Positive Happenings Highlight Mohawk's First Quarter!

As the last leaves fall from our trees, it's hard to believe we've completed our first quarter of learning in the Mohawk Local School District. Before too much time gets away from us, I wanted to update the community on the positive happenings in our school district. Academically Exceeding State Standards Mohawk Local Schools earned four stars overall on the state report card. A four-star rating means the district is exceeding state standards. These results place our school district among the top 20% of public school districts in Ohio. Our students saw improvements in the Progress component, which increased from one star to two, and the Early Literacy component, which saw an increase from two stars to three. In the Achievement component, we stayed the same from last year at four stars and again received five stars in Graduation. The only component we saw a decline in was Gap Closing. The district went from four stars to three but still met state standards. Our teachers and students should be congratulated on these academic achievements. Supporting Our Students Thanks to grants from the Wyandot County Community Foundation, Fantasy of Lights in Upper Sandusky, and donations from our PTO, our playground will be all-inclusive. Now, all students can play together no matter what their abilities. This is a true celebration with multiple organizations working together to benefit our students. (Picture attached of the Leadership Team working at the Fantasy of Lights) We had great weather for our Sixth Grade Camp as this annual event was moved from spring to fall. The students were able to do a lot of learning outside of the classroom. We also had a huge community turnout for our Trunk or Treat. (Pictures attached) Being Fiscally Responsible I would like to recognize our Maintenance Director, Doug Depinet and our Special Education instructor Amber Crow, who worked together to write a grant to enhance our multi sensory room. Our students will benefit significantly from the upgrades to this room. Mr. Depinet also wrote a grant to purchase new tables for our cafeteria. Not only do the tables function nicely, but they also cut down on the wear and tear to the flooring underneath. These grants led to additions to our school building with no additional expenses. Working Together to Protect our Students and Staff On Monday, October 2, our entire school community came together to execute our crisis plan successfully. While at the time, we did not know that an unusual noise that several staff members reported was a blown tire, everyone executed the plan correctly. These plans and procedures are created in hopes that we never have to use them, but it is very reassuring to know that when used, they work. We have had several school districts and first responder teams reach out to us to discuss our planning and practices so that they can learn from our experience. Recognizing A Community Volunteer Finally, we recognized longtime Mohawk School District volunteer, Rodney Gilliland with the Ohio School Board's Association's (OSBA) Community Service Award. Rodney is known as the voice of the Warriors. Rodney's passion for basketball and supporting all of our student-athletes is evident in every game he calls. While he could not attend the OSBA's recognition event because he was calling a volleyball game (live stream) that night, Emily, his wife, did accept this award on his behalf. And speaking of volleyball, this year's team had great success. The team achieved an undefeated regular season while winning the conference and district championships. Their only loss was in the Regional Semi-Final where they battled a tough Convoy Crestview team to finish the year with a stellar 25-1 record. Our coach, Eric Hoover, achieved 400 wins in 20 seasons and was named the 2023 Northern 10 volleyball coach of the year. Biz Klopp was named Northern 10 player of the year. Congratulations to Coach Hoover, Biz Klopp, and our Warrior volleyball team. As we are now in our second quarter, I look forward to continued success throughout our school district. I want to thank all our students, staff and community members who have contributed to the positive achievements of our school district. The education and activities happening inside and outside our school building can make us all Warrior Proud!