Student stars: Penta students earn honors at SkillsUSA regional competition

        Thirty Penta Career Center students earned honors in contests during the 2024 SkillsUSA Northwest Regional Competition held in February.
        Fifteen students earned gold medals and first place and 13 students received bronze awards and second place. In addition, two students received bronze medals and third place. All students now qualify for the Ohio SkillsUSA Championships to be held in Columbus on April 9-10.
        Among gold medal winners were:
        • Garrett Hill (Northwood) – CNC Milling.
        • Destiny Krassow (Eastwood) – Crime Scene Investigation Team.
        • Emma Jensen (Oak Harbor) – Health Knowledge Bowl Team.
• Tyann Smith (Genoa) – Job Skills Demo A and Calleigh Butson (Lake)  – Job Skills Demo A, model for Smith.
• Kennith LaGrange (Northwood) – Job Skills Demo Open.
        Local students earning silver medals included:
        • Morgan Guerra (Lake) – Customer Service.
        • Ellie Dobbelare (Oak Harbor) – Job Interview.
        • Csaba Csanyi (Lake) and Liesl Pinkleman (Eastwood) – TeamWorks Team.
        Earning bronze medals were:
        • Aaron Morgan (Woodmore) – Automotive Service Technology.
        • Brenden Hill (Woodmore) – Welding.
 
Eastwood concert band advances to state competition
        The Eastwood High School Concert Band qualified for state competition when they earned a superior rating at the Ohio Music Education Association District Large Group Adjudicated Event on March 15 at Sylvania Southview High School.
        Brian Myers and Jonathan Roode direct the Eastwood Band.
        The superior rating of a “I” (one) is earned for “an outstanding performance, with very few technical errors and exemplifying musical expression. This rating is reserved for the truly outstanding performance,” according to the OMEA rating description.
        At Large Group AE, bands perform three prepared pieces. One of the pieces is required to be from an OMEA list of music. This piece determines the band’s class. This year the Eastwood Band competed in class C.
        The three prepared pieces are performed for a panel of three judges. Each judge rates the group from I to V. The band then goes immediately to another room for sight reading. The band is given a new piece of music. After only six minutes of study, they perform the new piece for one additional judge, who assigns them a rating from I to V. The four scores are averaged for a composite rating.
        The band will travel to Findlay for State OMEA competition on Friday, April 26.
 
Rex Maze II inducted into Phi Kappa Phi
        Rex Maze II of Oregon, was recently initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society. Maze was initiated at Bowling Green State University.
        Membership is by invitation only and requires nomination and approval by a chapter. Only the top 10 percent of seniors and 7.5 percent of juniors are eligible for membership. Graduate students in the top 10 percent of the number of candidates for graduate degrees may also qualify, as do faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction.
 
Academic honors
        Manchester University: Lily DeTray, of Oak Harbor.
        Youngstown State University: Harley Seem, of Gibsonburg, Emily Wolf, of Oak Harbor.
 
Graduates
        Kent State University:  Libbey Almroth, of Elmore; Alexis Meinhardt, of Millbury.
 
OHHS Art Clubs raise over $2,000 for Ottawa Co. Humane Society
        The Oak Harbor High School seventh- and eighth-grade and art clubs raised $2,000 for the Ottawa County Humane Society at a fundraiser held Feb. 22.
 to benefit the Ottawa County Humane Society.
        Prior to the event, art club members visited the Humane Society, learned how they run the organization and stamped animals’  paw prints using paint and glaze. These prints were turned into art pieces, which were auctioned off to community members. In addition to the art auction, there was an earring sale, a “grab-and-go” table and dessert sale.
        Prior to the auction, presented by Overmyer Auction LLC, the OHHS Music Performance Group entertained during dinner.
 
Jake Gladieux wins National Championship
        Jake Gladieux of the Trine University men’s track and field program secured his second national championship of his career by taking first-place in the 60-meter hurdle finals on Saturday, March 9. Gladieux would add an All-American award with a sixth-place finish in the 200-meter dash event as well.
        In total, Gladieux, of Oregon, tied the school record with eight All-American awards in his career (Evie Miller) and becomes the only two-time national champion in the program’s history.
        “Jake had a goal at the start of the year to win all three hurdle distances between the indoor and outdoor seasons,” assistant coach for hurdles Seth Ware said. “This was the first part of his goal for the season. Over the course of the weekend, Jake ran new school records in both events on the biggest stage and that is a testament to him as a competitor. No moment is too large. I look forward to helping him accomplish the final two parts of his goal during the outdoor season.”
        In the 60-meter hurdle finals, Gladieux ran a time of 7.96 seconds. The four top scoring athletes were all within one tenth of a second, including Gladieux needing to go to the one-thousandths of a second to know he was a two-time national champion.
        “Jake continues to amaze me with his ability to compete. He becomes a two-time national champion and counting.” Head Coach Josh Fletcher said of his senior.
        On top of his national title, Gladieux was also an All-American with a sixth-place time of 21.56 seconds in the 200-meter dash. It is the second different indoor event that Gladieux has been named All-American in and fourth overall among the indoor and outdoor seasons.
        “This weekend went exactly how I planned,” Gladieux said. “I came in confident and executed. All things are possible with the right mind set if you have confidence in yourself and God. With that, nothing can stop you.”