Archive for the ‘Schools’ Category

Gorgeous Victorian home lovingly restored and pampered with all the room you’ll need for your family or your lifetime treasures. One of London’s grande dames in a prominent neighborhood, this spacious two-story has loads of updates since 2007 (kitchen remodel, bathroom remodel, new wetbar, siding and foam insulation, insulated windows, master bathroom remodel, ceiling fans throughout). Decorating scheme recalls the grandeur of a century ago blended with all the amenities expected by modern-day homeowners. Distinctive leaded glass windows, inviting front entrance with beveled glass and sidelights, four beautiful fireplaces, tons of woodwork, working pocket doors, window seat in huge bay window, second bay window in dining room, beautiful burrelled oak built-in china cabinet in dining room, butler’s pantry, wine cellar, and great “man cave,” mother-in-law suite or college student room. You’ll love all the closet space, expansive front porch, loads of storage in full attic and basement, fenced yard and detached two-car garage. Unparalleled curb appeal, beautifully landscaped lot and super neighbors! AND THE PRICE HAS BEEN REDUCED AGAIN!!!

For your personal showing of this beautiful home, call Lisa Jackman at (614) 619-9295 or (740) 852-6446.
www.BuckeyeRealtyGroup.com

THE FACTS: Two-story Victorian, built in 1895, 3,384 square feet, central heat & A/C, lot size: 66 x 165, 4-5 bedrooms, 3 full bathrooms, 3 living areas, formal dining room, dining in kitchen, large inviting foyer, 4 original fireplaces, working pocket doors, window coverings, chandeliers

For more photos of this wonderful home, click on this link: Read the rest of this entry »

Lauren Prochaska of Plain City is the driving force behind the success of Bowling Green State University

Lauren Prochaska of Plain City, a senior guard at Bowling Green State

Lauren Prochaska broke the NCAA women's Divsion I record of 66 consecutive free throws, and eventually hit 70 in a row before the streak snapped

University, broke the NCAA women’s Division I record of 66 consecutive free throws by sinking her 67th straight charity toss in the waning seconds of a Dec. 9 victory over Western Kentucky. A two-time Mid-American Conference player of the year, Prochaska swelled her amazing streak to 70 consecutive free throws before missing in a Dec. 21 victory against Canisius.

As of December 31, 2010, the Jonathan Alder graduate had converted 84 of 89 free throw attempts, a 94% success rate which topped all Falcon players.

Lauren’s 20-point scoring average leads all Bowling Green players.

LATEST NEWS: Lauren signed a free-agent contract with the Seattle Storm in April’s WNBA draft.

MADISON-PLAINS FFA MEMBERS COMPETE IN SOIL JUDGING CONTEST

Some people don’t like to get their hands dirty, but a few in the Madison-Plains FFA Chapter love getting their hands dirty!

Madison-Plains FFA’s first-place rural judging team consisted of (from left) Clay Hart, Casey Knisley, Lena Waddle and Joseph Francis.

Two teams from the Madison-Plains FFA Chapter – a rural team and an urban team – competed recently in a soil judging contest in Delaware County.

The Madison-Plains FFA rural team included Lena Waddle, Casey Knisley, Joseph Francis and Clay Hart, while the urban team consisted of Kevin Laff, Dylan Crace and Matt Howland. Both teams studied diligently and worked very hard during the contest.

In the end, the rural judging team took first place, while the urban team took 13th. Individual results were Lena Waddle (2nd), Casey Knisley (8th), Joseph Francis (11th), Kevin Laff (33rd), Dylan Crace (36th), Matt Howland (46th) and Clay Hart (86th).

A Turkey Shoot sponsored by Madison Hi-12 Craft Club will be held for six consecutive Sundays beginning October 17 at noon. The event will be held ¼ mile north of Lilly Chapel on West Jefferson-Kiousville Road.

This fundraiser is used by the Masons in West Jefferson to enable Madison Lodge to donate to worthy causes. The Masons awarded five $500 scholarships to West Jefferson students this past school year, and have given donations to many fundraising efforts in West Jefferson.

For more information, call (614) 851-2641.

