Westerville March April 2021

Dad to the Bone Shaun Ditty and Matt Lofy’s parenting podcast

Protecting the Community at Mount Carmel St. Ann’s Westerville Superintendent John Kellogg A Retro Remodel www.westervillemagazine.com

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Inside

MARCH/APRIL 2021

07 community calendar

More than just the Dance!

08 faces

The Dad and the Dude

Podcast delves into parenting and relationships

12 Preserving the Legacy

12

Westerville honors lasting legacy of past Westervillians

14 in focus

A Center for Transformation

Otterbein focuses on education inequality with new program

16 The Next Steps

Mount Carmel St. Ann’s works to protect community

18 A Team Player

355 Cherrington Rd. Westerville www.leapoffaithdancecompany.com

Westerville superintendent leads with empathy and collaboration

22 Students Spearhead

16

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Seat Belt Safety

Westerville engineering students and their seat belt invention

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nie Con ski ow Sad

24 inside living

A Retro Remodel

A little piece of the ’70s hides in Uptown Westerville

26 Luxury Living Real Estate Guide 27 Top Homes Sold in Westerville 28 on the table

24

Go Go Gluten

To eat or not to eat?

30 Bookmarks

@westervillemagazine Read more online at WestervilleMagazine.com www.westervillemagazine.com

WHAT’S MY HOME’S VALUE?

On the Cover Shaun Ditty & Matt Lofy See page 8 Photo by Ray LaVoie March/April 2021 5

2021

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Dates and events are subject to change.

Check with event organizers before attending.

March/April Westerville PublicLibrary 126 S. State St. www.westervillelibrary.org

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March 25 Decoding the Weather Machine: Film Screening & Discussion Virtual, 7-8 p.m.

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Library will be closed

April 12 Dungeons & Dragons Virtual, 7-9 p.m.

Otterbein University 1 S. Grove St. www.otterbein.edu

March 3 Drive-Thru Pancake Breakfast

7:30-10 a.m., Westerville Community Center, 350 N. Cleveland Ave., www.westerville.org

March 4-6, 11-13 Over The River And Through The Woods

7 p.m., Westerville North High School, 950 County Line Rd., www.wnhtheatre.org

March 5 Education Interview Day

March 29-April 5 Spring Break for Westerville City Schools

March 16 Being Your Authentic Self

April 4 Easter

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4-5 p.m., virtual

April 8 Academic Support Center presents Test Taking Tips 3-4 p.m., virtual

April 13 Academic Support Center presents Finals Prep 4-5 p.m., virtual

www.westerville.k12.oh.us

We asked a group of Westerville residents what their plans are for Easter and these are the results: 55 percent said they’ll be Easter egg hunting 25 percent said they’ll be egg decorating 5 percent said they’ll be chowing down on candy 5 percent said they’ll be attending Easter service

April 15 Raise Your Voice: Activism at Home 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Courtright Memorial Library

westervilledentalhealth.com 6 March/April 2021

www.westervillemagazine.com

Springing our gardening questions on two Westerville green thumbs Andi Gregorek Yates has lived in Westerville for about six months and Carol Dilligas has been a Westerville resident since 2019.

Both are green thumbs and know all the dirt on the flowers popping up in your spring garden beds.

Westerville Magazine: What do your spring gardens usually look like?

Carol Dilligas: My old house had a spring ephemeral garden and I had lots of bulbs. I was pleased when I moved here to find tulips in my front yard. I have added creeping phlox (my husband’s favorite) and lily of the valley, which I hope will come up this spring.

Andi Gregorek Yates: My spring gardens actually include a lot of vegetables. I’ll start carrots and broccoli from seeds indoors and move them out when I can start working the ground. We have raised vegetable beds, one of which is seasonally rotated. I love bulbs, so we have about 100 tulips and daffodils scattered around. I love having a rotating selection, so I’ll have hyacinths and irises in late spring.

We’ve also got some established shrubs and rose bushes that will get a good pruning in early spring. In addition, we start moving our bog plants outside around spring; all of the carnivorous plants help manage garden pests.

We try to keep them away from our pollinator garden though!

WM: What’s your favorite flower or plant?

CD: I am having fun exploring sun-loving plants. I love anything with a good fragrance – roses, honeysuckle, magnolia. I will be trying to start a cutting garden this year with zinnias, nasturtiums, bachelor buttons and maybe some daisies.

AGY: My favorite house plants are definitely either ferns or orchids. When it comes to

outdoor flowers and plants, I really love my herb gardens and buckets. So many of them have beautiful foliage, smells and flowers. I’m growing chamomile this year for the first time and I’m probably the most excited about that.

WM: Do you have any advice your fellow Westerville gardeners?

CD: Ask your neighbors for advice! They know what grows well here. I am fortunate to have my friend Nancy Evans living across the street, a long time volunteer at Inniswood Gardens who has a wealth of information to share.

