Middle school English teachers Mrs. Karen Dishong and Mr. Adam Greer received $1,200, and high school Spanish teacher Mrs. Alyssa Leddy received $700 last year from HancockREADS grants to improve student literacy. Here's how those grants are positively impacting our students this year.
Dishong (sixth grade) and Greer (eighth grade) purchased non-fiction reading materials to use with the students during their ELA Growth time, a targeted, data-driven time for students to work on specific standards and skills based on their needs for support, reinforcement, or extension. Their first purchase was a one-year subscription to Scholastic SCOPE, allowing students to access both the paper version and online resources. They also bought class sets of the books My Survival - A Girl on Schindler’s List and Into the Clouds to help their ELA Growth students develop their reading skills.
“This grant helps us develop and push students to maximize their learning through the use of non-fiction materials. We are always looking to give students more opportunities to show mastery of non-fiction because it is a life skill they will utilize throughout the rest of their lives,” Dishong and Greer said.
In the high school, Leddy used the grant to purchase 72 Spanish readers across four levels. While the books are written in Spanish, they cover topics of interest to high school students in fiction, nonfiction, and graphic novel formats. Students have time for a portion of the period on Tuesdays and Thursdays to read the books of their choice for pleasure to gain vocabulary and fluency.
Senior Madison Hedrick-Craun, who is in Spanish IV, said, “Interpreting Spanish words by reading twice a week has not only helped me learn new words but also increased my interest because I am reading about topics which are familiar to me but written in Spanish.”
In addition to the HancockREADS grant, Leddy used $200 from the PTO to purchase shelves and organizational items to display the books.
We appreciate the work Mrs. Dishong, Mr. Greer, and Mrs. Leddy put into applying for this grant to create these learning opportunities for our students!
Kudos to the boys and Mr. Beining for helping them tackle the challenge question: "How can we improve aspects of electric transportation to better move people and goods?" The boys traveled to Columbus to represent Van Buren Elementary and have done a great job being representatives for our district!
#BeABlackKnight
What exactly does a cosmetologist do? In the latest Joust About Careers episode, 2010 VB graduate Silver Viera answers that question and much more.
In episode 109, Silver shares how her education at The Ohio Academy helped her get started in the cosmetology field; how it took time to build her customer base; why she values having her salon, Silver's, in downtown Findlay; and much more.
To watch on YouTube, visit bit.ly/JoustAboutCareers. To listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or other podcast platforms, search Joust About Careers.
Have a great week!
Our FFA members packed the week with activities that showcased leadership, service, and school spirit:
✨ Daily spirit days
🥞 A teacher breakfast prepared and served by our FFA students
🌱 First-year ag members competing in the Greenhand Career Development event
🚜 A leadership visit to Sunrise Cooperative
🏆 A friendly county-wide competition to earn the most Blue Barns at Culver's (and it’s still going strong through today if you want to support our students!)
🥫 Collecting 110 cans of food for the Van Buren Community Food Pantry
🖍️ A coloring contest for our elementary students
Today’s Ag Olympics pep rally was the perfect way to wrap up the week, so be sure to check out the photos for some of the fun and competitive spirit that makes our FFA chapter so special!
A huge thank you to Mrs. Hailey Cunningham and Mrs. Kyla Miller for the time, organization, and energy they put into making this week such a success for our students and our school community. 👏
We’re proud of the leadership, service, and enthusiasm our FFA members demonstrate not just this week, but all year long. 🌽🐄
Our middle school students had a blast at Thursday’s Black Knight Bash! This after-school experience was filled with energy, laughter, and just the right amount of friendly competition. 🎉
Students rotated through a variety of minute-to-win-it games, collecting tickets along the way for chances to win prizes. 🏆
We are incredibly grateful to Domino's for generously donating all of the pizza for the event. 🍕 Their support helped make the evening even more special for our students!
Events like the Black Knight Bash go beyond fun and games. They provide meaningful after-school opportunities for students to build experiences and build connections, which are two key pillars of our district mission. Seeing students laugh together, meet new friends, and strengthen existing relationships is exactly what it’s all about.
Thank you to everyone who helped make the event a success. We’re proud to create moments like these for our Knights! 🧡
Elementary art teacher Mrs. Jordan May and elementary STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Agriculture, Mathematics) teacher Mr. Brian Beining received a $4,000 grant from the Hancock Education Fund to advance learning opportunities for students.
