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Rootstown Local Schools • 4140 State Route 44 • Rootstown, Ohio 44272 • (330) 325-9911

News From Around the District

The STandard IS excellence

Home of tHe

RoveRs RootstownCommunicatorSummer

2019The

As I reflect upon the 2018-19 school year, I am extremely proud of the progress that our students have made. The stu-dents have made some impressive accomplishments both inside and outside of the classroom. I want to congratulate our students for their hard work, and I would like to thank the faculty and staff for their dedication to improving each student’s academic growth and for making a difference in their lives. Also, I would like to thank the parents and community for your continued support of the Rootstown Local School District and for voting to renew our permanent improvement levy on May 7th. We will be utilizing our permanent improvement funds to make some necessary improvements such as technology upgrades, building repairs, bus purchases, and increasing the safety throughout the district. The Rootstown Board of Education has been working with Hasenstab Architects, the Ohio Facilities Construction Com-

mission, and Hammond Construction to find a plan to address our aging facilities. A decision on that plan will be announced within the next month. Please visit our district website at http://www.rootstown.sparcc.org for updates. Finally, I also would like to congratulate the Class of 2019 and wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors, and welcome our incoming Kindergarteners, the Class of 2032! If you have any questions regarding our school district, feel free to contact me. Have a great summer!

What’s Trending? Parent Conference on Hot TopicsBy Terri Hrina-Treharn Rootstown Local Schools welcomed guests on May 22nd for this inaugural parent conference. The confer-ence was also replicated at James A Garfield High School on May 14th. Attendees had the option of attending four of the seven presentations throughout the evening as well as visit with various vendors and school district personnel across the county. Presentations consisted of Vaping (Portage County Sheriff’s Dept and Streetsboro Police Dept), Suicide (Coleman Professional Services), Teen Dating/Violence (Townhall II), Anxiety (Children’s Advantage), Trauma Informed Care (Summit County Trauma Informed Care Coalition), Positive Parenting Techniques (Children’s Advantage), and Positive Presence on Social Media (Kent Police Dept). Vendors includ-ed: Portage County Sheriff’s Dept, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Sequoia Wellness Center, Alcoholics Anonymous, Ravenna Parks and Recreation, United Way, Portage County Health District, Mental Health & Recovery Board, Kent Social Services, Center of Hope, Ohio Means Jobs, Fields Playground Group, Akron Children’s Hospital, and UH Portage Medical Center. Representatives were also present from the following school districts to answer questions and hand out information: Rootstown, Kent, Streetsboro, Field, Aurora, and James A Garfield. Special thanks goes out to United Way for providing the pizza and drinks as well as distributing books from their Big Red Bookshelf Program. Thanks also to the Portage County Health District who distributed safe, disposable drug deactivation pouches courtesy of the Deterra Project. Hopefully all who attended found the evening informational, were educated on some of the hot topics dis-tricts are facing in schools and learned of valuable resources they can reach out to across the county. Last but not least, we had some lucky winners leave with a family themed basket! Thank you to all who donated the baskets and made this possible: Sequoia Wellness Center, Ravenna Parks and Rec, Ohio Means Jobs, Rootstown Local Schools, Maplewood Career Center, Southeast Local Schools, Kent City Schools, Field Local Schools, Streetsboro City Schools, James A Garfield Local Schools, Waterloo Local Schools, Crestwood Local Schools, the National Museum of the Great Lakes, and Kent State Starbucks.

Superintendent’s Message

Andrew HawkinsSuperintendent

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Connie BaldwinTreasurer

News From the Treasurer’s Office

Parent Text Tips Sign up for Parent Text Tips through the Ohio De-partment of Education. Note: Messaging and data rates may apply.

Retreived from http://educa-tion.ohio.gov/Media/Sign-up-for-Text-Alerts, April 29, 2019.

R-Stars!!! Hopefully you have seen our postings on social media or have been a parent lucky enough to get a phone call to hear your child has been chosen! This is an incentive we are doing again this school year. Once a month I “pop” into a classroom in each building and ask the teacher if they have any “R-Stars.” The teacher lets me know which student has been chosen as the R-Star as well as why that student was chosen. Students then get

their picture taken with the R-Star, receive an R-Star t-shirt, choose a prize, and I call their parent/guardian right then and there to share the good news. Please check out our R-Stars for the second half of the school year!

