January 9, 2011
For students with motor-skill disabilities
New school offers alternative learning By LIN RICE ThisWeek Community Newspapers
For nearly a decade, Marysville resident Kelly Morris’family traveled back and forth to Canada, where her daughter Brittany received treatment for cerebral palsy. Last summer, Morris decided to bring the care home to her daughter, and in turn to the surrounding community. “We started last July, with a few summer camps for area children, and those were very successful,” Morris said. As a result, Morris founded the Brighter Beginnings School on Grove Street in Marysville. The nonprofit school uses a program known as conductive ed-
ucation, which was originally developed in Hungary, Morris said. We belong to a group called the Association for Conduc“We belong to a group called the Astive Education in North America, (ACENA), and right now I sociation for Conductive Education in North America, (ACENA), and right know of only three other places like it in Ohio. The program now I know of only three other places works with those who have a motor disability — 90 percent like it in Ohio,” Morris said. “The proof the time they have a diagnosis of cerebral palsy, but it gram works with those who have a motor also includes those with autism, Down syndrome or disability — 90 percent of the time they have a diagnosis of cerebral palsy, but other motor disabilities. it also includes those with autism, Down syndrome or other motor disabilities.” KELLY MORRIS Developed in the late 1940s in Bu—founder of Brighter Beginnings School dapest by Dr. Andras Peto, conductive education is an intensive learning approach for children with a wide range sists the children in specific exercises to find alternative paths to muscle groups of disabilities, according to Morris. A designed for each child; repeating those in the body, allowing intentional movetrained teacher (called a conductor) as- exercises encourages the child’s brain ment, she said.
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“I didn’t expect the rewards we have seen from the kids, watching the conductors teach them to walk, to write, and being able to do some of those things alone as they go along,” Morris said. Morris said her 13-year-old daughter Brittany has seen a vast improvement in the quality of her life from the regimen. “Brittany was diagnosed at six months old with cerebral palsy,” she said. “From the time she was four years old up until now, we’ve been traveling to Canada for her treatment, but we found out that her therapy would start taking up the whole summer. We have two other kids, and we decided it would be unfair to them, See NEW SCHOOL, page A2
Governor bans wild, dangerous animal possession By LIN RICE ThisWeek Community Newspapers
By Chris Parker/ThisWeek
Students practice at the In Step Dance Center Tuesday, Jan. 5. Later this month, Kent Boyd, who was the recent runner-ip on the TV reality show, “So You Think You Can Dance,” will teach classes to local dancers.
TV dancer to teach classes at local studio An Uptown Marysville dance studio will offer lessons this month taught by a household name. The In Step Dance Center on South Main Street plans several master dance classes beginning taught by Kent Boyd, the runnerup and fan favorite on the latest season of TV’s “So You Think You Can Dance.” Dance center owners Cindy Lopresti and Heidi Beerman have secured Boyd’s talents for two private classes at the center, followed by a master class open to the public. “We are so excited that our dancers will have the opportunity to dance and learn choreogra-
phy from Kent,” Lopresti said. “At the same time, we wanted to be able to offer this exciting opportunity to all dancers in Marysville.” Boyd is currently on a 40-city tour with other top-10 dancers and other show performers from past seasons. The 19-year-old Botkins, Ohio, native has also performed in musical productions of “Oklahoma!” and “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.” His area of specialization is contemporary jazz dance. In Step Dance Center hosts a variety of classes for students age 4 through grade 12, as well as for adults, covering areas of ballet, hip-hop
and jazz, musical theater, tap, competitive dance and other techniques. The public class taught by Boyd will take place at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 14 at the center, 111 S. Main St. Registration for the class is on a first-comefirst-serve basis, with a $40 fee. Registrations will be accepted until Thursday, Jan. 13 or until the class is sold out. Advance registration is required for the private classes, and can be made online at www.isdcdance.com. — Lin Rice
Union County residents will no longer be allowed to own dangerous wild animals following an emergency executive order passed by Gov. Ted Strickland last week. However, county officials aren’t certain who will be responsible for enforcing the temporary ban. In one of his last acts as governor, Strickland issued an emergency executive order on Thursday that will temporarily ban the private ownership of dangerous wild animals. The order originates from an agreement between Ohio’s agricultural leaders and the Humane Society of the United States last summer, which halted the HSUS from pursuing an animal rights ballot initiative in Ohio. The executive order authorizes the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR)’s Division of Wildlife to adopt a new rule that prevents the new, private ownership of wild animals that are dangerous to human health and safety, requires existing private owners of those animals to register them annually with the state, and details the type of facilities that can own and rehabilitate dangerous wild animals, according to the governor’s office. Union County Humane Society director Steffen Baldwin said the issue of owning wild animals is a complicated one. “Dogs are pets because we’ve spent thousands of years domesticating them, and wild animals are definitely not pets – there’s always that risk of inSee DANGEROUS, WILD, page A2
Marysville patrolmen awarded OSHP’s highest honor By LIN RICE ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Two officers and a dispatcher were honored last week for their actions during a deadly shootout in Marysville last year. Ohio State Highway Patrol interim superintendent Major Christopher Minter presented OSHP’s highest honor, the Superintendent’s Citation of Merit Award, to Sgt. Michael K. Hasson and Trooper James W. Bryner, along with presenting the Certificate of Recognition to dispatcher Jason Kidder, in a ceremony at the Marysville post on Jan. 4. The officers were honored for their actions on Aug. 10, 2010,
when they were dispatched to assist officers from the Union County Sheriff’s office with an active domestic violence incident, according to Lt. Rick Zwayer. The suspect, Rickie Lee Diamond Jr., fled his residence after a family dispute, and ultimately drew down on officers with a shotgun after a car chase through Marysville and the surrounding county. Diamond was killed as a result of the gunfire exchange. Both Hasson and Bryner were ready when Diamond began shooting, according to a release provided by OHSP. “The suspect exited his vehicle and began firing at officers with the shotgun. Sgt. Hasson and Trooper. Bryner directly responded
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in the midst of the gunfire and engaged the suspect at close range to help stop his Sgt. Michael K. aggresHasson sion,” the OSHP release states. “The suspect was seriously wounded in the exchange. The officers then provided first aid until they were relieved by emergency medical personnel. The suspect later died as a result of his injuries. The local community has expressed gratitude publicly, through numerous new publications, for the officers’
actions to F o u r preserve other local the publaw enlic’s safety forcement while placofficers ing their were inown lives volved in at great the incirisk by dent: offiTrooper James W. confronting Dispatcher Jason cers Robert Bryner the armed Kidder suspect.” Bartholomew and Joseph PetKidder was dispatching during zinger of the Marysville Division the incident. “He remained calm of Police, and Union County Sherallowing him to make the appro- iff’s deputies Matt Henry and Rich priate telephone contacts and di- Crabtree. Henry was injured durrect units to the proper locations,” ing the gunfight, a cut to the face the OSHP release states. “His re- from flying debris. sponse to the incident ultimately A Union County grand jury resulted in the successful coordi- later found that all officers were nation of personnel and resources.” justified in the level of force used
to stop Diamond. Hasson joined the OSHP in 1998. In 2006, he was promoted to the rank of sergeant and served for a short time as assistant post commander of the West Jefferson post, according to Zwayer. Bryner joined the patrol in May 2009 as a member of the 149th academy class. He earned his commission in December of that year and was assigned to his current location in Marysville, according to Zwayer. Kidder joined the patrol in November 2009 as a dispatcher at the Springfield Dispatch Center. In August 2010 he transferred to his current location as a dispatch traveler at the Piqua Dispatch Center.
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