AGY: Plant what you love. I accidentally ended up with a lot of purple flowers a while ago and thought that there wasn’t enough variety in my garden. I stopped to think about it though, and realized that all those flowers and plants brought me so much joy that it didn’t matter if they were all similar colors. By the same token, figure out what solutions work for you. I love a trellis for my tomatoes, but cages can work well, too!

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WM: What’s the biggest mistake you think beginner gardeners make when planting?

AGY:The biggest mistake I’ve personally made with gardening is not doing the research or following instructions. The first time I planted bulbs, I planted them about two inches deep, didn’t read the recommended directions on the packaging and put the plants where I wanted them instead. Nothing did well; some were in too much light, others not enough.

Some were washed out in the rain and some were dug up by squirrels. Now, I consider the space, identify the plants and flowers that grow best in those conditions and follow directions. Don’t give up! It took me at least a few years to learn how to grow bumper crops of peppers, but now it’s easy.

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March/April 2021 7

faces

By Rocco Falleti Photos courtesy of Ray LaVoie and Matt Lofy

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The Dad and the Dude

Podcast delves into parenting and relationships

F

or Matt Lofy, being a dad was always the dream. In October 2019, that dream became a reality when Lofy and wife Heather welcomed their newborn son, Tuckerman, into the world.

“All the men I’ve ever admired seem to have one thing in common – they’re all dads,” Lofy says. “Now that I’m one, it’s the title I love most and want to be defined by (and husband).”

As Lofy entered his new role as dad, he began to think of ways he could help

8 March/April 2021

navigate this new experience and connect with those in similar situations. Thus came the idea for a podcast.

“I just didn’t want it to be two more dudes in a basement talking about nothing,” Lofy says. “At the time, I had just become a new dad and wanted to learn from other dads. I want to be the dad that my father was.”

Originally, Lofy planned for the podcast to have guest appearances from dads of all ages, experiences and backgrounds.

That idea slowly morphed into the Dadass podcast when Lofy’s friend, Shaun Ditty, entered the picture.

Ditty has a counseling background and was one of the first guests on the early iterations of Dadass. The two discovered they had great chemistry and rapport and decided to grow the podcast together.

“What started as this sort of dad-centric thing has shifted to families and partners and spousal relationships,” Ditty says. “It www.westervillemagazine.com

has also become a place for people to be exposed to listening to us talk about other things that you wouldn’t necessarily think of on a family podcast.”

At the same time, the duo hope to provide a platform for men to engage in conversations that they typically avoid.

“A lot of times men don’t express their feelings in a healthy way and may not have a place to ask questions,” Ditty says.

“It’s our hope to engage different men into these conversations.”

Podcast Partners Lofy and Ditty met when Ditty’s wife took a spin class Lofy taught at LA Fitness.

At the time, Ditty and his wife were trying to get in shape for their wedding.

“She came back and said that we have a lot in common, for instance that he likes to hike,” Ditty says. “My first thoughts were, … ‘Oh no, he’s probably really good looking, do I need to be worried?’” Ditty says, laughing.

Although the two drifted apart after that due to busy schedules, they eventually reconnected as the podcast took form.

“Knowing Shaun’s background, he was one of the first people I reached out to when this started,” Lofy says. “I was newly married in a new home, with a

You can stream the Dadass Podcast on all your favorite devices using Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Anchor and more. And for the latest updates from the Dadass crew, they invite you to follow them on Myspace. Yes, that’s right, Myspace.

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March/April 2021 9

new baby and rekindling this friendship helped get me through some things this year, COVID-19 aside.”

“We were in each other’s little pod during this COVID-19 stuff,” Ditty adds. “He was the only other person outside of my immediate family I saw.”

More Than a Name The chemistry between Lofy and Ditty is undeniable. The two are constantly cracking jokes and making the other laugh and there is a true and loving friendship that extends far beyond recording weekly podcasts.

As far as the origin and inspiration behind the name Dadass, both are adamant that it is more than just a catchy name. Although the core of the show centers on dads, the message is inclusive of all parents.

“We didn’t want it to be something that was just for men, because there are plenty of Dadass women who are raising kids, and our hope is that there are women listening and it could be something potentially that couples listen to together,” Ditty says. “We want to go beyond the ‘Disney dad.’”

What makes someone “Dadass”?

A person who continually strives to be the best version of themselves whether that be in parenting, adulting or in their relationships with others.

A Dadass ups their game each day. ✓ First time dad with a newborn. #dadass ✓ Been parents for years. #dadass ✓ Single mom making it work as best you can. #dadass ✓ The funcle or fun aunt. #dadass

Breaking the Ice Perhaps one of the most interesting parts of this podcast, content aside, is where it is recorded. Located behind a sliding bookcase is Ditty’s own speakeasy bar, Between the Lines.

“As a child, I always wanted a secret room,” Ditty says, “As an adult I realized, oh wait, I own my own home … and I can build things.”

The space is a simple, quiet space to enjoy each other’s company over a cocktail mixed by Ditty himself. Whiskey is the spirit of choice, as the space holds more than 130 bottles, along with homemade syrups and mixers. If you’re lucky enough to be a guest, you can bring your own cocktail or Ditty will make one.