James and Linda King of West Jefferson are happy to announce the engagement of their daughter, Abigail May King, to Jason Michael Bendure, son of Stephen Bendure of Blacklick and Linda Bendure of New Port Richey, Fla.

Abigail May King and Jason Michael Bendure

The bride-to-be is a 2003 graduate of West Jefferson High School, a 2007 graduate of Capital University, and a 2010 graduate of Wright State Uni-versity with a Master’s degree in education, majoring in Educational Leadership. She is employed with the Logan Elm School District, as a second grade teacher.

The groom-to-be is a 1994 graduate of Reynoldsburg High School and is em-ployed with the Columbus Ohio Division of Fire.

A June 2011 beach wedding is planned in St. Pete Beach, Fla.

Doug Weakley played "Taps" at Foster Chapel Cemetery to honor Jonathan Alder's 237th birthday

American pioneer Jonathan Alder was honored recently when Plain City and London residents gathered at Alder’s shady gravesite in Foster Chapel Cemetery to commemorate the 237th birthday of Madison County’s first white settler.

The first-known public observance of the Ohio icon’s birth was the brainchild of Plain City history advocate and Our Community columnist Melissa Keefer. The memorial ceremony included reflections by Keefer, as well as words of solace and prayer by Rev. Marilyn Francis-Ferguson. Doug Weakley ended the solemn occasion with the playing of “Taps,” and Isaac and Sharon Keefer were the first to place roses at the headstone.

Melissa Keefer

Alder was born September 17, 1773, in Gloucester, N.J. to Bartholomew Alder and Hannah Worthington, before the family moved in 1775 to Wythe County in southwestern Virginia. In May 1782, eight-year-old Jonathan was sent out with his brother David to search for a couple of horses that ran away. They were attacked by a small group of Shawnee Indians from Ohio. David saw the Indians first and tried to escape, but he was chased down, killed and later scalped. Jonathan was captured and taken to a Mingo village near present-day Logan County, Ohio. When the group reached the village, one of the Mingo chiefs, Succohanos, and his wife, Whinecheoh, an aging couple who had lost their son, adopted Alder as a replacement. Alder learned the Indian language, customs and traditions, and in time, Alder fully adopted the Mingo way of life; he lived, hunted and fought as an Indian. In 1793, during the peak of the Northwest Indian War, he joined Shawnee chief Blue Jacket to defend against Anthony Wayne’s attacks in the Ohio Country.

Rev. Marilyn Francis-Ferguson

In 1795, Alder decided to return to the white community. He married Barshaw, an Indian woman from Upper Sandusky, and settled near present-day Plain City. He built a cabin, took up the lifestyle of a farmer, and raised hogs, cows and horses. After Barshaw gave birth to two of Alder’s children, both of whom died in infancy, the couple decided the Great Spirit was opposed to their marriage, and separated.

After some time Alder developed interest in his original family in Virginia. Alder was reunited with his biological mother and siblings, where he stayed for more than a year. While visiting his family, he met and fell in love with Mary Ann Blont. The couple was married on January 6, 1806, and in August 1806, Alder, Blont, and the rest of Alder’s family returned to central Ohio. Alder built another log cabin along the Big Darby Creek, and he and Mary had 12 children between 1808 and 1830.

Living out the rest of his days as a farmer, Jonathan Alder died on January 30, 1849, in Canaan Township in Madison County at the age of 75. He had become a well-known figure in the region, and is still prominently remembered today in Madison County. A historical marker was erected by Ohio in front of Foster Chapel Cemetery where he is buried, and the cabin Alder built in 1806 is now located at the Madison County Historical Society Museum in London.

When Martha Phillips packed her bags upon graduation from Madison South High School in 1962, married James Cahall and moved to Columbus, she had no idea she’d spend a quarter of a century doing more of the same — packing.

Madison South graduate Martha Cahall was a central Ohio finalist for National Association of Women Business Owners' annual Visonary Awards.

Martha’s is a story we can never tire of hearing: A local, small-town girl sets off to follow her dreams and makes it big. It’s the kind of success story that spurs the “local girl makes good” newspaper headlines about a local citizen who has achieved a major accomplishment.

It’s the reason she was among four finalists recently for the 2010 Visionary Awards handed out by the Columbus chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners.

