students’ academic performance, a new study finds. In a randomized trial, researchers... read more .

Inside Higher Education… Many Nonprofit College Programs Would Fail Gainful Test, By Kery Murakami - January 16, 2020 - Only about 60 percent of programs at private nonprofit institutions, and 70 percent of those at public colleges and universities, would pass the Obama administration’s gainful-employment test, if it were in place and applied to them, according to an online tool developed by a conservative Texas policy group. Coming amid a stalemate over how to proceed with college accountability... read more .

Education Week… Here's What Gen Z Teachers Around the World Want in Their Jobs, By Madeline Will - January 16, 2020 - Young teachers want to use technology to make a difference in the classroom, but they don't feel like their preparation programs have adequately equipped them to use do so. They expect to work in diverse classrooms, but they don't feel properly trained. And they are worried about stress and burnout. These are some of the findings from Microsoft Education, which... read more .

Education Dive… New data shows earning power of college graduates, Jeremy Bauer-Wolf
Jan. 14, 2020 - Dive Brief: Individuals with bachelor's degrees will earn $400,000 more in their lifetimes than those with just a high school diploma, according to a new report from the College Board. College graduates who enrolled at age 18 and earned a degree in four years "can expect to earn enough relative to a high school graduate" by age 33 to make up for paying tuition and other costs and for being out of the workforce... read more .

Robinson, Brittingham Edison State Employees of the Semester
Edison State Community College recognized outstanding employee performance at the most recent all-campus meeting in the Robinson Theater at the Piqua Campus. The Employee of the Semester award speaks to Edison State’s commitment to quality and sustaining positive employee engagement. “These employees make a difference to Edison State and members of the campus community, go above... read more .

NPR Education… San Diego Schools Sue Juul Labs Over Youth Vaping Epidemic, Scott Neuman - January 9, 2020 - San Diego's public school schools have filed suit against Juul Labs, Inc., the largest U.S. producer of e-cigarettes, accusing the company of deliberately marketing its vaping products to young people, effectively rolling back years of progress made by anti-smoking campaigns. A 40-page complaint filed in San Diego Superior Court on behalf of the San Diego Unified School District on... read more .

Edison State Students Complete Police Training
Edison State Community College’s Peace Officer Academy honored nine students in December following their successful completion of the 23-week program. Students of the program met for six days each week, beginning on July 8, totaling 752 hours of training. The curriculum of the program is certified by the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission (OPOTC) and covers all aspects of law enforcement... read more .

Greenville City Schools Update January 2020, By Superintendent Doug Fries
Greenville City Schools has had a great first semester of the 2019-2020 school year, both academically and with extracurricular activities. Thanks to the hard work of our students and staff and the support of our parents and community, the first semester is nearing the end and has been very educational and productive. Students returned from Winter Break this year on Thursday, January 6, 2020. There will be no... read more .

Education Dive… Report: Liberal arts colleges deliver one of the highest returns on investment, Natalie Schwartz - Jan. 14, 2020 - Dive Brief: Liberal arts colleges tend to have higher returns than most other types of institutions, though graduates don't see their investment pay off immediately, according to a new report from Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce (Georgetown CEW). A decade after enrolling, students at liberal arts colleges see a median return on investment of... read more .

Edison State Announces Fall 2019 Dean’s List
Edison State Community College recognizes 447 students for excellence in academics on the Fall 2019 Semester Dean’s List. To be eligible for the Dean’s List a student must have at least a 3.5 grade point average and carry a minimum of 12 hours for the semester. Anna: Emily Bertke, Jennifer Blackburn, Brian Burmeister, Mackensie Littlefield, Bryce Meyer, Taylor Noll, Abigail Pleiman... read more .

Education Dive… Low public opinion on college affordability unchanged in new poll, Jeremy Bauer-Wolf - Jan. 9, 2020 - Dive Brief: Just one in four U.S. adults (27%) believes an education beyond high school is affordable to anyone in the country who needs it, according to a new Gallup poll. Public opinion on this issue has been consistent in Gallup's poll since the organization started posing the question in 2012. Gallup's findings support other recent research suggesting the public is skeptical about... read more .

The Hechinger Report… The game that can spot preschoolers at risk for reading deficits, By Jackie Mader - January 9, 2020 - What if a short digital game for young children could help lower the high school drop out rate? That’s a long-range goal of a new effort by a team from Boston Children’s Hospital in collaboration with Florida State University, which has developed a 15 to 20-minute game that tests children’s early literacy skills and generates a red flag for those in need of extra support. Research... read more .

Edison State Sees Big Enrollment Increase for Spring Semester
With the support of state initiatives, Edison State Community College continues to thrive, experiencing an ongoing enrollment increase while other higher education institutions are flat or down in enrollment. This spring, the college is reporting an 8.46-percent increase in overall headcount and a 5.21-percent growth in credit hours. One major area of increase is in the number of students taking... read more .

Education Dive… 5 K-12 trends to watch in 2020, Linda Jacobson, Roger Riddell & Naaz Modan
Jan. 6, 2020 - The past year saw continued investment by states and districts in the additional decision-making freedom allowed under the Every Student Succeeds Act, particularly when it comes to requirements on providing a "well-rounded" education, as well as ongoing concern over efforts to harden school security. In many districts nationwide, stagnant pay and benefits, alongside a range of... read more .

Education Dive… How an 8-page catalog is transforming parent engagement in Philadelphia, Natalie Gross - Jan. 8, 2020 - Eight brightly colored pieces of paper are streamlining the way principals in the School District of Philadelphia engage families and get them on campus. These Family Engagement School-Level Workshop Catalogs, as they’re known, offer a concise list of more than a dozen workshops that can be made available to parents at any school upon request — from lessons... read more .

Music ed pays off across curriculum, justifying costs, Shawna De La Rosa
Jan. 8, 2020 - Dive Brief: Districts with high percentages of low-income students are finding ways to fund music education, District Administration reports, noting that of the 623 districts that received the “Best Communities for Music Education” award, 180 have 50% of students qualifying for free- or reduced-price lunch. In some districts, educators use the award to urge voters to pass bonds... read more .

Education Dive… Title IX lawsuits have skyrocketed in recent years, analysis shows, Jeremy Bauer-Wolf - Jan. 6, 2020 - Dive Brief: The number of students who have sued colleges and universities for potentially botching sexual violence cases has exploded in recent years, according to a new analysis. The report, published recently in the New York University Journal of Legislation and Public Policy, shows that federal and state courts have sided with institutions across the U.S. a little less than... read more .

Education Dive… Report: Florida, Ohio called 'advanced leaders' in K-12 media literacy efforts, Linda Jacobson - Jan. 7, 2020 - As the U.S. enters another presidential election year, 14 states have “some media-literacy language on the books,” according to a new report detailing legislative efforts to integrate media literacy instruction into curriculum. But “action is too slow compared to the urgent need,” wrote Erin McNeill, president and board member of Media Literacy Now, a nonprofit... read more .

Education Dive… A look back at the biggest higher ed headlines of 2019, Education Dive staff
Jan. 2, 2020 - News early last year that some wealthy parents were buying their children's way into elite colleges was consuming, and the whole affair is still playing out. But the Varsity Blues scandal wasn't the only topic to light up higher education in 2019. At the U.S. Department of Education, Secretary Betsy DeVos continued her push for deregulation, rewriting several Obama-era rules. Colleges continued to... read more .

Education Dive… Report: Shrinking share of adults thinks college is 'important', Jeremy Bauer-Wolf - Jan. 2, 2020 - Dive Brief: About half of U.S. adults (51%) think having a college education is "very important," according to a recent poll from Gallup that solicited responses from around 2,000 people. However, the data shows the public's view of higher education has diminished in recent years. In 2013, 70% of respondents to a similar survey said college was "very important," though a bigger share of... read more .

Education Dive… Chief Justice Roberts urges focus on civics ed, Linda Jacobson
Jan. 2, 2020 - Dive Brief: Writing that "civic education has fallen by the wayside," Chief Justice John Roberts noted in the Supreme Court's 2019 year-end report what the federal court system is doing to contribute to students’ knowledge of how government works. "Classroom-ready" materials, teacher training resources and opportunities for students to participate in mock proceedings are among the... read more .

Darke County Engineer… 42nd Annual Report for 2019, By: Jim Surber P.E., P.S.
This report always shows money received for the year, how it was spent, and what it maintained, constructed, purchased, or improved. We always try to maximize total funds spent on road and bridge improvements. Including grants, for 2019 this was $2,881,753.95, or an amount equal to 45.4 percent of our total annual receipts. Heavy spring rains delayed many tasks until June, but during the remaining year we... read more .

Education Dive… Minority and first-gen students feel greater belonging at 2-year colleges, study finds, Natalie Schwartz - Jan. 2, 2020 - Dive Brief: First-generation and underrepresented minority students attending community colleges report they feel a greater sense of belonging at those institutions than their peers, according to a recent analysis of federal data. The researchers found the opposite at four-year colleges. Students who were not first-generation or from underrepresented minority groups... read more .

Education Dive… Recent school ransomware attacks highlight need for ongoing vigilance, Naaz Modan - Jan. 3, 2020 - In a routine cleanup over the holiday break, the IT department in Michigan’s Richmond Community Schools "noticed something unusual” with the district’s computers. It was a ransomware attack — something districts are becoming all too familiar with. "Immediately, they shut down the portal where [the virus] had entered the system, shut down other servers... read more .

Mercer County Sheriff… MCSO issues Drug Warning
Mercer County Sheriff Jeff Grey announced today he is encouraging law enforcement officers and other individuals, including drug users, to use extreme caution. Recent lab testing of a substance believed to be heroin actually contained Tramadol, Cocaine, Heroin, Fentanyl, Carfentanil as well as Acetyl Fentanyl and other drugs (see below). These drugs are incredibly dangerous and can be... read more .

Walkin’ in a Winter Wonderland a Great Success
Darke County Parks’ annual Walkin’ in a Winter Wonderland holiday event saw one of its largest crowds in its 12 years on Saturday, December 7th. Around 1,200 people made their way through the trails of Shawnee Prairie Preserve lit with over 600 luminaries. Attendees also enjoyed decorating gingerbread men, delighted in the decorated Christmas trees, and constructing Christmas... read more .

Education Dive… College leaders walk a thinning legal tightrope on free speech, Jeremy Bauer-Wolf - Dec. 9, 2019 - Indiana University's provost denounced a professor's problematic views, showing how higher ed must balance civil liberties and inclusivity… The tweet by the Indiana University Bloomington professor went unnoticed at first. Two weeks passed before the internet unearthed what Eric Rasmusen, a tenured professor of business economics and public policy, posted on Nov. 7: an essay... read more .

As Tax Year Closes, Ohio Community Colleges Seek Donations to Help Students
COLUMBUS, OHIO – As the 2019 tax year comes to a close and Ohioans are looking for charitable-giving tax deductions, the state’s 23 community colleges are encouraging families to consider making a financial gift to their local college, boosting efforts to help improve student success and advance innovation. “Community colleges provide tremendous value to... read more .

Greenville City Schools… The RTI (Response to Intervention) process and its benefits, By Clayton Westerbeck, GHS Assistant Principal - The RTI (Response to Intervention) program is a program designed to identify at risk students grades K-12 who are struggling in school academically or behaviorally. Progress of these students is monitored, research-based interventions are applied and the frequency/intensity of these interventions are adjusted, as needed. If data is collected and... read more .

Education Dive… Moody's upgrades higher ed's outlook to stable, Hallie Busta
Dec. 11, 2019 - Dive Brief: Credit rating agency Moody's Investors Service expects U.S. higher ed to find stability amid challenging business conditions, according to a new report in which it raised its outlook for the sector to stable after two consecutive years listing it as negative. Large, comprehensive institutions will drive a 3% to 4% increase in operating revenue across the entire sector in 2020, the... read more .

Midmark offering $20,000 technical scholarship
Scholarship will be awarded to a student in the surrounding areas of Versailles… DAYTON, Ohio, Dec. 12, 2019 — Midmark Corp., a leading provider of medical, dental and veterinary equipment, technology and services, is offering a $20,000 technical scholarship to a graduating high school senior who is a resident of Darke, Miami, Mercer, Auglaize or Shelby County high schools... read more .

Education Dive… Report: Majority of faculty, students prefer face-to-face instruction, Jeremy Bauer-Wolf - Dec. 12, 2019 - Dive Brief: A significant number of college faculty members prefer face-to-face teaching over online instruction, finds a new report from the Educause Center for Analysis and Research. More than 70% of the 9,500 faculty members surveyed by the ed tech nonprofit indicated they favored teaching mostly or entirely face-to-face, but reported a willingness to use... read more .

Deep Dive… For community colleges, free college has its costs, Liz Farmer
Dec. 11, 2019 - Early examples of what's become a wildly popular proposal among Democratic presidential hopefuls show students and schools need more support… Free college is a popular policy among the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates, even as one in four states already has some type of program in place. But as more state and local governments roll out so-called college promise... read more .

Deep Dive… Schools ramp up efforts to prevent, reduce impact of adverse childhood experiences, Linda Jacobson - Dec. 12, 2019 - Part of the original ACEs study, Kaiser Permanente is among those working to build resilience in students and adults, though screening concerns remain… Do your school staff members have gatherings or activities to help them build relationships with each other? Is there a process for collaborating with community-based behavioral health... read more .

Annual Deer-Gun Week Concludes for Ohio Hunters
Darke County reports 248, up from 215 last year - COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio’s white-tailed deer hunters finished the weeklong gun season with 63,493 deer taken, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. During the 2018 season, 60,752 deer were harvested during the same period. “Ohio hunters took full advantage of a great week of deer hunting,” said... read more .

