Dear Kenston Community, 

Can you believe that we are nearing the end of September and we are approaching the end of the first nine weeks grading period?

On campus this week, students and staff joined with schools across the country to celebrate Start with Hello Week and the International Day of Peace. Start with Hello is a national campaign initiated by the Sandy Hook Promise to recognize and address social isolation. I enjoyed being able to see all of the wonderful ways in which our students and staff worked to help promote the Peaceful Environment At Kenston (PEAK) initiatives. 

As a reminder, Kenston will be closed on Monday, September 25, in observance of Yom Kippur, and Tuesday, September 26, for our staff to participate in Professional Development. I would like to wish you a wonderful long weekend, full of family time and hopefully, time spent outside to enjoy the weather. To all of our teams participating in games and events, we are proudly cheering for you. Go Bombers!

Sincerely,

Steve Sayers

Superintendent

The Kenston Board of Education has placed a 1.35-mill, five-year, Permanent Improvement (PI) Levy on the November 7, 2023 ballot for the public’s consideration.

The following is a message from Superintendent Sayers and Treasurer Cales regarding facts about the upcoming PI Levy.

The Ohio Department of Education released the 2022/23 district and school report cards. We are pleased to share that the Kenston Schools received an overall 5 out of 5-star rating, significantly exceeding state standards.



The rating is measured in an overall rating of 1 to 5 stars in half-star increments and comprised of five rated components. The components are achievement, progress, gap closing, graduation, and early literacy. Superintendent Sayers shared, “This is something to be proud of and credits the efforts of our faculty and staff that helped the district earn this outstanding rating.”

Congratulations to the Timmons Elementary Pre-School Program on earning the 5-Star Rating for meeting the quality standards established by the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services and the Ohio Department of Education.

Step Up To Quality is a Five-Star Tiered Quality Rating and Improvement System created to recognize and promote early learning and developmental programs that meet quality standards over and above the health and safety licensing requirements.

At the September 18, Board of Education meeting, Ms.Christine Illner, Director of Transportation, shared an update on the Transportation Department.

21 buses, 7 mid-day buses, and 6 vans are on the road every day, for a total of 2,620 miles a day. As a district, Kenston is so thankful for our drivers and all the hard work and hours spent transporting all of our students to and from school.

Ms. Illner shared that Kenston has hired several drivers, however, Kenston Transportation is looking to hire additional drivers. To those who apply, training will be provided. If interested, click here to apply today.

On Thursday, September 21, 2023, students at Kenston schools participated in various activities to celebrate the International Day of Peace. At Timmons Elementary, students gathered outside around a natural peace sign art project and sang a song about peace together as a school.

Kenston Intermediate, Kenston Middle School, and Kenston High School participated in group activities and created pieces of art that were displayed around campus, to focus on promoting kindness and peace.

Megan Hartfelder, President of the Kenston Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) Council, provided an informational update for the Board of Education on the district-wide PTO programs along with the background of the PTO Council.

The PTO Council is composed of its own Executive Board, the President of each school’s PTO, and several other key positions. The PTO Council oversees the by-laws of our PTO as a 501c3 organization. Our Mission: “To encourage and enhance the education and welfare of the students of the Kenston Local School District. We provide a program of value for parents, teachers, and the school administration to fulfill our mission.” 

At Timmons Elementary, the PTO supplies 75 Zoo Crew t-shirts, hosts a welcome to kindergarten morning event at Auburn Community Park, and a family night event in the fall and spring to introduce families to the district.

At Kenston Intermediate School, the PTO funds the library guild for the library specialist to supply the school library with new books for 12 months. The Run A Thon is a health and wellness competition sponsored by the PTO with the help of the Physical Education teacher.

At both buildings, the PTO helps fund the playground equipment, from the GaGa pits to basketballs, and sidewalk chalk. Both TES and KIS sponsor a Service Project in February, such as letters to veterans and thank you notes to our community heroes.

At Kenston Middle School, this is where the students’ independence flourishes and parents take a backseat. Students take on more academic and extracurricular responsibilities. The PTO provides behind-the-scenes support such as dance concessions, planning and coordination of field day, and funding for awards night.

AfterProm is the biggest event supported by the PTO at the High School level. In addition to AfterProm, the PTO supports the HUB by purchasing consumables. The Kenston High School PTO sponsors a guest speaker to focus on a topic important to high schoolers. Last year it was Internet Safety and this year’s topic is mental health. In addition to all these items, the KHS PTO also sponsors the senior breakfast before graduation practice.                          

If you are interested in joining the PTO, please click here to complete the membership form.

Kenston High School Seniors participated in the PSAT National Merit Scholar Program in October of 2022. Students who are Commended National Scholars score in the top 5% of more than 1.6 million students who took last year's PSAT as juniors. Kenston High School’s three Commended Scholars are Maggie Hamm, Martin Weber, and Charlotte Witmer-Rich. 

Additionally, the following five seniors have been commended and named as 2023 National Merit Semifinalists: Julia Arnaut, Jack Beclay, Dominic Fontana, Sophie Voudris, and Gavin Watson. Semifinalists must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, specific community service involvement, and leadership abilities. They join approximately 16,000 students nationally and will now compete for 7,250 scholarships worth nearly $28 million. If named a finalist later this fall, students will then be considered for the merit scholarships. 

Pictured (left to right): Martin Weber, Gavin Watson, Dominic Fontana, Jack Beclay, Julia Arnaut, Sophia Voudris, Maggie Hamm, and Charlotte Witmer-Rich

STAY CONNECTED