Here in the Treasurer’s office we are in the process of data migration to new accounting software. We currently use state software, which was originally created in 1979. The new product called eFinance Plus is Windows based with SQL capabili-ties. Below is a screenshot of the old system for entering purchase requisitions: Beginning July 1, the new system will allow us to create purchase requests completely online, elimi-nating paper copies. Ad-ministrators will be able to approve the requests electronically instead of passing paper from office to office for signatures. Once approved and converted into purchase orders, the teachers will receive their copies by email. Once fully implemented, the system will send orders directly to vendors electronically instead of staff faxing or scanning paper copies. Beginning in January 2020, the district will complete the migration by processing payroll in the eFinance Human Resources module. This is a huge undertaking, but it is our goal to bring the Treasurer’s office processes and procedures into the modern era, increasing speed and efficiency and improving customer service.

Assistant Superintendent’s Message

Terri Hrina-TreharnAssistant

Superintendent

Terri Hrina-Treharn - Assistant Superintendent, (330)325-2014

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Rootstown District News

Marcy Spence - Director of Special Education, (330)325-4144 From the Office of Special Education

Marcy SpenceDirector of Special

Education

Child Find It’s that time of year again - the end of another school year and the start of a much deserved summer break for students, families and staff! As we reported last year at this time, the special education department has had another busy and productive year identifying, intervening, guiding and supporting our families and students with disabilities. Again, similar to May of 2018, as we continue the process of planning for the upcoming school year, it is an important time to remind our families and the Rootstown community at large of the district’s responsibility to identify, locate and evaluate all children who may have, or be suspected of having, a disability. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a federal law that assures children and youth with disabilities a free appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE). There are six guiding principles of IDEA, one of which, Zero Reject, addresses the Child Find issue. This tenant stipulates that a student must be determined to have a disability that is covered under the IDEA and, because of that disability, the child is in need of specially designed instruction (special education) and related services. Child Find is the name given to the process required by the Ohio Depart-ment of Education, Office for Exceptional Children, through which Ohio schools engage in this process – that is, we identify, locate and evaluate all children from three years of age through twenty-one with disabilities. Additionally, through the Child Find process, our schools work hand-in-hand with the state’s early intervention program, Bright Beginnings (formerly, Help Me Grow) to identify, locate and evaluate all children birth up to their third birthday, who have or are suspected of having, a disability. The district’s responsibility extends to all children, including those who are in school, advancing from grade to grade, homeless, migrant, wards of the state or enrolled in a private school. Once the district has located and identified a child with a suspected disability, the district commences an extensive multi-factored evaluation process. In the state of Ohio, a child may be found disabled and eligible for special education and related services under one of fourteen catego-ries. These include: Autism, Deaf-Blindness, Emotional Disturbance, Multiple Disabilities, Deafness, Hearing Impairment, Intellectual Disabil-ity, Orthopedically Impaired, Other Health Impaired, Specific Learning Disability, Speech-Language Impairment, Traumatic Brain Injury, Visual Impairment (including Blindness) and one preschool disability category, Developmental Delay. Rootstown Local Schools takes its Child Find responsibility very seriously. We are committed to the premise that every child can learn if given appropriate instruction and the right supports. We ask for the community’s help in “finding” any child who may have a disability in order that our district may uphold this essential component of IDEA. During the summer, and, as the new school year begins, any parent, relative, concerned citizen or public/private agency staff member who has a concern about a child’s need for special education and related services is asked to contact our department at 330-325-4144. Have a restful and enjoyable summer!

Rootstown Travel ClubBy Cara Craig

This summer, Señora Craig is taking a group of students to Spain, France and England. We are very excited to use our language skills in Spain. Some of the highlights for us will be eating churros in the Puerta del Sol, standing in the exact center of Spain with the Oso and the Arbol, visiting the Prado Museum, and of course, seeing the Eiffel Tower lit up at night. We will also be viewing Big Ben and the Parliament as well as Buckingham Palace.

For students and parents interested in traveling with Señora next year, we will be going to the Greek Isles. We also have a trip planned for 2021 to Belize in order to visit Mayan ruins, raft through caves on underground rivers and swim with dolphins. For more information, please contact Mrs. Craig at craig@roversk12.org. Please note this is not a school sponsored activity.

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Senior Send Off It seems like just yesterday it was August 28th and we were starting a new school year. For many of our seniors it may seem like it was just yester-day that they were starting their freshmen year and for many parents sending their babies off to kindergarten. For our graduates, Senior Sendoff is a long standing tradition where students get to say goodbye to friends and teachers that have been a part of their life for the past four years. This year will be our 4th annual walk through our halls. Graduating seniors will wear their cap and gown and retrace their steps through the halls of the elementary and middle schools. They will have the opportunity to say goodbye to the teachers who helped mold them into the young men and women they are today.

