News from Bowling Green City Schools

October 24, 2025

Message from the Superintendent

Dear Members of the Bowling Green City Schools Community,

As I grow older, time seems to move faster. With the first quarter of the 2025-2026 school year already behind us, I am reminded of this feeling. While our families always have the ability to communicate with their child’s teachers, we are currently in the middle of fall conferences. Being involved in your child’s education is important and I encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to communicate with your child’s teachers.

This week, Bowling Green City Schools’ Board of Education held a special meeting to approve a very important agenda item. The Board approved the final contracts to complete the construction of the new Bowling Green High School. I am very happy to share that through the detailed planning of the core construction team, which includes two Board of Education members, school administration, the architectural firm, and the construction managers at risk, barring any unforeseen circumstances the total costs to construct the new high school will be on budget. With construction pricing changing rapidly, the frugal work and mindset of “living within our means” by the core construction team permitted this to happen. Additionally, the construction project remains on-time. I believe you will agree, both of these items are great news!

Next week, the fall printed newsletters will be mailed to all district residents. This edition is full of academic overviews, student and staff highlights, and alumni news as well as an “invitation” to my next Superintendent Coffee Chat. Keep an eye on your mailbox for this district publication!

I am honored to serve the students, families, community, and staff of Bowling Green City Schools. I promise that our District will work hard to improve each day to provide a high-quality education for our students, a financially sound organization for our stakeholders, and be a point of pride for the entire community.

Go Bobcats,



Dr. Ted Haselman

Superintendent

Celebrating 10 Years of 1BookBG: A Community Reading Adventure!

Students will also receive a packet of materials to help them dive into this beloved community reading tradition. The information packet includes:

• A calendar of events featuring fun spirit days and family-friendly community activities
• A list of 14 Mission Stops around town that families can visit between October 29 and November 23. Mission stop locations include: Ben’s, BG Community Center, Biggby (Downtown BG), Bowling Green Manor, Call of the Canyon, Dairy Queen, Elite Collegiate Apparel (across from BGSU Stadium), Elite on Main, Grounds for Thought, Rock’em Sock’em Retro, Sundae Station, Tropical Smoothie, Waddington Jewelers, and Wood County District Public Library. There is also a special MYSTERY Mission Stop in Downtown Bowling Green! It is not on the list but it will have a sign on the door just like the other mission stops. Students who locate it will stop in for a special golden trivia ticket and the first 200 students to locate the mystery mission stop will get a prize.
• A vocabulary puzzle activity to complete by collecting puzzle pieces at each Mission Stop
• Information from the Wood County District Public Library

When visiting Mission Stops, students can vote on a “Would You Rather” question from the book, collect a vocabulary puzzle piece, and pick up a trivia ticket for school raffles. Each completed puzzle or trivia entry earns students another chance to win student incentives — all while discovering new places in Bowling Green that support reading and our schools.

Throughout November, students will enjoy weekly trivia questions tied to the story (shared on Tuesdays and Thursdays), Wear It Wednesday spirit days, and special activities in class.

Thanks to the sponsorship by the Wood County District Public Library, the excitement will culminate on Thursday, November 20, when students will travel to the Performing Arts Center to meet this year’s featured author, Margaret Peterson Haddix! Students will have the opportunity to submit questions to the author in advance of the event.

The author will also host a public program that evening at the Wood County District Public Library.

The celebration continues that weekend, as 1BookBG — winner of this year’s “I Love BG Award” — will serve as the Grand Marshals in the BG Holiday Parade on Saturday, November 22, represented by program coordinators and Crim Elementary teachers, Michelle Thomas and Stacey Higgins!

Michelle and Stacey are thankful to all of the 1BookBG donors, local businesses who serve as Mission Stops, the amazing partnership with WCDPL, the dedicated team of educators who worked over the summer to create materials and organize activities: committee members Emily Bechstein, Melissa Hemminger, Lynne Kotalarczyk, Tami Matney, September Killy, Aricka Speck, and Angela Strickland, and all of the building-level committees who helped copy, assemble, and label the over 1500 packets and books that will be distributed.