Greenville City Schools… Students Making a Difference, By Chris Mortensen, Greenville Middle School Principal - As educators engaged in making the school the best that we hope it can be, we are continually looking for ways to improve what we do. We have spent time over the past few years meeting with parents through a Parent-Teacher Partnership initiative for the Middle School. Through these conversations, we have been able to identify areas where parents from all walks of life see... read more .

Chalkbeat… Indiana schools will no longer get two A-F grades, By Emma Kate Fittes
December 3, 2019 - School districts in Indiana will no longer receive a second A-F grade after the approach was criticized last year for being confusing. But the state will continue using two measuring sticks to rank schools. In 2018, districts received two grades for the first time: One based largely on test scores, which is the A-F grade Indiana has been handing out for years, and one based on a new... read more .

Edison State Students Recognized for Peace Essays
Darke County student receives Honorable Mention - Each year, Edison State Community College holds Peace Week on campus to encourage students and community members to reflect on how peace impacts their personal lives, as well as, others’ lives. Following the week-long celebration, students were encouraged to write essays in which they explore their challenges in coming to... read more .

EdSurge… Looking for Post-PISA Answers? Here’s What Our Obsession With Test Scores Overlooks, By Tony Wan - Dec 3, 2019 - The latest PISA scores are out. And for those who have closely followed the international test, which is delivered to 15-year-olds in developed countries every three years, the top-line results won’t offer many surprises. East Asian countries led the pack when it comes to reading, math and science, topped by China’s handpicked, wealthiest regions... read more .

DA District Administration… Are Districts providing enough Support for Homeless Students? By: Matt Zalaznick - December 4, 2019 - Ongoing professional development is key if district leaders want their educators to identify and support homeless students… A statewide audit has found several California school districts have undercounted homeless students, and may have thus deprived them of key services, The Sacramento Bee and several other news outlets reported. In 2017-18... read more .

Education Dive… Rhode Island student: 'I don't have civics education', Linda Jacobson
Dec. 6, 2019 - The lead attorney for the plaintiffs in the Cook v. Raimondo right-to-education case described Thursday's oral arguments as a lively dialogue before a sharp judge… About 50 students attended a hearing at the U.S. District Court in Providence, Rhode Island, Thursday where they were about to learn things they say they haven’t been taught in school. “Being in that courtroom... read more .

USA Today… A New York village averted a potential school shooting. Parents are still furious. Erin Richards - ALBION, N.Y. – The parents packed the middle school auditorium in the evening, full of fear and anger about school safety in their village of 6,000 people. They'd been told a school shooting plot had been thwarted and three middle schoolers arrested. But their relief was short-lived, and their questions for the superintendent and police chief were just beginning: Will the students be expelled... read more .

Edison State PTA Students Earn 100-percent Pass Rate
Edison State Community College is proud to announce a 100-percent pass rate among the Spring 2019 physical therapy assistant (PTA) graduates on the National Physical Therapy Exam (NPTE). This achievement marks the second consecutive year that graduates of the PTA program at Edison State have secured a 100-percent pass rate on the NPTE. Developed by the Federation... read more .

Education Dive… Report: U.S. school food waste nears 530K tons annually, Shawna De La Rosa - Dec. 6, 2019 - Dive Brief: A new World Wildlife Fund report estimates U.S. school food waste totals 530,000 tons per year and costs as much as $9.7 million a day to manage, which breaks down to about 39.2 pounds of food waste and 19.4 gallons of milk thrown out per school per year, based on the results from the 46-school sample across nine cities. WWF teamed up with the Kroger Co... read more .

Education Dive… Why colleges are looking online for mental health care, Wayne D'Orio
Dec. 2, 2019 - Schools are trying new ways to keep waitlists down as more students seek counseling, but officials should be diligent when working with outside partners… More college students are seeking mental health counseling, stressing institutions' already-strapped services. Visits to campus counseling centers climbed 30% to 40% between the fall of 2009 and the spring of 2015, according... read more .

Edison State Students Inducted to PTK Honor Society
Inductees include two Greenville students - Nine new members were inducted into the Edison State Community College Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) during a ceremony on Wednesday, November 20, at the Piqua campus. Each semester, students are invited to join the honor society based on academic criteria. The Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society was established in 1918 to... read more .

Farmland Preservation Applications Available for Darke County Landowners
GREENVILLE – Darke Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) is pleased to announce that applications for the Local Agricultural Easement Purchase Program (LAEPP) are now available. The LAEPP provides funding to farmland owners for placing a perpetual agricultural easement on their property. This permanent, voluntary easement is a legally binding restriction placed on a farm that will forever... read more .

Edison State Greenville Campus to Offer Banking Fundamentals Course
The Edison State Community College Campus at Greenville will now offer a Principles of Banking course to support an in-demand career field. The course will be held on Thursday evenings, starting in the spring semester on January 13, 2020. The principles of banking course will provide students with an in-depth study of the banking system, deposit accounts, lending, personal financial planning... read more .

NPR Ed… Consumer Protection Agency Is Failing Student Loan Borrowers, Lawsuit Says, Chris Arnold - November 25, 2019 - A nonprofit student loan group is suing the nation's most powerful consumer watchdog agency. The lawsuit, first obtained by NPR, alleges that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has abandoned its obligation to oversee companies that manage student loans, in particular a troubled loan forgiveness program. "We are suing the Department of Education and the CFPB... read more .

Education Dive… Denver after-school program receives $1.5M from marijuana tax revenue, Shawna De La Rosa - Dec. 2, 2019 - Dive Brief: The Denver Afterschool Alliance receives $1.5 million a year from the city's collected marijuana tax revenue, Chalkbeat reports, with the city last year collecting a reported $46 million in such revenues overall. The additional funds have allowed for more after-school and summer learning programs, as well as expansion into underserved neighborhoods... read more .

Van Cleve Students Participate in Edison State’s Kids to College Event
More than 300 sixth grade students and teachers from Van Cleve Elementary School in Troy spent the day Friday attending classes and learning real world financial responsibility at Edison State Community College during the Kids to College event. The annual program is a collaborative effort with Troy City Schools, The Ohio State University Extension Office and is funded by a grant from the... read more .

What employers want from colleges in tuition benefit partnerships, Hallie Busta
Nov. 26, 2019 - We asked leaders from Walmart, Chipotle, JetBlue and Uber how they're using education benefits as more companies connect the offering to their bottom line… Turnover is high on the front lines of retail and foodservice, where low wages and long hours make job-hopping common, even expected. But some companies are adding a perk they hope will encourage workers to stick... read more .

Greenville City Schools… Pre-Apprenticeships as a Graduation and Career Pathway, Andrea D. Townsend, Director of Career Technical and Special Education - November 18, 2019 - I have said many times that Greenville is so lucky to have a Career Technical Education Center as a part of Greenville High School. It is true! Career Technical Education has many positive effects on students and the community. The recently released Career Tech report card for Greenville shows that students... read more .

Tessa Clark, “The Miller’s Daughter,” raises $19K for Bear’s Mill
Historic Bear’s Mill, established in 1849 and located about 5 miles east of Greenville, requires constant upkeep and repair to maintain structural integrity; this basic fact is a constant concern for board members of Friends of Bear’s Mill, the non-profit corporation that owns and operates the treasured structure. In April of this year, a unique-fundraising event was proposed to the Mill Board by Tessa Clark, who had... read more .

EdSurge… Many Frustrated Teachers Say It’s Not Burnout — It’s Demoralization, By Stephen Noonoo - Nov 19, 2019 - A few years ago, Chrissy Romano-Arribito began to experience something that may sound familiar to a lot of teachers: burnout. Or not burnout, exactly, but demoralization. Romano-Arribito is an EdSurge columnist and has spent about 27 years in the classroom teaching everything from first grade to middle school in her home state of New Jersey... read more .

Women In STEMM Expo Encourages Young Women
Over 300 students ranging from sixth to twelfth grade engaged in a day of learning and fun at Edison State Community College on Friday, November 15, for the fourteenth annual Women In STEMM Expo. The daylong program is designed to help boost the interest of young women in the science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medical (STEMM) career fields. The women... read more .

Education Dive… Beyond NAEP: Experts seek ways to address US 'reading crisis', Linda Jacobson - Nov. 18, 2019 - Now what? That’s what many experts have been asking since the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress results were released last month, showing a decline in reading achievement at 4th grade in 17 states and at 8th grade in 31 states. “The NAEP results are a clarion call for change,” says a statement from 10 education organizations that have outlined... read more .

Education Dive… Ed Dept makes student debt, earnings data searchable by program, Hallie Busta - Nov. 20, 2019 - Dive Brief: The U.S. Department of Education announced Wednesday that it upgraded its College Scorecard to let users compare data on median student loan debt and post-graduate earnings by program of study within institutions. The new data follows the Scorecard's recent expansion to add 2,100 institutions that grant certificates to the existing set of 3,700 degree-granting... read more .

The Atlantic… The College Campuses That Moonlight as Wedding Venues, Alia Wong
November 13, 2019 - Some schools rent out their facilities, bringing in extra revenue during a time of widespread budgetary woes… The chapel at Keuka College, in upstate New York, is a campus landmark. Its Douglas-fir trusses, Italian-glass chandeliers, and custom-made pipe organ are so charming that many alumni choose to get married there. So do many non-alumni: About half of... read more .

Greenville City Schools… 21st Century Learning? Andrea D. Townsend, Director of Career Technical and Special Education - November 18, 2019 - How many times have we heard the phrase 21st Century Learning in the last several years? It may be hard for us to count! Since Ohio developed a new set of learning standards, the call for 21st Century Learning has been at the heart of the education debates. So, what does that mean and how can we help every student access 21st Century Learning? In order to... read more .

Education Dive… Private nonprofit colleges give students the highest long-term value, report finds, Natalie Schwartz - Nov. 14, 2019 - Dive Brief: Colleges that primarily award bachelor's degrees give graduates the best long-term return on investment, according to a new report from Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW). Students who earn degrees from private nonprofit colleges tend to see a better long-term return than students who graduate from public... read more .

ODE Awarded $43 Million for Literacy Improvements
The Ohio Department of Education has been awarded two competitive grants by the U.S. Department of Education — for a combined total of $43.2 million over five years. These grants focus on improving student literacy from birth through 12th grade. Activities will begin January 2020. The Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grant provides funding to establish model literacy sites across Ohio... read more .

Education Dive… To attract middle-income students, colleges add scholarships and tuition discounts, Natalie Schwartz - Nov. 5, 2019 - Institutions are increasing aid for students who don't qualify for traditional need-based assistance but borrow at rates similar to their low-income peers… Skyrocketing tuition prices are forcing middle-income students and their families to make a tough choice: shell out more of their earnings to pay for the cost of attendance, take out loans or forgo attending... read more .

Education Dive… Report: Tuition revenue growth slows at public, private colleges, Jeremy Bauer-Wolf - Nov. 11, 2019 - Dive Brief: Both private and public colleges will see a marginal bump in tuition revenue for the 2020 fiscal year, according to a forecast from ratings company Moody's Investors Service emailed to Education Dive. Median net tuition revenue will grow 1% for public universities and 2.3% for private colleges in that year, Moody's reported. This is a drop from fiscal 2019, when... read more .

EdScoop… How Girl Scouts built a cyber challenge that made girls feel included, by Betsy Foresman - Nov. 7, 2019 - Engaging girls in STEM education has been a strong focus for the Girl Scouts of the USA, but including students in the development of curriculum and projects has opened up a new way to help solidify their interest in technical subjects. The first-ever Girl Scouts Cyber Challenge, developed in partnership with the defense contractor Raytheon, was... read more .

Deep Dive… Is student housing's party over? Joe Bousquin
Nov. 6, 2019 - Falling enrollments, excess supply and an uptick in defaults may foretell the end of a years-long spate of building amenity-rich housing on and off campus… Luxury student housing properties, complete with rooftop swimming pools and opulent lobbies, have been a hallmark of the current development cycle. Indeed, with capital flooding the sector, the post-Great... read more .

Library Participates in Reading Initiative
“One Book Many Communities” is a reading initiative for northern Miami Valley residents. Each year participating libraries ask patrons to vote for one book that everyone will read and share. This program unites readers from eight public library systems and one academic library as they experience the same book through a variety of entertaining discussions and programs. Over the... read more .

Education Dive… Secret Service: 'Prevention is key' in addressing school violence, Shawna De La Rosa - Nov. 12, 2019 - Dive Brief: The Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center studied 41 incidents of school violence that occurred between 2008-2017 and found many could have been prevented, according to the Protecting America’s Schools report. The report states that schools should establish prevention programs to identify students of concern, assess their risk for... read more .

Edison State and Honda Team Up for Student Internship Program
Information Session to be Held December 5th… Edison State Community College invites current students, high school juniors, seniors, and their parents to learn more about the direct pathway developed to lead students into a manufacturing career at Honda. An information session will be held Thursday, December 5, from 5–6:30 p.m. in the Emerson Center, Room... read more .

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NPR Health… Math Looks The Same In The Brains Of Boys And Girls, Jon Hamilton
November 8, 2019 - There's new evidence that girls start out with the same math abilities as boys. A study of 104 children from ages 3 to 10 found similar patterns of brain activity in boys and girls as they engaged in basic math tasks, researchers reported Friday in the journal Science of Learning. "They are indistinguishable," says Jessica Cantlon, an author of the study and... read more .

