NORTH ROBINSON, OH (CRAWFORD COUNTY NOW)—Capping off a historic season, Superintendent Mike Voll recognized Treasurer and Head Boys Basketball Coach David Sheldon for the school’s first Final Four appearance in basketball history.
“We’ve been blessed all winter. We’ve had multiple championships – sectional, districts, state. Our swimmers, our girls’ basketball, all our performances, activities, clubs. But Coach Sheldon and his staff and his players, they had this historic season,” Voll said.
“It’s all our players,” Sheldon said. “The neat thing about the ride was at Bowling Green, seeing our community. It was crazy – you had people from every year, people that have never been to games, and it just makes this place special. I told our guys afterward that we left a legacy for a lot of people at Colonel Crawford with the run we had. But credit to our players and our community.”
FFA members Sydney Stirm, Bri Wiparina, Haylie Kovach, and Trace Skaggs spoke to the board about many of the activities FFA conducts throughout the year, including livestock judging, soil judging, public speaking, community service projects, and much more.
FFA Advisor Josh Schieber also took the time to highlight the accomplishments of Sydney Stirm, a junior, in public speaking competitions.
In her freshman year, Stirm placed fourth in the state in the FFA Creed contest; in her sophomore year, she was in the top 10 in the state for public speaking; and in her junior year, she won at the state level for the extemporaneous contest.
“Sydney went in at the state level and blew it out of the water. They didn’t even discuss who was going to be first,” Schieber said.
In the extemporaneous contest, contestants pull two topics out of six envelopes, select their topic, research and prepare a speech in thirty minutes, present it to a panel of professionals in the field, and then answer questions about the topic.
Sydney will compete at the National Convention to be one of the top fifty in the nation.
Board members also reminded the audience that the annual FFA Banquet is April 23 at 6 p.m.
This weekend, Colonel Crawford students will present their rendition of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee on Friday and Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. in the cafetorium.
Over the next few months, Superintendent Mike Voll will be discussing district goals with the board.
This month’s district goal is promoting and supporting a structure for family and community involvement in the education system.
Voll outlined how the district manages this by pushing out a positive message, celebrating district achievements; sending out fall and spring newsletters; and using social media, Facebook, and the Colonel Crawford Local Schools app.
“We want to continue to show people what we’re doing here. We feel like that’s important. We want to continue to make steps, we want to stay up with the times, and I feel like we are right now,” Voll said.
Voll also detailed the use of FinalForms to reach people who don’t use social media; Remind to allow teachers and principals to communicate with students via text; a district all-call system for important information; and podcasts and radio interviews.
Upon the retirement of Elementary Principal Cindy Voss at the end of July, the board approved a three-year contract with Karli McGrain, effective August 1, 2025, through July 31, 2028, to become the new elementary principal.
“I’m very excited. I am honored and blessed to be able to continue to be part of this wonderful school. I want to continue to develop these kids into being good members of society and make school fun,” McGrain said.
Mary Lyons and Rebecca Beck, longtime teachers within the district, were approved as retire-rehires for the 2025-2026 school year.
The board approved Daisy, an emotional support dog whose handler is Leeann Teynor, to be stationed in the library for elementary students. The middle and high schools currently have an emotional support dog, Charlotte, handled by Lori Carman.
The board approved Kennedy Landscaping LLC for general lawn maintenance on the south end of the property and athletic fields, and Cutting Edge Lawncare for general lawn maintenance on the north end of the property.
An agreement with Julian and Grube was approved for professional services related to the Medicaid School Program.
Brief further discussion was held on a matter presented last month regarding gym time for elementary students.
Practices in the old high school gym have been cut back to try and eliminate damage to the facility. Even with batting cages, the bleachers would still get broken, among other damages. It was discussed that the auxiliary gym isn’t being used on Saturdays and Sundays, and those days could serve as potential gym time for elementary students. The potential use of the outdoor batting cage was also briefly discussed.
The next board meeting is April 14 at 7 p.m.