Coach Mike Coder tells the Ben Logan school board about Keri Stafford's track season. Stafford won the 300-meter hurdles at the district meet and advanced all the way to the state meet.

High School Boys Track Coach Kevin Butler told board members the five athletes who qualified for the state meet -- 4x200 relay team runners Steven Campbell, George Daniel, Cody Titus and Corey Phalen and 400-meter dash runner Ross Barnes -- were goal-oriented the whole season. (Video interview included.)

The group set out at the beginning of the season to place at the regional meet and qualify for state, he said.  

High School Girls Track Coach Mike Coder said senior Keri Stafford "put it all together at the right time" to win the 300-meter hurdles at the district meet before advancing to state.

Eighth-graders Troy Hall, Jacob Holycross and Joel Penhorwood showed the board a photograph slideshow of the class's trip to Washington, D.C. May 21-24.

About 115 students visited places like Gettysburg in Pennsylvania, the National Cathedral, the Iwo Jima Memorial, the Smithsonian Institute, the Capitol and the White House. To cap off the week, a few students presented a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.

There are strict attire and behavioral guidelines for presenting a wreath, and each of the presenters had to be inspected by the tomb's guards prior to the ceremony, Middle School Assistant Principal Scott LeVan said.

Board President Bill Ramsey says it's important to highlight the school's students.

Watch comments from Ramsey.

In other business, the board appropriated $14,240 for the school's Mandarin Chinese language program. The district is waiting on a grant to fund the program, Treasurer Robert Kuehnle said. In the meantime, the appropriated money will be used for a whiteboard, textbooks and other materials.

The board OK'd a $26,000 loan to the school's Athletic Department for the purchase of new scoreboards at the football field and high school gymnasium. The department will pay the loan off with money from scoreboard sponsors, Kuehnle said.

The board also approved the resignations of Middle School Intervention Specialist and Assistant High School Volleyball Coach Colleen Bodin and Middle School Language Arts Teacher Valarie Rapp.

Finally, Board Member Keith Stoner recommended the board nominate Board President Bill Ramsey for the 37^th annual All-Ohio School Board Award through the Ohio School Board Association.

Stoner offered to carry out the nominating process, but asked other members to write letters of recommendation. He said Ramsey should be recognized for work he has done with both Ben Logan's board and the Ohio Hi-Point Career Center board.