Southern Local Middle School launches new Principal’s Advisory Council

Members of the new Principal’s Advisory Council at Southern Local Middle School were introduced during the November Southern Local Board of Education meeting.

The panel, coordinated by Southern Local Junior High School Principal Jordan Wrask, meets to discuss and plan ideas to promote school culture. Members are McKenzie Sloan, Gemma Jackson, Sadie Plunkett, Lydia Tsemilles, Ellieannia Madden, Nevaeh Todd, Miah Cote, Nikyah Rickerd and Jorden Sevek. Most attended the session at the Williams Collaboration Building in Salineville and spoke with district leaders about the group’s work.

“This is a new group of students who meet regularly to share ideas, identify ways to improve school culture and make sure every student has a voice in our school community,” Wrask said.

He submitted a survey for interested students, and the council has already met and plans to collaborate with gifted students on a newsletter. Members addressed the board and shared their goals.

“For our first project, we focused on school spirit,” Todd said. “We talked about how to make school more fun and connected for everyone. One big idea was to bring back more theme days and pep rallies — things that make students feel proud to be here.”

Plunkett added that members are creating a student survey to determine preferred theme days and are developing a Kindness Board in the hallway for encouraging notes.

Representatives Tsemilles, Madden and Todd said they wanted to build a positive school-spirit environment, ensure students feel heard and included, and make advisory more engaging. Jackson noted that survey results were reviewed during the Nov. 13 meeting and highlighted recent school events, including the Veterans Day assembly, Sadie Hawkins Dance and Thanksgiving break.

“We want to recognize two students who have shown leadership and kindness: Kaidynn Edmond at the middle school and Aiden Davis at the high school,” Sloan said.

“We’re proud of how this group has stepped up to represent their peers,” Cote said. “Thank you for supporting our student leadership at Southern Local Middle School. We’re just getting started.”

Meanwhile, officials discussed improved student attendance. Superintendent Tom Cunningham said Southern Local Elementary students earned a first-quarter attendance reward with a visit from Tada the Magician.

Board President Scott Hart asked about the numbers, and Treasurer Greg Sabbato said 68% of students missed less than 13 hours during the first quarter, up from 51% last year.

“The correlation is the more you’re here for learning in the classroom, the better your grades and the more you can learn,” Sabbato said.

“We made a big initiative on upgrading our attendance. It makes a huge impact on many things, particularly our academic focus. The kids can’t learn if they don’t come to school,” Cunningham added.

Board member Jean Pastore asked whether the figure included tardy students, and officials confirmed that it did.

“If you look at attendance rates from last year to this year, we’re averaging almost 15 to 20 fewer students who are absent,” Cunningham said.

The board also approved a series of personnel matters, including substitutes Elizabeth McKinnon, Josephine Lee, Melody Felton, Trista Furbee, Errin Smyth Furbee, Natalie Champion and Brooke Hohlbaugh. 

Officials approved MOUs with the Southern Local Teachers Association adding an elementary yearbook advisor to nonathletic supplemental positions and agreements with SLTA and Utica Shale Academy. Supplemental contracts were approved for Amanda Vernon for robotics and Jody Lockhart as first-semester testing administrator. The board also approved a revised teacher’s aide job description and new descriptions for a classroom behavior specialist and bus driver.

One-year contracts were approved for Ernanie Black as a five-hour cafeteria worker at the high school, Elizabeth Roberts as a six-hour cafeteria worker at Southern Local Elementary School, and Lonnie Fields and Angela Martin as paraprofessionals. A continuing contract was approved for Whitney Tsesmilles as EMIS coordinator and fiscal consultant.

Coaching approvals included Andy Plunkett and Lance Weston for junior high boys basketball; Rich and Charity Sloan for junior high girls’ basketball; Skyler Lasure for junior high wrestling; Stephen Grimm as varsity assistant boys basketball coach; volunteers Nikki Kellogg, Brian Spahlinger and Cory Boyle for girls’ basketball; Mark Witherow as junior varsity girls basketball coach; Justin Gerren as varsity assistant girls’ basketball coach; and Thomas Terdina as volunteer girls basketball coach for the 2025–26 year. The board also hired Toby Warner as a classroom behavior specialist, named Ryan Smith to a VLA elementary music grading position for the online Indian Academy and approved a staffing agreement with Nick Woods for pest and vegetation control remediation at the Shale buildings.

In other business, the board heard from Ron Sismondo, director of curriculum and professional development at the Jefferson County Educational Service Center, that teachers Tiffany Scheel, Jessica Coleman and Tracey Richards received $700 Best Practice Grants for projects including a “24” math challenge, supplies for the Wigwam Café operated by CBI students and a science of reading program.

Officials received updates on new firewall software at Southern Local and the Utica Shale Academy’s Hutson Building; two new buses pending inspection; fire protection upgrades and winterization at Wigwam Stadium; results of an Oct. 28 evacuation drill; and building camera upgrades.

Wrask reported that a new middle school robotics team is underway, and Scheel is forming “24” and academic challenge teams for future competitions.

Cunningham said fifth graders at Southern Local Elementary School were headed to Camp Fitch, the first Special Persons breakfast was held, and Pete the Penguin from Youngstown State University visited. He and Hart praised the Veterans Day assembly. Cunningham added that a curriculum improvement council meeting was scheduled for Dec. 4 and an online College Credit Plus program was planned for Nov. 18 with YSU and Kent State University, with details to be shared on social media.

The next board meeting is set for Dec. 9 at 6 p.m., with the location to be determined.