10 March/April 2021

Most importantly, you must provide one dad joke before the show starts.

“It’s a nice icebreaker for people to feel a rapport with us before we get into asking questions,” Lofy says. “Even when we have moms on, they have some mom jokes. It’s a fun exercise to break the ice.”

The Future Since the podcast’s first episode with both Lofy and Ditty as hosts, the two have grown a newfound appreciation for their guests from the Columbus area.

“There are a ton of really inspiring people in Columbus doing some amazing things,” Ditty says. “We’ve made some really great connections and friendships.”

From local parents to city counselors working with the LGBTQ+ community to a sleep consultant, Dadass covers a lot of ground, and is only just getting started. As it continues, the goals are simple: continue to grow the community and serve as a resource to listeners.

“One of the long-term vision things for me is that this becomes a larger community for people to interact with each other through an online platform, or if we ever get to be around each other again in real life,” Ditty says. “Building a sense of community around this idea of we might not have all the answers, but somebody in here might know this or that.”

And as for Lofy, he hopes to grow into fatherhood as much as the Dadass community grows in numbers.

“Now that I’m a dad, it’s my mission to be an authentic witness of fatherhood/ masculinity for him, just as my dad has been for me,” he says. “And, of course, grow our lawn a little thicker and my jokes just a bit funnier.”

Rocco Falleti is an associate editor. Feedback welcome at rfalleti@cityscenecolumbus.com. www.westervillemagazine.com

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Visit OhioHealth.com/Foundation or call (614) 544-GIVE (4483) to learn how you can support our mission. © OhioHealth Inc. 2021. All rights reserved. FY21-500202-E.

Preserving the Legacy Westerville honors lasting legacy of past Westervillians

By Rocco Falleti

T

he Westerville Parks and Recreation department had its eye on the southeastern quadrant of Westerville for years. So, once land owned by the W.B. Johnston-McVay families became available, the Westerville Parks and Recreation department jumped at the opportunity. Even if you are unfamiliar with the stories of W.B. Johnston and Dorothy and Maurice (Mac) McVay, you’ve almost certainly benefited from their legacy of immense pride for Westerville and philanthropic work.

Mac and Dorothy married in 1929 in Newport, Kentucky, and shortly after moved to Dorothy’s hometown of Westerville. The couple lived on Central Avenue and owned

a furniture store where Amish Originals now stands. In the 1940s, the two purchased a farm on Hempstead Road, where the McVay-Johnston Park is today. The farm welcomed horse racing and served as a community hub for business people to come talk and groom horses and enjoy a nice picnic.

Dorothy and Mac were well-known in the community and were extremely active in their philanthropic efforts. Perhaps most well-known is their donation of 15.8 acres of land to the Westerville City School District where McVay Land Lab now stands alongside McVay Elementary.

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the city of Westerville,” Gail Morrissey, Dorothy’s niece, says. “They always did what they believed was right or needed.”

Dorothy and Mac wore their pride for Westerville on their sleeves, as the two made a number of contributions to Westerville including a new wooden floor for the Riffe Center’s basketball court, helping special needs residents at the Blendon Senior Center and Westerville Senior Center through the parks and recreations department, donations to the police and fire departments, as well as posthumous contributions to the Columbus Foundation.

And that’s just a brief look at the enormous impact Dorothy and Mac made.

“The community was good to them and in turn they gave back,” Bill Johnston, grandson of Dorothy and Mac, says. “A lot of things you would never know they did, (Dorothy) didn’t ever really want people to know what she was doing. I remember the minister at her funeral saying, ‘Helping others was her greatest source of pleasure.’”

The Park The McVay-Johnston Park is open to the public for play and the official grand opening ceremony will be held this spring. The park sits on land near McVay Elementary www.westervillemagazine.com

and is deeply rooted in its connection to nature.

“Both families are very important to Westerville and supportive of community efforts and charitable giving,” Randy Auler, director of the Westerville Parks and Recreation department, says. “The naming of the park would be appropriate given their history with Westerville in supporting the community and trying to make Westerville a great place to live.”

The park is part of Westerville’s continued mission of ensuring each resident lives within a half mile of greenspace. It took two years of planning and capturing feedback from the community to get this project off the ground and will feature unique aspects such as hammock spaces and a storybook trail that will encourage families to not only play but learn in the space, too.

The play structures will echo the wildlife around the park, including one that will be in the shape of a hawk sitting on a nest of eggs.

“It just adds another unique feature to provide educational development,” Auler says. “Just another opportunity to bring the community together to enjoy the outdoors.”

Using the historic land this way is a fitting way to honor two of Westerville’s earliest philanthropists who were deeply dedicated to their community and showed their love through philanthropy.

“This peaceful green space is truly an appropriate way to honor them,” Morrissey says. “No towering buildings, elaborate architecture or overstated monuments would fit. A simple, natural preserve, which will invite people to come together, creating

a strong community bond, exemplifying Westerville’s founding fathers perfectly.”

