Wilmington City Schools’ Board of Education met at 7:15am on Monday, June 24, 2024 in the District’s Central Office to announce the hiring of Timothy Dettwiller as the new Interim Superintendent of Wilmington City Schools. The position came available after the previous Superintendent, Jim Brady, announced his resignation on April 22, 2024 after 2-years into his 3-year contract according to administration. Dettwiller had previously retired as Superintendent of Fairfield Local School District in July of 2022 where he had served since July of 2018 after spending his first 6-months as Interim Superintendent. Prior to that, Dettwiller’s 35-year career has included time as Superintendent of Madison-Plains Local Schools in London, Ohio, Chief Financial Officer of Springboro Community City Schools, Deputy Auditor for the Ohio Auditor of State’s Office, and Head Wrestling Coach for McClain High School in Greenfield, Ohio. School Board Member Bill Liermann expressed being impressed at how prepared Dettwiller came to his interview and how he understood the problems Wilmington City Schools faces outside of discipline—including the need to increase graduation rates and test scores (specifically in math and literacy). “He is a visionary, knows the task at hand, and has ideas on how to make us better. He succeeded at Madison-Plains, and most recently at Fairfield (Leesburg). I have confidence he can do the same thing with Wilmington City Schools,” said Liermann. Liermann also called attention to Dettwiller’s record of mentoring successors, which is important as an interim employee. “He trained two others who are now superintendents, Matt Unger in Ross County and Keishia McCoy at Fairfield,” said Liermann. WCS BOE meeting information available at wilmingtoncityschools.com. Learn more by emailing Board President, Marty Beaugard, Senior, at Marty.Beaugardsr@wilmington.k12.oh.us.

After years of vacancy, the old CMH residency building at 825 W Locust Street will once again be home to its first healthcare provider, Tracy D Kelley APRN CNP Direct Primary Care. This is thanks to the 2023 acquisition and renovation by local property management company, LT Land. Tracy is a Wilmington native with 23 years of experience in healthcare who started her practice in February after experiencing her mother struggle to get care from doctors because she was unable to make visits. “My mother is 80 years old and has Alzheimer’s. Doctors wouldn’t refill her prescriptions because she was unable to make in-person visits,” said Tracy. What sets Tracy’s practice apart is not only that she is available to make home visits and offer telehealth appointments through a mobile phone app, but that instead of dealing with insurance companies, she offers ‘direct pay’. This makes her healthcare pricing more affordable and transparent and gives power back to local healthcare providers so they can focus on doing what they love—caring for their patients, not being subject to large healthcare companies. Tracy’s primary care pricing is currently $25/mo for people ages 17 and under, $55/mo for ages 18–49, $65/mo for ages 50+, and $155/mo for families. Tracy said, “When I first introduced my direct pay healthcare model, a senior patient said, ‘Why would I pay you $65/mo? But after visiting her and helping her get in touch with her other providers, she and her husband said, ‘Why would I not pay you?’” Tracy claims her services also help keep people from having to use the ER for minor issues when they can’t get to their doctor. For a full list of Tracy’s healthcare services, call (937) 807-4640 or visit tracydkelleydpc.com.

Jeff Linkous and Stephanie Hughes, Board Members of Clinton Swim & Tennis Club (CS&TC) located at 851 S Nelson Avenue, recently recorded a podcast interview with Real Change Wilmington to share the history and importance of Wilmington’s community pool (listen at realchangewilmington.com/podcast). CS&TC opened in 1957 after a group of approximately 200 community members got together and contributed $200 each, according to Jeff. “This was before it was common for people to have backyard pools”, said Jeff. Jeff grew up going to Lebanon’s Swim Club before Countryside YMCA was built. After graduating college at UC, Jeff came to Clinton County as the Deputy Engineer in 1980. Jeff raised his kids at CS&TC and became a Board Member in 1999. One of his most memorable stories was getting a call saying someone drove a truck into the pool—apparently a couple got into a fight, and the woman stole the man’s truck and put a stick on the gas pedal. “The entire pool had to be drained,” said Jeff. Stephanie grew up going to CS&TC and became a Board Member in 2021. She remembers her mother taking her to swim practice and the freezing cold morning waters. “I can’t wait to torture my own kids in that way. It makes you a stronger person,” joked Steph. CS&TC not only hosts swim lessons and a champion winning swim club (The Barracuda’s), they also host various other summer sports and family events, like: tennis, volleyball, moonlight swims, Hawaiian luaus, and their famous giant slip-and-slide. Despite the positives however, CS&TC does face challenges, like rising upkeep costs and maintaining membership. “Blanchester lost their pool, Hillsboro just closed their pool [but] we’re trying to keep it going. It’s for the families of Clinton County and Wilmington,” said Jeff, who believes every kid should know how to swim. Steph added, “my kids have had friends who don’t know how to swim and it really impacts their life socially.” She says while her family also has Kings Island passes, she enjoys how her kids can run into friends and maintain relationships over the summer at CS&TC. Season membership is “very reasonable,” said Jeff, at $332–$395 for a family. Learn more at clintonswimtennisclub.com.