Senior Signing Day Senior Signing Day was created to celebrate the success of all of our Rover seniors. Any student who had committed to a college, trade school, enlisted in the Military, or directly into the workforce was recognized. All parents were invited to stand with their student and hold their sign as they signed it. Portage County Teen of the Month Each month the Portage County Teen Board recognizes one male and female student as the Portage County Teens of the Month. The Teen Board is comprised of a representative from each school in the county. In Febru-ary, Benjamin Shank, and in April, Katherine Billock, were recognized as Portage County Teen of the Month. Both of them were nomi-nated for being Responsible, Respectful, Role Models here at Rootstown High School. Ben is the son of Mandy Bobbs and Doug Shank. Ben plans to attend Ohio University and major in Sports Management. He will finish his high school career graduating Magna Cum Laude with a 3.96 GPA. Katherine is the daughter of Marjorie and Nicholas Billock. Katherine plans to attend Kent State University Stark and major in Business Administration. She will finish her high school career graduating Cum Laude with a 3.77 GPA

Manhood and Womanhood Manhood and Womanhood is an honored tradition awarded to the outstanding Male and Female of the senior class. Any senior with a 3.5 cumulative GPA is eligible and must complete an application with an essay explaining why they feel they are deserving of the award. This year our Wom-anhood honoree is Molly Postlethwait. Molly is the daughter of Caryn and Joe Postlethwait. Molly plans on attending Kent State University and majoring in Environmental Studies. Molly will graduate Summa Cum Laude with a 4.233 GPA. This year our Manhood honoree is Joshua Vogt. Josh is the son of Lisa and Tom Vogt. Josh plans to attend Kent State University and major in Athletic Training. Josh will graduate Summa Cum Laude with a 4.302 GPA.

James ConleyH.S. Principal

High School A3: Academics... Arts... Athletics Ward Davis Building (330) 325-7911 • James Conley - Principal

Pinwheels For Prevention The Children’s Advocacy Center of Portage County and Rootstown High School National Honor Society members participated in Pin-wheels for Prevention. The month of April is Child Abuse awareness month. In conjunction with the CAC, RHS students planted over one thousand pinwheels in front of our school to capture the attention of community members. The CAC has been serving our county since 1998 and in the last 5 years has served over one thousand families. The CAC works to im-prove the community’s response to child abuse and neglect and lessen the negative impact the abuse has on children and the family involved. Research and observation shows that people respond to the pinwheels. Since the pinwheel was introduced as the new national symbol for child abuse prevention through Pinwheels for Prevention®, more people are recognizing and reporting. This past April, there were 12 locations that “planted” over 1,000 pinwheels per site as voices for children. There were over 50 volun-teers from schools, police departments, churches, and local organiza-tions. Thank you to our National Honor Society members and Mrs. Carol Pullin for participating and organizing Rootstown’s participation.

College and Career Preparation Summertime is a great time to get a jump start on college and career preparation. There are several tips for successful preparation so that when grad-uation is on the horizon, your son or daughter is prepared and ready to go! The first and most important tip is that your son or daughter meets all the requirements set forth by the Ohio Department of Education and Roots-town High School. This includes passing 22 credit hours (4 ELA, 4 Math, 3 Science, 3 Social Studies, 1 Fine Art, ½ credit in both Physical Education and Health, as well as 6 electives). In addition, your child must obtain 18 points on 7 End of Course State exams or meet the qualifications for an Alternative Pathway. It is important you are familiar with these re-quirements. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Guidance Office. The next tip is to spend good, quality time in preparation. Like anything in life, success happens with preparation. No one expects young teenagers to know exactly what they want to do in life; however, we do expect them to start exploring and thinking seriously about how their hopes and goals can connect with possible careers. Our Naviance online career tool, available to all of our students, can help with this. If your son or daughter has not discussed Naviance with you, please ask them about it. Exploration can also lead to your son or daughter starting their “network” by volunteering, conducting informational interviews, or even shadowing a person in a specific career. Summer is a perfect time to arrange these things to happen. College visits in the summer are a great way to explore new places without feeling rushed. Most colleges offer scheduled tours you can register for and get a good idea about the college. Remember too that Naviance can give you great insight into what majors are offered, the opportunities for extracurricular activities as well as financial aid pack-ages. Make sure you have done your research before you visit so you have a list of questions you can ask while on campus. The final tip is to try to enjoy this time with your son or daughter. Make sure you are setting realistic goals and continue communicat-ing. Listen to their goals and hopes. While this transition can be very stressful, try to look for the positive. As always, please contact me if you have any questions.

