The Goshen Township Historical Society presented the Goshen Local School District Board of Education with a plaque to Sam Leever, Major League Baseball pitcher, and Goshen native at its Nov. 18, 2019 board meeting.

By Brett Milam
Editor

Goshen Local School District Board of Education met on Nov. 18 to announce a board member resignation; native Sam Leever; the credentialing program, and the graduation ceremony.

Pictured is Tom Bixler, board member of the Goshen Local School District Board of Education, who announced his resignation in a letter to the board at its Nov. 18, 2019 meeting. Photo provided.

– Tom Bixler, board member, resigned in a letter to the board. Bixler was re-elected to his third term on the board in the November 2017 election. His resignation is slated for Dec. 31. Board members serve four-year terms.

Bixler, a Goshen High School graduate, served since 2010. He was a carpentry instructor at Great Oaks Career Campuses for 18 years, according to his biography on the district website. 

“He credits his years as a teacher helping adopt to being a school board member, as it has enabled him to see the educational setting from all sides, educator, parents, and board member,” the bio reads.

In his letter, Bixler said his resignation came after “much debate, consideration and sadness.”

“Many things were considered going into this decision; it was not an easy one on my part. I have loved working with the current board for the students of Goshen,” he said. “Goshen will always be a part of my life and heart. I will continue to always support Goshen Schools.”

He added, “Once a warrior, always a warrior.”

John Benthien, board president, said they can’t do anything about the resignation until 2020. 

– The Goshen Township Historical Society, as represented by Jim Poe and Rick Rhoades, opened the meeting with a presentation of a plaque for Sam Leever. Leever, nicknamed, “The Goshen School Master,” was a famed Major League Baseball pitcher. 

Leever was born in Goshen in 1871, and was educated and taught at Goshen, and went on to be one of the storied pitchers in MLB history as a pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1898 to 1910.

He led the Pirates to National League Championships in 1901, 1902, 1903 and 1909.

Poe explained that Leever would have attended and taught at Sugar Grove School, which is still standing today, behind the Milford Heights Church of Christ off of state Route 28. 

Frank Bailey, a Milford resident, was in attendance, as Leever was his great uncle.

He said Leever was a character, and when asked if he was close with him, quipped, “No, nobody was.”

Darrell Edwards, superintendent, thanked the Historical Society for its partnership, and for helping the kids to learn about township’s rich history, and “this is another nice piece of that.”

– Stephanie Walker, principal, talked about the importance in today’s world of credentialing and preparing students to get a leg-up in the workforce after high school with such credentialing. 

Walker quoted the Ohio Department of Education’s Strategic Plan for Education in Ohio, which states, “In high school, each child should see the relevance of his or her learning, be exposed to practical, real-world work settings and begin to define his or her future.”

It’s more than just credentialing, too, it’s overall “career-readiness” and preparing students for whatever pathway they decide to go on, Walker explained. That means also mentoring and working in partnership with local businesses to add to the experience. 

ODE has recognized 13 industries with recognized credentials: agriculture/environmental systems; arts and communication; business, marketing, and finance; construction; education and training; engineering; health; hospitality and tourism; human services; information technology; law and public safety; manufacturing; and transportation.

Within those 13 fields, there are 144 credentialing opportunities. 

Walker said Goshen High School has about 20 different options students can credential in as of now. A number of students were present to talk about the credentialing field that they’re in.

Tristan Foster and Destiny Jones talked about getting credentialed in photoshop, and then pursuing graphic design and fine arts after high school. 

Noah Johnson talked about business operations, and taking a business logistics course. He took a test the prior week to get his Certified Logistics Associate certification. 

Johnson said he also had a meeting with Total Quality Logistics to “hopefully” job shadow with them. 

“His marketability is a step above anybody else that would come in there. That’s awesome,” Walker added.

Brice Noland talked about information technology, and getting his fundamentals to get his certification “right now” instead of waiting. He said being able to choose the job he wants out of high school will give him a “leap” on everybody else in college.

“You don’t have to be chaotic during college; now you kind of pick your direction now so you’re not screwed over later,” Noland said.

Madison Love talked about taking EMT courses, where she’s already received a number of certifications including stop the bleeding (teaches one how to pack a wound and put on a tourniquet), and CPR training.

“And one of the best things about this is that even if you don’t want to be an EMT, you can still go throughout the class and it helps you get into the medical field, and it’s nice to have on your resume,” she said. 

Love wants to be a neonatal nurse after high school.

Thomas Switzer is working with construction. 

While Goshen High School has a woodshop course, the credentialing aspect of it is new this year, Walker explained.

Switzer said he’s working toward his National Center for Construction Education and Research certification. He’s learning the right ways to act on a construction site, how to use the tools, and the “biggest part” is communication.

Nick Yeary, a senior who started as a bagger at Kroger and is now a manager, is taking a retail course. He said the course is a “move-at-your-own-pace” kind of thing, and it allows him to pick up skills he wouldn’t otherwise have.

“My goal is when I graduate I want to go to college for retail business, accounting, and I want to move up in the chain of management,” he said.

“We are preparing kids for college, we are preparing kids for college and a career, and we’re preparing some of our kids for a career,” Edwards said. “We’re excited about that. It’s part of trying to do innovative programming.”

He noted that two years ago, the high school offered zero industry credentialing, but the district has tried to “explore those and be creative.” 

“It’s really exciting to be able to give kids something. If nothing else, they can use it on a job while they’re in college,” he said.

Students who decide to earn a diploma under this “credential” option, must earn a minimum of 13 (14 for students in the class of 2020 and beyond) on WorkKeys, a work readiness test employees use; and earn an industry-recognized credential. Or a student can mix and match credentials that totals 12 points within a single career field. 

To learn more about the program, visit http://bit.ly/2qqct7i.

– Mary Maphet, a Goshen resident who has grandkids in the district, spoke during public participation with concerns about the graduation ceremony. 

Past graduations have been held at Tri-County Assembly in Fairfield, Ohio, but according to the district, growing enrollment and lack of seating made a venue switch necessary. The 2020 ceremony is slated to be held at BB&T Arena on the campus of Northern Kentucky University on May 27, 2020.

Maphet was hoping the venue would be somewhere in Ohio.

Board members pointed out that the distances are still about the same. To get from Goshen High School to Tri-County Assembly in Fairfield is 23.3 miles. To get from the high school to BB&T is 26.5 miles.

Julie Casey, board member, also pointed out that the Fairfield venue didn’t have air conditioning. 

“And in reality, we try to provide just a good environment for our kids to graduate so that everybody when they walk across the stage, their parents can hear them graduate, and that they have that moment where things aren’t chaotic and things are taken care of,” Edwards said.

In a follow-up, Edwards told The Sun that the Fairfield location cost $6,400. The BB&T Arena costs $6,250, with an added $3,000 for parking.

“We are trying to keep the graduation as close to home as possible and allowing as many family members as possible to attend,” he said.