New Robot ‘Surgeon’ at Wayne HealthCare
Celebrates Milestone: 100th Mako® Robotic-arm Assisted Surgery - Greenville, Ohio – If you’re over the age of 40, you’ve probably experienced some joint pain in your knees, hips, or both. Guess what? You’re not alone. Baby Boomers are at the center of an arthritis epidemic. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 55 million Americans already have arthritis, and... read more .

Report: Many rural districts face education 'emergency', Linda Jacobson
Nov. 7, 2019 - The ninth edition of “Why Rural Matters” includes measures of college readiness and a focus on the needs of young children… Mississippi may have shown the most improvement in this year’s National Assessment of Educational Progress, but in the state’s rural areas, one in four students lives in poverty, the graduation rate is below the national average, and few students enter college with... read more .

Greenville Middle School is “ALL IN”!, By Rhonda Schaar, GMS Principal
What does it mean to be “All In”? Greenville Middle School students can tell you and show you. Last March Gian Paul Gonzalez, a motivational speaker, came to GMS (thanks to a grant from the Coalition for a Healthy Darke County), to encourage students to be prepared for the challenges of life as well as to be “All In” and make positive life choices. Gian Paul Gonzalez is known for his... read more .

Education Dive… US students show low-to-medium tech skills, Linda Jacobson
Nov. 5, 2019 - A 12-country international study shows just because students grow up with digital devices doesn’t mean they have “sophisticated” skills… U.S. 8th graders can use computers to gather basic information and make simple edits. They also have some awareness of security risks in the digital world. But they’re less likely to understand the purpose of sponsored content on a... read more .

The Texas Tribune… At 69, she's still paying off $12,000 student debt, By Shannon Najmabadi
Oct. 23, 2019 - About 222,140 Texans ages 60 and older had student loan debt in 2017, carrying a median load of $15,754, according to government data… Lynda Sue Costley, 69, got a drafting degree from Amarillo College decades ago and returned to take classes in design software. She is in default on student loans she took out from the federal government… AMARILLO — If 69-year-old Lynda Sue... read more .

Betty Birt named Grand Marshal of Hometown Holiday Horse Parade
GREENVILLE, Ohio - Main Street Greenville’s Board of Directors and the Horse Parade Committee have named Betty Birt, previous Main Street Greenville Board Secretary, as the Grand Marshal of the 2019 Hometown Holiday Horse Parade. Betty Birt graduated in 1967 from Immaculate Conception High School in Elmhurst, Illinois (a NW suburb of Chicago), before attending and graduating... read more .

Education Dive… Civil rights groups threaten to sue U of California if it doesn't drop SAT, ACT, Jeremy Bauer-Wolf - Oct. 29, 2019 - Dive Brief: Civil rights groups and a California local school district are threatening to sue the University of California System if it does not stop using the SAT and ACT as an admissions requirement, saying the tests discriminate against students based on income, race and disability. Lawyers representing three students, five nonprofits and the Compton Unified... read more .

NPR Ed… It's A Smartphone Life: More Than Half Of U.S. Children Now Have One, Anya Kamenetz - October 31, 2019 - Just over half of children in the United States — 53 percent — now own a smartphone by the age of 11. And 84 percent of teenagers now have their own phones, immersing themselves in a rich and complex world of experiences that adults sometimes need a lot of decoding to understand. These stats come from a new, nationally representative survey of media use among children ages... read more .

Edison State Volleyball Clinches No. 2 Seed in District Tournaments
The Edison State Community College women’s volleyball team, who competes in the Ohio Community College Athletic Conference (OCCAC), is seeded number 2 in the Region XII Great Lakes District A Tournament. They will face number 3 seed Oakland Community College from Bloomfield Hills, MI, who competes in the Michigan Community College Athletic Association (MCCAA). The... read more .

Education Dive… NAEP 2019: Reading scores drop for US students, with mixed math results, Linda Jacobson - Oct. 30, 2019 - Mississippi sees the most improvement at the state level, with the schools chief joking other low-performing states can no longer say "Thank God for Mississippi."… Average reading scores for 4th and 8th graders in the U.S. have dropped since 2017, according to the latest results of the “nation’s report card.” Math scores increased by one point for 4th graders... read more .

Darke County Sheriff issues Phone Scam Alert
The Darke County Sheriff’s Office received reports of a telephone scam in the Darke County area today. This type of scam has been going on all around the country for some time and seems to be perpetrated in this area periodically. A similar scam occurred earlier this year. This particular telephone scam involves the perpetrator identifying himself as Deputy Linkous of the Darke County Sheriff’s Office to obtain... read more .

The Daily Signal… 1 in 3 Millennials View Communism Favorably, Mary Margaret Olohan
October 28, 2019 - A growing number of millennials show support for communism and socialism, a new survey from the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation found. The survey, conducted by the research and data firm YouGov, found that 70% of millennials are likely to vote socialist and that 1 in 3 millennials perceive communism as “favorable.” The survey, part of the Victims... read more .

Darke County Parks receives ODNR Boating Safety Education Grant
Earlier this year, the Darke County Park District was fortunate to receive boating safety education grant funds from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Watercraft. These funds, a portion of the total amount of nearly $250,000 awarded to 13 communities, was used to purchase updated kayaks, a new boat trailer and safety equipment. This equipment allows the... read more .

Greenville City Schools… 2020 Graduation Requirements, By Stan Hughes, GHS Principal
Students in the class of 2020 have five different pathways to meet the requirements for graduation. The first pathway requires students to earn a minimum of 18 points in the end-of-course state tests. They must earn at least four points in English, 4 points in math and 6 points in social studies and science combined. The tests include English I and II, Algebra I, Geometry, Biology, U.S. History and... read more .

Education Dive… School Halloween celebrations continue raising spectre of academic value, Natalie Gross - Oct. 24, 2019 - Religious and equity issues lead some districts to shun events around the holiday, but many are offering alternatives so all students can have fun… On Oct. 31, elementary students in Illinois’ North Shore School District 112 will don costumes for Halloween parades at their schools after lunch, celebrating the holiday with classmates and family members who come for a... read more .

Education Dive… Sexual violence persists on elite research campuses, report finds, Jeremy Bauer-Wolf - Oct. 17, 2019 - Results from a new national survey of college students were largely unchanged from 2015, the last time the data was collected… An increasingly popular tool among colleges and universities is the campus climate survey — a method for administrators to take the pulse of their student bodies. These studies might gauge, for instance, whether they are indulging in dangerous habits... read more .

Court News Ohio... Kids Learn about State, Local Court Connections during Take Your Child to Work Day, By Csaba Sukosd - October 18, 2019 - While many state buildings are closed on Columbus Day, the Thomas J. Moyer Judicial Center remains not only operational, but also educational. On Monday, the Ohio Supreme Court held its annual “Take Your Child to Work Day” as 30 students gained a better understanding of what their relatives do, and what the state’s high court does... read more .

Greenville City Schools and community focus on bus safety, By Jeffrey S. Cassell
Greenville City Schools and the surrounding community will join with other schools and communities to recognize National School Bus Safety Week this week. The national theme this year is based on a child’s statement: “My school bus, the safest form of student transportation.” We all should remember that when everyone does their part (school bus drivers, parents, students, and surrounding... read more .

Edison State Scholarship Recipients Recognized
Edison State Community College, in partnership with The Edison Foundation, recognized over 140 students during the annual scholarship recognition dinner on Thursday, October 3, at the Piqua Campus. The event provides recipients with the opportunity to meet the patrons that made their scholarships available. Following networking and dinner, Regina Duff, Edison State... read more .

Ohio School Boards Association… Ohio schools and communities focus on school bus safety Oct. 21-25 - Every day in Ohio, 800,000 children ride more than 15,000 school buses between their homes and schools. School bus transportation plays a critical role in the education of Ohio’s children, and National School Bus Safety Week, Oct. 21-25, serves as a reminder for students, parents, teachers and the community about the importance of keeping children safe. School bus drivers... read more .

Student Leaders Bring School Spirit to Greenville Middle School
Greenville Middle School has a new group of Student Leaders who are excited to build school spirit and give back to the community. With the direction of their advisors Mr. Curtis and Mr. Miller, the Leaders have volunteered to run the concession stand during home volleyball games and organized Homecoming activities. On Friday, October 4, Student Leaders organized a pep assembly... read more .

Education Dive… California first state to mandate later school start times, Shawna De La Rosa
Oct. 15, 2019 - Dive Brief: California is the first state to mandate later start times for middle and high school students after Gov. Gavin Newsom, siding with pediatricians and the Parent Teacher Association, signed Senate Bill 328, according to the Los Angeles Times. Teacher unions and groups representing school boards and superintendents opposed the bill. The legislation was based on medical research... read more .

Tallying students in poverty poses challenge for lawmakers, Shawna De La Rosa
Oct. 18, 2019 - Dive Brief: Indiana lawmakers are looking for new ways to identify students living in poverty after coming under fire for underestimating the number based on new state measures put in place in 2015, Chalkbeat reports. Under the new measures, students only qualified as low-income if they were in foster care or if their families received food stamps or welfare payments. The threshold means... read more .

As 'green wave' spreads, marijuana funds create new dilemmas for education leaders, Linda Jacobson - Oct. 17, 2019 - Eleven states and D.C. permit recreational use, and more are expected to enact legalization laws in 2020… A district leader’s visit to the workplace of a potential business partner would usually be considered a wise move in the effort to attract future financial support for education initiatives — but not when the business owner grows cannabis for a living. Diana Rigby... read more .

Edison State Medical Lab Technician Graduates Prepared for Success
Program Applications Currently Accepted… Graduates of Edison State Community College’s Medical Laboratory Technology (MLT) program are finding success in their field. The most recent graduating class earned not only a 100-percent certification pass rate but also a 100-percent job placement rate. The MLT program is designed for students who want to contribute to the... read more .

Deep Dive… Human interaction, SEL in curriculum key to curbing cyberbullying, Lauren Barack, Oct. 16, 2019 - Focusing on interpersonal skills, even amid the perceived anonymity of the digital world, helps students learn to be more accountable in their words and interactions, experts say… Mandy Manning has walked the halls of many schools in the year since she was named 2018 National Teacher of the Year — and she often sees the same thing: students spread out, not talking with each.. read more .

Big Brothers Big Sisters… BBBS Bigs & Littles enjoy Fishing Derby
Youth mentor volunteers from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Shelby & Darke County and their “Littles” recently enjoyed a Youth Day Fishing Derby and cookout at the home of Mike Meyer, of Fort Loramie, thanks in part to the Shelby County Bassmasters. Throughout the year, local fishermen participate in bass tournaments where a modest portion of their entry fees go toward the.. read more .

Greenville City Schools… The Third Grade Reading Guarantee, By Kitty Davis, Greenville Elementary Principal - The Third Grade Reading Guarantee (TGRG) is a method to identify students in grades kindergarten through third grade who are behind in reading. Third grade students at Greenville Elementary will initially take the two-part Ohio Grade 3 English Language Arts test on October 21 and October 22, 2019. This test is designed to measure whether or not students meet the.. read more .

Dayton Daily News… Parents play important role in preventing bullying, By Laura McGowan, 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs - Oct 10, 2019 - The theme this year for National Bullying Prevention Month is “Stomp out Bullying.” Almost daily there is a news story about a child who was bullied while other kids tape it on their phones and post online. To change the kids who record the bullying into the kids who intervene can start with just one person. According to the Ohio Department of Education.. read more .

NPR… School Districts Sue Juul, Saying Student Vaping Drains Resources, Elle Moxley
October 9, 2019 - Schools across the country are so fed up with students vaping on campus that they're suing the e-cigarette manufacturer Juul Labs. Multiple districts filed lawsuits on Monday, including school systems in Olathe, Kan.; St. Charles, Mo.; Long Island, N.Y.; and La Conner, Wash. Three of those suits charge that Juul has hooked a generation of young smokers with its sweet flavors.. read more .

Edscoop… Google wants to spread positivity online, stop cyberbullying, By Betsy Foresman
Oct. 9, 2019 - In an effort to combat cyberbullying this October, Google has teamed up with two nonprofits to teach kids how to spread kindness and positivity online. Cyberbullying is the number one online safety concern in the classroom, according to research from Google, and both parents and teachers have recognized that more needs to be done to teach kids to be safer, more positive.. read more .

Darke County Economic Development… Sophomore Manufacturing Day
On Friday, October 4th, Darke County Sophomores toured one of seven local manufacturers in recognition of National Manufacturing Day, an annual event created to demonstrate modern manufacturing and foster interest in manufacturing careers. Participating manufacturers included Whirlpool Corporation, Ramco Electric Motors, Midmark Corporation, Klockner Pentaplast, JAFE Decorating... read more .

YouthTruth survey details how one middle school curbed rising bullying rates, Naaz Modan - Oct. 7, 2019 - Dive Brief: Bullying rates are on the rise nationwide, but a recent YouthTruth survey details how a Washington state middle school experienced a decrease in bullying incidents after targeted intervention efforts. After an earlier survey revealed a dramatic increase in the number of students being bullied at Quincy Junior High School, from a steady 28% to 46%, the... read more .

EdSurge… In DC, Teachers Run the Jail. It’s Turning Inmates Into Students. By Rebecca Koenig, Oct 3, 2019 - WASHINGTON, D.C. — Jerard Briscoe is away at school. Or at least, that’s what he tells his kids. It’s a plausible story. He studies for GED math exams. He reads e-books and takes courses using a tablet computer. He even wears a uniform: an orange jumpsuit and white Velcro sneakers. “If you’re at college, you can’t go home everyday anyway. I just put my mindset like I’m really... read more .