Kathy SandbergH.S. Counselor

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On April 12, 2019, seventh and eighth grade students participated in the Youngstown State University English Festival. Students were required to read seven books prior to attending. That day, our students competed in writing con-tests and met authors Neal Shusterman and Steve Sheinkin. The following students participated:

Taylor Banks, Payton Curall, Alissa Em-erson, Gracie Frick, Anya Michlberger,

Porter Smith, Andi Burrell, Riley Curall, Carson Flowers, Kylie McColloch, Syd-ney Munger, and Marina Nichols.

Author, Neal Shusterman, is with teacher, Mrs. Mervine

The eighth graders were busy this year entering and winning writing contests. Three of the contests that they participated in are included below and to the right:

Folktales and Fables Contest The Akron Zoo challenged students to write a folk tale or fable about an animal. The students who entered were: Gabby Ave, Rylan Bowe, Gina Buccilli, Ethan Cottrell, Carlee Clifford, Caleb Cutright, Bryce Edwards, Jordan Ely, Chloe Gaul, Abigail Goforth, Abbi Harris, Aubrey Kline, Marina Nichols, Mark Oyster, Rose Ratcliff, Silas Shackelford, Lindsay Smith, Taylor Smith, Courtney Taylor, Grace Welch, Alexis Waligura, and Anthony Yin. The three winners for the grades 5-8 group were Jenna Vogt, first place; Andi Burrell, second place; and Sydney Munger, third place. To read the winning entries, please go to their website:www.akronzoo.org/folktales-and-fables-finalists

Illustrated Poem The American Chemical Society challenged students to create an illustrat-ed poem of no more than forty words for the topic “The Chemistry of Paper.” The students who entered were: Rylan Bowe, Andi Burrell, Gina Buccilli, Caleb Cutright, Bryce Edwards, Jordan Ely, Mareena Graham, Abigail Goforth, Jessica Hahn, Aubrey Kline, Kylie McCo-lloch, Sydney Munger, Marina Nichols, Raegan Ochoa, Mark Oyster, Silas Shack-elford, Alexis Waligura, Grace Welch, and Anthony Yin. Jenna Vogt won first place for the Ak-ron area contest. Please see www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/outreach/ccew/illus-trated-poem-contest.html for further details and winners.

Middle School Learners Today - Leaders Tomorrow Mabel Schnee Building (330) 325-9956 • Robert Campbell - Principal

Robert CampbellM.S. Principal

Rubber Band Contest Students created inventions for the Rubber Band Contest for Young Inventors, hosted by the Akron Global Polymer Academy — an out-reach division of the College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engi-neering at The University of Akron. The students who entered the contest were: Rylan Bowe, Andi Burrell, Gina Buccilli, Riley Curall, Caleb Cutright, Jordan Ely, Carson Flowers, Abigail Goforth, Tracey Lohman, Sydney Munger, Marina Nichols, Courtney Taylor, Jenna Vogt, Alexis Waligura, Grace Welch, and Anthony Yin. Two finalists were Hutton Krieger and Mark Oyster. Please see https://rubberbandcontest.org/ for further details and winners.

Castle ProjectsBy Cassie Braden Students in 7th grade were assigned a Castle project for World History. They were required to choose a castle to mimic from the Middle Age time period of 500-1500 AD. The materials they used were completely up to them to choose! They definitely exceeded my expectations with very detailed castles including battle scenes out front and rooms inside. Almost all of the castles had functioning drawbridg-es with moats! The time and detail that these students took with their projects is worth sharing!

STEM Goes Red for Girls On Tuesday, March 5, 2019, young women gathered from 10 local school districts to learn all about science, technology, engineering and math careers during the STEM Goes Red for Girls event held at NEOMED. The event, sponsored by the American Heart Association, allowed seventh and eighth grade girls to participate in STEM-related activities including challenges and stations as well as listen-ing to speakers for the day. The challenges were short, hands-on team-building activities including using certain materials to build, create or perform in order to solve a problem/answer a question. In the stations area, our students visited a variety of tables with different activities including learning how to calculate the benefits of trees, creating an art project, participating in a mindfulness station, as well as adding to a structure to create the Taj Mahal by using everyday items. The middle school girls enjoyed the day of STEM and we look forward to participating again next year.The girls from our school who participated were:7th Grade: Taylor Banks, Payton Curall, Audrey Francis, and Gracie Frick8th Grade: Savannah Adkins, Jordan Ely, Abbigail Harris, and Kylie McColloch

Amelia MohanM.S. Counselor

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As the school year has come to a close, I would like to acknowledge those who helped make this a successful year. I appreciate all of your support to help make this a wonderful school.Special thanks to:• The Rootstown Elementary students, who come

to school with a positive attitude and terrific work ethic.

