New Philadelphia teachers, alumni honored
NEW PHILADELPHIA − April Range and Kelly VanArsdalen are the 2025 winners of the Dr. William J. and Mae Hurst Jackson Award for Distinguished Teaching in the New Philadelphia City School District. They were recognized at the Quaker Foundation awards banquet and received $6,000.
Erica Andrews and Kristi Prucha were selected as runners-up for the Jackson Distinguished Teaching Award and $1,500.
The finalists were selected from the teachers in the district who were nominated by students, parents, alumni, and other teachers.
Alumni honored at the banquet included Leonard Gundy, Class of 1967, Alumnus of the Year for Lifetime Contribution Award; Laura Murphy Shapiro, Class of 1976, Alumnus of the Year for Distinguished Service Award; and Paul Matter, Class of 1997, Alumnus of the Year for Special Achievement Award.
Projects bring road closures
NEW PHILADELPHIA – The Tuscarawas County Engineer’s Office said a portion of Allgyer Road will be closed June 23 through July 31 for bridge replacement. The closure will impact all traffic between Gilmore Road and Petry Hill Road.
Additionally County Road 82 will be closed 1,000 feet north of Dover June 23 through July 21 for a culvert replacement.
Smith recognized by funeral home directors
NEW PHILADELPHIA −Robert L. Smith, of Smith Funeral Homes in Sugarcreek and Bolivar, was recently recognized by the Ohio Funeral Directors Association for 50 years as a licensed funeral director and embalmer. The award was presented at the 145th annual O.F.D.A convention in Columbus.
Smith is a graduate of Dover High School and the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science. He remains active in community and civic organizations and is also president of Smith Ambulance Service in Tuscarawas County, a company he founded.
Fire department captain to give presentation
DOVER − Joe Minocchi, captain for the Dover Fire Department, will be the speaker on Home Safety For Aging Adults, at 12:15 p.m. June 19, at Tuscarawas County Senior Center, 425 Prospect St. He will discuss safety concerns for aging adults, including fall, poison and fire prevention. For more information, call 330-343-6123.
Learn about veterans’ mental health
SCIO − A Be the One program will take place from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Scio Ohio American Legion Post 482, at 38175 Crimm Road. The goal is to bring eliminate the stigma related to mental health treatment, and in turn, lower the number of veterans who die by suicide every day, while providing resources.
To confirm attendance, email scio482cmdr@gmail.com. For more information on the Be the One, visit betheone.org.
Vacation Bible school in Uhrichsville
UHRICHSVILLE − Vacation Bible school will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. June 23-27, at the Uhrichsville First Methodist Church. For more information, call 740-922-3881.
Zoar Wetland garage sale June 20-21
ZOAR − The Zoar Wetland will host its annual garage sale from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 20 and from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 21. A large variety of items have been donated for the sale, and all proceeds benefit the Zoar Wetland, located at 434 W. Fifth St.
Pittman receives scholarship to OSU
CARROLLTON −Jordan Pittman, a Carrollton native, will received the ACEL Centennial Scholarship. He was selected by the Department of Agricultural Communication, Education, and Leadership at The Ohio State University. He will be majoring in community leadership.
This scholarship, which is awarded to incoming freshmen studying agricultural communication, agriscience education, and/or community leadership at one of Ohio State’s six campuses, will provide financial assistance to the recipients for the first four semesters they are enrolled in the department.
Upcoming library programs
NEW PHILADELPHIA − The Ohio State University’s Solstice Outreach Mobile Planetarium for kids in grades kindergarten through fifth grade will be at the main library at 1:30 p.m. June 18.
● Local historian Noel Poirier will talk about “In the Shadow of Zoar: The 1947 Murder of John Myers” at 6:30 p.m. June 18 at the main library.
● Conversation Connections will be held at 5:30 p.m. every Thursday through July 24, at the main library so native English speakers and Spanish speakers can interact to supplement their language learning. For more information or registration, call 330-364-4474.
● Kindergarten readiness programs will be offered on June 21 and July 12 at the main library, to prepare kids for skills like name recognition and math needed for kindergarten. For more information on name recognition at 3 p.m. June 21 or math at 3 p.m. July 12, call 330-364-4474. Joy Mueller, who has a background in education and was licensed to teach reading in Ohio for several years, will lead the program.
● A variety of summer camps across its five locations throughout the summer. The camps will explore subjects like art, STEM, cooking, crafting, and cosplay. They vary in length from one day to a series and are designed for those in kindergarten through 12th grade. For a list of camps and for more information visit www.tusclibrary.org.
This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Tuscarawas County roundup: News from the Dover-New Philadelphia area
Reporting by The Times-Reporter / The Times-Reporter
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
