Leadership Coshocton County class studies local education systems

The Leadership Coshocton County Class of 2026 met at Central Ohio Technical College Jan. 13 for a day of learning about education in the county from administrators, principals and education professionals.

The principals panel included presentations from Coshocton, Ridgewood, River View and Coshocton County Career Center leaders from the elementary, intermediate and high school levels. Superintendents from Coshocton, Ridgewood, River View and the Coshocton County Career Center also spoke, as did Steve Oster from Hopewell School, Tom Hilgenberg from the Coshocton Opportunity School and Sharon Tatro from the Coshocton Alternative School.

Hilgenberg said the Coshocton Opportunity School is currently serving 59 students in ninth grade through 12th grade and is considering expanding to seventh grade and eighth grade.

“We do get a lot of troubled kids, but when they come to us, they really just need some guidance,” he said. “I enjoy what we do and that we get to help a lot of students and families.”

Opportunity school students attend school in the afternoon in a rented space at Coshocton High School.

“They have to apply to come to us,” Hilgenberg said. “We serve the three county school districts, the career center and some neighboring schools.”

Often students come to Hilgenberg from Tatro’s alternative school.

“We have some of the same staff, so it’s a nice transition for the kids to know a face,” Tatro said.

The alternative school has served students as young as first grade and provides a strict, structured environment.

Hopewell School primarily serves children from preschool through school age with developmental disabilities. The school is part of the Coshocton County Board of DD, which Oster serves as the superintendent of.

“We have services for pregnant moms and can help people with disabilities secure housing, employment and provide other opportunities for them in the community,” he said. “The school is just a small part of what we do.”

Oster, Hilgenberg and Tatro all try to help staff connect with their students and provide them and their families with resources in the community to help them be successful.