Put-in-Bay School Announces Graduation Speaker

Put-in-Bay School School News – by Steve Poe, Superintendent

This year’s graduation speaker is Sandra (Hauck) Brausch, a 1972 graduate of Put-in-Bay school.  After graduation from high school, Ms. Brausch attended Bowling Green State University where she majored in Finance and Economics.  She began her career working for National City Bank, advancing into the positions of Installment, Commercial and Mortgage Loan Officer, Regulatory Compliance Director, Security Director, and Management Information Systems Director.

Ms. Brausch later became Vice President and Partner of J. Jeffrey Brausch & Company, an investment banking firm located in Medina, Ohio.  J. Jeffrey Brausch & Company provided financial advisory and consulting services to private and public companies throughout the United States.  It specialized in advising on initial and secondary public offerings of debt and equity securities, and structured sales, acquisitions and mergers of companies in many various industries.  Ms. Brausch retired in 2018 after 29 years with the company.

Ms. Brausch currently lives in Medina, Ohio, with her husband Jeff.  She has three step-children and eight grandchildren.  In retirement, she and her husband continue to enjoy their interests in fly-fishing, bicycling, hiking, aviation, boating, museums and historical sites, theater, symphony and pops orchestras, bird and nature conservation, and worldwide travel.

Student Accomplishments

Panther Basketball completed another successful season on the hardwood.  Our teams found much success this year.  The high school girls team finished with a record of 7-3.  Our girls won the Great Lakes Island Basketball tournament again this season with a 3-0 record.  They were led by seniors, Hannah Lentz and Cecilia Glauser.  The high school boys team won the game that counted the most: the Panthers kept the “victory rock trophy” by defeating Mackinac Island!  The boys were led by senior Joe Byrnes.  The future looks promising with the growth and development of the junior high team.  Coach Schuffenecker would like to thank everyone who made this season so successful. Our school looks forward to hosting the Great lakes Island Tournament next December.

On Tuesday February 4, three students represented Put-in-Bay School at the Ottawa County Spelling Bee; Emil Michael in 8th grade, Elias Wright in 6th grade, and Emma Michael in 5th grade. These 3 students competed against thirty other spellers from local schools. All three students represented Put-in-Bay proudly, correctly spelling words from “vortices” to “ramparts” and “haughty”. Elias Wright placed 18th overall, Emma Michael placed 9th overall and Emil Michael finished in 1st place. Emil successfully completed twenty-four rounds of the Spelling Bee and was named the 2020 Ottawa County Spelling Bee Champion. The final word correctly spelled by Emil was “jamboree,” which fittingly lead to a boisterous celebration by the island contestants.

The Class of 2020 senior class Valedictorian is Alexandra Knauer.  She is the daughter of Doug and Liz Knauer.  The class Salutatorian is Joseph Byrnes, son of Mike and Susan Byrnes.  Congratulations on four years of academic achievement!  Alex and Joe now have a couple months to prepare their speeches for graduation.

The 2020 Buckeye Girls State, Put-in-Bay High School representative is Lucille Schneider. Lucille is the daughter of John and Kathryn Schneider.  Lucille is a junior at Put-in-Bay High School.  Students interested in attending Buckeye Girls State submit an essay expressing interest in the program. Buckeye Girls State is designed to educate Ohio’s young women in the duties, privileges, rights and responsibilities of good citizenship. Students learn about City, County and State Government.  Congratulations to Lucille in representing Put-in-Bay School at the University of Mount Union.

Hugh O’ Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY) is a program for students to realize their leadership talents and apply them in becoming effective leaders in their home, school, work-place and community.  Students attend a seminar in the summer where they participate in leadership skills opportunities.  The 2020 sophomore student representative this year is Kate Byrnes. Kate is the daughter of Mike and Susan Byrnes. She will attend the summer seminar at Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio. Congratulations Kate.

Mark your March calendars for these events:

Island Talent Show  – Thursday, March 19 at 6:30pm

Spring Concert / Art Show – Wednesday, March 25

Put-in-Bay School Science Fair Entrants Earn Superior Rating

The 6th annual Put-in-Bay School Science Fair took place on Friday, February 7th , under the direction of science teacher Missi Kowalski.   All Put-in-Bay students in grades 7-12, along with Kelleys Island’s only high school student, completed science projects based on criteria set by the Ohio Academy of Science.  Projects were judged by fifteen professionals, all with varying backgrounds in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Students who received an overall score of “superior” will be moving on to the District Science Fair held at the University of Toledo on March 7th.

There were seven projects receiving an overall superior score this year:

Macy Ladd–9th grade– Effects of Man-made Structures in Water on Shoreline Erosion

Alice Lentz–9th grade– Effects of Salinity on GMO Arabidopsis

Kate Byrnes–10th grade– Effects of Different Water Temperatures on Living Daphnia

Nora Ladd–11th grade– Effects of Chromatic Differences in Microplastic Consumption Related to Fish Health and Behavior

Elena Schroeder–11th grade– Inhibiting Effects of OTC Acne Medications on B. subtilis Growth

Alexandra Knauer–12th grade– Effects of Environmental Pollutants on Arabidopsis Germination

Hannah Lentz–12th grade– Carbon Dioxide Production from the Fermentation Process of Various Feedstocks

During the remainder of the day on February 7th, upper elementary and high school students participated in a variety of science related games and activities in the style of Science Olympiad.  The student who accumulates the most points throughout the day receives the coveted “Newton Cup.”  This year’s overall winner is senior Joseph Byrnes.

High school students also spent time throughout the day engaging in activities with elementary students to help get them excited about STEM fields.  Some activities included the construction and testing of ferries (grades 2-3), blasting off to Mars with balloon rockets (grades K-1), and the chemistry of acids and bases (grade 4).

Students in grades K-12, as well as community members, are encouraged to compete in the Pinewood Derby that takes place at the end of the day.  This year proved to have some fierce competition with the final winner being determined by slow motion video replay.  Second grader Meredith Cooper managed to take the win, with sixth grader Cody Kowalski coming in at close second place.

Many thanks to the Put-in-Bay School Staff and the entire community for making this event a fantastic one each year!

“Ice, Ice Baby!”

Kelleys Island hovers low on the eastern horizon.

For a brief moment on Saturday morning there is ice-glee around the Bass Islands.  From west to east, from north to south, thin ice sheets danced across Lake Erie’s Western Basin.  Air temperature hovers in the mid-twenties (F), and Marblehead Station reports the noon water temperature at 32.5°F.  Shanties may not pop up anytime soon, but the partially frozen inland sea lifts spirits for all of us who thrive on weather dynamics!