19 minute read
GREEN SCENE
from Green 2021
Inclusive Education
Green Local Schools and the Portage Lakes Career Center strive to provide all students with opportunities to succeed.
» GREEN LOCAL SCHOOLS (GLS) and Portage Lakes Career Center (PLCC) strive to provide educational opportunities for each and every student.
Krista Haubert, marketing and public relations coordinator at PLCC, Rebecca Anstine, parent mentor for GLS, and Julie McMahan, coordinator of communications, community outreach and student wellness at GLS, explain how.
Hands-on Learning
At PLCC, courses center around hands-on learning that’s relevant to students’ future career goals, Haubert says.
“Too many high school students graduate without knowing what they want to do,” Haubert says. “Taking a career tech program helps them discover their passion and gives them a more focused direction after high school.”
Haubert adds that students can also earn industry-recognized certifications and licensures, giving them an advantage with prospective employers. PLCC opened its doors in 1977 and currently offers programs in automotive technology, cosmetology, en-
Portage Lakes Career Center
Portage Lakes Career Center
gineering and manufacturing, law and criminal justice, plumbing and pipefitting, prenursing, culinary arts and much more.
“Career tech education creates an engaging school environment where students can link traditional lessons to real-life applications that apply directly to students’ future careers, helping them feel more invested and see the value in their learning and education,” Haubert says.
PLCC also offers adult education courses, accredited by the Commission of the Council on Occupational Education and taught by certified instructors with real-life experience. Those interested may visit plcc.edu for a list of all available programs or follow PLCC on Facebook or Instagram for more information.
— Krista Haubert Parent Mentor Project
The Parent Mentor Project within GLS began in 1991, and yet, McMahan refers to it as one of Green’s “hidden gems.”
Green has two parent mentors: Rebecca Anstine and Kevin Groen. The program provides resources and support to families who have students with disabilities.
“I’m hoping as we continue to move forward, that program becomes widely exposed,” McMahan says. “Many times, people don’t think about those with disabilities as minorities, and we want to make sure the inclusion is from top to bottom, from child to adult.”
Parent mentors point families in the direction of tutors, doctors and other support services, in addition to holding support groups. Parent mentors also educate school staff members with guideline updates and training.
“We help parents be more connected because a student with a family that’s involved tends to be more successful,” Anstine says.
McMahan adds that the parent mentors act as liaisons between families and the school district.
“Often, when parents have children with a disability, they are fearful of their student going to school for the first time,” McMahan says. “Rebecca and Kevin work closely with the families and schools to make sure all questions are addressed in ways the parents can understand.” — SW
The Parent Mentor Project in Green secured a grant to create an inclusive cheer team. The Mighty Dawgs empowers students to create a school-based cheerleading program to bring together students with and without disabilities.
At a Glance Green Local Schools
Green Local Schools is categorized as a suburban district of 33 square miles and is one of Green’s largest employers with more than 525 employees.
Number of Students by Building (2021-22)
Green High School (9-12): 1,293 Green Middle School (7-8): 658 Green Intermediate School (4-6): 907 Green Primary School (1-3): 862 Greenwood ELC (PreK-K): 257
97.7% Five-year graduation rate 77.3% Teachers who have a master’s degree 16: Average years of experience 70% Funding received that is spent on classroom instruction 72 Students who are active participants in the JROTC Air Force program, nearly double in size from 2020-21
Green High School Class of 2021
126
Completed criteria for an Honors Diploma 32 Earned the Seal of Biliteracy 43 Inducted into the Academic Wall of Fame
14 Athletes “signed” to continue their athletic careers at colleges and universities
Portage Lakes Career Center Enrollment
2021-22 Total Enrollment: 591 Juniors from Green: 112 Seniors from Green: 86
Class of 2020-21
3.4% Entered an apprenticeship 76.2% Employed related to their program 5.1% Joined the military 33.2% Enrolled in post-secondary education
New high school program offerings in 2021-22:
• Law & Criminal Justice • Medical Technician
New Adult Education Programs:
• Plumbing • Manufacturing Technologies
Open to the Public:
• Neon Lime, the Culinary Arts student-run restaurant, as well as two salons, reopened to the public in October.
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Love of the Land
Local farmers highlight their passion for carrying on Green’s legacy as a farming community.
By Kristen Hampshire
At Southgate Farm’s Little Sprouts camp, preschoolers help collect eggs, feed chicks, visit with the goats and dig in the gardens. They get a taste for what it’s like to love the land — to discover, hands-on, how food is grown.
This is just one outreach program the farm offers, and a commitment to delivering community engagement and education is part of the 10-year lease agreement Rachel Bellis and her husband, Justin Turner, made with the city when they acquired the property one year ago.
Centered on Green’s Southgate Park, the property hadn’t been farmed in some time. Its wells were in good working order and its outbuildings — the barn, home — were in fine shape. It was an ideal way for Bellis and Turner to pursue their dream of operating a farm of their own.
