Local News
UPDATE: Hermitage superintendent explains decision on Obama speech; school will show it Friday
HERMITAGE — Dr. Daniel Bell has only been superintendent of Hermitage School District since Sept. 2, and he found himself on the hot seat Monday over his decision not to show President Barack Obama’s Sept. 8 address to students.
School director Jane Levine Matusick called the decision an embarrassment, while Alan Warren took exception to her comment and others supported the superintendent’s decision under the circumstances.
The quick and dirty for parents is that the address will be shown to all students Friday, but parents who do not want their children to see it can have them opt out.
Bell explained that he received a call from a parent Sept. 3 asking if he planned to show the address. He said he had not heard about it and other administrators also were unaware of it.
“We never received official notification that this was coming,” he said.
The superintendent’s office got about 50 calls from people for and against the address by the next day, but some of the parents told Bell that, if he was planning to show the address, they wanted to be notified.
Bell said there was no way he could notify everybody — although Friday, Sept. 4, was a school day, Labor Day was Monday, Sept. 7, and the president was speaking the next day — so Bell decided that it would not be shown. However, Bell said, he had school staff record the address.
“I think we made a big mistake by not showing it,” Mrs. Matusick said. “I don’t care what other schools did. I am embarrassed.”
Board members Dr. Morren J. Greenburg and Rob Gelesky said they thought the address should have been shown to students.
“I would have liked my kids in the district to see a part of history,” Gelesky said. Showing the address after the fact removes some of its “luster,” he said.
Board member Raymond Slovesko said the decision was not embarrassing because it was the product of a short time frame.
“This wasn’t part of our curriculum,” Slovesko said. “It was a special event. I think we made every effort to provide it for those who want to see it.”
Slovesko added that he had not seen the address and would like to.
Warren bristled at Mrs. Matusick’s calling Bell’s decision an “embarrassment.
“He got all the facts and had a contingency plan,” said Warren.
Board President Victor J. Ellenberger said the board needs to set a tone for administrators and students.
“If we’re going to be the leaders of the school, we need to know that these people are important,” he said. “It’s history.”
Ellenberger noted that, although he is a Republican, he went to see former President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, speak at a Hillary Clinton presidential campaign rally at the high school because Clinton had been president.
Monday, Bell presented the school board with two options: show the address to every student on one day, or allow teachers to show it in their classes. The board decided, without officially voting, to show it one day.
Bell read to the board the letter for parents he said will be sent home with students.
“That’s a beautiful letter,” Mrs. Matusick said. “It should have gone out the next day.”
Parents also will receive telephone calls informing them that a notice for them is coming home with students.
Students who do not see the address will be taken to separate rooms for a “meaningful” exercise, Bell said.
Bell thanked the board for its guidance. He said the presidential address was a “unique situation” in his years as an administrator.
“I want to be here a long time,” he said.
Obama’s address will be posted on the district’s Web site.
- Local News
-
-
League sets debate date; Dahlkemper ad questioned
Local political junkies, mark your calendars.
Third District Congressional rivals Kathy Dahlkemper and Mike Kelly will face off at a League of Woman Voters of Mercer County forum from 7 to 9 p.m. on Oct. 26 at the Sharon City Building.
-
Are you going to Stoneboro Fair?
“I want some fries, straight off the bat,” a teen said as she strolled amid a seemingly endless stream of people running from the parking lot to the midway Saturday at the Stoneboro Fairgrounds.
The aroma of scrumptious fair food wafted through the fairgrounds on a cool afternoon that felt more like autumn than the waning days of summer.
-
Court backs warrantless search that turned up gun
Superior Court issued a ruling recently that the Mercer County District Attorney believes will enhance the safety of policemen and women.
The court ruled Aug. 26 in a Mercer County Juvenile Court case that stemmed from an arrest made by Southwest Mercer County Regional police. -
Hood surfer back home, recovering
Natalie Huff, the 17-year-old girl critically hurt in a hood-surfing accident, made it home Friday for the first time since she was run over by a friend’s car last month.
David Huff, Natalie’s father, said she was in excellent spirits.
“She just wants to come home,” he said. “She wants out of the hospital. She’s doing really well.”
-
Kelly: Jobs are the key to restoring economy
When businesses are healthy, they hire people, and everyone wins, according to Congressional candidate Mike Kelly
The Republican challenger announced his “Pathways to Prosperity” job plan Friday in time for Labor Day weekend at JFS Wealth Advisors in Hermitage. He also made stops in Butler, Crawford, and Erie counties.
Kelly, who faces U.S. Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper, Erie, D-3rd District in November, said he’s been up and down the county and hears about two concerns: jobs and the economy.
-
Couple restoring a local landmark
The gardens were renowned and the house was a resting stop for future presidents.
Now, Dan Briceland and his wife Kristin are restoring the structure at 379 state Route 7 in Brookfield to its original glory.
Built in 1816 by Navy Capt. James Christy, the dilapidated house went up for sale this spring. The Bricelands, who have always wanted to restore an historic house, put in a bid and won.
-
Cleanup planned for 2nd city neighborhood
The Irvine Avenue cleanup in Sharon was so successful that similar efforts are being planned for another part of the city.
The Sharon Beautification Commission is organizing a cleanup for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 2 for Meek Street and several surroundings streets, Sharon City Manager Tom Lavorini told council Thursday.
-
Lock up vehicles, police urge
Residents should be alert for suspicious activity and keep their cars and homes locked in the wake of a recent rash of thefts from cars — some of which were left unlocked, Southwest Mercer County Regional Police Chief Riley Smoot said.
The most recent thefts were reported Wednesday in the Dogwood Lane, Oak Hill Drive and Kiwanis Road area of West Middlesex.
-
Blue Streak thrills again
“It was great. What else can I say?” Dave Hahner said Thursday, just moments after taking his second ride on the Blue Streak.
That’s right. For the first time since 2006, Conneaut Lake Park’s historic roller coaster is back up and running. Once again ready, as Jack Moyers, chairman of the board of trustees of Conneaut Lake Park, put it, “to bring thrills and chills to children of all ages.”
-
3 Ohio men in county jail accused of Walmart theft ring
Three Ohio men are in Mercer County Jail for allegedly running a theft ring that stole video games and systems from Walmart stores and then sold them for cash.
Thomas “Tommy” Hamilton, 42, of Ashtabula; Alex Plitt, 34, of Jefferson; and Christopher Patton, 25, address unknown, were caught Aug. 25 after hitting up Walmart stores in Ohio and Pennsylvania for at least several months, Hempfield Township patrolman Daniel McCloskey said Wednesday.
- More Local News Headlines
-
League sets debate date; Dahlkemper ad questioned