• The teachers, who spend many hours preparing lessons to maximize learning opportunities for our students.

• NEOMED, Townhall II, Children’s Advantage, Portage County Sheriff’s Department, Mahoning County ESC, Kent State AT&T Classroom and SST 8 for their service to the building all year.

• The parents and community members, who supported the building by volunteering at the school.

• The PTA, for their support of the staff and students throughout the year.

• The district and school support staff, for helping to make the school run smoothly throughout the year.

As you can see, many people helped make this a wonderful year. Please know that I appreciate everyone’s time and effort to make this school excellent. Enjoy your summer as a family.Sincerely, Mr. Turner

Field Day On May 13th and May 14th, the students had the opportunity to par-ticipate in the fourth annual Rover Olympic and Games Day. Despite the inclement weather, the students had a wonderful time! A big thank you goes out to the PTA, especially Mrs. Deanna Day, Mrs. Connie Kang, Mr. Ralph Paulus and P.E. Teacher, Mr. Kyle Rodstrom, for coordinating this event.

New Benches Thank you to Ralph Paulus (PTA), Amy Lucas (Teacher) and Stu-dent Council committee members for designing our new benches in the elementary foyer and the alcove by the fish tank!

Grades 1-5 Class Lists for 2019-2020 Classroom teacher assignments for the 2019-2020 school year will be mailed home in August.

Meet the Teacher Open House 2019-2020• Kindergarten will be on August 22nd from 5:00-6:00 p.m.• Grades 1-2 will be on August 22nd from 6:00-7:00 pm.• Grades 3-5 will be on August 22nd from 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Kindergarten 2019-2020• Kindergarten Baseline Screening will take place on August 20,

2019, and August 21, 2019, between 8:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. A time and day was given during registration in April.

• Kindergarten rosters will be developed after the screening in August. Kindergarten class lists will be posted after 12:30 p.m. on August 22, 2019, on the west doors of the building.

• Kindergarten Open House will be August 22, 2019, from 5:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. in your child’s classroom.

• Half of the kindergarten students will attend school on August 29th and the other half on August 30th. All kindergarten students will be in attendance on September 3, 2019.

Career Week This year, we recognized and learned the impor-tance of the world of college and careers during our Career Week. Each day we focused on a specific topic and had daily dress-up themes. We discussed the importance of education and/or training to prepare students for a lifelong career. Students focused on college readiness, learning about differ-ent career options, and the training and education necessary for various jobs and careers. The week ended with a Vehicle Career Day where students had a hands-on experience learning about careers in garbage collection, police work, fire and rescue, EMT, auto-body and collision repair, Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), and maintenance within a school district. A big thank you goes to the fol-lowing careers for supporting our students in learning more about life after school: Conrad’s Disposal, Portage County Sheriff Department, ODOT, Rootstown Fire and EMT, Mr. Matt Collins (maintenance), and Mr. Wayne Scarberry (auto collision).

Elementary School R o ve r P. R . I . D. E Bertha Bradshaw Building (330) 325-7971 • Jeffrey Turner - Principal

Jeffrey TurnerE.S. Principal

Danielle RayElem. Counselor

4th Graders Present at Cuyahoga Educational Service Center On Monday, April 29, eight Rootstown 4th graders presented at a regional conference held at the Cuyahoga County Educational Service Center. The conference theme was “A million dreams keep us awake: The schools we are going to make.” Unlike most professional devel-opment, many of the sessions at the conference were led by students. Rootstown’s 4th grade students presented during a session with a focus on the future of schools. These students worked during their recess and lunch times, ambitiously planning for their presentation. Students dis-cussed many realms of “school,” spanning from the physical attributes of the school building to their ideal curriculum. The audience at the conference openly shared how impressed they were of the students and their insight. While some may be apprehensive of involving students in professional development situations, these 4th graders demonstrated the power of their voices while proudly representing the Rootstown community. Members of the presentation team were 4th graders Lo-relai Taylor, Isabella Adams, Matthew Wolfe, Hunter Cornett, Aubrey Davies, Olivia Davies, Ian Hufford and Evelyn Fleck. Cody Apthorpe (4th Grade Teacher) and Shanelle Mitchell (Intervention Specialist) were also in attendance.

Summer Accelerated Reader (AR) Please join us Mondays this summer at Reed Memorial Library in Ravenna to AR test on books read at home. We will alternate morning and evening sessions every other week to try and accommodate work schedules. Students may only test at the library on the assigned days.