While both Dorothy and Mac have both passed away, the Johnston-McVay family is proud of the park and happy it’s there for the entire community.

“They would have been very happy to see how it is keeping the green space and the city of Westerville will all be able to use it,” Johnston says. “I am a history buff and being able to see what your parents and grandparents did, you appreciate it more and more as you get older.”

Rocco Falleti is an associate editor. Feedback welcome at rfalleti@cityscenecolumbus.com.

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in focus

By Brandon Klein

A Center for Transformation

Otterbein focuses on education inequality with new program

O

tterbein University is demonstrating its commitment to diversity and inclusion in becoming Ohio’s first Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT) Campus Center.

In February 2020, the university announced its recognition as one of 23 universities to host the center. Since then, Otterbein has rolled out activities, classes and programming to become a safe, education-focused space to talk about race and social justice in central Ohio. Otterbein hopes to change the way community members think and talk about race-related issues.

“We wanted to do it because it is part of Otterbein’s mission,” says Kathryn Plank, associate provost for Otterbein’s academic affairs division.

The TRHT concept is a national collaboration between the Association of American Colleges & Universities and

A Piece of History In 1955, Ohio legislators removed the requirement that school districts shared the same boundaries with the city they served. Through the 1970s, the city of Columbus began annexing land that belonged to the suburban districts, opening the possibility for Columbus schools to petition the State Board of Education to transfer those areas into its district as well.

Columbus schools began to take such action in 1971 with land in the Grandview Heights area, and in 1980 requested to transfer all annexed properties into its district, prompting conflict between Columbus schools and suburban counterparts, including Westerville.

State legislators got involved, but eventually in 1986 the win-win agreement among Columbus and 12 suburban school districts established procedures and a revenue sharing arrangement among the involved parties.

The agreement was reauthorized by all 12 school districts several times except for Reynoldsburg City Schools, which opted out of the agreement in 1998.

14 March/April 2021

communities, designed to bring about sustainable change and to address the historic and contemporary effects of racism.

In 2016, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation designed the TRHT’s framework with 176 leaders and scholars as representatives – all of whom have a reach of more than 289 million people.

Otterbein received about $25,000 in grants to get its own TRHT off the ground, with the hopes of becoming a continuous, sustainable program in the coming years. Over the past year – despite COVID-19 – Otterbein has begun to engage with its campus community www.westervillemagazine.com

WHY CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED IS BETTER in Westerville and branch out to other Columbus schools.

One Otterbein class, for instance, had students collect oral histories of the Westerville community and present them to their classmates. It’s just one way Otterbein can open up the conversation about race and history with the public while keeping the conversation rooted in the lives of Westerville residents.

In addition, Otterbein has facilitated racial healing circles where groups of 20 people or less respond to and discuss a prompt about a social issue. For example, one topic might concern a time in education when a person needed to feel “seen,” or listened to and understood.

“The presentations would have been done in person, but COVID-19 forced the conversations to go virtual,” Plank says.

Plank says that although the pandemic has slowed the rollout of the program, it has also shone a brighter light on the inequality that exists right here in Westerville. Some students, for example, lack reliable access to technology or the internet at home and have therefore been forced to use public resources to engage in virtual learning – a major barrier to a stable college experience.

New Westerville schools programs will implement professional development for district faculty so they, too, can learn and understand Westerville’s history – both successful and tough aspects.

“We partner with TRHT to offer some training for staff as it relates to the history of our school district and how the district came to be settled the way it has settled,” says Vaughn Bell, pastor at Westerville’s Triumphant Church of God. That history, Bell adds, will touch on the win-win agreement among Columbus schools and suburban school districts over territory and revenue sharing.

A stronger understanding of Westerville’s history at the teacher level would create a stronger experience for students.

Some of the staff members have even participated in Otterbein’s racial healing circles, proof that for Otterbein’s faculty, this is more than just a job; it’s a commitment to the community.

“The value is helping both instructors and students understand the district they are part of and how we came to be the way we are,” Bell says.

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Brandon Klein is an associate editor. Feedback welcomed at bklein@cityscenemediagroup.com. www.westervillemagazine.com

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The Next Steps Mount Carmel St. Ann’s works to protect community

By Mallory Arnold

A

fter months of less-than-pleasant news concerning COVID-19, hope is on the horizon.

Westerville’s Mount Carmel St. Ann’s frontline workers continue helping the community during the pandemic. When

Diane Doucette, Mount Carmel New Albany and Mount Carmel St. Ann's president and Lewis Center COO, learned both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines would be available in the last weeks of 2020, she was overcome with emotion.

“As a registered nurse, I felt a rush of emotions,” she says. “My tears were tears of joy. My prayers had been answered and I was extremely grateful to all who expedited the vaccination development process.”

Even more exciting, St. Ann’s was one of the first hospitals in central Ohio to receive the Moderna vaccine on the first day it was distributed. While the number of cases has decreased following the surge of cases in November and December, masks are still a must.

