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February 27, 2011

Legion post to manage farmers market By MICHAEL J. MAURER ThisWeek Community Newspapers After two years of managing Johnstown’s Farmers Market, Pat Kramer has found someone else to take the reins at the weekly market this summer. Kramer recently opened a business — Gifts by Us, featuring local artists and craftsmen — and said she no longer has time to run the market as well.

“I had to give it up,” Kramer said. “My shop is open the same hours as the market.” When Kramer began to think about who might do a good job running the market, she thought about who benefited from the market and who would have the resources to manage it. The answer became obvious. “I tried to think of someone who had the time that would actually profit from

it, and both years I’ve given the money from the market to the American Legion,” Kramer said. “When I saw the list of things they did, it was like, hmmm.” The Legion sponsors several activities in Johnstown, including Fourth of July, Boys State, Safety Village, projects at the schools, baseball teams and more than 40 other projects and activities over the course of a year.

Kramer said the main responsibility is simply to be present to answer any questions and make sure vendors are organized. “It’s not that hard to run,” Kramer said. “You just have to have someone available. You have to have someone there at the beginning of the market. They’ve got a lot of guys (in the Legion), so one or two times a month they can have a person doing it so it does

not have to be time-consuming.” The market will continue to be sponsored by Downtown Johnstown, as it has for the two years it has been in existence, but operated by the Legion. Commander Bruce Tolle and Legion member Gordon Cromwell said they hope operating the market will raise the Legion’s profile in the community See FARMERS MARKET, page A2

J-M schools EQUIPMENT CHECK outlaw use of tobacco By JENNA GANT ThisWeek Community Newspapers Parents and guests at events are about to lose their tobacco privileges on any school property at Johnstown-Monroe Local Schools. J-M school board president John Davis on Feb. 24 said the school district would become 100 percent tobacco-free as soon as signs are ordered and put up around the schools. The board voted to change its policy on Feb. 14 when Chad Brown, director of community health in Licking County, and Mary Richardson presented reasons for going 100 percent tobacco-free at the school board meeting. The district is already 100 percent smoke-free in accordance with state law. Richardson, speaking on behalf of the health education department, said the policy prohibits all, “tobacco use, smoking and smokeless tobacco products on all school property and all school events.” She said most schools have policies that ban students from smoking, “but they do not include the visitors or parents or people who are coming to events.” The new policy would prohibit anyone from smoking or using tobacco products on school grounds, not just students, Richardson said. She said the district now joins Newark City, Licking Valley, and Per Excellence, a private school in Licking County with the same policy. According to the Ohio Department of Health, Johnstown-Monroe will become the 50th school district in the state switching to a 100 percent tobacco-free policy. An Ohio Department of Health spokesperson said it’s also looking into a districtwide ban of See TOBACCO USE, page A2

Barbershop chorus looking for a mermaid Members of the Land of Legend Barbershop Chorus, who are currently preparing for their annual show April 2 at Newark’s Midland Theatre, are in search of a mermaid. According to Bruce Tolle of Johnstown, a member of the chorus, this year’s show will have a beach and ocean theme, and one of the necessary props is a mermaid. The person who had been cast will not be able to play the part, so Tolle said they’re looking for a replacement. See MERMAID, page A2

By Lorrie Cecil/ThisWeek

St. Albans Township firefighter Brad Gibson checks equipment to make sure it is in good working order at the fire station in Alexandria on Feb. 24.

Northridge schools

BOE OKs phone, Internet changes to save $10K By MICHAEL J. MAURER ThisWeek Community Newspapers The Northridge Local School District Board of Education approved changes to Internet and phone contracts Feb. 22 that are expected to save about $10,000 annually. Shawn Wilkoski, technology administrator, told the board that entering into a five-year contract for Internet service instead of a one-year contract should save the district approximately $5,000 annually.

In addition, a reduction from 10 cents per minute to 3 cents per minute in the phone services contract should contribute to another $5,000 monthly savings in phone service costs. The new phone service will allow the district to have dedicated direct dial phone numbers to a limited number of offices, such as athletics, administration, and building principals. “This would ease the burden in the offices,” Wilkoski said. “For example, if someone calls for the guidance office, the call goes to the (administration) office and then gets transferred to guid-

See NORTHRIDGE, page A3

Teacher using netbooks to engage her students By JENNA GANT the kids to go to and find inforThisWeek Community Newspa- mation,” Sharpe said. “Basicalpers ly they have to find the information and then we go over it in Kathy Sharpe’s six-grade so- class.” cial studies class at Adams MidSharpe traded books for techdle School learns without the use nology after receiving a local grant of textbooks. Instead her students at the end of the 2010 school year use netbooks, similar to small lap- for 25 netbooks. top computers. This is the first year she’s taught “I spent a lot of time research- with them as her main teaching ing a lot of different websites for tool.

“I can find the information. I can send the kids to the right place,” Sharpe said. “When they search and find the information themselves, they seem to learn it a lot better than if the information is just given to them. “They take more of an ownership of what they are doing,” she said.

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When they search and find the information themselves, they seem to learn it a lot better than if the information is just given to them.

KATHY SHAPRE Adams Middle School teacher

See NETBOOKS, page A3