Dear Pickerington Tiger Community - Letter #11

Dear Pickerington Tiger Community – Letter #11

Greetings!  We are heading full steam toward the Thanksgiving holiday, and certainly, despite the trials of life, we all have something to be thankful for.  Congratulation goes out to the football Tigers for another successful season and a valiant run in the State Playoffs.  I know the coaches, fans and the boys are disappointed they didn’t go a bit farther in the playoffs, but it was an outstanding season and everyone in the Tiger community is proud of their efforts.  I would also like to again congratulate the coaches and football program of the Pickerington North Panthers who made the playoffs for the first time in school history.  It was certainly a great year to be a Pickerington football fan. 

This is also an exciting time for the PHSC Marching Tigers as they depart from PHSC early next Tuesday, November 24 to head to New York City for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade!  Our instrumental music students aren’t the only ones getting impressive invitations.  The PHSC Chorale was invited to sing the National Anthem to start the OHSAA State Cross Country Championships held at Scioto Downs in front of approximately 10,000 spectators.  An excerpt from a “Thank You” letter from OHSAA reads “I believe it is important that you know your students and director honored your school and community by their performance.”  Great job to Mr. Long and the rest of our Music Tigers!

Last week was also a big week for the Theatre Department.  The fall production this year was “A Few Good Men.”  The students, under the direction of teacher Shannon Cook, did an incredible job with their performances that hopefully many of you had the opportunity to enjoy.  On Thursday, November 12, the students performed a matinee for students from Ridgeview Junior High, and on Friday performed a packed matinee for their peers at PHSC.  As always, the set was appropriate and very well constructed.  Great job Mr. Womack.  Without question, the Performing Arts at PHSC are second to none!

To honor our veterans, the Music Department held our annual Veterans Day Program outside at our Gazebo, which is PHSC’s own veteran’s memorial.  Emceed by teacher Jay Sharrett, the entire junior and senior classes gathered around the Gazebo on the chilly Veterans Day morning to hear patriotic selections from both the band and the choir.  The students heard speeches from Pickerington Police Officer Dan Simcox, who is a Viet Nam veteran, and General David Hartley.  This is the very first time in the history of this program that a General attended to address our students.

Finally, now that the 1^st grading period has ended, we’ve had the opportunity to take a look at some of the performance data of our students.  I am very proud to share that just fewer than 60% of the total students at PHSC achieved Honor Roll status.  That is an incredible mark of achievement for our students.  Last year, we were never able to break the 50% barrier as a school for Honor Roll achievement and we’ve gone way beyond that to start this school year.  That translates to 965 out of the 1620 students making Honor Roll!  All of their names are proudly displayed in our trophy showcase, and will be shown throughout the 2^nd grading period. 

Have a wonderful week and Happy Thanksgiving.

Sincerely,

M. Scott Reeves

Principal, PHS Central

If you BELIEVE you can ACHIEVE, you will SUCCEED

State Playoff Game Information

Greetings Pickerington Tiger Community!

I want to give you some information regarding our big state playoff game Saturday, November 7, 2009 against the Pickerington North Panthers.  Of course, excitement for this game has built over the course of the week.  With the anticipated warm weather, the high stakes and the friendly rivalry, PHSC is expecting a record crowd in Tiger Stadium.  As such, there have been some accommodations made to Tiger Stadium to safely raise our capacity and make Saturday's game an enjoyable experience for all.

Kickoff is set for 7 PM and the gates to the stadium will open for general seating at 5 PM.  Please note, as usual for Tiger home games, the far north (scoreboard side) section of the home stadium bleachers are reserved for the Student Section.  We are asking that fans of PHS North park at Victory Park and enter and exit on the visiting side of the stadium abutting the park.  PHS Central fans are being asked to park on the Hill Road/Ridgeview side of the stadium and enter and exit on the home side.  Once the game starts, students from either school will not be permitted on the opposing team's side.  The PHS Central parking lot will be available for overflow parking.

On either side of both the home and visiting bleachers, large sections of the track have been prepared and sectioned off with extra seating and standing room accommodations.  Extra port-a-potties have been brought to Tiger Stadium, as well as extra security from the Pickerington Police Department, Fairfield County Sheriff's Department, Violate Township Fire Department and Pickerington Local School's administration.  The "hill" section between the home bleachers and the scoreboard will be made available for overflow crowds.  Ideally, we'd like students from the younger grades such as Ridgeview Junior High, Diley Middle School and the elementary school students, to occupy this area.

