BOTKINS — The year 2015 was a memorable one in the history of Botkins Local School District.
“The highlight of 2015 came with the dedication of a $24.5 million OSFC K-12 Building Project on Jan. 4,” said Superintendent Connie Schneider. “Following an extended Christmas break to facilitate the move, our state of the art building opened on Jan. 7. With spring came the demolition of our 1957 building. While it was sad, there was a bright spot in the demolition as over 35,000 square feet of the old building was to remain.”
Her report continues:
Throughout the summer the transformation of the old building began to take shape. Parts of the 1957 building and the 1991 gymnasium were refinished and once again look new. Additional parking spots were added to accommodate the fans who come for events in the competition gymnasium. We are now able to accommodate community and school groups in our old facility.
The year saw the opening of the Track – Soccer facility. Our first track meet was held in the spring and our soccer team played on their new field last fall.
Botkins Local School District continues to be proud of the academic performance of our students. Our district was one of 21 districts in the state of Ohio to have a 100 percent graduation rate. Our district met all indicators on the local report card. Our standard of excellence is due to the dedication and efforts of our staff, students and parents.
Students continue to excel in extracurricular activities and athletics. Several athletes earned Academic All Ohio honors- Austin Jones, Josh Miller, Whitney Bornhorst and Allison Guckes earned Academic All Ohio honors in track; in the fall of 2015, Cameron Flora, Aaron Fullenkamp, Ryan Egbert, Jared Goubeaux and Austin Fullenkamp earned Academic All Ohio honors in Cross Country.
Joe Shuga was named District qualifier in swim in the 100 yard backstroke. In track, a new school record was set by the girls 4×400 relay team consisting of Whitney Bornhorst, Kayla Heuker, Allison Guckes and Chloe Flora. The 4×800 relay team consisting of Whitney Bornhorst, Kayla Heuker, Hannah Bailey and Chloe Flora also set a new school record. Whitney Bornhorst set three new school records in the 100m, 300m and 400m hurdles. At the state track meet, Chloe Flora was runner-up in the 1600m run and Whitney Bornhorst was runner-up in the 300m hurdles. Austin Jones placed ninth in the State in the 800m run. Josh Miller also qualified for State in the shot put.
In the fall of 2015, our boys’ soccer team was named WOSL League Champs and Kaleb Hanby was named Player of the Year. Natalie Ambos set a new school record for career goals scored of 59. Josh Miller was named District qualifier in golf. In Cross Country, the boy’s team qualified for State. Chloe Flora was named Shelby County League, District, and Regional Champ finishing fourth at the State meet earning her All Ohio honors.
The year was also a very successful year for the Power of the Pen. Michelle Altstaetter was named Regional Champ in Power of the Pen and the eighth-grade team was named Regional Champs. Michelle Altstaetter moved on to the State Power of the Pen where she placed 31st out of 376 writers. Qualifying for State Power of the Pen were Sarah Klaus, Emma McName and Macy Kies.
We look forward to 2016. Our new building and building renovations are complete. We will continue to make progress towards the completion of our Track – Soccer Complex with the addition of bleachers.
We will continue to be fiscally responsible to our community. We see financial stability with our budget. We will continue to take a conservative approach in spending as 40 percent of our budget comes from the state.
The year 2016 will bring opportunities and successes. With the support of the community, Botkins Local School will continue to be a district where staff and students excel and parents and community care.