Education Dive… Amid limited research, educators find success with flipped classroom model, Shawna De La Rosa - Oct. 9, 2019 - Early success with the approach, which has students consume traditional lecture material at home, led one Michigan school to expand it building-wide… According to a recent study published in AERA Open, a publication of the American Educational Research Association, the flipped classroom model has a slightly positive impact on student learning and... read more .

Education Dive… Report: States 'retreat' from including student test results in principal, teacher evaluations, Linda Jacobson - Oct. 8, 2019 - Dive Brief: Since the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), several states have backed away from including student performance in principal evaluations and from conducting those evaluations every year, according to a new report from the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ). Calling it a "hasty retreat," the... read more .

NPR Ed… States are leading the push to pay college athletes
The life of a California college athlete will be different in the year 2023, when the Fair Pay to Play Act goes into effect. In a little over three years, the longstanding rule that student athletes not be paid will come to an end in this state. That's what we learned this week when Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill -- the first of its kind -- to allow students to test the free market through endorsement deals... read more .

Education Dive… E is for educator: Sesame Street celebrates 50 years of quality early learning, Linda Jacobson - Oct. 2, 2019 - The show was introduced when it wasn't common for children to attend preschool, and research has demonstrated those who watched it experienced better outcomes later in life than those who didn’t… Sara Sweetman, a University of Rhode Island (URI) assistant professor, still remembers pulling her car over to the side of the road in 2009 to take an... read more .

The Texas Tribune… Texas A&M University System to ban vaping across all its campuses, By Shannon Najmabadi - Oct. 1, 2019 - "This health threat is serious enough that I want to see the ban include every building, outside space, parking lot, garage and laboratory within the Texas A&M System," Chancellor John Sharp wrote in a Tuesday memorandum. Smoking is already banned on most parts of A&M's properties, but this policy would be more stringent. A ban on vaping will soon... read more .

Edison State Kayakers Take an Educational Journey Down the Great Miami River
Students, faculty, staff, and friends of Edison State Community College came together for a two-hour educational kayak trip down the Great Miami River during the third annual “Float, Learn, and Lunch” on Friday, September 27, 2019. The event, which was organized by the Edison State Student Senate, brought together nearly 20 participants who embarked on the Miami River... read more .

DA District Administration… New sex education initiatives sparking debate, By Steven Blackburn, October 3, 2019 - Moves to revise sex ed programs in California, Arizona and Texas lead to parent protests… New debates about how and when sex education in schools should be taught, and what topics should be covered, are emerging as states and districts reconsider their sex ed curriculum. In California, parents in Anaheim recently protested the passage of California Healthy Youth... read more .

Education Dive… Colleges just got a lot more leeway to recruit students, by Hallie Busta
Sept. 30, 2019 - Dive Brief: The National Association for College Admission Counseling's (NACAC) Assembly voted to remove three provisions from its Code of Ethics and Professional Practices. The vote during the association's annual meeting last week was an effort by NACAC to get ahead of a two-year investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice's antitrust division, which found several of the... read more .

The Hechinger Report… The students disappearing fastest from American campuses? Middle-class ones, By Jon Marcus - October 2, 2019 - CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Alec Scicchitano may have been considered middle class, but it was still going to be hard for him to afford college. The son of a single mother who’s a writer, Scicchitano knew he “needed to go to a university that would give really good financial aid” — something many students in the middle class assume they... read more .

New York Times… Paying College Athletes: Answers to Key Questions on New Law, By Alan Blinder - Sept. 30, 2019 - California is challenging the N.C.A.A.’s business model built on amateur athletes. Here’s what that means… California’s governor signed a bill that will allow students playing college sports to strike endorsement deals and hire agents, challenging the National Collegiate Athletic Association on a system that has been in place for decades and generates billions of dollars for universities... read more .

Third Way… Hurdles to Connected Credentials
Takeaways - Over the course of their careers, workers will need to continually upgrade their skills as jobs change. Right now, however, the postsecondary credentialing system is completely fragmented, making it difficult for workers to gain new skills and credentials. In this report, we examine two central hurdles to a connected credentialing system and their root causes: Credentials don’t provide... read more .

Greenville City Schools… School Zone Safety, Jeffrey S. Cassell, Director of Administrative Services
You probably have noticed the extra congestion on the roads as school has started for our students in Darke County. As school begins for many children, increased vehicles on the road and pedestrian foot traffic on sidewalks boosts the odds of potential school zone accidents. Drivers not only need to focus on the road ahead but also the surrounding areas during school hours when... read more .

Greenville City Schools… School District Report Cards, Laura Bemus, Assistant Superintendent
The Ohio Department of Education released Report Cards for school districts across the state last week. For the second time, schools and districts received an overall letter grade. This grade was calculated using results from six “components” — achievement, progress, gap closing, improving at-risk K-3 readers, graduation rate and prepared for success. Achievement — (20 percent of... read more .

DA District Administration… Bullying is increasing, and in some districts could lead to lawsuits and parental fines, By Steven Blackburn - September 19, 2019 - Schools are looking for creative approaches to stop harmful behavior among students… Student bullying in schools is increasing, even though district leaders have created anti-bullying programs to address the problem. And when schools fail to address bullying, lawsuits and even parental fines could result. One in four... read more .

Marijuana Business Daily… Why marijuana firms are paying attention as higher education expands MJ course offerings across the US, By Nick Thomas - Published September 23, 2019 - Cannabis businesses are taking careful note as professional marijuana courses and programs spring up at universities and other educational institutions across the country. Examples include – to name a few – Northern Michigan University, the College of Southern Nevada, the University... read more .

Education Dive… How many unique credentials are offered in the US? Natalie Schwartz
Sept. 25, 2019 - Dive Brief: In the U.S., more than 738,000 unique credentials are offered, according to a new report from Credential Engine, a nonprofit that tracks the marketplace. Its count includes traditional degrees as well as badges, certificates, boot camps and other short-term credential types. Credential Engine has doubled its count from 2018, when it estimated there were... read more .

From space to the courtroom: 3 real-world curricula that teach life lessons, Shawna De La Rosa - Sept. 25, 2019 - Experts say hands-on experiences spanning career and civic functions help students make connections between their educations and the future… Curricula connected to the workplace engage students in ways that traditional sit-and-get instruction can’t. Lessons formed by organizations outside the classroom offer a deeper understanding of how learning in the classroom is... read more .

Inside Higher Education… Choosing Employers Over College for More Education, By Paul Fain
September 23, 2019 - Roughly half of American adults without a college degree (46 percent) said they need additional education to advance in their careers, according to new survey data from the Strada Education Network and Gallup. Employers were the first-choice providers for this group, with 33 percent saying they are most likely to participate in additional education and training from employers. Community... read more .

Education Dive… How one institution plans to become the best community college in New England, Natalie Schwartz - Sept. 19, 2019 - The Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) is a microcosm of some of the biggest challenges shaping higher education. For one, the 55-year-old institution is in New England, an area experts predict will be hit hard by looming enrollment declines. And on top of that, the state of Rhode Island has not returned its support for higher education to pre-recession... read more .

Edison State responds to workforce needs with new programs
Edison State Community College is working to meet the needs of the regional workforce, offering various new career-ready degree options in Aviation; Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration (HVAC/R); Veterinary Technology; and Web Development. Additionally, the college has developed an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certificate, which is one of several new... read more .

Education Dive… Why colleges are struggling to graduate more teachers, Wayne D’Orio
Sept. 18, 2019 - As public K-12 schools address a dearth of instructors, higher ed is looking to expand the pipeline — but uptake among students has been limited so far… The teacher shortage is growing in the U.S., but it's an uphill battle for many colleges looking to create more candidates. More institutions are starting boutique programs, taking the time to build relationships with high school and even... read more .

Greenville City Schools… September is National Attendance Awareness Month! By Jim Hooper, Director of Curriculum & Instruction - Regular school attendance is so important it gets an entire month of recognition and celebration! Many parents underestimate the importance of good school attendance, especially during the early years. Showing up for school has a huge impact on a student’s academic success starting in kindergarten and continuing through high school. While... read more .

Education Dive… Arts educators cite needs for more research on academic benefits, Linda Jacobson - Sept. 12, 2019 - ALEXANDRIA, Virginia — When Nettrice Gaskins was teaching at the Boston Arts Academy, she was asked to teach an Advanced Placement computer science course. But she was at the school to run a new STEAM lab, blending the arts into science, technology, engineering and math instruction. So she pitched the idea of teaching an arts-based computer science... read more .

Court News Ohio… Out of the Courtroom, Into the Classroom, By Kathleen Maloney
September 17, 2019 - The Ohio Supreme Court is on a mission to demystify the state’s judicial branch. As part of the effort, the Court has designed a multi-faceted course for high school students. With vibrant images, clear content, and video that puts you in the room, the curriculum gives teachers compelling and informative tools to lead students toward a fuller understanding of the courts… At the apex of the... read more .

Education Dive… 'Conditions for learning' impact chronic absenteeism, Linda Jacobson
Sept. 10, 2019 - A new report and interactive map displays school and community factors that affect student attendance rates… Educators often say frequent absences are a symptom of another issue in a student’s life. Those issues involve students’ health and safety, a sense of belonging, academic engagement, and students’ and adults’ social and emotional skills, according... read more .

Edison State President Named Top Influential Female Executive
The Dayton Business Journal (DBJ) has named Edison State Community College President Dr. Doreen Larson as one of the most influential female executives in the region for the fourth consecutive year. Dr. Larson has represented women well in her time as President of Edison State. Under her leadership, the college has opened the doors to not only one but two additional campuses, completed construction... read more .

Deep Dive… These lawsuits could change the stakes for higher ed
We're keeping track of high-profile legal cases that have important implications for colleges and universities… The future of higher education may be decided in the courtroom. New lawsuits — some of which could reach the Supreme Court — are poised to fundamentally reshape higher education by challenging everything from how colleges investigate sexual misconduct to whether they're doing enough... read more .

ESPN… Calif. bill to pay NCAA athletes takes another step
A bill in California that would make it possible for college athletes to accept endorsement money moved one step closer to becoming law Monday evening. The California State Assembly voted 73-0 in favor of the proposed law known as the Fair Pay to Play Act. The Fair Pay to Play Act would make it illegal for colleges and universities in California to take away an athlete's scholarship or eligibility... read more .

Edison State focuses on teamwork for College Credit Plus success
Since the introduction of College Credit Plus (CCP) in 2015, Edison State Community College has experienced a 54-percent increase in fall semester CCP headcount and a 57-percent increase in fall semester CCP credit hours. Dr. Doreen Larson, President of Edison State, explains, “the vision of Ohio’s College Credit Plus program is to increase the number of high school students... read more .

Education Dive… Just 1 in 3 Americans satisfied with higher ed, Natalie Schwartz
Sept. 10, 2019 - Dive Brief: Two-thirds (65%) of Americans are unsatisfied with U.S. higher education, according to an annual survey of more than 2,000 adults from New America, a left-leaning think tank, marking a decrease from 2018 (72%). About half (51%) of Americans say getting a high-quality education after high school is unaffordable, and roughly four in five say the federal and state governments... read more .

Should teachers and students connect through social media? Amelia Harper
Sept. 9, 2019 - Dive Brief: Studies show that 50% of students have social media accounts by age 12 and 83% of students have their own cell phone by the time they reach middle school. But allowing teachers and students to connect with one another through social media opens the door to inappropriate relationships and potential abuse, eSchool News reports. The problem is... read more .

Edison State Receives Federal Funding to Expand Registered Apprenticeships
Edison State Community College was selected as one of 56 individual community colleges across the nation to receive the Expanding Community College Apprenticeships (ECCA) grant. The ECCA initiative is led by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) with funding from the U.S. Department of Labor. The purpose of the ECCA initiative is to provide direct support to... read more .

Schools take steps to confront illnesses tied to vaping amid fatalities, Naaz Modan
Sept. 9, 2019 - Dive Brief: Multiple states are reporting severe respiratory illnesses and fatalities linked with THC vaping products, according to press releases. On Friday, the Indiana State Health Department confirmed in a press conference the first vaping-related death in the state, joining at least three other states that have reported fatalities, including Minnesota, Illinois and... read more .

DA District Administration… Where K12 students can get homework help from college tutors, By Matt Zalaznick - September 4, 2019 - College tutors at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and Harvey Mudd College specialize in math and science… What’s in it for a university that hires its students to provide free math and science tutoring to middle and high school students who are struggling with their assignments? In Indiana, the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology’s AskRose... read more .

Fort GreeneVille Chapter DAR Promotes Constitution Week
Celebrate the Foundation of America… Fort GreeneVille Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution is commemorating Constitution Week with a display at the Greenville Public Library. A display cabinet will feature Constitution Week the month of September. Please plan to visit the display. There are two documents of paramount importance to American history: the Declaration... read more .

EdTech… 6 Assistive Technologies That Can Help Students Reach Their Full Potential, by Brian Potash - From managing time to focusing on classwork, technology can be an aid for students who need extra help with their academics… Over the past 10 years, the number of U.S. students enrolled in special education programs rose 30 percent. In fact, the National Education Association found nearly every general classroom across the country includes at least one student with a disability. As... read more .

Enrollment Continues to Increase at Edison State
Enrollment is on the rise once again at Edison State Community College. For the past four years, Edison State has met or exceeded its increased enrollment goals, tracking over four thousand students annually. This fall is no exception as the college has experienced a 4.83-percent increase in overall headcount and a 3-percent increase in credit hours. The increase in... read more .

More states requiring mental health education, Lucy Hood
Sept. 3, 2019 - Experts recommend beginning as early as kindergarten, with a focus on age-appropriate instructional practices in areas like reducing stigma and obtaining and maintaining good mental health. When three students in Virginia's Albemarle County Public Schools (ACPS) noticed how stress, anxiety, depression and other mental health issues were affecting many of their... read more .