“Knowing we are still in this pandemic, my wish for the citizens of Westerville is to continue their vigilance in wearing masks, frequent hand washing, social distancing and avoid gatherings,” Doucette says. “I also want people in Westerville to sign up for the vaccine when it is their time as determined by the Ohio Department of Health. We are confident in the effectiveness of the vaccines approved by the FDA, and that it will offer patients protections against the new variants of COVID-19.”

Even after receiving the vaccine, people should still use all possible precautions to protect those who have not yet been vaccinated.

“We are so grateful to be part of such an empathetic community as Westerville.”

16 March/April 2021

www.westervillemagazine.com

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“I believe we can now see the light of hope,” Doucette says. “But it will take all of us to stay the course and continue to be vigilant, following all of the safety guidelines put in place to keep yourself and others safe.”

She is grateful to move on to the next steps of handling the pandemic.

“Our first priority was to vaccinate our frontline health care workers – those coming into contact with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients – as quickly as possible,” Doucette says. “Through every phase of vaccine distribution, we need to carefully follow the guidelines set forth by the Ohio Department of Health while making this process as seamless as possible for our community.”

At the time of publication, vaccinations had been administered to many health care workers and adults above the age of 75, so next in line are essential workers and educators. With many people still to vaccinate, frontline workers continue to have their hands full.

“I will be forever grateful to our colleagues and physicians for their loyalty to our patients, their peers and our community,” Doucette says. “Many of our colleagues have picked up extra shifts since March 2020.”

All the extra work and stress can certainly take its toll on even the most tenured frontline workers. St. Ann’s Leadership Team and Spiritual Care Leaders developed programs to support medical workers emotionally and mentally. There are hotlines for support, devoted time to talk about concerns and daily meetings to discuss improvements.

Westerville residents have shown a huge amount of support as well by way of holding signs outside the hospital to thank frontline workers, clap-ins and clap-outs during shift changes, and sending thank-you cards, food and homemade masks.

“I could go on and on regarding the compassionate support of our community displayed to our team,” Doucette says. “On behalf of all of the colleagues of Mount Carmel St. Ann’s, we are so grateful to be part of such an empathetic community as Westerville.”

For more information and updates concerning COVID-19 vaccinations, go to www.coronavirus.ohio.gov.

Mallory Arnold is an editor. Feedback welcome at marnold@cityscenemediagroup.com. www.westervillemagazine.com

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Hometown Heroes

A Team Player Westerville superintendent leads with empathy and collaboration

By Sarah Robinson

J

Maskless photos were taken pre-pandemic.

ohn Kellogg puts the super in superintendent. From liaising with the Westerville board of education, students, staff and families to making sure the district provides meals to students on the free and reduced lunch program, Kellogg does it all.

During a typical year, Kellogg balances the needs of teachers, staff, students and families to keep the district in good order.

Plus, he works with the Westerville Board of Education and the Ohio Department of Education.

This year, those needs are compounded as health and safety measures continue to change, and the district dives headfirst into handling diversity, equality and inclusion initiatives with new vigor. Not to mention the complicated issue of school funding.

“Right now, circumstances are so unpredictable and so fluid.

In general, schools are a rather stable part of community living,

18 March/April 2021

rather predictable in nature. Our big twist was, ‘Is there going to be a snow day or not?’” says Kellogg. “(COVID-19) took something that people have leaned on and made it more difficult to rely on in the way that they’re used to.

And that’s been probably the biggest challenge.”

Kellogg has been juggling the catch-22 of remote, hybrid and in-person learning. He’s working hard with the board and with each school to provide as many safety measures as possible to get class back in person as soon as it’s deemed safe.

“He’s trying to buy all that we needed just to get back into school pandemic-wise, from air filtration systems to truckloads of hand sanitizer at the same time everybody else is trying to get that,” says Rick Vilardo, past president of the Westerville Board of Education.

Making important decisions regarding the pandemic isn’t easy, especially knowing that every choice will be impacting the lives of students, staff and families.

“His response to the community has been one of trying to be open and honest, even when the responses he has given have not been favorably received,” says Vilardo. “He has just faithfully tried to reply to everybody’s voice and that has taken an enormous amount of time and energy.”

“There are people really in a lot of hurt because of this pandemic. Some of what we’ve had to do has not made that easy for them, and so I’m keeping that empathetic soulfulness in mind when I’m making decisions, in knowing when people are engaging me, reminding myself that frustrations and anger oftentimes are a result of that pain,” says Kellogg. “I just have to be thoughtful about that.”

Collaboration is Key Kellogg will be the first to say he doesn’t do all this work alone. He credits the district teachers, principals and staff for helping the district – and the students in it – succeed as best they can. www.westervillemagazine.com

“I rely on our principals in those day-to-day teachers, students and family interactions,” he says. “Families tend to view the school as the focus of their relationship with the school district.

It’s not my office. It’s not the district office. It is their kid’s school, their kid’s teacher. And so those leaders and the hundreds of decisions they are making each day that impact students and staff and families; I rely on them a lot.”