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Athletics Keith Waesch - Athletic Director, (330) 325-2006

Wrestling Program Finishes as State Runner-up The Rover wrestling program authored the best postseason finish of any sport in school history by walking out of the Schottenstein Center on March 9 with the Division III state runner-up trophy. That feat was accomplished by five Rovers that all placed in the top four on the state’s biggest stage. Senior Ryan Boyle became the fourth wrestler in school history to claim a state title with a thrilling 3-2 decision in the 195-pound championship match. He joins Garrett Linton (2012), Jake Moore (2013) & Travis Linton (2013 & 2014) as Rovers who have reached the top of the podium in Columbus. Seniors Niko Chilson (3rd place), Trenton Duvall (4th) and Chris Langguth (4th), along with sophomore Caleb Edwards (3rd), also excelled in Columbus to help the program bring home the state runner-up trophy. During the regular season, the program continued its dominance of the Portage Trail Conference with its fourth straight league title and eighth championship in the past nine seasons. Head coach, Craig Wise, was honored once again as the P.T.C. coach of the year.

Girls Track Returns to Top of P.T.C. The girls track program won its second P.T.C. County Division cham-pionship in the past four years with a perfect regular season. The 7-0 regular season and runner-up finish at the P.T.C. meet gave the Rovers their second girls track title in school history. The previous championship was won in 2016. Rootstown freshman, Marinna Atanmo, was chosen as the P.T.C. girls track athlete of the year. Atanmo won the 100 and 400 meters and also anchored the Rovers’ victorious 4x400-meter relay team. Other Rovers earning All-P.T.C. first-team honors included Alexis Washington (200 & 4x200 relay), Jenna Kurtz (4x200 & 4x400), Sarah Dresp (4x200), Gabi Simms (4x200), Katie Plecko (4x400) and Kasidy Smith (4x400). Head coach, Kyle Rodstrom, was selected by his peers at the P.T.C. coach of the year.

Keith WaeschAthletic Director

Baseball Team Claims P.T.C. Three-PeatBack-to-back-to-back P.T.C. champions! The Rover baseball program won its third straight league title this spring, marking the first time in school history such feat has taken place. Rootstown went a perfect 10-0 in conference play in 2019 and currently owns an 18-game winning streak against County Division competition dating back to the 2018 campaign. The 23-5 overall record matches the same mark recorded by the 2005 team. The Rovers were led by a tremendous pitching staff (1.69 ERA) and an offense that scored 107 runs in league play while giving up just 11 runs. Ben Shank was selected by the P.T.C.’s coaches as the player of the year. Four other Rovers were voted to the P.T.C.’s first team. Seniors Thayne Ocel (catcher) and Matt McGrath (3rd base), along with Travis McCrady (outfielder) and Adam Beery (pitcher) were first-teamers at their respective positions. McGrath was also selected by the coaches in northeast Ohio to play in the All-Ohio Series at The Ohio State University.

Rover Winter Sports Scholar-Athletes The following winter sports participants earned scholar-athlete status during the 2018-19 school year. A student-athlete becomes a scholar-athlete by earning a varsity letter and a 3.4 grade-point average or higher during the season. CHEERLEADING: Natalie Wancik, Esther Shackelford & Gabi SimsGIRLS BOWLING: Haylee Riley, Abigail Singer & Clara ButcherBOYS BOWLING: Cody Egli & Josh FlachbartGIRLS BASKETBALL: Savannah Stefancik, Jenna Atkinson, Nicole Bobbs, Sarah Caruso, Alyssa Reinagle, Natalie Siglow & Kasidy SmithBOYS BASKETBALL: Seth Noel, Ben Shank & Colton FreedsonWRESTLING: Niko Chilson & Alex Banks

Follow Rover Athletics on Twitter Rootstown athletic director, Keith Waesch, has established a Twitter account to keep Rover fans updated on upcoming events and game scores involving our middle and high school teams. You can receive daily tweets by following us @roverathletics, the official Twitter home of Rootstown athletics. Those who don’t have a Twitter account, can still receive updates via text message. Simply send a text to 40404. In the body of the text, type follow @roverathletics.

Photograph courtesy of Eldreth Photography

Ryan Boyle

Photograph courtesy of Eldreth Photography

Photograph courtesy of Eldreth Photography

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Around Rootstown

Rootstown Lions ClubBy Donna Recknerrootstownlions@gmail.com Rootstown Township Lions Club on Facebook