Greenville City Park Roundhouse provides work experience
If you had the opportunity to visit Greenville City Park over the summer, you may have noticed the City Park Roundhouse was open and staffed to sell packaged snacks and drinks to park patrons and visitors. This work opportunity was made available to help people obtain beneficial work experience over the summer months. This hands-on opportunity to learn small business... read more .

Dangers are all too real in horse competition, By Brandy Lewis
GREENVILLE- Friday, August 16th, will be a day Graceland Harter will remember for a long time. She was making her second Barrel run of the day when her horse, going at full speed, decided to stop without warning. Harter came off head first and tumbled two times head over heals before coming to a stop. Her body laid motionless except for a little leg movement. Advisors to her... read more .

NPR Education… College Board Drops Its 'Adversity Score' For Each Student After Backlash, Bobby Allyn - The College Board is dropping its plan to give SAT-takers a single score that captures a student's economic hardship. The change comes after blowback from university officials and parents of those taking the college admissions exam. Announced in May, the "adversity score" was intended to assess the kind of neighborhood the student came from, including factors such as the... read more .

County fair just a stepping stone for Rockwood, By Brandy Lewis
GREENVILLE- Trisha Rockwood was elated to win the Keyhole Junior Competition. A five year member of Greenville Rangers, she has ridden horses for five years. Rockwood has been participating in the Keyhole Competition since her first year. She participates in all contesting along with Jumping and Ranch. "Barrels are my favorite of everything I compete in" she said. Rockwood's advice to... read more .

Edison State Opens Troy Campus with Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony
Edison State Community College celebrated the opening of their newest campus in Troy on Wednesday, August 28, 2019, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Established to meet the needs of the growing healthcare industry, Edison State at Troy is positioned to be the center of healthcare education and training for the Upper Miami Valley. Edison State at Troy will serve as a partnership hub of... read more .

Edison State’s Pleiman Named OCCAC Player of the Week
The Ohio Community College Athletic Association (OCCAC) has named Edison State Community College sophomore Whitney Pleiman (Russia HS) the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II Women’s Volleyball Player of the Week for August 23-24. Pleiman put together a gritty performance in a pair of Charger victories, including an insane 62-dig effort against OCCAC foe Cuyahoga... read more .

Grand and Reserve lambs score big with local buyers, By Brandy Lewis
GREENVILLE- It took until division five, a lamb weighing 137lbs to claim the title of Grand Champion Lamb at this years Great Darke County Fair. Kylee Winner from New Weston, Ohio and member of Jackson Friendship 4-H club was the owner of "Mac." A 15 year old sophomore who attends Ansionia is continuing a family legacy. With mom, Kelly Winner, a 4-H alumni and siblings Carson and... read more .

Education Dive… STEM scholarships for women could face more Title IX challenges, Roberto Torres - Aug. 22, 2019 - Dive Brief: A review of some 200 colleges found more than half (57%) offer scholarships that discriminate on the basis of sex, according to the nonprofit Stop Abusive and Violent Environments (SAVE), a group that advocates for those accused of sexual assault and domestic violence. SAVE is considering filing federal complaints against 185 institutions, the Los... read more .

Education Dive… More states setting higher 'proficiency' standards on assessments, Linda Jacobson - Aug. 21, 2019 - The gap is narrowing between what states consider proficiency in math and reading — and the standards set by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), according to a new “mapping” study released Wednesday by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Comparing the 2017 NAEP results for 4th- and 8th-grade reading and... read more .

Education Dive… Districts launch CTE programs geared toward middle school, Shawna De La Rosa - Aug. 21, 2019 - Dive Brief: Exposing students to career and technical education options as early as middle school can help them better identify areas of interest and map out an educational path, District Administration reports. Districts can use grant funds to hold summer courses that introduce middle school students to different types of technical fields, with counselors playing a key... read more .

Singer bounces back after long road to recovery, By George Starks
GREENVILLE- At the age of 59, 1977 Tri-Village graduate, Joe Singer had a reality check forced on him. In September 2018, Singer was blindsided by diabetes. He suffered a stroke and after further tests were run, he was told his sugar was through the roof and his a1c, a sugar indicater, was at 12.0. A far cry from the 6.5 a doctor wants to see. "It was the day after Labor Day and I just got... read more .

Washington Monthly… The Pre-College Racket, by Anne Kim
Elite universities are making millions off summer programs for teens. What are they really selling? Among the thousands of personal appeals on the crowdfunding site GoFundMe, you’ll find a 2017 campaign for a young woman named Kirstin, a then high school junior with wavy light brown hair, hazel eyes, and a smile that hints at suppressed excitement. “Kirstin’s Invited to Stanford!” the page, created by... read more .

Ten year old Versailles student has Grand Champion Holstein cow, By Brandy Lewis
GREENVILLE-Cale Henry, a 10 year old student at Versailles, had the Champion Holstein at this years Darke County Fair and was helped with his project by his dad and grandfather. He brought seven heifers and cows to the fair this year. The sky's the limit with this young 4-H exhibitor as he also took five cows to the Ohio State Fair. His advice to someone looking to show champion... read more .

Edison State EAGLE Program Student Finds Success at Fair
Students involved in the EAGLE Program at Edison State Community College are already seeing the benefits of receiving hands-on learning opportunities. One student, in particular, recently found success at The Great Darke County Fair. Dalton Wolf, of New Madison, received first place for his artwork entitled “Farm of Ohio” in the drawing category for differently abled adults. “Although, the idea of winning an... read more .

Edison State Adjunct Faculty Honored at Banquet
Fourteen employees were recognized for instructing a combined total of 2,925 semester hours or approximately 975 classes in their careers at Edison State Community College’s annual adjunct faculty recognition banquet on Wednesday, August 21. Greg Clem, President of Academic Senate and Education Associate Professor of Fine Arts, served as the event’s Master... read more .

Dream comes true for Arcanum graduate at steer sale; First time steer exhibitor gets Reserve Grand Champion, By Brandy Lewis - GREENVILLE- Showing the Grand Champion Steer at the Darke County Fair has always been a dream for 18 year old and Arcanum graduate Carved Gostomsky. A 10 year member of the Darke County 4-H Beef Club, Gostomsky has shown cattle all 10 years. His Crossbred steer weighed in at 1,365 pounds and was shown... read more .

Greenville City Schools… Welcome to the 2019-20 School Year, By Doug Fries, Superintendent
Welcome to the 2019-2020 school year. Our administration and staff are eager to begin another year with the students, parents, grandparents, and community members throughout our district. We hope to have everyone work together to make this another successful instructional and enjoyable year for all. I trust each of you have had a relaxing and enjoyable summer with your family and... read more .

Riegle Memorial contested on final night of harness racing, By George Starks
GREENVILLE- Six horses took the track Thursday night in the final night of harness horse racing. Looking at a purse of $50,000 and a field of horses that had 3.4 million dollars combined in lifetime winnings, the annual race was sure to be a good one. It was. Dancin Yankee was the heavy favorite going into the race having earned nearly two million dollars in his 11 year career. However... read more .

First time presenter takes top honors, By Brandy Lewis
A bright future in the swine barn… GREENVILLE- There is a new girl in the swine barn and her name is Lux Ernst. At the age of nine, she won her class in Junior Showmanship at the Great Darke County Fair's Swine Showmanship show Sunday. As a member of the Livestock In General 4-H club, this was only her first year and it's started out great for her. Ernst attends Tri-Village elementary... read more .

Greenville cheer teams place in 3 of 4 events
GREENVILLE – Following weeks of hard work, Greenville cheer teams – and individuals – went home, many with medals and trophies, all with the knowledge they’d competed well in a tough environment, placing in three of the four events in which they participated. Greenville coaches Hope Jordan (Junior High), Tiffany Labig (Varsity) and Carol Paul (Pee Wee) were proud of... read more .

Night Ranger a quick fill in for Starship, By George Starks
Ohio proves special to the band… GREENVILLE- When Starship cancelled due to Mickie Richard’s illness and the band was unable to open for Three Dog Night, the call went out. A new band was needed to open at the Darke County Fair Sunday. That call was answered by Night Ranger. Even though the band was on the road in Missouri, the reaction was favorable and front man for the group... read more .

Arcanum 7th grader places in Junior High Individual
GREENVILLE – Alivia Ellis, 12-year-old seventh grader from Arcanum, placed second in the Junior High Individual event during Friday’s Darke County Fair cheerleading competition. She has been cheerleading for three years and has been in one other competition, also placing second in that event. “I really enjoy it,” she said, “even though it takes a lot of work.” She said she’d been working on her... read more .

Library at Community Garden
This was The Greenville Public Library's first year for a garden plot at the Bish Discovery Center Community Garden on Ohio Street. Librarians Caitlyn Clark and Warren Richards planted Cinderella Pumpkins, Long Island Dill, Rosie Basil and Cherokee Purple Tomatoes. Caitlyn started the seeds in February and has been going out to the plot with Warren to maintain them. They have already started... read more .

Deep Dive… Is time up on standardized tests for college admissions? Wayne D'Orio
Aug. 13, 2019 - More institutions aren't requiring applicants to submit ACT and SAT scores, but their reasons for doing so and how they are assessing students instead vary.… The University of Chicago made headlines last June when it announced it was going test-optional to encourage more first-generation and low-income students to apply. It became the most competitive university... read more .

Fearon takes center stage at Swine Showman of Showman, By Brandy Lewis
GREENVILLE- The Darke County Fair swine arena was filled with three girl exhibitors. The finalist from the day brought down to just one exhibitor each from the junior class, intermediate class and the senior class. Three girls competed for the elusive Showman of Showman title and trophy. After a tense class of three excellent exhibitors, Madelyn Fearon was chosen as Swine Showman... read more .

Tri-Village sixth grader takes top honors in Junior High Individual
GREENVILLE - Mekedes Butsch, 10-year-old sixth grader from Tri-Village, took top honors Friday in the Junior High Individual event of the Great Darke County Fair Cheerleading Competition. This was her third year of competition, and the second year she has taken first place. “It’s a lot of work,” she said, grinning. “Two or three months, two or three times a week, two or three hours at a... read more .

Tri-Village shows dominance in annual cheer competition, By George Starks
GREENVILLE- On the backs of their t-shirts, the message was simple: 'AB 10'. It was just recently that 2019 graduate and star quarterback, Austin Bruner, was tragically killed in a horrific automobile accident. It was Patriots cheer advisor, Danielle Bourne, that spoke of Bruners presence. "We dedicated this day to Austin," said Bourne as the tears rolled down her face. "He was our inspiration... read more .

Over 40 races first two days of harness racing… Nisonger dominates, By George Starks
GREENVILLE-The opening two days of harness at the Darke County Fair saw 43 races on the cards with 17 of the on opening night. Coming as no surprise, it was Jeff Nisonger who stepped up and made it known he was the driver to beat. Of the 17 races on Friday, Nisonger took first place in nine of them, starting with the second race of the night, a pace for two year old... read more .

GHS sophomore earns a first in individual cheer category
GREENVILLE – “Do I get teased? Sure. Doesn’t bother me… it’s like anything else that is unusual, or that you don’t see every day.” Cameron Clark grinned. He was ready for his solo performance in the Great Darke County Cheer Competition, High School Individual. His was the only performance in the category, earning him an automatic First Place. “My sister Krisey, got me into it,” he said... read more .

Edison State Announces Summer 2019 Dean’s List
Edison State Community College recognizes 95 students for excellence in academics on the Summer 2019 Semester Dean’s List. To be eligible for the Dean’s List, a student must have at least a 3.5 grade point average and carry a minimum of 12 hours for the semester. Anna Ashtin Barnes, Kiplyn Rowland; Arcanum Megan Davis; Botkins Tristin Thompson; Bradford Brock... read more .

Wired… The Radical Transformation of the Textbook, Brian Barrett
FOR SEVERAL DECADES, textbook publishers followed the same basic model: Pitch a hefty tome of knowledge to faculty for inclusion in lesson plans; charge students an equally hefty sum; revise and update its content as needed every few years. Repeat. But the last several years have seen a shift at colleges and universities—one that has more recently turned tectonic. In a way, the... read more .

Covington takes Varsity Cheer honors; top overall score
Tri-Village places in four events; Greenville, Arcanum & Ansonia place in 3 each - GREENVILLE – Covington Varsity Cheer took first place in the final event, compiling enough points to take the top overall score of the Great Darke County Fair Cheerleading Competition Friday. The multiple event winners were spread out among several school districts, including Tri-Village... read more .

CodeRED to provide Emergency Notification services to county
DARKE COUNTY, OH 8/14/19 – Following the extensive and thorough evaluation and review of mass emergency alerting systems, the Darke County Sheriff’s Office has implemented the CodeRED system, a high-speed emergency notification service provided by OnSolve, based in Ormond Beach, Florida. Public safety officials across the United States have credited CodeRED notifications for saving... read more .

Inside Higher Education… Title IX a Sticking Point in Talks Over New Higher Ed Law, By Andrew Kreighbaum - August 6, 2019 - Resolving differences over sexual assault procedures, including requirements for live hearings, emerges as one of the biggest challenges for negotiating a reauthorization of the Higher Education Act… For the past two years, Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, the chairman of the Senate education committee, has set ambitious goals for producing new landmark... read more .

EdSurge… Can Virtual Simulations Teach a Human Skill Like Empathy? By Stephen Noonoo
Aug 5, 2019 - Can you learn empathy through interacting with a computer—even though, by definition, the skill requires understanding and sympathizing with real people? When Kathleen Marek first heard about virtual simulations designed to help teachers be more responsive and even empathetic to students in distress, she was skeptical. “I thought it was interesting that it was... read more .

