By Denny Morrison

Why can’t we just repair and/or renovate our existing high school and middle school buildings?

According to the state’s assessment, the renovations needed for the middle school and high school alone total a cost of more $46 million — well over two-thirds the cost of constructing new, up-to-date, buildings. In addition, spending millions of dollars to repair these aging buildings would not include any expansion to accommodate current and future enrollment and would not bring them up to a standard needed to prepare students for the 21st century.

Xenia Preschool: They had “Wacky Wednesday” and students and staff all dressed wacky. Teachers had great lessons revolving around wacky things (i.e. shoes hanging from the ceiling, bananas in the flower vase, egg carton on the bulletin board) and students used observation and verbal skills to find and record wacky things. They then made wacky pizza (fruit pizza) for their snack.

Arrowood: The Shoes 4 the Shoeless Program visited Arrowood last week. A special thanks to Kris Horlacher and Tammy Myles for organizing this event. More than 125 students received a new pair of shoes and socks. Hand knitted winter hats were also given to students. Nearly 40 volunteers helped throughout the event. The smiles on the faces of the students were priceless.

Cox: Student council started selling Lucky Grams Monday. Each lucky gram is $25 and all the proceeds will be donated to a local animal shelter. They will culminated the sale with Spirit Day March 17. Students and staff wore their favorite hat and the color green. Their first annual STEAM family night was a success. There were a total of 162 students and their families participating in hands-on activities that included a math scavenger hunt, building catapults, symmetric snowflakes, foil boats, bubble art, and robots.

McKinley: McKinley students are collecting Pennies for Patients to help kids fighting cancer. The first grade teachers are choosing a student each week to be student of the week. To earn this honor students must get onto Raz Kids and read. Students with the most points at the end of the week are then chosen. The winners this week are Shyanne Clelland, Easton Butler, and Gavin Climie. McKinley fifth graders attended the Science Olympiad Day March 9.

Shawnee: The purpose of the MVP Program is to reward students for their outstanding character and for their achievements in school. These students are recognized and given four tickets to a Dragon’s game. The week three Shawnee MVP’s are Elena Guiles, Ta’Mya Pope-Whatley, Kylie Hart, Ian Funk, Jack Uszynski, Jaylin Nimocks, and Gracelyn Decker.

Warner: Impact and National Junior Honor Society will be hosting a color fun run for students and community members. The event will serve as a fundraiser for the two clubs and will take place 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday, April 22. The cost is $20 and includes access to the event, a T-shirt, and a color packet. All students, staff and community members are welcome. The event’s theme is Superheroes (costumes are welcome). The event will take place on the Arrowood and Warner grounds. In addition to the run, there will be plenty of games and food for people to enjoy.

XHS: Madeline Prindle and Mackenzie Coonrod were invited last Thursday to the Ohio Statehouse to present their Aquaponics project at the ACTE Student Showcase. They did a great job and represented XHS very well. They met with our local legislators and talked extensively about their project. Good luck to Lily Calhoun, Makayla Poplin, Allison Shaw, Brianna Johnson, Brett Russell, Ahmi’ Moore, and Kyle Lane who will be participating in the District Science Fair at Central State University Saturday, March 18.

XTAR: Donna Shaw’s students completed their entries for the National Museum of the United States Air Force annual art contest. The theme this year is 70 Years of Service. Students then worked on mathematical concepts from “goal areas” they identified when conferencing with their teacher. Students also worked on Code.org after they completed their banking. Students then worked on the Problem of the Day as they are preparing for the NOETIC Math Test later in April.