STEPS – LIONS FOR PEDIATRIC CANCER RESEARCH In October of 2015, Ohio Lions founded STEPS – a 5K Run/Walk for the sole purpose of raising money for pediatric cancer research as a Legacy Project celebrating 100 years of Lions. Lions, friends and families all over Ohio have raised thousands of dollars in the past three years for this life-saving research. Did you know that only 4% of federal government cancer research funding goes to study pediatric cancer? This year’s STEPS 5K Run/Walk is scheduled for Sunday, October 6, 2019, at Wingfoot Lake State Park, 993 Goodyear Park Blvd., Suf- field, Ohio 44260. The 5K Run/Walk starts at 10:00 a.m. The 1 Mile Walk starts at 10:30 a.m. Registration is $20.00 and, through 9/7/19, includes a t-shirt. Information and registration forms are on Facebook page, Steps Lions for Pediatric Cancer Research, or at www.steps13oh4.org. The event is funded entirely by volunteers and businesses in Portage County – every dollar raised goes to Akron Children’s Hospital desig-nated for pediatric cancer research. Clubs, families, students, teams, church groups, runners, walkers – join us and let’s ALL participate and support this worthy cause!

Rootstown TownshipBy Trustee Joe PaulusTrustees: Joe Paulus, Brett Housley, and David McIntyre

The Rootstown Board of Trustees meets the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month at 5:30 p.m. in the Town Hall.

The township website is www.rootstowntwp.com. Take a look at the website for information about which you may have questions. Let us know if there is something that could be added or updated on the site. FYI, meeting minutes do not get listed until they are approved and that is mostly at the next month’s meeting. If there are corrections, that may delay the posting longer. The website has the township Zoning Resolution listed under the Zoning link. There you can find our zoning laws that were started in 1965. Please refer to the Zoning Resolution if you have property or building questions to potentially avoid zoning violations and possibly fines. If it is not listed in the Zoning Resolution, then it is not permitted.

The Community Park is still a work in progress and the progress is there, albeit slower than we hoped. The Ohio Operator’s Union is sched-uled to continue their work in July and should have the east side of the park with leveled ground and seeded grass by fall. With the increased availability of work for heavy equipment, the Union has had to work us into their schedule. It is worth the cost savings of not having to pay for such work, which has been valued at approximately $500,000 from our General Fund. We have submitted a grant to help pay for a walking path at the park, tree cleanup, and improving the trails in the park woods. The plan is to have a six-foot-wide asphalt walking trail around the perim-eter of the park grounds. The grant may not provide all of the funding to do so, but what it cannot, we will use grindings for the walk path and asphalt it incrementally. Our volunteer Park Commission has been working hard for our community in keeping this park momentum going.

With the passage of our most recent Fire levy, we are preparing to purchase a new pumper fire truck to replace the 26-year-old one we are currently using and is beyond its days. Thanks to the community for that support.

The Road Crew is out and about doing various road maintenance: patching holes, crack sealing, and repairing stormwater catch basins. Please give them a wide berth and drive slowly around them.

The Governor’s Transportation Budget will take effect on July 1, and that will provide some increased revenue for the township, which is a nice turnaround versus the norm of taking more and more from local government. It is surely not a windfall, but every little bit counts and it will be spent judiciously.

Enjoy your summer, use sunscreen, and please drive carefully and without distraction.

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2019/2020 School Calendar

Superintendent ................................................Mr. Andrew Hawkins Treasurer ..........................................................Ms. Connie BaldwinAssistant Superintendent ..............................Dr. Terri Hrina-TreharnDirector of Special Education ............................. Ms. Marcy SpenceElementary Principal .................................................Mr. Jeff TurnerMiddle School Principal ................................. Mr. Robert CampbellHigh School Principal .......................................... Mr. James ConleyDirector of Business Affairs/Trans ......................... Mr. Matt CollinsDirector of Food Services .................................Mrs. Peggy ShewellBoard of Education President ........................ Mrs. Amanda WaeschBoard of Education Vice President ...................... Mr. Tom SicilianoBoard of Education Leg. Liaison ...................... Mr. Norm ReynoldsBoard of Education Co-Student Liaison ....................Mr. Eric KlineBoard of Education Co-Student Liaison ............... Mr. Scott Krieger

US Senator Rob Portman ...........................................................................202-222-3353 US Senator Sherrod Brown ........................................................................202-224-2315US Representative Anthony Gonzalez .......................................................330-630-7311Governor Mike DeWine .............................................................................614-466-3555State Senator John Eklund .........................................................................614-644-7718State Representative Randi Clites ..............................................................614-466-2004Ohio Department of Education ..................................................................877-644-6338

.......330-325-9911

.......330-325-9911

.......330-325-2014

.......330-325-4144

.......330-325-7971

.......330-325-9956

.......330-325-7911

.......330-325-0189

.......330-325-4139

.......330-351-1945

.......330-325-2176

.......330-297-0431

.......330-357-1495

.......330-389-8278

School District Personnel

Other Numbers of Interest

August22 All Certified Staff In-service (1/2 day)23,26 All Certified Staff In-service27 First Student Day