Ten years of 1BookBG have shown that reading can unite classrooms, families, and community partners in lasting ways. Thank you to all of the community partners who invest in our young readers! Here’s to another decade of stories that spark curiosity, conversation, and a lifelong love of reading!

The BGHS Advertising Graphics class is bringing creativity to life at Kenwood Elementary! Earlier this week, students began installing vibrant new door graphics, with more exciting additions coming next week!

This colorful collaboration began last fall when the Kenwood PTO reached out to BGHS Art teacher Nikki Myers. After meeting with Kenwood Principal Michel Bechstein to explore possible locations, the vision quickly took shape. The designs were created by last year’s advertising graphics students using iPads and shared files, applying their skills in layout, teamwork, and production to create professional-quality graphics that will brighten Kenwood for years to come.

Thanks to a grant from the Bowling Green Schools Foundation, the team was able to secure the materials needed to make it happen.

What makes this project truly special is that it’s more than a class assignment — it’s real-world experience. Printed on the BGHS art department’s large-format printer, the installations will be finished next week by our advertising graphics students. Stay tuned for the final reveal!

District Calendars: https://www.bgcs.k12.oh.us/district/calendars

High School Athletics: https://hs.bgcs.k12.oh.us/athleticshs

Middle School Athletics: https://go.dragonflyathletics.com/sites/OHSAA/M82YW7/about

Snapshots of Success

Vision Specialist Paraprofessional Sara McGill coordinated a special school wide project at Crim Elementary for National White Cane Awareness Day today, honoring the achievements of the blind and low vision community. Sara designed white cane pins for every Crim staff member to wear and created posters and activity sheets to help students learn about the white cane as a symbol of accessibility, mobility, and independence.

Through her thoughtful efforts, she encouraged students and staff to learn with curiosity and compassion about the experiences of those who are blind or have low vision and to appreciate the diverse ways people navigate and experience the world. Thank you, Sara, for making a difference in our school community!

Fall Concerts

If you missed any of our fall concerts you can watch them on the PAC YouTube Channel. Click below to view:

BGMS Choir

BGMS Orchestra

BGMS Band

BGHS Choir

BGHS Orchestra

BHGS Marching Band

Bowling Green Bobcat Volleyball played in the OHSAA Division III, Northwest 1-Region 10 District Final vs. #1 seed, Toledo St. Ursula Academy. The Bobcats finished the season as the 2025 District Runners-Up. Congratulations, Bobcats!



Additional congratulations go to Ruby Suter for being named First Team All-NLL Cardinal Division, and to Kendall Heinze and Julia Strum for being named Second Team All-NLL Cardinal Division!

Good luck to our Boys and Girls Cross Country teams at the D2 Regional Meet tomorrow, October 25, at Hedges Boyer Park in Tiffin.

The girl's race starts at 1:40 p.m., boys start at 2:20 p.m., and awards are at 2:50 p.m.

The top 4 teams advance to the State meet. The top 8 individuals (after the 4 qualifying team members are taken out) also advance to the state meet.

Tickets: www.ohsaa.org/tickets

No cash accepted.

They had an outstanding showing at the D2 District meet last week. The boys team are the District Champions!

Congratulations to our FFA urban soils team students who qualified for the state contest by placing 4th at the district contest and to our students who competed in the Job Interview Career Development Event and qualified for the district contest! We also congratulate the 28 second-year FFA students who are Chapter Degree recipients!

Safe travels to our FFA students heading to Indianapolis, Indiana next week for the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana!

For National School Lunch Week, our middle school and elementary students had the chance to sample cuisines from different parts of the world, including Gyros from Greece, falafel from the Middle East, chicken teriyaki from Japan, and Mexican street corn bites, making lunchtime a fun and delicious adventure!

In Mrs. Love's 8th grade Family & Consumer Sciences classes, students are currently learning about kitchen safety, cooking basics, and practicing what they've learned by cooking a variety of different foods. This week they learned how to make a "roux." Here the students are using their skills to make macaroni & cheese!