Dispelling Myths Around Learning Disabilities, By Youki Terada
August 6, 2019 - One in five students struggle with learning or attention issues like autism, dyscalculia, or ADHD, yet only 17 percent of teachers feel prepared to support them, a new report finds… When Temple Grandin—a pioneer in the field of animal behavior who also has autism—worked on a farm milking cows, she had difficulty remembering each step in the process. No matter how many... read more .

The Hechinger Report… Already stretched grad students rebel against rising and often surreptitious fees, By Jon Marcud - August 2, 2019 - Universities seeking revenue levy “academic excellence” and other non-tuition charges… NEW YORK — The quiet of the summer seemed a good time for at least one new enrollee to come fill out his paperwork for the master’s program in public administration at Baruch College, part of the City University of New York. Except for the backpack... read more .

Greenville City Police… 2019 Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over
August 15, 2019 - Greenville, OH – The Greenville Police Department will join local and national law enforcement officers and highway safety advocates all across the country for the 2018 National DRIVE SOBER OR GET PULLED OVER Campaign. During the mobilization, officers will be cracking down on motorists, August 17th – September 3rd– both day and night. Did you know... read more .

Deep Dive… Survey: Teachers want multiple options for responding to student misbehavior, Linda Jacobson - July 30, 2019 - Two-thirds of U.S. teachers say discipline policies are inconsistently enforced in their schools, and 38% attribute a decline in suspensions to “higher tolerance for misbehavior,” according to the results of a survey released Tuesday by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. Teachers in high-poverty schools were also more likely than those in low-poverty schools... read more .

EdScoop… More schools are buying mobile 'panic buttons' for shooter scenarios, By Katya Schwenk - August 8, 2019 - School districts around the country are equipping teachers with “panic button” apps, which officials say are making schools safer. Experts say, though, that while the apps might look like the future of emergency response, schools and government must tread carefully when adopting them. Panic button apps abound in the public safety market, promising to put rapid... read more .

Education Dive… Summer Reading: How colleges are helping adult learners succeed, Hallie Busta - July 12, 2019 - Feeling the heat from declining enrollment and employer demand for workers with specific skills, more colleges are eyeing these students… Last week, Amazon announced plans to "upskill" one-third of its U.S. workforce. It's unclear what, if any, role traditional colleges and universities will play in that effort, although the company is already working with community colleges across the... read more .

National Nonprofit provides grant to fight cigarette litter
Keep America Beautiful Presents 2019 Cigarette Litter Prevention Program Grant to Keep Darke County Beautiful, National Nonprofit Provides Grant Funding, Resources to Help Darke County Battle Blight of Cigarette Litter… Keep America Beautiful®, the nation’s leading community improvement nonprofit organization, announced it has awarded a 2019 Cigarette Litter... read more .

EdTech… How Digital Art Classes Are Blazing New Trails, by Jen A. Miller
Through novel creative applications such as Adobe Creative Cloud, students develop crucial soft skills employers value… Schools are finding new ways to take a digital approach to learning across K–12 subjects. That’s long been true in science, technology, engineering and math, which have been at the forefront of digital integration. But as educational focus expands from... read more .

Education Dive… Summer Reading: The changing face of the liberal arts, Hallie Busta
June 17, 2019 - We look back at recent stories detailing the ways in which small private colleges are rethinking what and how they teach to stay relevant… The small size and focused curriculum upon which many liberal arts colleges once prided themselves is proving to be a strain in light of shrinking enrollment, cost concerns and pressure to teach skills that more directly reflect... read more .

Statewide School Attendance Network Launched
Initially reaching more than 80,000 Ohio students, the network will help schools, districts and partners improve attendance and tackle chronic absenteeism. The Cleveland Browns Foundation, Ohio Department of Education and Proving Ground at Harvard University today launched the Get 2 School, Stay in the Game! Network (Get 2 School Network), a statewide initiative designed to promote... read more .

ProPublica Illinois… Parents Are Giving Up Custody of Their Kids to Get Need-Based College Financial Aid, by Jodi S. Cohen and Melissa Sanchez - July 29, 2019 - First, parents turn over guardianship of their teenagers to a friend or relative. Then the student declares financial independence to qualify for tuition aid and scholarships… Dozens of suburban Chicago families, perhaps many more, have been exploiting a legal loophole to win their children need-based college.. read more .

Education Dive… Reports of sexual assault at schools on the rise, but the reasons are unclear, Amelia Harper - Aug. 2, 2019 - Dive Brief: The National Center for Educations Statistics' (NCES) annual "Crime, Violence, Discipline, and Safety in U.S. Public Schools" report reveals 5.2% of the 2,762 K-12 schools completing the survey for 2017-18 reported at least one incident of sexual assault other than rape, compared with 3.4% in 2015-16, Education Week reports. While the number... read more .

Education Dive… U.S. News removes UC Berkeley, 4 other schools from ranking, Natalie Schwartz - July 29, 2019 - Dive Brief: U.S. News & World Report unranked the University of California, Berkeley and four other schools in its 2019 edition of its popular Best Colleges list after they acknowledged to the publication they provided incorrect information. It moved UC Berkeley into the unranked category after the school notified U.S. News that it misreported data about its alumni donations, which... read more .

Education Dive… Recess on rebound as states recognize academic benefits, Shawna De La Rosa - July 31, 2019 - Dive Brief: In the wake of the No Child Left Behind Act's increased emphasis on standardized testing accountability two decades ago, schools cut back in a number of areas to make room for most test prep — and one of the easiest areas to cut back on was recess, WXIA-TV reports. One study finds an average of about 50 minutes per week were cut from students’ recess... read more .

CPR News… Colorado Is A Hotbed Of Teen Vaping, But Lacks The Tools To Help Kids Quit, By John Daley - July 30, 2019 - Wheat Ridge High School student Jim Lynch said he got "severely addicted" to e-cigarettes, vaping one JUUL e-liquid pod per day — the quivalent to a pack of cigarettes. Lynch was able to quit with the support from his dad and a school nurse at, but he did so cold turkey and described the nicotine withdrawal as “brutal” and “horrendous.” Jim Lynch started smoking regular cigarettes... read more .

EdSurge… Don’t Call Them Test Companies: How the College Board and ACT Have Shifted Focus, By Jeffrey R. Young - Jul 31, 2019 - These days the leaders of the College Board, which runs the SAT, have been making a surprising argument—that colleges and parents should stop taking the scores of its signature test so seriously. Or, at least, that SAT scores should be considered as just one factor among many in judging whether a student is ready for college, or a fit for a highly-selective... read more .

Quartz… How free college works in a red state like Texas, By Ana Campoy
July 31, 2019 - Free college has become a progressive hallmark for Democrats vying for the US White House in 2020. Practically all of the top contenders back some form of tuition-free higher education, one response to the country’s $1.5 trillion student debt problem. But the concept is not exclusively liberal, or just a campaign promise. Dozens of states and cities around the country have already rolled... read more .

DCCA announces cast for Peter and Wendy
Darke County Center for the Arts presented two performances of Missoula Children Theatre’s production of Peter and Wendy starring local students at Henry St. Clair Memorial Hall on Saturday. An original musical adaptation of the classic story of Peter Pan, the production will take audiences of all ages to Neverland and back in a fantastic adventure filled with humor and wisdom. Following... read more .

Education Dive… With badges, colleges take a hard look at teaching soft skills, Shailaja Neelakantan - July 26, 2019 - Employer demand for new hires with skills like critical thinking and communication has pushed colleges to find ways to show that students have those abilities… Rolando Sanchez gave his students at Northwest Vista College (NVC) a challenge: record a minute-long speech pitching an idea to a hypothetical senior executive and then a second one pitching the same idea to that... read more .

Edison State Honored for Supporting Guard and Reserve Employees
Edison State Community College leaders Dr. Doreen Larson, President, and Dr. Tony Human, Dean of Professional and Technical Programs were recognized with the Patriot Award from the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) on Thursday, July 25, 2019. The Patriot Award reflects the efforts made to support citizen warriors through a wide-range of measures... read more .

Court News Ohio… Youth Diversions, By Kathleen Maloney
July 25, 2019 - For young people in trouble, Ohio courts offer constructive alternatives to the juvenile and criminal justice systems with a blend of education, accountability, support, and problem-solving… About 15 percent of teens have shared a sexually explicit text message, image, or video electronically – known as sexting – and 27 percent have received them, a 2018 study found. Under... read more .

Arts Week students create world-inspired artworks
Over the week of July 22-26, 68 Darke County students grades 3-12 gathered for the fifth annual Arts Week hosted this year at Memorial Hall through the Darke County Center for the Arts' Anna Bier Art Gallery. This year's theme was "Passports" so students created artworks inspired by various countries around the world. Elementary students took exploratory journeys through Mexico, Japan... read more .

Darke County Sheriff… Two Greenville men arrested on 44 counts of arson
Charges include destruction of Swine Barn at fairgrounds - On July 25, 2019, the Darke County Grand Jury returned a 57 Count Indictment against Randy R. Mogle, age 30, and Christopher L. Garland, age 30, both of Greenville, Ohio. The two men have been arrested for 44 counts of Arson, felonies of the fourth degree, 3 Counts of Aggravated Arson, felonies of the second degree, and 8 Counts... read more .

Education Dive… New analytics tool looks at impact of digital skills on pay, Hallie Busta & Valerie Bolden-Barrett - July 10, 2019 - Dive Brief: A new analytics platform from Willis Towers Watson allows companies to see how certain digital skills can affect pay for workers who have them, according to a statement. The platform, called SkillsVue, uses machine-learning algorithms to assess skills and compensation data in order to calculate the value of individual skills... read more .

Factory Automation Certificate Cohort Set to Begin at Edison State
A new cohort of Edison State Community College’s factory automation certificate program is set to begin this fall in Greenville. The certificate program consists of ten courses that can be completed by taking one to two classes in four consecutive semesters. Students enrolled in the program will meet on Monday and Wednesday evenings at the Greenville High School Advanced... read more .

NPR Ed… A lot of student debt...
This week, the NPR Ed team spent some time digging into the topic of student debt. A lot of people have it — 45 million people to be exact — but, as Elissa Nadworny writes, “amid all the national debate right now about what to do about it, it's important to remember that not all debt is created equal, and some borrowers are struggling more than others.” For example, while a lot of people take out loans... read more .

Veterinary Technology Program to Launch at Edison State
To meet the demand of a rapidly growing and continuously evolving field of work, Edison State Community College will now offer an Associate of Applied Science degree in Veterinary Technology. Labor trends indicate that the field is growing at a much faster rate than the average for all occupations. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the opportunities in... read more .

Many College Students Are Too Poor to Eat, By Adam Harris
July 11, 2019 - But no one can agree on just how many. Now lawmakers are introducing a bill to change that… A recent federal watchdog report about the breadth of food insecurity on America’s college campuses came with a caveat: “Nationally representative survey data that would support direct estimates of the prevalence of food insecurity among college students do not exist,” the Government Accountability... read more .

EdSurge… Girls Who Code Goes to Capitol Hill: Can Congress Help Solve the Gender Gap in Tech? By Emily Tate - Jul 11, 2019 - Jacky Rosen, a former computer programmer and the current junior U.S. Senator from Nevada, says she “got into computers a little bit by accident.” It was the late 1970s, and Rosen was pursuing a degree in psychology at the University of Minnesota. She was working on a research project, and her advisor suggested she take her data down... read more .

Education Dive… Report: Multiple approaches to media literacy limit efforts to measure outcomes, Linda Jacobson - July 11, 2019 - Some experts, however, note that the wide variety of perspectives on teaching students to develop "healthy skepticism" is a strength in the field… Google announced new curriculum resources associated with its Be Internet Awesome initiative last month that include lessons on how to recognize fake websites and identify the way that... read more .

Anna Bier Gallery grateful to sponsors and members
The history of Anna Bier dates back to the early 1900's. She was an art teacher for much of her life, dedicated to inspiring our youth by encouraging free expression through the world of visual arts. Upon her death, Miss Bier's charitable spirit lived on. She willed her home and all of its contents to the future hope that Greenville would become “a place where people of all colors... read more .

Annie Oakley Golf Tournament
For July 22, 2019 - Preparations for the 38th Annual Annie Oakley Golf Tournament are underway! Last year 94 golfers signed up for the 18-hole event, which benefited the Cancer Association of Darke County. Committee members for the tournament are Matt & Angie Arnold, Scott and Lisa Frens, Kent & Lynn James, Todd and Beth Durham, Jack & Kay Sloat, Ed & Kay Curry... read more .

Edison State Students Complete Police Training
Edison State Community College’s Peace Officer Academy honored fourteen students on June 17, 2019, following their successful completion of the 22-week academic program. Students of the program met for six days each week since January, totaling 742 hours of training. The curriculum of the program is certified by the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission (OPOTC) and covers all aspects... read more .

DCRW Club member Barbara Fee honored
COLUMBUS, OHIO – Barbara Fee, a member of the Darke County Republican Women’s Club (DCRWC) was recently honored by the Ohio Federation of Republican Women (OFRW) with its “Tribute to Women” award. Fee was recognized for her many accomplishments in support of the Republican Party, the Federation of Republican Women and her community. “JJ Grey does a song called... read more .