Kellogg builds community wherever he goes, from working closely with district administration to collaborating with the other superintendents of central Ohio.

“The central Ohio superintendents have leaned on each other a lot the last year around this pandemic. That’s been a big source of support,” he says. “We lean on each other for ideas, for problem solving, for sharing resources and for support.”

It’s not just other superintendents that Kellogg collaborates with for new ideas, though. Each high school has a superintendent’s advisory council made up of students with whom he meets regularly. www.westervillemagazine.com

March/April 2021 19

“He seeks guidance from them on hot button issues, for example the equity issue,” says Vilardo.

“One of things I enjoy about what comes from my position is seeing there’s a component of leadership and innovation and community development that is really strong across a lot of entities,” Kellogg adds.

“I find that energizing and motivating.”

Outside of the school community, Kellogg spends time volunteering for both the Westerville Sunrise Rotary and the Alpha Group of Delaware, which is a nonprofit that works with adults who have disabilities.

“I am a proud member of Sunrise Rotary, and in both those entities, Sunrise and Alpha, I enjoy the opportunity to volunteer and give my leadership and give my support for all kinds of great academic activities that bring me satisfaction,” he says.

For all the work Kellogg has done to support the Westerville community, Vilardo gives a word of thanks.

“From me and the board of education, thanks for being a leader who is attempting to do what’s best for the kids of the district,” he says.

Sarah Robinson is a contributing editor.

Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.

Q&A with Superintendent Kellogg Westerville Magazine: How do you define a hero?

John Kellogg: There’s a book called Natural Born Heroes

by Christopher McDougall and there’s a quote in there that essentially says a hero has to be strong enough for themselves and for the people they’re going to take care of.

It’s going outside of yourself and being about the other person and in my mind, that makes you heroic.

WM: Who are your biggest heroes?

JK: Every classroom teacher who is assigned students during this crisis is a hero. I mean, they’re balancing their own personal lives and all of the concerns during the pandemic that come from that with the expectations that come from being part of our organization and working with kids. They have, as a group, really risen to the occasion.

WM: What’s your favorite hobby?

JK: I do a lot of running. That’s probably my therapy. It’s also part of my competitive nature. And it’s just a part of me that’s been there for a long, long time that’s important to me for a lot of different reasons.

WM: Favorite place to run in Westerville?

JK: Any of the bike trails here!

WM: Who is your biggest supporter?

JK: My wife has been by my side for over 30 years, and a partner in my professional journey and is an insider to all of what comes with being a school superintendent in the community. And her patience and her feedback, her criticism, her desire to be a partner with me and help me be a better person is stupendous.

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Students Spearhead Seat Belt Safety Westerville engineering students and their seat belt invention

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T

hanks to Walnut Springs Middle School engineering students, transportation for kids with special needs just got safer.

In September 2020, Carletta Swackhammer, assistant manager in the district’s transportation department, realized a flaw in school bus seat belts after one student released their belt in the middle of a bus ride. She decided something must be done to keep students safe on the way to and from school, and knew exactly where to start – in her own department.

Swackhammer approached the transportation department’s mechanic Joel Kellar to purchase a lock that would fit over the five-point harness protecting the special needs students. When Kellar was unable to find such an apparatus, he was motivated to make one himself.

“We came to Joel with the problem and overnight he was able to provide a solution,” says Shawn Dawson, transportation department manager.

The new contraption combines two seat belts and a lock to secure the harness.

They created a seat belt lock that would make their peers with special needs safer during their commute to and from school. www.westervillemagazine.com

Dawson recognized the opportunity to improve upon the technology and called upon a team nearby to help – the Walnut Springs engineering students.

The team made headline news for their seat belt invention. They created a seat belt lock that would make their peers with special needs safer during their commute to and from school.

Anne Baldwin, coordinator of the city’s pathway program, was eager to involve the students in the project. The students jumped in to create a design and finished their product in just two weeks.

Using equipment from the classroom lab, including the 3-D printer, the students designed and built a new seat belt, this time with a strong buckle and a key for the bus driver.

“They designed it better than our own crew,” Dawson says.

The success of the new seat belt brought attention to the growing engineering program at Walnut Springs. The program is available as an elective starting in seventh grade, and the interest from students was overwhelming. To accommodate the growing number of students, Walnut Springs teachers applied for and received grant funding for the program.

The grant provides each Westerville City School District middle school with its own set of equipment which includes a 3-D printer, laser engraver and mobile lab.

Now stocked with equipment, the classes expanded their curriculum to focus on two areas: design modeling and augmented reality programming.

The engineering program is the longest running pathways program in the middle school. Career pathways serves as a career readiness program, exposing students to technical education at a young age.

Through this program, students develop interest in a career at an early age and continue this focused education throughout high school.

The popularity of the engineering classes inspired the school to add on another course in the eighth grade curriculum: engineering extreme. This course amps up the seventh grade learning standards to bridge the gap between middle school and high school engineering.

Baldwin encourages her students to take advantage of the pathway programs.

