News from Bowling Green City Schools

June 6, 2025

Message from the Superintendent

Dear Members of the Bowling Green City Schools Community,

As we wrap up the 2024-25 school year, we take a moment to reflect on the many accomplishments and milestones reached at Bowling Green City Schools. This year has been marked by academic growth, success in the arts, athletic achievements, community involvement, and countless individual successes across all grade levels. We are incredibly proud of our students, staff, and families who have contributed to making this a truly outstanding year.

With the school year behind us, we are now moving full speed ahead in preparation for the 2025-26 school year. Our teams are working diligently to build on this year’s momentum by updating curriculum, preparing facilities, and planning new initiatives to ensure another year of excellence. We remain committed to providing a safe, supportive, and engaging learning environment for every student.

As we enter the summer months, I encourage all students and families to take time to relax, recharge, and enjoy the break. Summer is a great opportunity to rest and spend quality time together before we gear up for another exciting school year.

I am honored to serve the students, families, community, and staff of Bowling Green City Schools. I promise that our District will continue to 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

Four Young Math Minds Make Big Strides in National Math Competition

Four of our outstanding students proved that passion, persistence, and a love for problem-solving can lead to big accomplishments on a national stage.

In the 2025 Math Kangaroo USA Math Competition, which welcomed more than 53,000 students from across all 50 states, U.S. territories, and 12 grade levels, our students stood out—not just in our schools, but across Ohio and the nation.

From Crim Elementary, first grader Izaan Hossain scored with a 2nd place finish in Ohio and 13th in the nation. Competing against thousands of peers, Izaan’s achievement reflects both talent and dedication at a young age.

At the high school level, three more students earned top honors in the state. Archita Ravikumar (Grade 9) and Arianna Chung (Grade 11) each earned 1st place in Ohio for their grade levels, while Logan Reilly (Grade 9) secured an impressive 3rd place in the state.

These students represented our schools and community with brilliance and determination. We are #bobcatproud of their achievements! Congratulations, Izaan, Archita, Logan, and Arianna!

Izaan Hossain with Mr. Radabaugh

Archita Ravikumar with Mr. Radabaugh

Arianna Chung with Mr. Radabaugh

Logan Reilly with Mr. Radabaugh

Celebrating Our PACE Gifted Students

Bowling Green City Schools is proud to celebrate the accomplishments of our students in the PACE Gifted Education Program, who continue to make a positive impact both academically and within the community.

Two BGCS Students Earn Regional Gifted Scholarships

This year, two fifth-grade PACE students were selected as recipients of the Northwest Ohio Consortium of Coordinators for Gifted (NWOCCG) Scholarship Award. Out of just five students chosen across the region, Mackenzie Sayre and Kate Grames stood out for their essays and visions for how they would use the award to fuel their passions.

Mackenzie Sayre, who is passionate about horses, will be using her scholarship to attend a horse riding camp this summer.
Kate Grames, whose passion is soccer, plans to purchase a rebounder board and gloves to help her advance her training and skills.

Paws for a Cause: PACE Students Raise over $1,000 for Local Shelter

Our PACE students have also been busy making a meaningful difference in their community through their student-led initiative, “Paws for a Cause.” 🐾

With creativity, teamwork, and compassion, PACE students handcrafted a variety of dog-themed items—from jewelry and fleece blankets to dog bandanas, buttons, and fun paw print signs—raising over $1,000 for the Wood County Dog Shelter!

Last Friday, a group of our PACE students and their teacher, Mrs. Weaver, visited the shelter to present the donation and learn more about the shelter’s work. Their dedication and generosity are an example of how gifted education can inspire both academic excellence and community service.

Paws up for Mrs. Weaver and our PACE students for their accomplishments, creativity, and the positive impact they’re making—both inside and outside the classroom.

Mrs. Weaver and some of our PACE students presenting the check to the Wood County Dog Shelter.

PACE students took a tour of the dog shelter and learned about the shelter's work.

A selection of some of the items PACE students made to sell for their "Paws for a Cause" fundraiser.

Good Luck to Erek Kendrick at the State Track & Field Championships!

Join us in cheering on Erek Kendrick as he represents Bowling Green High School at the 2025 OHSAA Division 1 State Track & Field Tournament!

Erek will be competing in the Finals of the boys 3200m run on Saturday, June 7 at 6:20 p.m. at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus.

Best of luck— your Bobcat family is behind you all the way!

Free Meals for Kids This Summer!

Connecting Kids to Meals is providing free, nutritious meals to children ages 1 to 18 at various locations. Click here for locations. All meals must be eaten on-site.

Connecting Kids to Meals invites you to visit Crim Elementary School from June 9, 2025, to August 13, 2025, Monday through Friday, for:

Breakfast: 8:00 AM – 8:30 AM (serving approximately 60 meals daily)
Lunch: 11:30 AM – 12:45 PM (serving approximately 75 meals daily)

Come enjoy a healthy meal in a safe and welcoming environment!

