Look inside today’s edition for the 2018 Holiday Shopping Guide Find great savings for the season!
THE EARLY BIRD NEWSPAPER
WEEKEND EDITION - NOVEMBER 18, 2018
THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE GREAT DARKE COUNTY FAIR!
Huffman named 2018 Art Teacher of the Year SUSAN HARTLEY
STAFF WRITER shartley@earlybirdpaper.com
GREENVILLE – Another Greenville teacher has received accolades for her dedication to education. On Thursday, Nov. 8, high school art teacher Melanie Huffman was named the 2018 Outstanding Art Teacher for the Western Ohio Region at the Ohio Art Education Association’s fall conference. “Melanie Huffman is a wonderful art teacher at Greenville High School,” said Stan Hughes, principal. “She is committed and dedicated to teaching and sharing art with our students, school, and community.” Superintendent Doug Fries recognized Huffman’s accomplishments during the Thursday, Nov. 15 board of education meeting as well as to The Early Bird. “Mel Huffman has been
an outstanding art instructor and teacher in the district for many years. She has outstanding art curriculum knowledge and classroom management,” Fries said. “She is a big part of our district’s top-of-the-line arts program.” As a 30-year art teacher at Greenville, Huffman said she was “influenced by my high school art teacher Ardiss Luce” at Russia High School. Huffman has passed on her love of art and teaching to several students while at GHS. “Eleven of my former students have become art teachers,” including current art teacher at Greenville Middle School, Julie Brewer. “She was a huge encouragement to me because I didn’t start taking art classes until my junior year, but quickly discovered how much I loved it,” Brewer said
SCOTUS’ refusal to hear case means retirees lose benefits GREENVILLE – The fight has come to an end and it didn’t end the way many local HoneywellFRAM retirees had hoped. The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) has refused to hear an appeal by Honeywell retirees on a decision made by the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit on Aug. 8. The SCOTUS decision to not hear the case means many local Honeywell-FRAM retirees will lose their health insurance on Dec. 31. In August, the Sixth Circuit issued a stay in the previous rulings that would have stripped the retirees of their health benefits. The order from the Sixth Circuit wrote the stay will allow the appellees time to file a petition for a writ of certiorari, and thereafter until the Supreme Court disposes of the case. If the petition is not filed within 90-days, the stay will be lifted. That petition with the SCOTUS was filed, but to no avail. The rollercoaster ride of emotions over the past few years will now come to a screeching halt with no other recourse left at their disposal. Originally, the Honeywell retirees rejoiced in a decision by Dayton’s U.S. District Court Judge Walter Rice who said the retirees had proven Honeywell offered lifetime healthcare benefits. In early 2018, the Sixth U.S. Court of Appeals reversed Judge Rice’s decision and left approximately 600 Honeywell retirees from the local plant searching for health insurance and prescription coverage. The retirees have maintained that lifetime health insurance and prescription drug coverage were part of their bargaining agreement. However, Honeywell has held to its belief
there was an absence of “clear vesting language” requiring lifetime health benefits and the Sixth Circuit agreed. In a separate case, plaintiffs in the Michigan court case — the UAW and its retirees — had sought summary judgment and a permanent injunction against Honeywell, in a bid to block the company from ending health benefits, something the company had warned in April that it planned to do. U.S. District Judge Denise Page Hood ruled Honeywell is not required to provide retirees healthcare coverage or to make any minimum premium contributions. Both courts discounted the testimony of Sharon Meadows, attorney and benefits consultant for the UAW assigned to assist with negotiations during the 2000 contract testified that (Buzz) Fink wanted the company to “pay the benefits of the surviving spouses for their lifetimes just like they paid the retirees’ benefits for their lifetimes.” Judge Rice wrote, “Honeywell’s promise to provide lifetime retiree healthcare benefits is clearly implicit in the retiree healthcare provision of the 2000-2003 CBA.” The judge further stated, “The fact that Honeywell so willingly agreed to provide lifetime healthcare benefits to surviving spouses and dependents at the Greenville facility detracts from the credibility of its claim that it never would have agreed to provide lifetime healthcare benefits for the retirees themselves.” Honeywell argued the benefits were not intended to be paid for a lifetime, but rather until the CBA expired in 2014.
GHS art teacher Melanie Huffman, right, is presented the Western Ohio Region 2018 Art Teacher of the Year Award by Alice Tavani, president of the Ohio Art Education Association.
