Beacon Monroe County Feb. 1, 2018 Advertising Rates Monroe County Sentinel 103 E. Court St., P.O. Box 70 Woodsfield, OH 43793 740-472-0734 Fax: 740-472-0735 [email protected] www.mcbeacon.com Thursday, February 23, 2017 Monroe County, Ohio • Established 1937 Volume 172 Number 49 $1.00 Monroe County Beacon Monroe County’s Academic Acheivers Recognized Inserted SOLSD Treasurer Erlwein announces resignation Page 6 The stretch of big games continues for the Pilots Page 10 Continued on Page 6 The Switzerland of Ohio Local School Dis- trict released a statement Wednesday, Feb. 15, an- nouncing Rob Caldwell will become the district’s new assistant superinten- dent. Caldwell is currently serving as principal at River High School. Ac- cording to a release from the school district, he will that position ur- Caldwell began his teaching career at Ty- ler Consolidated High School, where he served for 20 years. During his tenure at Tyler Consoli- dated, Caldwell served as head football coach and track coach, earning rec- ognition for his accom- plishment. Upon leaving Tyler Consolidated, Caldwell returned to his native dis- trict, accepting the posi- rincipal at River Elementary School. After three years at River Elementary School, Caldwell became the principal at River High School in 2015. Caldwell is a graduate of River High School and West Liberty University with a degree in Health and Physical Education. He earned a special ed- ucation degree from Ohio University and a Master of Educational Leader- ship from Salem Univer- sity. Caldwell has two daughters, Candace and Camryn, who attend the River campus. His wife, Lori, is a real estate agent for Harvey Goodman. Caldwell and his fam- ily reside in Powhatan Point. Rob Caldwell named SOLSD assistant superintendent By Kreg Robinson Darlene Carpenter used to love to dance. Every Saturday night, Carpenter and her late husband Beryl would go down to the Trail. The Trail was just an “old beer joint on (Route) 78,” according to Francis Zwick, an old friend of the couple, who would be there every Saturday night as well. But it didn’t need to be the nicest place. What mattered was the fun that was had there. Carpenter recalled “square dancing and round dancing” at the Trail. “We’d do all kinds of things there,” she said. “Nobody was getting drunk. We just go down and have a lot of fun.” She smiled as she re- membered those long-lost days. Her husband has passed away since then, and the Trail, her favor- ite dancing spot burned down some time ago. Carpenter still loves to On the dance floor for the first time in years Westwood Place holds Valentine’s Day dance Monroe County Care Center passes second survey dance, though she rarely gets to do it. She finally got her chance to dance Thurs- day, Feb. 16, as Westwood Place held its Valentine’s Day dinner and Dance. At first, like many of the other Westwood Place residents, Carpenter was a little apprehensive. She isn’t as spry now as she was during her dancing days. But gradually, with some coaxing from West- wood Place’s life enrich- ment coordinator Audrey Lohrey, Carpenter put her walker aside and re- turned to the dance floor. “I haven’t danced since I’ve been in here (West- wood Place),” said an overjoyed Carpenter. Bringing back those fond memories and cre- ating some new ones was the part of the allure of the event. “This is something we try to do every year,” said Carla Steele, Westwood Place executive direc- tor. “It’s bigger this year with the dance. We part- nered (our Valentine’s Day event) with a family meal. It’s nice (for our res- idents) to share this with their loved ones.” The meal was a success, and despite having more than 30 additional people in attendance which staff had not expected. It may have taken a bit longer than anticipated to get everyone served, but the Westwood Place staff By Kreg Robinson The Monroe County Care Center passed its second required survey Feb. 15, clearing the way for the eventual reintro- duction of Medicare and Medicaid patients. After passing the sur- vey, Administrator Mary Rhinehart said the care center will be certified and able to accept Medi- care and Medicaid pa- tients as soon as it receives its new provider number, which she expects to re- ceive within a week from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. After 16 months of un- certainty, Rhinehart said the staff took the news with a mixture of feelings. “They’re thinking, ‘Is it really real this time,’” Rhinehart said. “Because this is an unusual situ- ation, it’s been hard for them to know what to ex- pect.” The Monroe County Care Center lost its Med- icaid and Medicare fund- ing in October of 2015 following several failed inspections. What followed were months and months of working toward getting the care center back up to code. In December of 2016, Rhinehart thought the journey was done af- ter the care center passed its first survey with a perfect score. However, shortly thereafter, the cen- ter was informed a sec- ond survey was required