Steve Fujii listens to the treasurer’s report during the Big Walnut school board meeting on Jan. 29.
Gary Budzak | The Gazette
SUNBURY — The Big Walnut Local Schools Board of Education had a routine 85-minute meeting Monday night led by its new president, Steve Fujii.
Fujii was absent for the board’s organizational meeting on Jan. 4, where he was nominated and selected to be board president.
The meeting had a slightly different format than school board meetings of the last couple years. Instead of setting aside a specific time for board members to give their comments, that space was allotted for board committee reports. Fujii said this was to “highlight what we do as board members,” lest anyone think all they do is show up at the monthly meetings. He also felt it might make future meetings more efficient.
After hearing student representative Emma Kelly’s report, Fujii went down the line with the different committees, shown below with their school board members:
• Academic Advisory (Board Vice President Angela Graziosi, board member Alice Nicks)
• Ohio School Board Associations legislative liaison (Fujii)
• Economic Development Committee (Fujii, Nicks)
• Sunbury Meadows Community Authority representative (Fujii, Nicks)
• Finance Committee (Graziosi, new board member Zach Duffey)
• Insurance Committee (Graziosi, Duffey)
• Legal Committee (past Board President Doug Crowl, Nicks)
• Records Commission (Fujii)
• Facilities Planning Committee (Crowl, Duffey)
• City, villages, & townships governmental community liaison (Fujii, Nicks)
• Big Walnut Education Foundation liaison (Duffey)
• Sunbury/Big Walnut Joint Ventures Agreement Committee (Crowl)
Another ad-hoc committee was formed at the meeting for a Joint Recreation District with the City of Sunbury. Crowl and Duffey were appointed to the committee.
Prior to the committee reports, each board member received a certificate from OSBA President Sally Green. “You are the most important elected officials we have, since you have such an influence on our children’s education,” Green said to the board.
Next, Principal Nicole Carter showed the board a new positive behavior system Big Walnut High School has enacted to kick off the second semester.
“RED stands for Resilient, Empowered, and Dedicated, qualities that will be the key criteria for selecting our outstanding Student of the Month!” said a Big Walnut Local Schools Facebook post.
Carter gave each board member a RED-themed t-shirt and went into more detail on the acronym, based on one of the Eagles’ colors:
• Resilient: Strength, adaptability, and tenacity in the face of challenges.
• Empowered: Knowledge, skills, and mindset to take control of actions and decisions to make a positive impact.
• Dedicated: Committed, focused, and unwavering in their pursuit of goals.
Also at the meeting, Superintendent Ryan McLane said that April 8, the date of an expected solar eclipse that can be viewed in Delaware County, will be a calamity day for the district. He joked that with his luck, though, it will end up being a cloudy day. To date, the district has been closed two days and delayed once this winter.
Assistant Editor Gary Budzak covers the eastern half of Delaware County and surrounding areas. He may be reached at [email protected].