Finally, tickets, space, seating, and parking will all be at a premium, and with the anticipated crowd and limited seating capacity, a fair percentage of fans for both PHS Central and PHS North will be Standing Room Only.  Patience and planning a little extra time will go a long way into making it a great night.  As well, both sides want very badly to win this contest as this is an incredible showcase of the football talent in the Pickerington Community as a whole, and I'm confident that no matter the outcome of the game, all Tiger fans and students will exhibit the highest level of sportsmanship and respect to our guests.  See you at the game!

Go Tigers!

Dear Pickerington Tiger Community - Letter #10

Greetings Pickerington Tiger Community – Letter #10

Without question, this is one of the most exciting weeks athletically in the history of the Pickerington community.  I’d first like to congratulate both the PHS Central and PHS North football programs for making the State Playoffs.  We are excited to host this game in the legendary Tiger Stadium and are making preparations to accommodate the anticipated record crowd for Saturday night’s game.  This Wednesday morning, representatives from PHSC, PHSN, the PLSD District Office, the Pickerington Police Department and the Violet Township Fire Department will meet to review the plans for the game.  After our meeting, we will share those plans on the listservs of both schools and on the district’s website.  Either way, space will be at a premium, both for seating and for parking.  Realizing that you’ll need a little extra time and a lot of patience will go a long way in ensuring that everyone has a great experience at the game.

In conjunction with the game festivities, there will be a bon fire on Wednesday, November 4, 7 PM at Victory Park.  Come celebrate the accomplishments of the football Tigers and cheer them on to victory!

This is also an incredibly busy time for the PHSC Marching Tigers.  In addition to preparing for Saturday nights pre-game, post-game and halftime show, the Marching Tigers will be participating in the State Contest on Sunday, November 8 in Welcome Stadium in Dayton, Ohio.  As well, the Tigers are also preparing for the first leg of their coast-to-coast trips, which is the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in three weeks in New York City.  The band learned this week that they will be given the prestigious honor of being the band to bring in Santa!  Lastly, between the trip to New York and Pasadena, the Marching Tigers are the invited guests of the Cincinnati Bengals and will perform in Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati on December 6^th during halftime of the Bengals game vs. the Detroit Lions.  Our students certainly won’t be bored!

Last week was Red Ribbon Week, and I’d like to congratulate Ms. Wiseman’s 3^rd period class for winning the “Wear Red” competition sponsored by SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions).  They will win a class breakfast for their efforts.  As you know, Red Ribbon Week is the nations most visible drug-free program.  During the week, SADD also received $1027 in student contributions and donated the proceeds to the Mid-Ohio Food Bank.  Great job Tigers!

Another student group doing great things recently is our Youth Connections.  PHSC Youth Connections students volunteered their time on Saturday, October 24 to assist the Pickerington Public Library at the Pickerington Barnes & Noble Bookstore’s “Make a Difference Day” as greeters, face painters and participated in the reading marathon.  A bit from the thank you letter received from the staff of the Pickerington Public Library reads “Several of the store staff mentioned how welcoming and polite they were to other shoppers.  Our Library Director and Juvenile Services Librarian were very impressed with their strong personal skills, positive attitudes and friendly smiles…we were proud to have them representing the library and our community should be proud to have such bright future leaders!”

The Pickerington Education Foundation awarded grants to two of our teachers, Mr. Ricchetti and Miss Ross, who are working on incredible projects with their students.  PEF is a charitable foundation organized to enrich and support the total educational process in the PLSD.  I’d like to thank them for enriching the education of our Central Tigers.  I’d like to say very warm congratulations to 41-year Chemistry teacher, Pat Funk, for being selected into his high school’s Hall of Excellence.

Lastly, this marks the first week of the second grading period.  Grade cards will be distributed next week, so please inquire about them to your student.  We have also discussed with our students about focusing on goals for themselves for this grading period.  We reminded them, as we often do, of our expectations of them academically and behaviorally, and are eagerly looking forward to an equally successful 2^nd grading period. 

See you at the game!  Go Tigers!!

Sincerely,

M. Scott Reeves

Principal, PHS Central

If you BELIEVE you can ACHIEVE, you will SUCCEED