“I moved here for this opportunity,” says Bellis, relating that those who have roots in the city would appreciate that there’s a resident-farmer working the land. “Especially as we see more development happening, this is green space.”
Matt Hartong, who runs the family’s Hartong Farm on Killinger Road, says, “People like to see preservation along with progress,” and there is a balance in Green despite its continual growth. He’s been working on the dairy farm since age 5 and is one of four generations of Hartongs currently on the farm.
Hartong’s grandfather, Dean, is 94 and still drives the tractor from time to time. His father, Dennis, takes the 3 a.m. shift in the dairy barns. And his children, ages 3 and 4, are growing up on one of Green’s oldest farms. The cornerstone on the barn is inscribed with “1911,” and the 500 acres of land includes 130 cows that are milked twice daily and land where grain grows to feed the animals. Green originally was a farming community, and as Matt Beese of Merestead Farms says, “There aren’t many of us left.”
He adds, “Green is our home and always will be.” Centered on visible acreage in town, Merestead Farms is a rural reminder of Green’s roots. “It symbolizes what Green once was,” Beese says.
Merestead Farms
Hartong Farm
For 107 years, the Beese family has been farming the land at Merestead Farms, which was established in 1814 when it transitioned from a coal mine site for Lakeview Mine, where Beese’s great-great grandfather was superintendent. The family purchased the property after the mine closed; and the Beese family still has maps of the tunnels that run 120 feet underneath where corn and soybeans are grown on the fertile surface today.
“Small hamlets is what Green was back in the day,” Beese says, relating how the city was divided into sections of land that were numbered. Theirs is Section 17.
Beese took over the farm operations 12 years ago with a mind to grow the operation, which he has accomplished by leasing land in and around Green. The city is mostly surrounded by wide, open space. He has expanded the operation through land leases from 500 to 1,200 acres during the last decade.
“I grow my own hay, we have a full-care barn and boarding stables, and we focus on production agriculture,” he says.
Merestead Farms produces about 80,000 bushels of corn per year that is stored on site for up to eight months, then sold to an elevator in Massillon. End users produce ethanol or chicken feed. The 25,000 to 30,000 bushels of soybeans grown on-site are also sold to an elevator that ships to chicken feed producers.
For Beese, production farming is his passion — and so is keeping the family tradition alive. “It means a lot to me to say I farm in Green,” he says.
We did a gardeners walk earlier this year where guests could come and ask questions while touring the farm. I want people to think of Southgate as
their farm.” — Rachel Bellis
LAND OF LEGACY
The Hartong last name is on the barn at Southgate Farm, and Hartong says “it’s fantastic to see the lovely farm market and that
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someone is taking care of that farm.”
Southgate is different than the Hartong dairy farm or row-crop focus at Merestead. As a new farm in Green, its focus is on growing organic produce that is sold on-site and at the North Canton Farmers Market in season. Southgate also has a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. “The city is a partner to me, so we engage the public beyond a pure customer relationship,” Bellis says. Because many people do not have the type of deep connection with the land that farmers enjoy, Southgate is an opportunity to expose visitors to growing and caring for plants and animals.
“We partnered with a local educator to offer some preschool programming, and we hold adult workshops,” Bellis says, noting that slated for spring is a How to Grow Shiitake Mushrooms workshop. In October, the farm hosted a pumpkin patch on Saturdays. “We also did a gardeners walk earlier this year, where guests could come and ask questions while touring the farm.”
Bellis adds, “I want people to think of Southgate as their farm.”
Hartong also takes advantage of lease land opportunities in Green. The farm owns 200 acres and leases about 300,
Hartong Farm
mainly for the purpose of growing grain to feed the cows. “We have a lot of good neighbors who care about the legacy of farming in Green, and they might let us farm their properties and charge us per acre, per year,” he explains.
Hartong Farm typically ships 16,000 pounds of milk every two days. At about 8 pounds per gallon, that’s enough milk to fill about 2,000 jugs. “Working with animals is incredibly rewarding,” Hartong says. “Cows are big animals, and they are pretty intimidating to a lot of people, but we have a lot of cows in our barn that act like pets. They like to come up to you and get a good scratch on the head.”
Ultimately, a connection to Green and its land — an appreciation of the farming legacy — is what drives Hartong, Beese and Bellis to sow, toil, milk, harvest and share their love of community. “As long as I’m alive,” Beese says, “I’ll keep farming.”
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Community & Commerce
Development initiatives and business-friendly practices have created an attractive package for the city’s growing selection of office, retail and industrial parks. BY KRISTEN HAMPSHIRE
» “YOU MIGHT WANT TO PUT a pin in the map right here,” was what Ohio Sen. Kirk Schuring told Bill Wappler, president of Surgere, when the company was seeking places to locate its business. Surgere provides supply chain solutions for some of the world’s largest companies, including Timken.
In 2004, Wappler and four others started Surgere at his kitchen table in North Canton.
“We started as consultants in an industry that hadn’t awakened yet, and we deliver very sophisticated data collection — what they call IoT,” Wappler explains. “Right away, Timken trusted us, and we started off rapidly.”