May is using her portion of the grant to purchase supplies for her Teaching Artistic Behavior (TAB) program for students in grades 3-5. The focus of the program is to help students see the classroom as their studio as they learn how artists work and what they do before students spend time creating their own artwork. Students have the opportunity to create projects based on their interests after being exposed to many artistic mediums, including clay, collage, drawing, fiber, graphic design, jewelry, origami, painting, printmaking, and sculpture.
“The TAB program allows me to more effectively facilitate students’ learning. I am more hands-off after introducing the artistic mediums to students, but that means they are more hands-on, which leads to students being more active learners,” May said.
All of the students’ artwork will be on display at the Elementary Arts Extravaganza on Thursday, May 7.
Beining used his portion of the grant to buy supplies like Chomp Saws to allow students of all abilities to safely cut and build with cardboard and foam while exploring ideas such as structure, balance, and engineering. Using the engineering design process of researching, brainstorming solutions, iterating prototypes, testing, modifying, and testing again, students designed and built 3D projects. Overall, the project helped build student confidence while connecting art, technology, and engineering in a fun and engaging way.
“The goal was to help students see the value of failing forward. Even if their design didn’t work the first time, they could make modifications to continue working toward solving the problem,” Beining said.
We appreciate the work Mrs. May and Mr. Beining put into applying for this grant to create these learning opportunities for our students!
We are currently accepting applications for:
Full-Time Maintenance/Custodial Position
Substitute Custodians
Our custodial and maintenance staff play a critical role in supporting student success every day.
Apply online: https://bit.ly/VBemployment
Van Buren is diving under the sea this spring with our production of The Little Mermaid! This spectacular show features performers from 5th-12th grade, showcasing the incredible strength of our Van Buren performing arts program.
📅 Save the Date: March 19-22, 2026
📍 Van Buren High School Auditorium
Come support our students and our growing arts community. You won’t want to miss this unforgettable production!
Tickets will be on sale early March, so check back soon! Check out our show webpage here: https://bit.ly/VBMusical26.
#BeABlackKnight
Over the last three years, Mrs. Leonard has relied on sponsor donations to fund the event, but this grant money will help the event continue year after year and have more of a presence in our community. Some of the money will be used to offset the costs for families who are spending money to prepare food and other resources for the event, and some will be used to replace the paper posters that previously had to be reprinted annually with more permanent banners that can be used every year.
Leonard said, “Our families deserve to have a nice event that helps celebrate our countries and cultures as well as solidify our community. I appreciate receiving this grant so I can continue to bring the people of our district together in a special way.”
We appreciate the work Mrs. Leonard puts into applying for grants and creating opportunities like International Knight!
Join the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office for an engaging and informative presentation focused on pressing health and safety concerns affecting students across Hancock County, including:
• Vaping
• Internet safety
• Gambling
• Other risk behaviors
📍 Event Dates & Locations:
Findlay High School – Saturday, March 21, 2026 | 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Arcadia High School – Sunday, April 12, 2026 | 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Cory-Rawson High School – Wednesday, May 6, 2026 | 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
✅ Free event
🍪 Light snacks provided
📝 RSVP appreciated
Can’t attend in person? The presentation will be available online through the Sheriff’s Office website, school platforms, and social media.
Be part of the conversation. Together, we can help our youth make informed, healthy choices.
Click on the site below for more information and registration!
https://cohlrich.my.canva.site/
In episode 108, Karis shares how the multiple positions she holds at IMG Academy lead to plenty of variety on a daily basis, how adding a minor to her college major helped when applying for jobs, how her summer experiences during college led to career opportunities, and much more.
To watch on YouTube, visit bit.ly/JoustAboutCareers. To listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or other podcast platforms, search Joust About Careers.
Have a great week!
🎉💯 100 Days of Growth! 💯🎉
On February 11, our elementary students celebrated the 100th day of school with engaging activities across multiple grade levels!
Here are just some of the ways students celebrated throughout the day:
📚 Reading 100th day stories
🧠 Solving logic puzzles
📝 Creating lists of 100 words sorted into categories and writing 100 nouns and verbs
🎂 Writing about what they would buy with $100 or want at their 100th birthday parties
🍬 Tackling the classic challenge—figuring out how many licks it takes to finish a Tootsie Pop
🎨 Drawing 100 animals
👕 Wearing 100th day t-shirts and making 100th day headbands
Best of all, these activities seamlessly tied together many subjects, including art, math, reading, science, and writing, to make the day both meaningful and memorable. It was a perfect way to celebrate 100 days of academic growth! 🧡🖤