of her former teacher. “It’s an honor and a pleasure to work with her now as another art teacher in the district. Mel’s skills and creativity have impacted so many students, helping them develop their own creativity and – for many of us – skills that helped us dive into careers in art.” Huffman was nominated for the Art Teacher of the Year Award by Bradford Schools’ art teacher Ruth
Estes, whose daughters attended GHS. Both girls, Huffman said, have gone on to study visual arts – one at the Columbus School of Art and Design and the other at the School of Advertising Art in Kettering. Taking the opportunity to study art, Huffman said, gives young people “a release to be creative. It’s all hands-on and different from lectures they listen to or books they read. They can
express themselves.” Huffman, who teaches advanced art classes at GHS also is the art club adviser and plays an instrumental role in the district’s annual spring Wave of Pride Art Show, which features art created by all grade levels. According to Fries, Huffman “has done much to coordinate our annual Waves of Pride event that is well received by our community. She has been instrumental in developing many excellent artistic students in Greenville. We all salute Mrs. Huffman and believe she is very deserving of this award.” Hughes also is pleased with the contribution Huffman has made through the Waves of Pride event. “Mrs. Huffman is an essential part of the foundation that allows this event to reach so many of our students, parents and community members. Our students, staff and community are fortunate to have Mrs. Huffman as a pillar of our community. She’s an out-
standing art teacher who deserves to be recognized for her immense contributions,” Hughes said. Huffman also can be credited for the many pieces of art on display in the Anna Bier Gallery at Memorial Hall. Each year, the board of education purchases a piece of art created by a high school senior to hang in the gallery. “All the pieces on display were created by my students,” she explained. Huffman, who graduated from Russia High School, earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Wright State University. Huffman and her husband, Jim, who works at BNSF Logistics in Versailles, are the parents of three grown children and they have one grandchild. During her free time, Huffman said she spends time running and is an avid sports fan. She also enjoys drawing and creating sportsthemed portraits.
100 years after Armistice - remembering veterans RYAN BERRY
MANAGING EDITOR editor@earlybirdpaper.com
GREENVILLE – Past years have always been special on Veterans Day in the City of Greenville, but this year’s recognition of our veterans and servicemen and women eclipsed celebrations of past years. Through a combined effort from the Greenville mayor’s office, Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and Greenville’s service organizations, this year’s parade and ceremony was a true display of patriotism. Special attention was given to the 100th anniversary of the Armistice that ended World War I. Mayor Steve Willman emceed the event and declared, “It’s a wonderful day – the 100th anniversary of the Armistice for World War I.” The Armistice was signed on Nov. 11, 1918 at 11 a.m. and throughout the years Greenville has held it ceremony on that date and
at that time. Ken Price, commander of American Legion Post 140, added, “It’s a time that we honor and pay tribute to all those veterans in all the wars in the United States of America for their service and for what they gave.” Fred Dean delivered the opening prayer and stated, “Remembering those who have passed is only half the task before us today. We must carry their love, honor and duty forward to future generations. Our children must know who they were, what they did and why they did it. To do anything less would be a disservice to their sacrifice and their memories.” Warren Davidson, veteran and congressman for the eighth district, gave the keynote address. “It’s an incredible honor as a veteran to see how many people came out on a cold morning,” he said. “Many of you came out to honor veterans and what it’s taken to make this great country. From the time that it was founded to
A wreath was laid at the Veterans Monument in front of the Darke County Courthouse during the annual Veterans Day Parade.
today, the country has been made and kept free because men and women served in uniform.” Davidson spoke directly to veterans, “We’re all still under oath,” he said. “There wasn’t an expiration date for the veteran on the oath we swore to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic.” He said that service can continue in our communities, homes and places of worship. The Veterans Days cel-
ebration included churches from the downtown area ringing their church bells at 11 a.m. Marrisa Portemont, winner of the What Veterans Day Means to Me essay contest presented by the Greenville High School NJROTC, led the Pledge of Allegiance. The Honor Guard from American Legion Post 140 saluted our fallen heroes with a 21-gun salute. The Greenville High School Band of Pride played Taps and provided patriotic music.
Greenville BOE accepts PBIS donations SUSAN HARTLEY
STAFF WRITER shartley@earlybirdpaper.com
GREENVILLE – Greenville Board of Education on Thursday approved several monetary contributions from area businesses and individuals for the district’s Positive Behavior Intervention & Support program. Known as PBIS, the program assists with reinforcing students’ positive actions in the classroom, explained Superintendent Doug Fries. “It’s mostly being implemented at the middle school,” Fries said. Highlighting positive be-
haviors, added Fries, keeps students coming to school ready to learn and participate. Also Thursday, Fries gave an update on the window replacement project at Memorial Hall. By next week, he said, 29 new windows will be installed, with caulking to be completed soon after. “This is the biggest capital improvement project we have going on right now,” across the district, he explained. Both Fries and district treasurer Jenna Jurosic took time to thank the community for approving the recent
permanent improvement levy. “We are certainly appreciative of the community for their support,” Fries said, with Jurosic reiterating his comments during her report. The board also approved several staff members to attend ALICE safety training later this month. Fries said the district was using safety grant money, which had been put in place by Ohio Attorney General and governor-elect Mike DeWine, to pay for the ALICE training, which will take place in Zanesville. ALICE training focuses
on school safety during an active shooter scenario. Board member Fred Matix said he wanted the board and administration to thank Darke County Economic Development Director Mike Bowers and his staff for planning this past week’s job shadowing program for local high school juniors. Matix said he’d had the opportunity to see some of the students on-the-job during the week and said the programs Bowers’ office is hosting for students is a “step in the right direction,” also mentioning last month’s Career Concert for seniors at Eldora.