The End of an Era, The Start of New Adventures: Honoring Our BGCS Retirees

We’re celebrating four outstanding BGCS retirees who have agreed to be featured. They have left a lasting legacy in our schools and community. Each of them brought passion, dedication, and heart to their work — and now it’s time to celebrate the impact they’ve made! We’re so grateful for all of our retirees for their service and wish them joy, new adventures, and well-deserved rest in retirement. Congratulations!

Beth Krolak

Technology Director

After 35 years in education (8 years teaching at Patrick Henry; 27 years as Technology Director at BGCS), Beth will be retiring. When she arrived in BG in 1998, technology at BGCS looked a lot different. There was no email. There was no internet filter. No digital curriculum, gradebook, or assessments. Secondary classrooms were not wired for the internet and had no computers. Cafeterias used cash registers, and there was no HVAC. There were no servers, backups, Wi-Fi, mobile devices, or cloud. Outside doors were unlocked during the day, and there were no ID badges, fobs, or security cameras. Cybersecurity and data security were not a thing.

Over the years, Beth has enjoyed working with staff to solve problems and develop stable solutions to help them do their important work. She cherishes the interactions and relationships built over the years and will always admire the remarkable professionalism and dedication of our staff coming together to make school happen in 2020. Beth is looking forward to life at a slower pace and the time to be curious and explore again.

Shawn Hudson

Orchestra Teacher

Shawn Hudson is retired after nearly three decades of inspiring musical excellence in BGCS. After launching an orchestra program from the ground up in Perrysburg Schools (1991–1996), Shawn joined Bowling Green in 1997, where he taught orchestra to students in grades 5–12 across all district buildings.

He cherished the opportunity to guide students from their first notes to their final performances, often over the course of eight years. Highlights of his career include multiple trips with the high school orchestra to New York City, doing Trans-Siberian Orchestra light shows for holiday concerts, and conducting for many musicals such as West Side Story and Mary Poppins.

In retirement, Shawn looks forward to traveling with his wife Teresa and enjoying time at their home in Bowling Green.

Dawn Dazell

Human Resources Director

After 19 years with BGCS, Dawn Dazell is retiring from her role as Director of Human Resources. Dawn’s HR journey began in the auto industry, where she worked for AMC/Chrysler/Daimler for 23 years before bringing her expertise to the BGCS in 2006.

Throughout her time at BGCS, Dawn found joy in welcoming and supporting new staff members and helping them feel at home. One of her favorite memories is participating in the Breakfast Buddies program at Kenwood Elementary, a rare and rewarding chance to connect with students. Dawn is now looking forward to a five-week trip out West!

Kim Besgrove

Speech Language Pathologist

After nine years of dedicated service as a Speech Language Pathologist in Bowling Green City Schools' preschool program, Kim Besgrove is retiring. Kim began her career with BGCS in 2016, having previously spent 34 years as an SLP with the Educational Service Center of Lake Erie West.

Her commitment to early childhood development and her collaborative work with families, staff, and outside agencies have left a lasting impact. Kim’s favorite part of her job was working alongside a compassionate and professional team, and she’ll deeply miss those connections. In retirement, she’s looking forward to enjoying quiet walks, reading, and the joy of not setting an alarm!

Crim Champions Student Wellness

Crim Elementary fourth and fifth graders are making a difference—and getting recognized for it! Students participated in the Wood County Health Department’s Anti-Vaping Video Contest, where they learned about the dangers of vaping and nicotine through a hands-on, evidence-based curriculum. After the lessons, teams of students created 16 original videos encouraging their peers to make healthy choices.

All student participants were honored at a special celebration event, which included education to reinforce their knowledge and fun activities. Congratulations to our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners, who were recognized with awards and prizes!

First Place: Fourth Grade – Video 4

Bryson Hopkins, Ana Lopez, Ashley Malasquez Palomino , Brynn Hill and Rayden Pedraza-Santana.

Second Place: Fifth Grade – Video 3

Lyla Velazquez , Jack Mullikin , Alijah St. Clair, Cameron Kostelnik, Trenton Howard

Third Place: Fifth Grade – Video 8

Anthony Smallwood , Noah Blausey, Carson Sandoval, Johnathan Thangdik, Landen Barnett

Thank you to the Wood County Health Department for their partnership and support, and to the dedicated Crim staff who helped make this meaningful project a success.

In addition to the contest celebration, students had a special visit from Sergeant Richmond of the Bowling Green Police Division as part of the “Put a Lid on It!” bike safety program. In honor of Ohio Bike Helmet Safety Awareness Month, Sergeant Richmond distributed free bike helmets to students who needed them—empowering our students with bike safety knowledge and the gear to help keep them safe!

Celebrating Our Graduates

Congratulations to the BGHS Class of 2025. We are proud of your accomplishments and wish you all the best! For those unable to attend, the commencement ceremony was recorded and posted here.