Education Dive… Legal reasoning skills can help students see issues from multiple sides, Lauren Barack - June 26, 2019 - Dive Brief: Writers Michael J. Broyde, a professor of law at Emory Law School, and Ira Bedzow, the director of the Biomedical Ethics and Humanities Program at New York Medical College, write in an Education Week piece that legal reasoning skills should be taught alongside comprehension and reading in K-12 schools. The two believe that integrating... read more .

Apple Farm Service donates tractor to Darke County Fair
On Wednesday, June 5th, The Darke County Agricultural Society received a donation from Apple Farm Service; a brand new blue tractor. Apple Farm Service gladly donated a New Holland T5.110 to the Great Darke County Fair to be used for the next six months. “This is the second tractor that Apples has donated for us to use” said Fair Manager, Brian Rismiller. “Last year we were given a... read more .

Edison State Business Degrees Available Online
Edison State Community College is pleased to announce the Associate of Applied Business degrees in accounting, banking, business management, human resource management, and marketing may now be completed entirely online. Edison State’s business career pathways prepare students to enter the workforce immediately upon graduating or continue their education to... read more .

Arcanum woman succumbs to injuries from June 22 accident
On June 22nd, 2019 at 11:43p.m. Darke County Sheriff’s Deputies along with Arcanum Rescue, mutual aid from Greenville Rescue, New Madison Fire Department, Careflight, and Darke County Accident Reconstruction Team, responded to the 2600 block of State Route 503 on an injury accident. Preliminary investigation revealed that a 2004 Ford F-250 driven by, Christine Pierce-McCoy (46), of Arcanum, was... read more .

Young Patriot team learns lesson in teamwork, By George Starks
NEW MADISON- It was a valuable lesson in teamwork. With its back against the wall, the Tri-Village 5th and 6th grade softball team did what some might have thought to be the impossible. After losing to the Greenville III team in a double elimination tournament just over a week ago, 7-6, the young Lady Patriots dropped into the losers bracket. That's when attitude and intestinal fortitude... read more .

Above normal temperatures and precipitation will rule July, From Sam Custer, OSU Extension, Darke County - Even though it has gotten a little drier recently, the pattern around a big high pressure to the west and south of Ohio favors a warm and humid July with rain chances. However, there will be swings in the the pattern from week to week. The first week of July will offer a very warm and humid pattern with increasing rain chances. Week 2 will offer a cooler pattern but with continued rain chances. Week... read more .

Tri-Village bounces back, By George Starks
ARCANUM- If the future of Lady Patriot softball was ever in doubt, those doubts may have been erased recently. In a double elimination tournament held this past weekend, Tri-Village was forced to do things the hard way but prevailed in the end. Heading into the multi-team tournament with only one loss on the year, the Patriots had gone through the competition like a hot knife going through... read more .

How to Have a Safe 4th of July & Summer
As we get ready to celebrate Independence Day, many of us plan to attend fireworks displays, a backyard picnic, or perhaps enjoy fun in the water at a waterpark, beach or pool. The American Red Cross wants you to enjoy a fun-packed, safe holiday and offers these tips you can follow over the upcoming holiday: Fireworks Safety - The safest way to enjoy fireworks is to attend a public... read more .

Education Dive… Associate degrees in liberal arts are on the rise, Shailaja Neelakantan
June 27, 2019 - Dive Brief: The humanities and liberal arts are on the rise at community colleges, with the number of associate degrees awarded in those fields nearly doubling from 2000 to 2015, according to a new study from the Community College Research Center. In 2015, 410,000 associate degrees were awarded in the liberal arts, up from 218,000 in 2000. Their share as part of all associate... read more .

Darke County Sheriff… Operation Firecracker nets multiple drug arrests
On July 2, 2019, the Darke County Sheriff’s Office in conjunction with the Greenville Police Department, Ohio Adult Parole Authority, Darke County Adult Probation, Union City Police Department, and the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office conducted “Operation Firecracker”. The operation stems from a 6-month narcotics investigation. As result of the investigation, the following persons were... read more .

13th Annual Duck Derby & Duck-N-Run 5K Winners
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Shelby & Darke County held their 13th Annual Duck Derby and Duck-N-Run 5K at Tawawa Park in Sidney on Thursday, June 20. The Duck Derby had 2,571 ducks “adopted” by community members and local corporate sponsors. Due to recent rainfall and increased water levels at Tawawa Park’s Mosquito Creek, this year’s Duck Derby winners were... read more .

Franklin University and Edison State Announce New Co-Location
On June 12, Franklin University, a leader in adult education, and Edison State Community College hosted a signing event on Franklin’s main campus in downtown Columbus, officially launching a new co-location agreement between the two institutions. Today's announcement expands the relationship between the two institutions, which have held a transfer articulation agreement since 1998... read more .

Deep Dive… How colleges are changing remedial education, James Paterson
June 19, 2019 - Fueled by research and the imperative to raise graduation rates, some institutions are revising or altogether replacing developmental classes - Well-intentioned remedial education courses, and the testing that too often imprecisely places students in them, may be doing more harm than good. That's according to a surge of research and exploratory initiatives that suggest colleges could... read more .

Cleveland Plain Dealer… High school graduation would require fewer state tests under Senate plan, By Patrick O’Donnell - Jun 20, 2019 - Graduating from high school will no longer require students to earn good scores on numerous state tests under a plan the Ohio Senate passed today. Students will still need strong scores on two tests to show competency in English and math under the new plan. But they will no longer have to do well on six other state tests, as the state requires... read more .

First Annual Darke County Conservation Day Camp
On June 12th and 13th, 150 Darke County students attended the 1st Annual Darke County Conservation Day Camp at Chenoweth Trails hosted by the Darke Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD). The camp was designed to get kids outdoors and provide a hands-on approach to learning about their environment. “Our goal was to get kids to unplug for a couple days and... read more .

Education Dive… Survey finds bipartisan voter support for federal policies to ensure students benefit from college, James Paterson - June 18, 2019 - Dive Brief: The majority of Americans identifying as either Democrats or Republicans think the federal government should protect students from poor-performing schools, finds a new survey of likely voters by Third Way, a left-leaning think tank. While 55% of respondents said they view higher ed favorably, larger shares said they were favorable... read more .

Education Dive… Report: Adolescent suicide rate hits 20-year high, Amelia Harper
June 21, 2019 - Dive Brief: Recent research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association indicates the suicide rate for teens ages 15 to 19 is at its highest point in 20 years, and that suicide is now the second-leading cause of death for that age group, Education Week reports. The report, based on statistics from the Centers for Disease Control’s Underlying Cause... read more .

Edutopia… Driving Deep Reading Comprehension in K–5, By Emelina Minero
This five-phase reading strategy exposes every student to challenging texts—and has dramatically improved reading comprehension at a school in the Bronx. June 18, 2019 - Collaborative reading is one of several strategies at Concourse Village Elementary School (CVES) that are meant to incorporate literacy into all aspects of the curriculum. The approach, spearheaded... read more .

Columbus Business Journal… How Ohio is working to solve the workforce gap and skills shortage, By Vicki Maple – Central Ohio Technical College - Jun 19, 2019 - One of the most ubiquitous and politically charged issues in the news these days is that of mobilizing industry, education, and policymakers as each recognizes the urgency and criticality of the workforce gap and skills shortage in Ohio and throughout the nation. In workforce news, mentions of the skills gap labor shortage or the... read more .

EdSurge… TenMarks Shutdown Leaves Teachers Wanting, Competitors Circling, By Emily Tate - Jun 17, 2019 - The final days are drawing near for TenMarks. Come June 30, operations at the Amazon-owned online education program will cease entirely. School and district users had ample warning about the demise of the adaptive K-12 math and writing software—the company issued a notice on its site 15 months ago—and yet many say that the off-boarding process was... read more .

STEM students: Arts improved our soft skills, Lauren Barack
June 19, 2019 - Dive Brief: Six students recently spoke during the AWS Public Sector Summit in Washington, D.C., about how arts education and the soft skills it helped them develop are key to their success in the fields they’re pursuing in college, EdSurge reports. One student, who studied network security at Bowie State University in Maryland, also acted in plays, which he said helped boost his... read more .

Education Dive… 3 ways educators nationwide are working to disrupt dyslexia, Lauren Barack
A number of states and districts are embracing more research- and science-based approaches to literacy instruction amid growing awareness of the reading disability. June 19, 2019 - Arkansas is working to provide support for students with dyslexia through efforts to retrain teachers and change the way reading instruction is delivered, with a focus on methods based on the science... read more .

Midmark Awards $20,000 Technical Scholarship to Benjamin Kuck
DAYTON, Ohio, June 18, 2019 — Midmark Corp., a leading provider of medical, dental and veterinary equipment, technology and services, recently announced Benjamin Kuck as the Midmark Technical Scholarship Award recipient for 2019. Kuck graduated from New Bremen High School and will attend the University of Dayton to study mechanical engineering. He will intern... read more .

Education Dive… What's in a microcredential? Wayne D'Orio
June 11, 2019 - Growing interest in microcredentials is raising a host of questions for higher ed leaders: Who is creating them? What topics are most popular? How difficult will it be for an institution to develop its own microcredentials? And maybe the toughest question of all: What are — and what aren't — microcredentials? Taking the last question first, Kathleen deLaski, founder and president of the... read more .

The Hechinger Report… A new way of helping students pay for college: Give them corporate jobs, By Mikhai Zinshteyn - June 12, 2019 - SALT LAKE CITY — On the third floor of a downtown office building, Solomon Kalapala was chatting with a Microsoft customer on one computer screen while troubleshooting the customer’s misbehaving software on another. “I’m basically running a repair,” said Kalapala. If the online fix didn’t work, he explained, “I’ll do an uninstall and reinstall.” Pink Floyd blared in... read more .

Education Dive… Playing games reduces learning anxiety for students, Lauren Barack
June 5, 2019 - Dive Brief: Dan Van der Vieren, a former math teacher and an academic coach has used the Rubik’s Cube and a lesson around mosaics to spark students’ interest in math, he wrote in Edutopia. Students follow templates that help them create a mosaic. Each face of the Rubik’s Cube is matched to a specific image, eventually building a whole picture, which der Vieren has... read more .

EAGLE Program Takes Flight at Edison State, Homan Pilots Program
With a $50,000 grant from The Ohio State University, Edison State Community College has been afforded the opportunity to provide postsecondary education options to individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities through the EAGLE Program. Students of the EAGLE Program are supported through interactive career assessments, academically inclusive courses with Edison State... read more .

Hamilton Journal News… Businesses to Lakota students: Here’s what will help you get a job, By Michael D. Clark - June 05, 2019 - LIBERTY TWP. — For the first time, Lakota high school students joined area business leaders to work together to paint a full portrait of what a successful, employable graduate of the school district should look like. The event proved so popular – with more than 70 adults and teens attending – that Lakota and its partner, the West Chester... read more .

Fort GreeneVille Chapter DAR Donates Memorial Book
Fort GreeneVille Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution donated a book to the Greenville Public Library’s Genealogy Room. The book, Volume 1 American Revolutionary War Patriots Buried in Darke County Ohio, will aid in genealogy research. The book was donated in memory of chapter members who passed between Jan. 1, 2016 through Dec. 31, 2018. In memory of those... read more .

WCPO Cincinnati… How a University of Cincinnati program is empowering local teens to address the opioid crisis, By Lucy May - Jun 04, 2019 - CINCINNATI — Maria Kaylor has watched family members struggle with substance abuse. So when the 17-year-old had the opportunity to help develop new ways to address the opioid crisis, she jumped at the chance. “I’m not a person that likes to just stand back and look at things falling apart. I like to do what I can to make a difference... read more .

Education Dive… CTE program pairs teens, preschoolers for STEM learning, Lauren Barack
June 5, 2019 - Dive Brief: Miami-Dade County Public Schools launched a preschool coding and robotics program in some of its child care centers, using high school students to help with the teaching, according to District Administration. The older students are part of a program that trains them to become child care professionals. Older and younger students worked with KinderLab Robotics... read more .

Education Dive… Survey: Women not as comfortable voicing some opinions in class, Hallie Busta, James Paterson, Natalie Schwartz - June 5, 2019 - Dive Brief: Despite their greater numbers on campus, women are less likely than men to say they feel comfortable speaking up to share a less popular opinion, according to new data shared by Gallup. Part of the broader Gallup Alumni Survey, the data shows 30% of female students graduating with bachelor's degrees between... read more .

Mosaic of Community Leadership Conference A Success
Over 85 nonprofit board members, executive directors, staff, and volunteers from throughout the region attended the 16th annual Mosaic of Community Leadership conference on Wednesday, May 22 in the Robinson Theater of Edison State Community College’s Piqua Campus. The event was hosted by The Edison Foundation and the Center for Leadership Development... read more .

Rural Courts Helping Juveniles Caught in Drug Epidemic, By Csaba Sukosd
May 31, 2019 - As Ohio’s opioid crisis continues to grow, so are the number of courts across the state addressing the issue, including the youth affected in some of the smaller communities. Thirty years after the nation’s first drug court was instituted in Florida, the number of specialized dockets in Ohio focused on treatment for juveniles has grown to 25 with the majority of those in... read more .

Deep Dive… 3 ways educators can dig deeper in lessons on historical conflicts
By Lauren Barack -- June 5, 2019 -- With the 75th anniversary of the World War II D-Day invasion of Normandy, France, on June 6 and the centennial of the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, which brought an end to World War I, on June 28, history educators may be looking for ways to revamp how they teach the events of these and other historic conflicts to K-12 students. While many history... read more .