September2 Labor Day - No School26 Interims Distributed27 Staff Prof. Dev. Day - No School

October10 Parent/Teacher Conf. - HS/ MS/ES11 NEOEA Day - No School15 Parent/Teacher Conf. - HS/MS22 Parent/Teacher Conf. - Elem

November1 1st Grading Period Ends28-29 Thanksgiving Break - No School

December2 Thanksgiving Break - No School6 Interims Distributed23-31 Winter Break - No School

January1-3 Winter Break - No School17 1st Semester Ends20 MLK Day - No School

February13 Parent/Teacher Conf. -Elem/ HS/MS14 Staff Prof. Dev. Day - No School17 President’s day - No School21 Interims Distributed

March20 3rd Grading Period Ends23-27 Spring Break - No School

April10 Good Friday - No School

May1 Interims Distributed25 Memorial Day - No School31 Graduation - Seniors

June3 Last day for Students4 All Certified Staff In-service (1/2 day)

Portage County Fair is August 20-25, 2019Calamity Days begin on June 4, 2020

The regular Board of Education meetings are held every month

at 6:00 p.m. Please visit our district website at

www.rootstown.sparcc.org for the specific dates. The public

is cordially invited to attend all meetings.

Note: Date may occasionally change due to inclement weather

or holidays.

The monthly board agenda and minutes can be found on the

district website at www.rootstown.sparcc.org.

Rootstown Schools, in collaboration with the

community, will provide a quality education in a safe environment for students to

become productive, lifelong learners.

Page 10Rootstown LocaL schooLsRootstown, ohio 44272

The Rootstown Communicator Highlights

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDCanton, OHPermit #207

Rootstown Historical SocietyBy Elaine ReynoldsTHE OLDE ROOTSTOWN CEMETERY “Show me your cemeteries and I will tell you what kind of people you have.” - Benjamin Franklin Some people think of cemeteries as spooky old places where only the dead reside, but to the members of the Roots-town Historical Society, cemeteries are rich storehouses of information about the lives and stories of settler’s past. Before 1831, America had no cemeteries. Large, modern graveyards did not exist. Construction of a large burial ground in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Mount Auburn Cemetery, initiated the movement to build cemeteries in America. Over time, “cities of the dead” have evolved from tiny family plots to wide-open “rural cemeteries” and modern “memorial parks.” Early cemeteries were places with winding roads and picturesque vistas – places where you could enter a quiet space to meditate, remember, or read a good book. Cemeteries were used as spaces for recreation because they were large outdoor areas, filled with beautiful sculptures and horticultural art. People visited cemeteries for picnics, hunting, shooting, and even carriage racing. Grave markers in 19th-century cemeteries, included weeping angels, weeping willows, and little sleeping children sitting on top of headstones. But in the 20th-century memorial parks the emphasis is not on death, but on hope, and the focus is on beauty and art. In Rootstown’s Olde Cemetery, the families who lent their names to our streets and neighborhoods can be found. You can see groupings of tombstones where parents buried child after child and realize that Rootstown’s early settlers suffered many hardships. The remains of veterans lost in wars past remind us of those who fought and died to keep us free. The Olde Cemetery entrance is located at the end of West Road in Rootstown, Ohio, and is visible from Rt. 18, east of Rt. 44. All driveways near the cem-etery sign are private driveways. Access to the cemetery is off the north dead end of West Drive. To find the cemetery from the school, go south on St. Rt. 44, and then east on County Road 18. Turn right on Cook Road, and then turn left onto West Road. Please join the Rootstown Historical Society for a stimulating program that focuses on the establishment of Rootstown’s first cemetery, the people interned there, and the events that helped shape R-Town’s history. If weather permits, we may have a guided tour of the cemetery at the end of the presentation. Please dress in weather appropriate attire. Highlights of the presentation include:

• when the Olde Cemetery was established.• why the cemetery was abandoned.• the names of the first and last persons to be interned in the cemetery.• stories of some of the people buried there.• the epidemic that killed many settlers.• the wars in which early Rootstown men participated.• many other facsinating historical facts!

Where: First Congregational ChurchAddress: Corner of Tallmadge Rd. and Route 44, Rootstown, OH 44272When: Tuesday, June 18, 2019 @ 6:00 p.m.Cost: No Charge – Donations accepted Presenter: John Fassnacht* Light refreshments will be served * RSVP: nreynold@aol.com or call Shirley Riemenschneider (330-325-1962)Questions? Call Norm Reynolds (330-297-0431) or Shirley Riemenschneider (330-325-1962)