Miglin to present senior piano recital

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Carissa Miglin will present her senior piano recital on Sunday, May 19, at 3 p.m. at First United Methodist Church in Van Wert. Her performance will include pieces by Beethoven, Chopin, and Brahms and she will also play favorite and sacred arrangements. The concert is open to the public.

Carissa Miglin

Carissa has taken private piano studies with Annette Hoverman since age 5. In addition to her private instruction, she attended piano camp at Bowling Green State University and participated in the Master Class with pianist Thomas Pandolfi recently held at the Niswonger Performing Arts Center.

Carissa has participated in Ohio Music Educators Association solo and ensemble contests through middle and high school, and National Guild auditions for the past 11 years, receiving superior ratings.  The past two years she participated in the Young Artists Recital and OMEA’s Duet Competition at Ohio Northern University, winning the creative award with her duet partner both years. She has also participated in OMEA’s Music Evaluation Day and Ribbon Festival at Bluffton University throughout her 12 years of private instruction with Hoverman.  She has also accompanied high school students with their vocal and instrumental solos, and provided music for area weddings.

Carissa is the home-educated daughter of Eric and Caren Miglin and currently runs her own piano studio for beginning students.  She is active at Grace Community Church, playing on the worship team and participating in the youth program.  She has served as a Junior Historian at Sauder Village and in the Children’s Choosing Christ program at the Van Wert County Fair.  In 2012, she was part of GCC’s short-term mission team to Lima, Peru.  She is very active in Teen Bible Quizzing through the Missionary Church.  Carissa is currently enrolled in College Plus and has been offered the McClain Scholarship at Grace College.

Blue Ribbon Workers meet in May

Blue Ribbon Workers news

OHIO CITY — The Ohio City Blue Ribbon Workers 4-H club held a meeting on Sunday, May 5.

After the meeting was brought to order, the club discussed several topics including taking a vote on if they would be interested in donating their time and some flowers to helping arrange a flower pot that belongs to the village. The village has several large pots that need to be planted. The group unanimously decided to take this task on and plant one pot.

The club discussed planning a service day at Tractor Supply Company, partnering with them for recycling products. Agreement was reached to participate in this and a meeting will be set up at a later date to begin planning it.

Group members who would like to make posters for the upcoming chicken dinner drive-through should turn those completed posters in to Brenda, Ginny or Vickie by Thursday, May 16.

Hannah Kraner presented a demonstration to the group on Cool Cookies! The ingredients in the cookies are just one egg, a tub of cool whip and one box of any brand or flavor of cake mix. Mix all together and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Hannah brought some in for the group to try and they all agreed they are delicious!

The group invited Robin Kraner to be a guest and to give a presentation on canning and preserving.  Robin showed the members the tools and supplies that are needed to can and explained how each worked. She also explained the good qualities and the downfalls of canning and that it is becoming a dying art. Robin’s family cans foods because they grow a garden and this helps them preserve the foods that they grow.

The next meeting will be on Tuesday May 21, at 6 p,m., at the Ohio City Lutheran Church on Dillon Street. Demonstrations will be by Kollan Dull and Ben Brown and also Andrew Morgan, drinks by the Bowen family and refreshments are Jaimison Clouse.

St. Mary’s students hold mock trial

St. Mary’s School news

Students in grades 4-6 at St. Mary of the Assumption School had the opportunity to learn a civics lesson firsthand through an initiative of the Van Wert County Bar Association. Under the tutelage of Van Wert Law Director John Hatcher and Van Wert Municipal Court Judge Jill Leatherman, the students had the opportunity of participating in a mock trial at the Van Wert Municipal Courtroom on Friday, May 3.

Here, a St. Mary's student testifies during a mock trial held in Van Wert Municipal Court. (St. Mary's photo)

MaryThe project began with three sessions held at the school with Hatcher explaining the roles, choosing students to act in those roles, and preparing them for the trial. On trial was Goldilocks of “Goldilocks & The Three Bears” fame, with a charge of burglary of property belonging to the three bears leveled at the defendant by the team of prosecutors.

The judge and bailiff maintained order during the trial, charges were read and the prosecutor and defense team brought witnesses and argued their cases before the jury of 12 students. The defendant testified in her own defense. Deliberations took 45 minutes and the jury came back with a unanimous verdict of guilty for Goldilocks.

Quotes from the participants: The accused: “It was a lot of pressure and I had to answer a lot of questions.” The victims reported: “(we) found the courtroom stressful in an exciting way, it was a bit intimidating.” The jurors: “(we) had to listen carefully to everything, could not assume guilt or innocence, had to listen for inconsistencies in the testimony”. From the investigator: “had to find good solid evidence”. In general the students “found it to be a great experience to see how a trial is operated and felt that they had learned what most students do not learn until high school”.

Students and teachers alike found this to be an educational opportunity and express their thanks to Hatcher, Judge Leatherman, and the County Bar Association for opening their resources to support the mock trial.

Fast earns scholarship at Ohio State

Ohio State University news

Emily Fast of Van Wert has been awarded the Francis B. McCormick Scholarship for the 2013-2014 academic year.