for the facility. This time, howev- er, Rhinehart said the 16-month ordeal is close to being over. Rhinehart said the sur- veyor spent a few hours Feb. 15, going over a long list of items related to en- vironment and safety. Rhinehart said every- thing on the surveyor’s list had been previously corrected. She credited the hard work of the staff and the coordination of contractors and inspec- tors with the successful completion of the second survey. “We had wonderful contractors that fit us into their schedule,” Rhine- hart said. “(Originally), they told us it would take three months to complete the elevator project. We weren’t told it was a ci- tation until Jan. 13 and it was done Feb. 3.” The quick turnaround was also welcome news for the Monroe County Commissioners. “As soon as the care center (was) ready, (it) got the go-ahead and (surveyors) were there Life Enrichment Coordinator Audrey Lohrey, right, steps aside allowing John O’Brien to dance with Darlene Carpenter during Westwood Place’s Valentine’s Day Dance Thursday, Feb. 16. Westwood Place resident Lillian Kuhn, right, shares a dance with Life Enrich- ment Coordinator Audrey Lohrey during Westwood Place’s Valentine’s Day Dance Thursday, Feb. 16. Continued on Page 6 Thursday, March 16, 2017 Monroe County, Ohio • Established 1937 Volume 172 Number 52 $1.00 Monroe County Beacon Continued on Page 6 River falls short in Division III District semifinal Page 12 National Girl Scout Week celebrated in Monroe County Page 4 Seabees painting to be displayed at Courthouse Page 6 Area businesses, individuals recognized at Chamber Dinner Kreg Robinson General Manager Upward mobility and plans for the future were emphasized Thursday, March 9 during the annu- al Monroe County Cham- ber of Commerce Dinner at the Brown Community Center. Among the guest speakers for the evening was first-term State Sena- tor Frank Hoagland. A retired Navy Seal, Hoagland stated his goals as state senator in- clude providing opportu- nities to area residents. “We need to figure out how to find solutions to provide upward mobili- ty, including the younger generations,” Hoagland said. “We have to provide training for people to get to work.” As Hoagland spoke of ways to help create op- portunities for workers, John Voorhies, of the Ohio Small Business Develop- ment Center, addressed ways to help new and current businesses. “As an entrepreneur, I’ve been in the trench- es. I’ve owned various businesses, so I’m in the trenches with you,” Voorhies said. “I want to help you start, grow and sustain business.” Through the Small Busi- ness Development Center, Voorhies’ services include helping businesses create a business plan and mar- keting, all at no charge to business owners. “It’s free and it’s worth every penny,” Voorhies said. “I want to help you Kreg Robinson General Manager Making progress in reading has been a prior- ity in the Switzerland of Ohio Local School Dis- trict this school year. The district added the Lexia and Reading Plus programs this year. Both combine standard lessons with digital components helping students from kindergarten up to 12 grade improve their read- ing levels. At Beallsville Elemen- tary School, teachers are taking the improvements a step further by helping their students learn how to attack words. Beallsville Elementary is a serving as the dis- trict’s pilot school for the Really Great Reading pro- gram. Really Great Reading focuses on phonics to help students grasp each individual part of a word. “If students don’t have a solid foundation in pho- nics, they have a hard time decoding words they don’t know,” Beallsville Title I teacher Jennifer Maas said. “Sight words they’ll know. But when they get older and are working on their science and see big words, with- out basic phonics they’ll have a hard time knowing what those words mean.” In December, Maas and other teachers at Bealls- ville Elementary School attended a workshop where they saw the Re- ally Great Reading pro- gram and knew it would be perfect for their stu- dents. “We were all excit- ed (about Really Great Reading),” said Kristin Holland, a kindergarten teacher at Beallsville El- ementary who attended the workshop. “We all wanted the posters and boards (that go along with the program for their classrooms).” Beallsville New phonics program helping Beallsville students ‘attack’ words Elementary’s school im- provement funds, Maas was able to bring the Re- ally Great Reading pro- gram to her building, with students from kin- dergarten through eighth grade using the program. Even though the pro- gram has only been in use for a few months, Hol- land said she can see the results. “It’s been a blessing,” Holland said. “My kids want to do their spelling. They are able to write sentences and break apart words they have not seen.” Beallsville Elementary School kinder- garten teacher Kristin Holland demon- strates the “octopus” motion, which correlates to the letter “o” as part of the Really Great Reading phonics program. Kreg Robinson General