Today, Surgere has a staff of about 100 people located throughout the U.S., with subsidiaries in India. Since deciding on Green for its headquarters, the business has more than tripled.
“We are thinking about expanding our operations in Green, and there is a lot happening for us,” Wappler says of the success of its site at the CAM Inc. property, Akron/ Canton Corporate Center I, 3500 Massillon Road.
Surgere considered many locations, including the West Coast; Charlotte, North Carolina; Chicago, Illinois; and Nashville, Tennessee — progressive urban centers. But they couldn’t compete with the assets Green offered.
Specifically, Green offers a wide talent pool with proximity to colleges and universities where recruiting can take place. There’s the airport access and three highway exits off of Interstate 77. Cost of living is “incredible” compared to other locations Surgere investigated, Wappler says.
“People are really comfortable living in this area. Their kids are going to great schools, they have access to wonderful amenities, and our people don’t have to drive two hours one way to get to work.”
In fact, attracting employees from the coasts is relatively easy, Wappler says. “All of these benefits make our employees happy, and it allows them to balance work and life,” he says.
Growing Together
Green and its business sector have grown together. Bill Sadataki, managing member of SB Equities that has the lease-hold on Port Green, has lived in the community for 20 years. He has watched its residential and commercial evolution.
“The city has done a great job of providing the right atmosphere and amenities for people who are business users,” Sadataki says. “They need a good place to operate their business. And, when you drive through Green, it conveys a very progressive, fresh image that, frankly, you don’t get in a lot of communities that large industrial users are considering. They tend to be in areas that are fairly built-up and older, or extremely rural.”
There’s a symbiotic community-business relationship, adds Rick Rebadow, vice president of business development at CAM Inc. “For employers who are here, it’s a great residential community with great schools and access to the airport, so they can attract employees to their offices.”
Not to mention, businesses can draw employees from a wide geographic region. “We have an employee who lives in Carrollton and another one who lives in Paris — people who live anywhere from Stow and Massillon to Fairlawn,” says Traci Mockbee, CAM Inc.’s vice president of sales. “We have been blessed with the Green location to draw from a large area. We don’t have the traffic, and parking is free.”
Rebadow adds, “Green has been identified as a job hub for the state of Ohio — one of the hot spots for attracting talent, and a lot of companies are looking at that as an opportunity, as well.”
Wappler says, “If you are going to select a place to have a business, a big part of it is who you can hire, and Green has given us a lot of opportunities for that.”
Meanwhile, development has supported amenities like the schools — along with community growth by bringing retail, restaurants and other conveniences. For example, CAM Inc.’s the Shops of Green includes Menche’s Bros. Restaurant, Lucky Star and KeyBank.
“When we originally started Akron/Canton Corporate Park, we put Shops of Green in there because there were services we felt were important to have — a bank, restaurants,” Traci Mockbee says. “Since then, Green has matured and has any service that residents and employees could want.”
Focused on the Future
Because Green has been a friendly place to develop real estate opportunities and do business, companies like CAM Inc. are investing even more into the area.
“Green has been very involved and competitive with incentives, whether it be job creation or tax credits, and they’ve always been cooperative,” says Jeff Mockbee, president of CAM Inc.
This has allowed developers like CAM Inc.
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Remembering OUR ROOTS
Local farmers share their love for carrying on the city’s legacy as a farming community.
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Discover a city dedicated to making connections and ensuring the best quality of life for residents and visitors. On the MOVE
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to build properties that attract new businesses to Green. “If you are competing against another product in a different community that might have less expensive land, Green’s incentives will help offset those costs,” Mockbee says.
CAM Inc. has 22 sites in Green and is currently developing Heritage Crossings and continuing projects at Akron/Canton Corporate Park. “We have plans for more office and retail development,” Rebadow says.
On the Akron-Canton Airport (CAK) property, there is the Port Jackson Industrial Park and Port Green International Business Park. Port Green, specifically, includes about 400 acres, including common areas. Phase I is about 85% occupied, and there is a lot of room for business attraction in Phase II, which is approximately 15% occupied.
“One of the strengths of this park is it’s home to household-name companies like Sam’s Club, Walmart, DHL Logistics and FedEx,” Sadataki says.
From the beginning, Port Green has attracted blue-chip global companies, which was the intention, Sadataki says. “The goal was to develop institutional-quality real estate that could be either owner-occupied or would be attractive to investment buyers,” he says.
Because of the companies located at Port Green, major international business players are drawn to the location, Sadataki points out. “When companies are doing site location searches, there is a high comfort level that goes with seeing names like FedEx or DHL,” he relates. “That reinforces their opinion when they see other businesses that are well-known for their site selection capabilities, and they are all in one area. It really tells you something.”
Large parcels available in Phase III of Port Green will be occupied quickly, Sadataki estimates. “There has been explosive growth in last-mile distribution for companies like Amazon, and the overall economy continues to gain stability so we will get back on track with other projects.”
Bill Wappler, Surgere
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In The City of Green In The City of Green