“They should go for it if they love it, and jump to another pathway if interested,” she says. “They are always up for an idea and willing to help.”

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Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com. www.westervillemagazine.com

March/April 2021 23

inside living

By Mallory Arnold

A Retro Remodel A little piece of the ’70s hides in Uptown Westerville

W

hen Julia Bennati, co-owner of A Gal Named Cinda Lou in Uptown Westerville, discovered that the tenant who lived above her store was moving out, she thought the space might be useful for storage. She never intended to create the vibrant, colorful oasis that it is today.

She jumped on the opportunity and became more invested in the renovations than she anticipated. It took Bennati more than four months to repaint, strip the floor and tear out the worn-down cabinetry.

“The more time I spent up there, the more I fell in love with the space,” she says.

She kept all the original flooring except for the kitchen, which is actually covered in maps that are sealed onto the floor with coats of polyurethane. The color scheme is Bennati’s style: cool and warm tones parallel the color wheel and give the space a bright, retro feel.

24 March/April 2021

Speaking of retro, the décor feels nostalgic and is filled with furniture and accessories akin to the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s.

“Most of the furniture is from the 1960s,” Bennati says. “Pictures, lamps, accessories and even cooking supplies are all from that era or a replica of the time period.”

It wasn’t Bennati’s original intent to put the place up as an Airbnb apartment, but she received so much encouragement from her family and friends that she began looking into how to do so.

“While redoing the space, I had friends come up and help me,” she says.

“They often said, ‘It’s so neat up here!’ and ‘Can I spend the night sometime?’”

Bennati had nothing but positive experiences with Airbnbs in the past. One in particular stuck out in her mind when she was dreaming of putting her little Uptown apartment up for rent. She and her sister had once vacationed in a tiny house in

Nashville, Tennessee. It was kept in the back yard of a big plot of land and the homeowners gave them a lantern to light the way when they strolled down the stone foothill in the dark. There were even free-range chickens wandering about.

“That’s why I thought our space would be great,” she says, “and I tried to make it as unique as possible.”

The apartment has welcomed guests from across the country, spanning from Florida to Maine to California. There was once a bodybuilder guest who was in town for the Arnold Sports Festival and even a visitor who came all the way from Germany.

One of the most memorable guests was a woman who grew up in Westerville and had moved to Costa Rica after she

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retired. The woman had recently gotten married and brought her husband back to her hometown to show him how beautiful Westerville is during Christmastime.

“We decorated the apartment and left Christmas cookies and hoped for snow,” Bennati says. “It did snow, and they had a wonderful time.”

So, the space originally thought to be for storage became a home for visitors from near and far. All it took was some elbow grease, a ton of paint, support from her family and Bennati’s vision.

Mallory Arnold is an editor. Feedback welcome at marnold@cityscenemediagroup.com.

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6387 Lake Trail Dr. 4 bed, 4 baths $619,900 Sold on 01/19/2021 674 Mohican Way 6 bed, 8 baths $600,000 Sold on 12/04/2020 4552 Ravine Dr. 4 bed, 4 baths $597,000 Sold on 01/15/2021

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on the table

By Laura Berger

Go Go Gluten To eat or not to eat?

L

aura Berger is a Westerville dietitian with a knack for cooking and a passion for helping others reach their own health goals, too. This issue we asked her questions about diet myths, healthful food choices and mindful lifestyle choices. We’re hungry for answers and Berger is serving them up hot!

Let’s discuss a glutenfree diet.

What the heck IS gluten?

Why do some people take Laura Berger it out of their diets?

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye and spelt. While it is a component of a carbohydrate food, like wheat and other grains, it is the protein component of these grains.

Who might consider a gluten-free diet?

There are many reasons one might choose to eliminate gluten from their diet.

For those who have celiac disease, an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks the digestive tract in response to digesting gluten, causing inflammation, pain and damage in the intestinal cells, along with other manifestations such as infertility and metabolic bone disease, among others; the only treatment is a total gluten elimination.

Others find they have an allergy or sensitivity to gluten, known as non-celiac gluten sensitivity, an intolerance or immune response when gluten is ingested, causing myriad symptoms similar to those present in celiac disease, ranging from irritable bowel (diarrhea and/or constipation), acid reflux, hives and other autoimmune or inflammatory conditions.

What types of foods have a lot of gluten in them?

Any foods containing wheat, barley, rye or spelt contain gluten, with baked goods and many processed, packaged or premade 28 March/April 2021

foods being the biggest culprits. If you look at most grain-based or starchy processed foods, they contain enriched wheat flour as their main ingredient: breads, buns, wraps, deep fried or breaded foods, pastas, cookies, cakes, crackers and cereals contain the largest amount of gluten.

Even if you are not allergic to gluten, should you still avoid it?

If someone does not have a food allergy toward wheat or gluten and are experiencing digestive distress, skin disorders, migraines, autoimmunity or other potential symptoms of gluten intolerance, they could have a gluten sensitivity and might benefit from a gluten-free diet. If they trial a gluten-free diet and feel better or notice

symptoms improving, it may be beneficial to avoid gluten long term.