Manager Dr. Lauren Wooten has looked for a mission her entire life. When she was younger, Wooten wanted to be a missionary. She went on mission trips in the Unit- ed States and in China. While the experience was fulfilling, Wooten felt she needed to pursue an- other type of mission. “I felt the best way to help people was in the medical field,” Wooten said. “(It is) helping peo- ple that (may not) have the resources that are available to other people. I want to help improve people’s lives and take care of them.” In September of 2016, Wooten brought her “mission” to Monroe County when she started as an independently con- tracted physician at the Monroe Family Health Center in Woodsfield, re- placing in for Dr. Rajnish Gupta, who had practiced medicine in the county for nearly 25 years before leaving the area. In her brief time in Monroe County, Wooten has found a place where she can be of service. “I liked what I was do- ing, I liked the patients and I liked Ohio Hills (Health Services),” she said. Originally from Or- lando, Florida, Wooten received her Bachelor of Science in Microbiology from the University of South Florida. She went on to study at St. Mat- thew’s University School of Medicine, in the Cay- man Islands, and the Uni- versity of Sint Eustatius School of Medicine, in Sint Maarten, where she received her Doctor of New doctor brings her mission to Monroe County Dr. Lauren Wooten recently took over the practice at the Monroe Family Health Center in Woodsfield. Continued on Page 6 Helen Carpenter, third from right, was presented with the Presi- dent’s Award during the annual Monroe County Chamber of Com- merce Dinner Thursday, March 9 at the Baker Community Center. Pictured are, from left to right: Bob Kalish, representing Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted; Kevin Smart, representing U.S. Congressman Bill Johnson; State Senator Frank Hoagland; Kath- leen Young, representing Governor John Kasich; Monroe County Chamber of Commerce President Betty Edgington; Rusty Atkin- son, Monroe County Chamber of Commerce vice president; and Todd Shelton, representing Senator Rob Portman. The Russell Family Bowling Center was presented with the New Business Award. Pictured are, from left to right: Chamber President Betty Edgington and Walter Russell and Lee Russell of Russell Family Bowling Center. do what you do different- ly and do it better than what everyone else is do- ing. I’m here to help you in all business aspects, to create new revenue streams and make more money.” Additionally, Brett Bohl of Celebrate Sports Tours spoke at the dinner. The Celebrate Sports Tour provides speakers from the sports world for communities. Bohl plans to use Mon- roe County as one of 10 pilot programs for his tours. “I’m going to bust my butt to raise money to Continued on Page 6 Brynn and Trista steal the show! Dancers Brynn Block, left, and Trista Morris, right, won the Best of Show award during Monday, March 13’s Woods- field Kiwanis Club annual Amateur Talent Contest at Swiss Hills Career Center. Block and Morris performed a dance duet at the show to win the top prize. See more Talent Show pics in next week’s Beacon. Thursday, April 27, 2017 Monroe County, Ohio • Established 1937 Volume 173 Number 6 $1.00 Monroe County Beacon Continued on Page 6 Continued on Page 6 With spring’s arrival and the Monroe County Care Center’s (MCCC) re-certification, the staff is excited to begin yet anoth- er chapter in the facility’s over 150-year rich history. In this spirit, the MCCC staff invites civic groups, youth groups, and in- dividuals to “dig in” on Saturday to prepare the facility for another new chapter. The community gardening day will begin at 10 a.m. at the main en- trance of MCCC. Volun- teers are encouraged to bring rakes, gloves, etc. Several of the staff will be volunteering on their day off, as well as making do- nations to the project. Do- nations from the public toward the effort will be accepted. There will be music throughout the day and a cookout at lunch for all workers. Come and be a part of Monroe County Care Center’s new chapter and 150-year history. Any questions may be for- warded to Misty Black- stone at MCCC, 740-472- 0144. Community Gardening Day Saturday at Monroe County Care Center Pictured above: Commissioner Mick Schumacher, right, thanks Richard Crothers, left, owner of Crothers Electric for his donation to Gardening Day which will be held April 29 at the Monroe County Care Center. Photo submitted Kreg Robinson General Manager The Monroe County Chamber of Commerce got its newest member Friday, April 21 as Cham- ber Office Manager Bar- bara Carslund welcomed Kole Hogue, owner/ operator of Kuts by Kole Ltd., into the group. Opened two months ago, Kuts by Kole is a full-service barbershop located just outside of Woodsfield at 46861 Yoho Rd. Hogue said his days of Monroe Central football led to his new venture. “It was kind of a tra- dition,” Hogue said. “Somebody would bring in some clippers and we’d do some numbers or de- signs on each other.” Eventually, Hogue’s friends noticed he had some talent – and the re- quests started piling up. “I had a handful of buddies asking me to give them a haircut some time,” he said. “Other guys saw their haircuts and said, ‘Hey, why don’t you do mine?’ Then it started to spread.” Hogue credited his new career to those high Monroe County Chamber of Commerce Office Manag- er Barbara Carslund, right, welcomes the chamber’s newest member, Kole Hogue, owner/operator of Kuts by Kole Ltd. Chamber welcomes Kuts by Kole Ltd. Kreg Robinson General Manager For Monroe County’s fire departments, fires are often a surprise. They will get the call and have to immediately react. Every member has to take a training course and yearly training hours are another requirement. But real-life experience mostly comes on the job; meaning members new to the departments have to learn on the fly. On Sunday, April 23, the volunteer fire squads from Woodsfield and Lewisville got the oppor- tunity to get some valu- able experience as the departments held a prac- tice fire three miles east of Woodsfield on State Route 78. The home was beset by black mold, leaving the owners little options. They asked the fire de- partments to burn the house down, which ben- efited the owners and the departments. Fire crews started small blazes in the upstairs and basement of the two-sto- ry home, allowing crews to see how the fire reacts and spreads before put- ting them out. “We don’t’ get an op- portunity like this often,” Woodsfield Fire Chief Mike Young said. “When we get a house like this, Getting some real-life fire experience we have to take advan- tage of it.” Young said the practice fire allowed his unit to work on how to control a fire, pump operations and how to enter and attack a fire. The crews also worked with portable pumping stations. Water from a nearby lake was pumped into containers. The wa- ter was then pumped into the trucks and used to fight the fire. Generally, fire depart- ments might not arrive at the scene of a structure fire until the fire is well underway. On Sunday, crews from Lewisville and Woods- field got to see the fire from start to finish, watching and learning, so they are ready when the next emergency comes. Members of the Woodsfield Fire Department watch the fire take a house during a practice fire Sunday, three miles east of Woodsfield on State Route 78. After extinguishing a small fire upstairs, fire crews from Woodsfield and Lewisville head down stairs to get more training during Sunday’s practice fire. Kreg Robinson General Manager A story Diane Burkhart heard a few months ago showed her an apparent need in the Switzerland of Ohio Local School District. Burkhart, who was just getting started as grant writer in the district at the time, knew there were needs, but wanted to ask teachers in the district was they felt their students needed most. While doing her infor- mal research, Burkhart spoke with Annette Mob- ley, a sixth-grade teacher at Woodsfield Elementary School, and heard a story that set the course for her first months on the job. Mobley told Burkhart about a student who claimed to be excited to come back to school every Monday. Wanting to know why that would be, Mobley asked the student, and received a heart-breaking answer. The student said it was because there was no food to eat at home over the weekend, and return- ing to school meant a much-needed meal. “It (the story) was amaz- ing,” Burkhart said. “That got me thinking about (what we needed to do).” That conversation showed Burkhart exactly where her focus needed to be – finding a way to make sure the district’s students who needed it had food to eat when they are not at school. The need wasn’t limited Blessings from area donors make sure no district student goes hungry Edgemarc, represented by Andrea Barnes, second from right, presented a $5,000 grant to the Switzerland of Ohio Local School District to help fund the district’s Blessings in a Backpack program, which will provide food for students over the weekend. Pictured are, from left to right: SOLSD Superintendent Jeffrey Greenley, Barnes, SOLSD Grant Writer Diane Burkhart and Woodsfield Elementary Principal Josh Ischy. to Woodsfield Elementa- ry where Mobley teaches. Burkhart found that ev- ery other area elementary school was in a similar sit- uation. Woodsfield Elementary Principal Josh Ischy esti- mated that more than 70 percent of his students were on free or reduced lunch plans. District-wide, Burkhart said, the number is 58 percent, with approx- imately 1,200 students receiving free or reduced lunches. “There are 68 hours be- tween when they leave our doors (on the week- end) until we see them on Monday,” SOLSD Super- intendent Jeffrey Greenley Representatives from Edgemarc, from left to right: Eri- ca Wise, Kay omas and Andrea Barnes, pack bags full of food for students to take home with them over the weekend as part of the Blessings in a Backpack program. Serving the Monroe County Area since 1937