LISBON — Beaver Local staff are working to make sure students have at least one trusted adult they can look to for help and connection within the high school.

High School Principal Aaron Walker briefed the board of education about the effort during the December meeting.

“Teachers have been working on building positive connections with students toward our goal of making sure that every student has at least one trusted adult that they can look to for help and connection with the school,” he said.

He also said that teachers have been reviewing their Value Added data that came out in November.

“Teachers use that data to inform their practice and look for ways to improve to reach more students academically,” he explained.

Walker also said the all district safety drill on Nov. 25 went well and thanked the St. Clair Township Police Department for its efforts.

“This drill went off really well,” he said.

District Superintendent Eric Lowe noted that the district is in the final stages of updating the safety plan components at the state level.

“It is always beneficial for our students to have time to talk about their safety at school or any public setting,” Middle School Principal Jake Walgate said.

Walgate also took some time during the meeting to congratulate Randalynn Moore, who earned Rotary November Student of the Month with over 320 hours of community service. Moore is a four-year varsity football cheerleader at Beaver Local, a member of the SADD Club, Varsity B Club, and the National Honor Society. She has dedicated more than 320 hours to community service over the past four years, Walgate said.

He also congratulated Justin Fisher for being the Columbiana County Career and Technical Center Student of the Month for November. Fisher is a senior enrolled in the Vocational Job Training Program.

Walgate was also happy to report that the Carrie Harris Food Drive raised roughly $1,000 this year thanks to the Student Council and National Honor Society for help in organizing and collecting funds.

In his report to the board Lowe congratulated Owen Hill who recently set the boys basketball scoring record eclipsing the record previously held by Jake Robinson.

On another matter Lowe said the district continues to examine state funding, enrollment and staffing as more information becomes available in regard to state funding.

He said that members of the board, the district treasurer and himself recently attended the state school board conference and participated in a number of sessions with legal updates.

He also noted that the building is the 11th year of use and a close eye is paid to maintenance and equipment needs to ensure that the building is being kept up to date and maintained.

He also offered his appreciation to the staff and community for coming together to help district families. He said that about 150 students were being assisted for the holiday and 12 families were also receiving ham and other support for a holiday meal through the Carie Harris Memorial Food Drive which is held annually.

District Treasurer Stacy Williams then told the board that the district is keeping a close eye on the many different pieces of legislation pending at the state level and how they will impact the district. 

Board President Greg Eisenhart asked if there is a group or a way to have some of the legislative updates examined and how they will impact the district. 

Williams said she works with K-12 funding and she will have an update for the board based on these changes.