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Local gospel quartet to appear on stage at the Holland Theatre |
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Written by Joshua Keeran
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Wednesday, 01 September 2010 16:16 |
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DeGRAFF – This Saturday, four men from Logan County will get the honor of performing in the area’s premiere concert setting – the historic Holland Theatre. The four individuals, members of the gospel quartet known as Unto Him, will take the stage to perform in front of its hometown crowd at 7 p.m. at the downtown Bellefontaine venue. Unto Him consists of the following four men: Rob Kilgore (lead), Tim Walls (baritone), Jerry Noble (tenor) and Bill Halter (bass). The quartet was founded back in 2001 during Emmaus, a weekend spiritual meet held in October in which Kilgore and Halter both attended. While taking in a musical gathering, the two got to chatting, and the rest is history. “In talking, both of us shared our dream of wanting to sing in a quartet,” Kilgore said. “Bill knew two other guys he thought would be interested in joining us so he contacted Jerry Noble and Don Burley (no longer a member). We went and sang, and it sounded okay, so we decided to continue.” It wasn’t until three years ago when Walls, who was serving as a fill-in, became a full-fledged member of the group. For most musical acts, it can take a while for everyone to gel together, but that wasn’t the case for Unto Him, whose members have seemingly known one another forever. “Because of athletics, we’ve all either coached together, played together or coached against each other at some point,” Walls said. “We like each other. We mess well, we get along well and our interests are the same,” Kilgore added. “All of us are Christians, so our faith in God is very important to us, which also helps us form a strong bond.” The four men all agreed the bond between them is so strong, it’s almost as if they share the same last name. “We are family. When things happen good to each other, we rejoice together,” Kilgore said. “When something bad happens, we help each other out.” “We are at the point now that if we miss a week of practice, the week is not complete,” Walls added. “We are like brothers now.” |
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Indian Lake Local Schools jump from effective rating to excellent |
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Written by Beth Deere
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Wednesday, 01 September 2010 16:13 |
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The new school year just started, but report cards already have been issued. The Ohio Department of Education officially released the Local Report Cards for school districts for the 2009-2010 academic year on Friday. Nearly 88 percent of school districts and more than 68 percent of school buildings received ratings of Effective or higher on this year’s report cards, according to the ODE. Ohio saw the percentage of districts achieving a rating of Effective or higher increase from 85 percent in 2008-2009. “I have made it a priority to ensure that all Ohio students, regardless of their zip code, have access to a world-class education,” said Deborah S. Delisle, superintendent of public instruction. “The fact that more districts are earning ratings of Effective or higher is an indication of the commitment educators across the state have to enhancing the teaching and learning processes.” The 2009-2010 State and Local Report Cards show the performance of districts and schools using four separate measures: State Indicators, Performance Index, Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and Value-Added data. The combination of these four measures is used to determine the rating for each district, school building and community school – Excellent with Distinction, Excellent, Effective, Continuous Improvement, Academic Watch and Academic Emergency. Area districts have come out rated either effective or excellent. Indian Lake Schools have increased from an effective rating last year to a rating of excellent for this year’s report card. According to results, the district met 20 of 26 indicators, up from 22 of 30 indicators last year. The district did not meet AYP, but no districts in Logan County did. |
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Area districts set to receive Race to the Top funds |
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Written by Beth Deere
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Wednesday, 01 September 2010 16:14 |
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Gov. Ted Strickland and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Deborah Delisle announced last week that the U.S. Department of Education has selected Ohio as one of the winning states to be funded in Round 2 of the federal Race to the Top program. Ohio will receive $400 million in Race to the Top funds during the next four years. Several area school districts are set to receive a portion of those funds. The Round 2 Race to the Top application was submitted by the Ohio Department of Education in June. In total, more than 538 Local Education Agencies, representing more than 60 percent or about 1 million of Ohio’s school children, agreed to participate directly in Ohio’s Race to the Top activities, according to the ODE. Ohio was selected as a finalist in late July and a team from Ohio made a presentation and answered questions from U.S. Department of Education reviewers earlier this month. “I am ecstatic that the USDoE recognized the bold initiatives and high expectations Ohio put forth in its Race to the Top application,” Delisle said. “The initiatives, which are the centerpiece of our ‘Fifth to First in Four’ strategy, exemplify what it means to be courageous as educators, leaders, parents and students. We must do everything we can to challenge our students and ensure they have access to a world-class education.” West Liberty-Salem and Riverside local school districts are set to receive $100,000 each over the four-year period, while Indian Lake is designated to receive $286,593, Bellefontaine City Schools $469,948 and Benjamin Logan $138,977. Riverside did not apply in the first round of Race to the Top. In order to participate, a memorandum of understanding had to be signed by the board president, the superintendent and the president of the teachers union. |
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Lakers enter season with renewed optimism |
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Written by Joshua Keeran
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Wednesday, 01 September 2010 16:04 |
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LEWISTOWN – The Indian Lake varsity boys soccer team won only three games a season ago, but the club appeared to be on the verge of something special as the year came to an end, which has the Lakers envisioning great things in 2010. “Toward the end of the season we played pretty well,” ILHS coach Jon Shoffstall said. “We had some wins there at the end of the season, and we got a little taste of what success is like, so we enter this season with a better taste in our mouth. It was a nice driving force in the offseason.” Shoffstall said the program has begun to undergo a change in culture as players seem to be taking more pride in their performances on the field. “We had a really successful offseason,” Shoffstall said. “We had a lot of dedication from our players with open gyms, open fields and with the summer shootout that we went to.” In order for this dedication to turn into victories, Shoffstall said this year’s squad must play together as one, which he is confident this team can do. “One strength this year will be continuity,” he said. “Last year we had eight new starters. This year we will have probably about three new starters, so there will be some continuity there. “Our passing is also getting a lot better,” Shoffstall added. “We are trying to transition out of what’s called ‘bangball,’ where we hit it and run, to where now we are really focusing on our possession and our passing, which is getting a lot better.” This season the Lakers are also focused on team success, instead of personal triumph. “Our unselfishness is also a strength,” Shoffstall said. “No one really cares who gets the glory or the credit as long as the team is doing well.” As the season progresses, Shoffstall will be relying on the leadership of his eight seniors. They are Andrew Herren (defender), Trevor Sesher (forward), Justin Fry (midfield), Jake Harper (forward), Stanley Beatty (midfield/goalie), Lance Minnich (goalie/defender), Jared Phelps (midfield) and Dylan Stites (midfield). “You have to get leadership from your seniors, and they have to be role models,” he said. “They have to be the picture of what you want your program to look like.” Other members of the squad include juniors Chase Vance (midfield), Lukas Berkenkamp (midfield) and Ben Frey (defender); sophomores Zach Collins (defender), Blake Hopkins (forward/midfielder) and Tanner Thomas (goalie/defender); and freshmen Brandon Gillen (midfield/defender), Daniel Fry (midfield/forward), Logan Asman (midfield/defender), Dallas Ball (forward), Dylan Cline (defender/midfield) and Luke Rode (defender/midfield). Indian Lake enters the season with its eyes set on one thing in particular - improving in the win column. “One of our goals is we want to surpass the number of wins we had last year. If we can accomplish that goal, then we will set our sights higher,” Shoffstall said. “Another goal is try to finish a little higher in our division this year. We were tied for fourth last year in the Mad River Division, so we are looking at moving up to at least third or higher.”
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