The regular meeting for the Continental School Board was held at 5:30 p.m. on December 17, in the administrative office. The meeting was called to order by Board President Dean Bidlack, who opened the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance.
Hearing of the Public:
The following students are being recognized as October “Students of the Month”:
Elementary:
-Miles Geckle is a third grader at Continental Elementary and the son of Dylan and Taylor Geckle.
-Jeferson Lopez Velasquez is a sixth grader at Continental Elementary and the son of Sara Velasquez and Eliseo Lopez.
Jr High/High School:
-Quinn Tegenkamp is a Senior at Continental High School and the son of Anthony and Kelly Tegenkamp.
Congratulations to the following students who were selected as October “Artists of the Month”:
Elementary:
Eliza Schmidt is a kindergartener at Continental Elementary School and the daughter of Damon and Erin Schmidt. Her drawing will be on display in the administrative office for the month of December.
Jr High/High School
Addison Troyer is a freshman at Continental High School and the daughter of Bruce and Cindy Troyer. Addison’s artwork will be on display in the boardroom of the administrative office for the month of December.
Building Reports:
Elementary School
•The elementary students enjoyed buying Christmas gifts at the Candy Cane Lane Shop. The elementary staff and students would like to thank the P.O.P. for sponsoring Candy Cane Lane.
•Congratulations to the elementary staff and students for donating over $$4300 to Christmas for Kids from their raffle basket sales, jeans day, Holiday specs, and kindergarten chores. The funds raised helped buy Christmas gifts for over 100 students in Putnam County. Thank you to Mrs. Erin Schmidt for organizing the distribution of gifts.
•Our Time Capsule program was a success. We had 14 previous staff members attend the celebration. We are in the process of finding a day and time for the public to view the items in the time capsule. There are some video links on our Facebook feed.
•Upcoming events:
•Dec. 18 – 1:30 pm & 7:00 pm – 4th Grade Christmas program
•Dec. 22 – Jan. 4 – Christmas Break
•Jan 5 & 7 – Dental treatments
•Jan 7 – MOY Dibels testing. No Title Jan. 7, 8 & 9.
•Jan 9 –End of 2nd Quarter
•Jan 19 – Martin Luther King – No School
Jr. High/High School
•The JH/HS was able to raise over $600 for Christmas for Kids earlier this month. Thank you to all those who donated and especially to the students and Ms. Douglass for agreeing to take a pie to the face for such a good cause!
•Semester Exams are today and tomorrow. The 2nd Quarter/1st Semester officially ends on January 9th, so students and staff will have a week to wrap things up after break.
•The Student Council and NHS are holding our annual food drive this week to support our local food pantry. They set a goal of collecting 1000 items that will be delivered to the food pantry on Friday afternoon.
•Christmas Break is December 22 through January 2. The faculty and staff wish all of our students and their families a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Treasurer’s Report:
Treasurer Amy Rau-Lawhorn updated the Board on the District’s financial report including investments, cash reconciliation, and Board spending plan.
The Board:
•approved the following donations:
•$100.00 to the Library in Memory of Mr. Gerdeman’s mother, Ruth Gerdeman from her neighbors.
•$11,371.58 from the Irene Casteel Trust
•Three books donated to the Elementary Library in memory of Lola Hacker from Brenda Bruce, Shelly Neuman, and Robin Etter.
•transferred $530 from the 300 Athletic Fund to 022 Tournament fund.
•set 2025 compensation for board members at $100 per meeting held locally, not to exceed 16 meetings, plus $100 for one county meeting per year.
•appointed Brian Donaldson as President Pro Tem for the January Organizational Meeting.
•approved the purchase of the following subscriptions:
•OSBA Annual Membership – $4895.00
•Briefcase (Electronic Subscription) – Free
•School Management News – $175.00 (Electronic Subscription)
SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT:
The Board:
•heard the transportation report.
•thanked our wonderful staff and students for their creation of the Christmas tree in front of the high school. Mr. Nathan Schmidt’s Coding and Robotics classes engineered the brains of the project—designing and assembling the control board, wiring all of the pixel lights, and programming custom light sequences perfectly synchronized to music. Meanwhile, Mr. Brian Stegbauer’s Welding and Home Maintenance classes brought the structure to life, designing, fabricating, and welding the massive steel frame with a winch and pulley system that supports the tree’s towering display. Adding an artistic touch, Mrs. Laurel Alvaredo’s High School Choir recorded a special holiday song exclusively for the MegaTree. Their performance was transformed into a choreographed light show, allowing their voices to shine—literally—through thousands of synchronized LEDs.
•reviewed the 2026-2027 school calendar.
VANTAGE REPORT:
•Robin Etter gave the Vantage Career Center report.
PERSONNEL
The Board:
•approved the December 2025 Putnam County substitute teacher list, provided by the Putnam County ESC.
•approved one dock day for Bus Driver, Becki Bidlack.
•approved one dock day for Custodian, Cheryl Grant.
•employed Andrew Hoeffel as a long-term substitute teacher for ½ Time HS Social Studies (4 periods/day) pending proper certification and satisfactory background checks, effective January 12, 2026 through the remainder of the 2025-2026 school year.
•employed Allison Weller as a part-time Aide in the Elementary School at 5.5 hours per day, pending proper certification and satisfactory background checks, for the remainder of the 2025-2026 school year.
POINTS OF INFORMATION
The Board heard:
•There will be no school December 23-January 2 for Christmas break. Classes will resume on Monday, January 5, 2026.
•Upcoming Events:
•Friday, January 9th is the end of the 2nd Quarter.
•Monday, January 19th, Martin Luther King Day-No School.
•Friday, January 23rd will be the Homecoming Dance.
•Saturday, January 24th will be the Homecoming game vs North Central.
•Friday, February 6, All A’s Night for students. We will recognize students who have earned this achievement at halftimes of the home JV and Varsity boys’ basketball game vs Ottoville.
•January Board meetings will be:
•2026 Organizational Board Meeting will be held on Monday, January 12, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. in the administrative office with the Regular January Board meeting following.
•The next regular Board meeting is January 12, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. in the board office. The meeting adjourned at 6:00 p.m.