Shown are Dr. Dave Hahn, professor emeritus of agricultural economics at Ohio State University’s Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Developmental Economics, and Emily Fast, scholarship recipient. (OSU photo)

Fast, the daughter of Mark and Lori Fast, is a sophomore at The Ohio State University majoring in agribusiness and applied economics. She is a member of the Agribusiness Club, participates in Real Life, and is currently employed by the Jerome Schottenstein Center. She is a 2011 graduate of Van Wert High School with an internship at JD Equipment in London (Ohio) this summer.  After graduation, Fast plans to pursue employment with a farm equipment manufacturing company.

The Francis McCormick Scholarship, open to agribusiness and applied economics majors at OSU, is awarded on the basis of scholarship, leadership, and potential contribution to the agricultural industry.  It is one of several scholarships made available by agribusiness firms, individuals, and agricultural organizations for students interested in agribusiness, farm finance, agricultural marketing, farm management, and closely related areas.

Each year Ohio State’s Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics (AEDE), which offers Ohio State’s Agribusiness and Applied Economics major, offers its students the opportunity to compete for over $50,000 in scholarship funds. Additionally, Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES), which houses AEDE, offers $1.5 million in scholarship money to its students each year.

AEDE scholarship funding is provided by a wide array of generous organizations and individuals. To learn more about the 2013-2014 scholarship competition, and to obtain information on AEDE’s undergraduate and graduate programs of study, visit http://aede.osu.edu.

Ohio City Blue Ribbon Workers

The Ohio City Blue Ribbon Workers held a meeting recently to discuss community projects, officer duties and also to give each member their project books.  Chris Kraner, president, and Brooke Brown, vice president, brought the meeting to order.

During the meeting Leslie Marbaugh and Kaedyn Swander entertained the group with their presentations . Afterwards , the members enjoyed refreshments brought in by the Browns, the Swander family and the Denmens.

Officer training took place on April 18 at the Van Wert Fair Board meeting room. Those attending from the group were:  Colt Marbaugh, Draya Rison, Hannah Kraner and Robin Kraner, who substituted for Chris Kraner who had a prior commitment. Brenda Delong , group advisor, also attended the officer training evening.

The next meeting will be Sunday, May 5, at 4 p.m. at the Ohio City Lutheran Church, 202 Dillon St., Ohio City.

Optimists hold regional speech contest

VW Optimist Club news

The winners of the Van Wert Optimist Club oratorical contest moved on to regional competition on April 27 at the University of Northwestern Ohio.

Kollin Weiss and Courtney Byrd, both sophomores at Van Wert High School, presented speeches on the topic “Why My Voice is Important.” The boy and girl winners of the regional contest move on to compete at the district (state) final in Columbus next month.

While neither Byrd nor Weiss placed first, it was a great experience for both students.

The oratorical contest is offered annually for youths up to 19 years of age, competing for cash and scholarships.

The Optimist Club of Van Wert meets every Thursday and is always looking for new members. Call 419.965.2731 or find the club’s page on Facebook to learn more.

Venedocia 4-H club has April meeting

Lads and Lassies club news

VENEDOCIA — The Venedocia Lads and Lassies 4-H Club held its third meeting on April 17 at the Venedocia Lions Clubhouse.

First item for discussion was trash pick-up. The trash pick-up for Saturday, April 20, was postponed due to poor weather conditions. The rescheduled date was Saturday, April 27, at 8:30 a.m.  The group also discussed some rule changes for those with market hogs for the fair.

The next meeting is scheduled for May 15.

Girls Scouts have sleepover

Van Wert County Girl Scouts of Western Ohio recently held a sleepover party, with 41 girls attending. The girls enjoyed making crafts, dancing, making new friends, and spending time with their old friends. The Girl Scouts would like to thank Pizza Hut, Little Caesar’s Pizza, Walmart, Crestview Local Schools, and the Convoy Fox Hunters, all of Van Wert County, for helping support the sleepover. (Girl Scouts photo)

VWHS senior receives OSU scholarship

Ohio State University news

Scott Turner

COLUMBUS — Scott Turner, a senior at Van Wert High School, has been selected as a Land Grant Opportunity Scholar at The Ohio State University.

The Land Grant Opportunity Scholarship (LGOS) is one of Ohio State’s most competitive and prestigious awards. The award is offered to a select group of talented students representing each county in Ohio.  Recipients are determined primarily by academic performance and financial need.

The dollar amount of the LGOS is equal to the value of in-state tuition and is renewable for a total of eight undergraduate semesters of full-time enrollment (12-18 semester hours) provided the student maintains at least a 3.0 cumulative grade point average.

Turner has maintained a 4.0 for 14 quarters at Van Wert High School and plans on majoring in music education. He is the son of Glenn and Chris Turner.

Crestview students honored

Crestview Middle School students were recently recognized for their academic achievement at a recent assembly.  Students earn the honor of membership in the Red and Blue club by maintaining excellent academic status and school attendance along with being involved in extra-curricular activities.  Members include (front row, from the left) Anna Lautzenheiser, Ashley Bowen, Abigail Bagley, Becca Daugherty, Whitney Bowen, Haley Michaud, Danielle Pawlick, Kara Strabbing, Matteson Watts; (middle row) Braden Van Cleave, Tyler Riggenbach, Ciarra Gonzalez, Sydney Gamble, Colton Wolford, Brett Schumm, Katie Hughes, Cora Millay; (back row) Caleb Bagley, Tommi Andersen, Maci Baker, Derek Biro, Tanner Crowle, Ashley Dealey, Luke Gerardot, and Joel Germann. Not pictured is Emma Saylor. (Crestview photo)