As the owner of three independent companies that specialize in third-party logistics, contract packaging, warehousing and distribution services, Martha fosters the development and professional growth of women in her business. Each of Martha’s facilities has a woman operations manager.

Martha also believes strongly in promoting personal and professional development for all of her staff through coaching, team building and programs that teach creative ways to manage and motivate others within the organization. She is a devoted mentor, and has used her influence to inspire those who work with her to persevere through times of trial and to value prosperous times while still assuming a forward-thinking attitude about the business. Read the rest of this entry »

Keeping with the tradition of providing scholarship assistance to Madison-Plains FFA students, the Katie Fisher Scholarship Foundation will host the 14th annual Katie Fisher Madison-Plains FFA Scholarship Golf Scramble Saturday (Sept. 18) at Hickory Grove Golf Course.

Katie Fisher

Since its inception in 1996, more than 1,000 golfers have participated in the fund-raising event providing the scholarship foundation the ability to award more than $26,000 to 39 graduating seniors. An average of $2,500 in scholarships is awarded each year, and continued positive assistance through sponsorship should afford the foundation the ability to increase the monetary awards goal to $3,000 per year.

With the increased goal in mind for years to come, sponsorship plays a vital role in the foundation’s success. Sponsorships vary from cash donations of $100 per hole to donation of merchandise prizes for the scramble participants or to be raffled off for cash at the event. Dona-tions of any size are welcome. All profits from the event go toward the scholarship.

Each year, the students of the Madison-Plains FFA, as well as many adult volunteers, have given their time to make this event a continued success. It is through the support of our community, through sponsorships as well as through volunteering, that the foundation can continue to award scholarships to deserving students in Katie’s name.

For more information and to be involved in this year’s event, call Tom Fisher at (740) 852-0349.

Jim Williamson

As the lazy days of summer wind down and a hint of fall is in the air, thousands of area children are going back to school. Children enter their classrooms a year older and with fresh school supplies where they meet dedicated faculty eager to teach important lessons. It’s an annual rite-of-passage we often take for granted.

Madison County children get the education they need to become productive adults through local tax levies. In fact, nearly 70 percent of all property taxes in Ohio go to fund public schools. Your county auditor plays an important part in the funding process. It is the duty of the county auditor to see that all parcels of land, homes and businesses are fairly and uniformly appraised, assessed and taxed. Millions of school tax dollars flow through my office annually and we make sure that every dollar is distributed accurately and timely to your local schools. We take our obligation very seriously to Madison County’s five school districts.

Supporting public education is a process that relies on trust and accountability. Schools are responsible for delivering a cost-effective, quality education, and your county auditor ensures that the taxes you pay get to your school district, and ultimately to the classroom where young minds are nurtured and challenged. 

If you have any questions about school funding or your property taxes, please visit the Madison County Auditor’s Web site, www.co.madison.oh. us/auditor/, call (740) 852-9717, or visit my office in the Madison County Courthouse.

Jim Williamson is a Certified Public Accountant and serves Madison County as its auditor.

When I began my internship with Our Community a short 12 weeks ago, I set out with a list of story ideas that I wanted to pursue.

Andrea Chaffin

Although this is my final article, it was on the top of my list.

Some readers may remember from my introduction that I’m a graduate of Northeastern High School in Springfield. Five years ago, I came to London.

And so did coach Jerry Wasserman.

Coach Wasserman, or “Wass” as many players call him, is the offensive line coach for the London Red Raiders varsity football team.

But before his current post, he was a head coach for 42 years, including 25 at my alma mater.

“When I was a head coach I expected my assistants to be loyal and to do things that I wanted done, so that’s what I’ve tried to do for these past five years for [head coach Bill Dennis,]” says Wasserman.

Wasserman, 69, describes his coaching career as a little “backwards,” he says. He was a starter for the University of Findlay all four years, and after graduating in 1963, immediately began his first season that fall as a head coach for Lakota High School.

He’s never left the high school level.

Coach Jerry Wasserman offers encouragement

“[Coaching] high school keeps me young,” he says. “They all have a need for somebody to help them understand that life’s a series of making choices and being responsible for the ones that you make.”

Wasserman has made one small choice that seems to symbolize his philosophy — which ring to wear. Read the rest of this entry »