We offer our congratulations to Brittany (Shears) Goad (Class of 2009), on becoming a chaplain for the Columbus Division of Police!

Makenna McClure (Class of 2018) was recently featured on the Miami (Ohio) University website for her work in their Gerontological Studies program.

Read the full article HERE..

Nick McAvoy (2020) enlisted with the Ohio Army National Guard as a 14G Air Defense Battle Management System Operator.  He will manage network and communication equipment used to protect against aerial surveillance and attacks.  In addition to serving his country, Nick plans to use his commission to help pay for his college education.  He is currently attending Heidelberg University in Tiffin, Ohio, where he is also a member of the Student Princes’ football team.

Heather Sparkman (Class of 2019) recently visited with the CLHS Science Club to share information about careers within the Laboratory Sciences.  Heather is finishing her degree in Medical Laboratory Sciences at Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio.  The presentation began with an explanation of the general setup of a hospital lab, and continued with information on the different departments within the laboratory, laboratory techniques used by lab technicians, and how to pursue a career in this field. 

She also brought in two strains of bacteria and led the students through the experimental procedures used to identify each type of bacteria.  The Science Club is led by its advisor, Ms. Jaide Brown.

Emma Nichols (Class of 2023) visited with the SAIL after-school program to speak about her career as a baker.  Emma currently owns and operates Fox Trade Bakery where she bakes various desserts and and photographs her work.  She was certain to bring samples for her young audience to enjoy!

Ciara Giamarco (class of 2023) was recently awarded Intel’s Semiconductor Scholarship for Women.  Ciara works full-time at ATS Corporation while also attending Marion Technical College.  She is a graduate of the Tri-Rivers Engineering program and holds multiple certifications in FANUC, YASKAWA, Universal Robots, and SolidWorks.

Ellie Hess (Class of 2012) was given the North Union Pride Award at a recent School board meeting.  The board presented Ellie with a commemorative coin to honor her work with North Union students taking College Credit Plus (CCP) courses with Marion Technical College.  Ellie has been with MTC for over six years, currently serving as Assistant Director of College Credit Plus.

(Photo submitted by Marion Technical College)

Contributed by Ms. Erin Wollett, Agriculture teacher and FFA advisor

Sage Whetnall (class of 2023) earned distinction as one of the Top 4 FFA members in the nation in the Equine Entrepreneurship Proficiency Award area!

After winning the State title at the Ohio FFA State Convention in May, she was judged at the National level along with other winners from across the country. 

Sage interviewed with industry professionals in September and she will head to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis for the National FFA Convention in October where she will be recognized for her achievement.

The Cardington-Lincoln FFA chapter has earned multiple Gold, Silver, and Bronze ratings through the National Evaluations.  Sage became the first member to be named a National Finalist.

Sage also participated in this year’s Morrow County Fair and came away with the following honors:

1st Runner Up to Fair Queen

Morrow County Senior Pork Ambassador

Third Overall Showman of Showman

Reserve Champion Senior English High Point

Reserve Champion Senior Ranch Pleasure High Point

Reserve Champion Pleasure Versatility High Point

Third Overall Western Pleasure High Point

Staff Reports – CLHS alumnus Officer Ryan Beveridge was among three Marion Police Department officers who are being lauded as heroes after they rescued a man from an apartment fire this month.  According to police reports, dispatchers received a call to 911 about an apartment building on South Main Street in Marion that was on fire. 

Officer Beveridge was first on the scene and was told by one of the residents that a man was still inside one of the apartments.  He entered the smoke-filled apartment, and with the help of two other officers that arrived, they pulled the man from the building.  While there were reports of the possibility of children being in the apartment, there were no children left inside. 

The Marion Police Department, via its Facebook page, stated, “Our officers are tasked with many different ‘jobs’ throughout their shift.  Entering a burning building with no training or equipment to assist them surely is not one of those jobs, but even still, these three officers acted without delay and saved the life of a man who was not able to get out. We are proud to have these three Officers on our team."

Video from a body camera shows the rescue and is available on the WBNS 10TV website.

STAFF REPORTS – Young adult fiction author, Mindy McGinnis (class of 1997) will sign copies of her latest novel, A Long Stretch of Bad Days, at three area events. 

The novel’s release party, and book signing, will occur on Tuesday, March 14, at 7:00 P.M. at Beanbag Books, 25 West Winter Street in Delaware. 

On Saturday, March 25, she will sign copies of her work at two events.  At 10:30 A.M., she will be at Paragraphs Bookstore, 229 South Main Street, in Mount Vernon. 

That afternoon, she returns home to Cardington for a 1:00 P.M. event at the Cardington Café, 103 East Main Street. 

A Long Stretch of Bad Days is her twelfth novel. It is a mystery, that “shows the power of a name and one lie and how two girls can use their voices to change a town forever.”

McGinnis’ 2016 work, A Madness So Discreet, earned her the Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Mystery.  Her works routinely appear on the American Library Association’s “top ten” lists. 

Information about other signing events, her blog, and her podcast, as well as information about school visits and other services, is available at mindymcginnis.com. 

STAFF REPORTS – Sage Brannon (class of 2018) reached 1,000 points for her basketball career at Mount Vernon Nazarene University during an 89-81 overtime win over Taylor University on January 18. 

The senior guard scored nine points in the game to go along with her four assists and three steals.  During her time as a Cougar, Sage has earned Player-of-the-Week and All-Conference honors. 

Brannon also reached the 1,000-point mark as a Cardington Pirate.  As a senior, she was named KMAC Player-of-the-Year, Central District Player-of-the-Year, and Honorable Mention All-Ohio. 

Sage is majoring in Sports Management at MVNU.  Mount Vernon Nazarene University is in Mount Vernon, Ohio.

Marlo Young (Class of 2021) is making the most of her time at Otterbein University.  She is a member of the Cardinals marching band, and she recently performed as a member of the show choir.

Marlo was also initiated into the Alpha Lambda Delta/Phi Eta Sigma Honorary Societies.  This honor is given to first-year students who maintained a 3.5 and higher cumulative grade point average after their first semester at Otterbein.

Otterbein University is located in Westerville, Ohio.

STAFF REPORTS - There was a mini “reunion” of CLHS alumni in Alliance, Ohio on October 8.   

Brandon Steckel (class of 2019) and Nick McAvoy (2020) represented the Heidelberg University football team during their game at Mount Union. 

Brooke Clapham (2022) is a cheerleader for the Purple Raiders and Paige Clinger (2019) was a member of the homecoming court. 

STAFF REPORTS – Brandon Steckel, class of 2019, completed a stellar senior season on the football field and in the classroom at Heidelberg University.

Steckel finished the season converting 12 of 15 field goal attempts and 35 of 38 PAT attempts for a team-high 71 points.  His top performance this season came on October 22 during the homecoming game against Marietta.  Steckel was 5-for-5 on field goal attempts and 2-for-2 on his PATs to bring Student Prince’s back from a 21-0 first-quarter deficit and a 29-21 victory.

For his efforts, Steckel was named 2nd team all-American by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), 1st team all-Region, and 1st team all-OAC (Ohio Athletic Conference).  He also took care of business in the classroom, being named to the academic all-District and academic all-OAC teams.