How does one know if they have a gluten sensitivity?

The best way to find out if you are sensitive to gluten is to do a total gluten elimination diet for at least eight weeks, meaning you not only remove the obvious wheat (gluten) foods like breads and pastas, but also hidden sources found in sauces, canned soups and other processed or premade foods. Then, add a significant source of gluten back in and carefully evaluate any symptoms.

In addition, there are blood tests to determine if you have the gene for celiac disease or a food sensitivity blood test or www.westervillemagazine.com

immunoglobulin E, or IgE, allergy blood test can be performed to examine your reaction to wheat.

Will you lose weight if you stop eating gluten?

If done correctly, a gluten-free diet can help someone lose weight, but not for the reason you may think. Gluten itself is not the root cause of weight gain, but it can cause inflammation, or immune activation, which may make it challenging to lose weight. If you have an allergy or sensitivity to gluten and you cut it out, you may see your weight decrease because of calming down inflammation in your body. Chronic inflammation can inhibit weight loss.

Another benefit is that by eliminating gluten you will naturally cut out many foods that are unhealthy and contribute to weight gain, such as fast foods, breaded or deep-fried meats, buns, doughnuts and baked goods, crackers, cookies and pasta.

Do you have a gluten-free recipe for those who are sensitive to gluten?

Going gluten free is easier than you think, it just takes adding in new foods rather than trying to find direct substitutes for everything currently being consumed.

Try using vegetables and experimenting with other grains and starches such as quinoa, rice, legumes or sweet potatoes.

Creating a meal of protein like meat or beans, gluten-free grain or starchy vegetable, and ample vegetables like broccoli or cauliflower is an easy way to create a simple meal.

If you’re missing sugary breakfast cereal, here’s a breakfast recipe that’s high in protein, healthy fats and fiber.

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Recipe: Primal Blueprint Quick and Easy Meals, Mark Sisson and Jennifer Meier www.westervillemagazine.com

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March/April 2021 29

bookmarks

For online library resources such as ebooks, digital magazines, kids activities and more, visit www.westervillelibrary.org

From the Westerville Public Library

Recommended Reads

Our Favorite Day of the Year

Going on a Field Trip

Mindy Kim, Class President

By A.E. Ali (picture book)

By C.L. Reid (reader)

By Lyla Lee (first chapter)

New kindergarteners share their family traditions with their class, celebrating Eid al-Fitr, Rosh Hashanah, Christmas and Pi Day.

Emma’s class is going on a field trip to the American History Museum!

Emma is thrilled, but will she be able to keep up with the excitement while needing to follow around her ASL interpreter?

Mindy is running for class president!

Everyone loves her platform (kindness and snacks), but Mindy isn’t so sure about giving a speech. Standing in front of her classmates feels scary – can Mindy overcome her fears?

Recommended Reads

Lincoln’s Mentors: The Education of a Leader

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This is Your Time

By Ruby Bridges (juvenile biography) Ruby Bridges reflects on her childhood as the first African American student integrated into an all-white elementary school. Through photographs, she juxtaposes her experiences with today’s Black Lives Matter movement.

from Mindy Bilyeu Chrusciel, Adult Services Librarian

Reading, Writing, and Racism: Disrupting Whiteness in Teacher Education and in the Classroom

By Bree Picower A transformative guide for teachers on how to teach about race in the classroom. Picower illustrates how a teacher’s ideology of race molds how they teach about race and racial issues.

A Wolf at the Schoolhouse Door: The Dismantling of Public Education and the Future of School

By Jack Schneider and Jennifer Berkshire A scholarly look at our public education system and those that are seeking to disrupt it. This book also looks to the future to see how current policies will rewrite America’s public schools.

Learning by Heart: An Unconventional Education

By Tony Wagner A doctor and bioethicist examines the health care systems of 10 countries around the world to determine ways the U.S. health care system could be improved.

The Westerville Public Library

genoachristianacademy.org 30 March/April 2021

126 S. State St. • Phone: 614-882-7277 • www.westervillelibrary.org Mon.-Sat. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. www.westervillemagazine.com

Does spring cleaning have you overwhelmed?

Plenty of large washers and dryers to get your laundry done fast!

20 E. Schrock Road, Westerville, OH 43081 Westerville Square Shopping Center - Near Walmart (614) 891-7187  SunlightCleaners.net

Life moves pretty fast. If you cough, sniffle, or sneeze, you could miss it.

It’s hard to make good memories if you’re feeling bad.

If it feels like there is no time for a routine checkup when you’re healthy, it’ll feel like there’s even less time when you’re sick. At Mount Carmel Medical Group, we’ve made it quick and convenient to schedule a doctor’s appointment at one of our 28 locations. Because your safety is our greatest priority, know that we are taking the appropriate precautions for your visit today. To learn more or to make an appointment, visit mountcarmelprimarycare.com or call 614-627-2700.

A Member of Trinity Health