Thank you to Whirlpool Corporation for generously donating a new range for Mrs. Hailey Cunningham’s agriculture education classroom. This valuable addition will support hands-on learning experiences for our students, and the donation saved the district $1,500.
We would also like to extend our appreciation to the Deshler American Legion for their $1,000 donation for appliances to our kitchen staff. Their generosity made it possible to purchase a new clothes dryer, which will be used to dry towels and other materials essential to our kitchen operations. The remaining money will be used to purchase a new clothes washer.
Support like this makes a meaningful difference in our schools. Thank you for investing in the success of our students and staff!👏
In episode 110, Alyssa shares how her love of sports led her to become an athletic trainer instead of a physical therapist, how CCP classes affected her college academics and athletics, the wide variety of places where an athletic trainer can work, 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!
#BeABlackKnight
Ms. Nicole Schneider, Charities and Service Chair of the Findlay Service League, presented a $1,500 donation to middle school principal Mrs. Jenn Barrett today to help purchase T-shirts that all students will wear during the first round of the Amazing Shake competition on March 27.
“We appreciate this donation as it will allow both the students and judges for the first round of the Amazing Shake to focus on skills rather than appearance,” Barrett said.
Thank you to the Findlay Service League for supporting our students and helping create an environment where professionalism, confidence, and character can shine. 👏
VB Musical Tickets are LIVE!
Dive under the sea with us March 19-22 at our production of The Little Mermaid! 🧜♀️🐠
🎟 Purchase tickets here and pick your seat:
https://onthestage.tickets/show/van-buren-local-schools/6938c9aad9c2ad0d3d32e68b
Thursday, March 19 - 7:00 pm
Friday, March 20 - 7:00 pm
Saturday, March 21 - 7:00 pm
Sunday, March 22 - 2:00 pm
Bring your friends, bring your family, and come celebrate the incredible talent of our students from 5th grade through high school. Let’s pack the house and support the arts at Van Buren!
During their visit, students spent the majority of the day exploring the special exhibition "Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away." The exhibit features authentic artifacts from the Auschwitz concentration camp and recorded testimonies from Holocaust survivors.
While the experience was understandably somber, it provided students with a deeper understanding of the realities of the Holocaust. Seeing historical artifacts and hearing the voices of survivors helped bring history to life in a way that cannot be replicated in the classroom.
Experiences like this encourage students to reflect, learn, and remember, ensuring that the lessons of history are never forgotten.
We appreciate Ms. Burden offering this opportunity to students and the students for taking advantage of this unique learning experience.
Fourteen Van Buren students participated in the Ohio History Day regional competition at Bowling Green State University on Saturday, March 7, showcasing their historical research and analytical skills through original papers, exhibits, documentaries, and websites.
Congratulations to Taylor Smith, who advanced to the state competition at Capital University on April 18 with a paper titled “The Battle for a Level Playing Field: How reforms made during World War II contributed to a less patriarchal society after the war.”
We are proud of all of our students who represented Van Buren through their hard work, thoughtful research, and dedication to exploring history! 📚⭐
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. 🌽🐄