From NPR Ed… College enrollment is down for the eighth straight year, by NSC Research Center
May 30, 2019 - In spring 2019, overall postsecondary enrollments decreased 1.7 percent from the previous spring. Figure 1 shows the 12-month percentage change (fall-to-fall and spring-to-spring) for each term over the last three years. Enrollments increased 3.2 percent at four-year private nonprofit institutions, but this increase was largely due to the recent conversion of a large for-profit institution to... read more .

Longtown’s Memorial Day Ceremony Can Be Seen on YouTube
Fort GreeneVille Chapter held a gravesite dedication for American Revolutionary War soldier Benjamin Williams during Longtown’s annual Memorial Day ceremony. The Memorial Day ceremony was held at Clemens Cemetery on Hollansburg-Tampico Road in Liberty Township, Darke County, Ohio. Longtown descendant Robin Baker had the honors of laying of the flowers... read more .

Inaugural Drive for Scholarships Golf Scramble to be held July 26
The Edison Foundation and Edison State Community College are teaming up to host the inaugural Drive for Scholarships golf scramble on Friday, July 26. The scramble will be held at the Piqua Country Club located at 9812 North Country Club Rd in Piqua. All proceeds from the event will directly benefit the student scholarship program which provides Edison State students... read more .

Darke Soil & Water Conservation District… Hunters check more than 19,000 Wild Turkeys
Darke County had 61 compared to 49 last year - COLUMBUS, OH – Ohio hunters checked a total of 19,088 wild turkeys during the 2019 spring wild turkey hunting season, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. In 2018, hunters checked a total of 22,635 wild turkeys. Hunters reported 17,770 birds during the 2019 wild turkey south zone and northeast zone... read more .

Edison State Earns No. 2 Ranking in OCCAC All-Sports Award
Edison State Community College (7.90 avg.) claimed its highest finish in school history, coming in at No. 2 thanks to a top-4 placement in all five sports. Charger men’s basketball and baseball were conference runners-up while women’s basketball and softball cracked the top-3. “This year’s student-athletes had a lot of athletic talent but also remained focused on getting good grades... read more .

Edison State Announces Spring 2019 Dean’s List
Edison State Community College recognizes 417 students for excellence in academics on the Spring 2019 Semester Dean’s List. To be eligible for the Dean’s List, a student must have at least a 3.5 grade point average and carry a minimum of 12 hours for the semester. Anna: Ethan Amsden, Claire Bensman, Jennifer Blackburn, Megan Bradshaw, Griffin Doseck, Carter Elliott... read more .

Chalkbeat... State board member: Michigan should side with Detroit students in ‘right to literacy’ lawsuit, By Lori Higgins - Michigan wants to toss a historic “right to literacy” lawsuit filed on behalf of Detroit schoolchildren, but a state board of education member is urging officials to side with the students who’ve sued the state over the quality of their education. Lawyers from the state have asked the federal appeals court to throw out the lawsuit, saying the case is now... read more .

Education Dive… Diploma requirements still out of step with higher ed eligibility in most states, By Linda Jacobson - May 20, 2019 - Dive Brief: States are beginning to integrate career and technical education (CTE) and STEM-related courses into high school graduation requirements, and some are also revising diploma pathways to link coursework to postsecondary goals, but the updates fall short of ensuring credits earned make students eligible for admission to colleges and... read more .

Edison State Leverages Grant Funding to Support Student Success
In 2018, Edison State Community College received $91,000 in short-term technical certificate grant funding from the State of Ohio. Due to increased visibility and the importance of the program, the Ohio Department of Higher Education awarded an additional $50,000 through the partnership grant, Finish for Your Future. It is with these funds that Edison State has found success... read more .

Education Dive… State, college officials say educational quality measures need a boost, By James Paterson - May 28, 2019 - Dive Brief: Concerns about the value and purpose of higher education could be quieted if states adhered to better and more consistent standards for educational quality, according to a new report from the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) and the National Association of System Heads (NASH). The pair recommend tightening up the program... read more .

Marilyn Delk Receives DCCA Patron of the Arts Award
Marilyn Delk is the recent recipient of the prestigious William L. Combs Patron of the Arts Award. Presented at Darke County Center for the Arts’ final performance of the 2018-2019 Ruby Celebration Season Artists Series performance of the Toledo Symphony Orchestra on May 11, at St. Clair Memorial Hall, the award was given in recognition of Delk’s significant contribution to the Arts in Darke... read more .

Memorial Day observed at Greenville-Union Cemetery
Memorial Day was observed Monday at the Greenville-Union Cemetery in Greenville. Hosted by the Darke County Disabled American Veterans, Veteran’s of Foreign Wars 7262 and American Legion Post 149. Presenting the program were Kari Pfeifer, Fred Dean, Robert Foster, Mora Menzie (America the Beautiful), Ashton Paul (Gettysburg Address), Mary Jane Dietrich (Benediction)... read more .

The Atlantic… What Happens When a Billionaire Swoops In to Solve the Student-Debt Crisis, Adam Harris - May 19, 2019 - Commencement speakers have a routine: a few words of encouragement, a good—or maybe not so good—joke, and a bit of advice. But this year, Robert F. Smith, the billionaire founder of the private equity firm Vista Equity Partners, who delivered the commencement address on Sunday morning at Morehouse College, a historically black college in... read more .

Eldora Speedway… Kings Royal to pay $175,000 to Win!!!
To the Victor Goes the Spoils in Sprint Car Racing’s Most-Fabled Event - ROSSBURG, Ohio (May 23, 2019) – After months of speculation, Eldora Speedway officials today announced the 36th annual Kings Royal will pay a blockbuster $175,000-to-win. The Kings Royal Weekend featuring the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and all of sprint car racing’s royalty takes place... read more .

Education Dive… Counselors, parents decry College Board's adversity score, By Shawna De La Rosa -- May 24, 2019 -- Dive Brief: School counselors recently blasted the College Board’s plan to weigh SAT scores by neighborhoods and high schools. Last week, 150 colleges announced they would be using the pilot “Environmental Context Dashboard,” Education Week reports. Though some school counselors support the College Board’s decision, most were critical of the plan to scale schools... read more .

Edison State Agriculture Program Helps with Flood Relief Efforts
Students in the Edison State Community College agriculture program recently took it upon themselves to help farmers and families who were devastated by flooding across the Midwest. Students collected items such as first aid supplies, cleaning supplies, personal hygiene products, painting supplies, tools and building supplies, livestock supplies, and monetary donations... read more .

McConnell Introduces Bipartisan Bill Raising Smoking Age to 21, Evie Fordham
May 21, 2019 - Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Democratic Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine introduced a bill Monday to raise the federal minimum age for purchasing tobacco products to 21. “We’re in the middle of a national health epidemic,” McConnell said in a speech on the Senate floor, according to Fox News. “Youth vaping is a public health crisis.” The bill, called the Tobacco... read more .

Active Pattern to Continue but Still Opportunities to Plant Too, From Sam Custer, OSU Extension, Darke County - An active weather pattern will remain across the corn and soybean belt for the rest of May into the first week of June. A large high pressure will strengthen across the Southeast U.S. with hot and dry weather. At the same time, very cool air for this time of the year will be in place in Canada. This will result in an active front going back and forth in the north and central U.S. in the next few... read more .

Edison State Child Development Center NAEYC Accredited
Edison State Community College’s Child Development Center has once again been granted accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). NAEYC granted five-year approval to the center on April 24, 2019. “We’re very proud to have earned the mark of quality from NAEYC and to be recognized for our commitment to reaching the highest... read more .

Edison State Community College… Edison State Student Athletes Earn Post-Season Honors
Recently finishing out their seasons, five Edison State Community College softball and baseball players have been named recipients of post-season awards from the Ohio Community College Athletic Conference (OCCAC) for the 2019 season. Representing the women’s softball team, Wendy Hawk, of Washington Court House, Lexi Romine, of Enon, and Mackenzie Smith, of St. Paris... read more .

Edison State Honors Graduates
Nearly 500 students were honored during Edison State Community College’s 44th annual commencement ceremony held on Friday, May 10, 2019. Edison State President Dr. Doreen Larson gave a speech praising the hard work of the graduates and explained the value of their accomplishments. “Your lives and those of your family are forever changed for the better,” said Larson. “Good... read more .

Greenville Police Joins Click It or Ticket; Cracking Down on Seat Belt Use, Especially at Night
Greenville, OH – The Greenville Police Department will join local and national law enforcement officers and highway safety advocates all across the country for the 2019 national Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement mobilization, May 20-June 2, 2019. During the mobilization, officers will be cracking down on motorists who fail to wear their seat belts – both day and night. We’re all excited... read more .

Education Dive… College Board to roll out adversity score for applicants, by Hallie Busta
May 16, 2019 -- Dive Brief: The College Board is giving colleges a new metric to gauge applicants’ socioeconomic status, The Wall Street Journal reported. The "adversity score" runs from one to 100 and is applied to students who take the SAT test. A score of 50 is average, with higher scores indicating hardship and lower scores privilege. It is based on more than a dozen factors based on a mix... read more .

NPR Education… Reimagining how we teach geography
Across the country — and even around the world — teachers are using an educational game called Mystery Skype to improve their students' comprehension of geography, a subject kids in this country struggle with. According to a 2014 study (the most recent data available) from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, 73% of eighth graders are less than proficient in... read more .

Edison State Remains Responsive to Regional Needs
Edison State Community College President Dr. Doreen Larson held the third annual State of the College address Wednesday morning with over 75 business leaders, community members, elected officials, and Edison State faculty and staff in attendance. New campus locations and programs, enhanced partnerships, workforce development, and College Credit Plus were at the forefront of... read more .

Greenville City Schools… Family Reading Night, By Jody Harter, Principal, and Laura Bemus, Assistant Superintendent - Greenville Elementary School welcomed students and parents of grades Kindergarten through third grade to their 5th Annual Family Reading Night and Kids Read Now Summer Reading Kickoff from 5:00-7:00 PM on May 7th. The evening featured dinner (hot dogs, chips and water), presentations by author Paul Orshoski, and the kickoff of the Kids Read Now Summer... read more .

Edison State nursing students honored with pinning ceremony; Three Greenville Students Honored -- Edison State Community College honored its most recent nursing graduates on Wednesday, May 8, with a pinning ceremony held in a gymnasium filled with family and friends at the Piqua Campus. The pinning ceremony is a time-honored tradition in which the graduate nurse is presented to family and friends as a professional who is about to practice nursing... read more .

Darke County Sheriff's Office… Suspicious Activity Investigation
May 8, 2019 - On May 3, 2019 at 3:25 PM a Darke County Deputy was dispatched to Tri Village Schools in the Village of New Madison reference a complaint of a male driving a white colored SUV and wearing a black hoodie. This person made attempts to lure two 10 year old males to his vehicle. Darke County Deputies reviewed video footage and interviewed employees at several area... read more .

ODNR to Launch New Conservation Teen Advisory Council
COLUMBUS, OH – The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) is seeking high school students to serve as founding members of the Conservation Teen Advisory Council (ConTAC), a new initiative to empower the youth voice. ConTAC is designed to become a statewide network of student-leaders working together to enhance ODNR’s youth outreach and program efforts. “ConTAC... read more .

Edison State Chargers… Hawk Earns OCCAC Weekly Honors
The Ohio Community College Athletic Association (OCCAC) has named Edison State Community College sophomore Wendy Hawk (Washington HS) the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II Women’s Softball Player of the Week for April 29-May 5. Hawk picks up her first career OCCAC weekly honor after lifting the Chargers to a 4-0 week. She cracked four extra-base... read more .

Edison State Graduates Come from Different Backgrounds
21 Percent of this year’s graduates are from Darke County - Students from all walks of life enter through the doors of Edison State Community College each semester in pursuit of higher education. As Edison State’s 44th commencement ceremony approaches, the class of 2019 maintains a diverse student population with a common goal. There are students like Payton... read more .

Ohio Attorney General Yost… Student Design Contest for ‘Stop Bullying’ License Plates
(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Ohioans will soon have an option to spread the “Stop Bullying” message on license plates, and an Ohio child will be the artist responsible for the design. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost today announced his office is joining with the Ohio Education Association offering a design contest for students to create the logo and slogan that will appear on Ohio license plates... read more .

5K Run/Walk for Scentral Park Results
GREENVILLE - The 6th annual Scentral Park 5K was held April 20 at the Darke County Fairgrounds. All proceeds from this race will be used to maintain and improve Scentral Park, Darke County’s only dog park located next to the Animal Shelter on County Home Road in Greenville. The overall female winner was Crystal Barton and the overall male winner was Joseph Earl. The top three... read more .

Prevention Action Alliance… Our Thoughts: 8th Annual We Are The Majority Rally
Yesterday (April 30) was a big day for Prevention Action Alliance. It was the day of the We Are The Majority Rally. We brought 2000 teens from across Ohio to the Ohio Statehouse to counter the false perception that most young people use drugs and alcohol. Teens are constantly bombarded with messages telling them what to do, how to look, and who to be. These messages are found wherever youth turn... read more .

Hechlinger Report… Beyond basic reading, kids can learn how to think like a good reader, By Tara Garcia Mathewson - April 11, 2019 - Once students learn how to sound out words, reading is easy. They can speak the words they see. But whether they understand them is a different question entirely. Reading comprehension is complicated. Teachers, though, can help students learn concrete skills to become better readers. One way is by teaching them how to think as they read... read more .

Edison State… Students to Unveil Spring Edition of “Words from Within”
Gabriella Clingman, Editor-in-Chief of the spring semester Edison State Community College “Words from Within,” a student literary and art magazine, announced the unveiling of the publication Saturday at the East Hall Art Gallery on the Piqua campus. Clingman says, “’Words from Within’ was created, compiled, and produced by Edison State students. I was privileged to work... read more .

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