Community Action (CA) celebrates 60-years of service this year, with Clinton County CA celebrating 59. CA was founded in 1964 as one of the many programs created through President Lyndon B. Johnson’s ‘War on Poverty’ initiative to mobilize human and financial resources to combat poverty. The program was spearheaded by Sargent Shriver who created the first CA agencies to address needs at a community level, creating cost-effective and flexible programming. Clinton County CA offers services for children through seniors, or “cradle to grave” as Executive Director Jane Newkirk says. Program Spotlight: Aging-Up (Senior) Center: Offers meals and activities to anyone in our community 60-and-up, including group workouts and line dancing. The recently updated Rec Center is available to community members ages 50-and-up for $30 a year. Senior Transportation Program: Provides transportation for activities, including medical appointments, banking, shopping, fun group outings, and various other needs. Early Learning Center: A Licensed Childcare Center with degreed teachers. The program operates year-round services for children ages 6-weeks to 5-years-old. CA Agencies have remained within their mission of making America a better place to live, an initiative that starts at a community level. Learn more at clintoncap.org.

A Clinton County farm was recently almost stolen as part of a property fraud attempt by someone posing as a family member. Tanya Day shares this story today at Cape May’s 3M Club, along with her other adventures as Clinton County Recorder. Learn more about the Clinton County Recorder office at co.clinton.oh.us/departments/Recorder. Then, sign-up for free property fraud alerts at www.propertyfraudalert.com/OHClinton.

Tracy D Kelley joined us on the podcast to explain the benefits and details of direct pay primary care. Listen to her full interview on your favorite podcast player below: 🍎 Apple: https://bit.ly/rcwp-apple 🤖 Google: https://bit.ly/rcwp-google 🟢 Spotify: https://bit.ly/rcwp-spotify 🎥 YouTube: https://bit.ly/rcwp-youtube 😎 Website: https://bit.ly/rcwp-website

The Clinton County Literacy Foundation, led by Karen Long and Elizabeth Huber, has seen extreme growth and impact in our community within the past 4-years, recently achieving ‘The Friend of Education’ award from Southern Ohio Educational Service Center for their participation in helping raise literacy awareness. This momentum continues as they prepare for this summer’s events, and even explore the future possibility a bookmobile! Karen, a well-accomplished educator and leader, obtained her first teaching position directly after graduating from Kent State University. She taught English in Guangzhou, China for 2-years before desiring to relocate closer to her family, who lived in the Cincinnati area then. This desire led her to her first teaching position in Wilmington, where she taught at East End Elementary for several years. In 2007, she was asked to relocate to Rodger O. Boro Middle School, where she taught Language Arts. Shortly after, Karen relocated to Denver Place Elementary, where she obtained her first job as principal. When asked how the transition from teaching to becoming a principal felt, Karen responded, “it felt really good to come back to elementary kids after being at the middle school for several years. I loved my time at the middle school, the teachers, and the students. But I really love elementary children best. So it felt really good to be in Denver with younger children. I really loved the relationships that I built with families at Denver too.” She later became the Principal of Holmes Elementary, where she retired in 2019. Post-retirement, Karen worked for Miami University part-time, recruiting teachers for their Master’s Program through the Ohio Writing Project. It was at this time that Karen began to create the ‘Laundromat Libraries’ which has since become the ‘Clinton County Literacy Foundation’. When she and her husband decided to travel full-time in 2021, she brought on the help of Elizabeth Huber to continue the program’s mission. Elizabeth, born and raised in Wilmington, has deep-rooted ties within this community due to her involvement in multiple organizations, and the Wilmington News Journal. Post-college, she worked as a retail manager at a local outlet mall, where she was employed for 20-years. After the mall’s closing, Elizabeth obtained a temp job, which led her to her current position at Wilmington News Journal, where she has worked for almost 10 years. One of her many philosophies is, “if you don’t like something, do something about it, change it. You just have to go out and do [it]”. This helps us better understand her passion for community involvement, and why she decided to step up and run the Laundromat Libraries (now known as CCLF) while Karen pursued full-time travel. The genesis of the Laundromat Libraries was inspired by an NPR article that Karen read and promptly shared on social media. She posed the question, “hey, who thinks we can do this here?” This simple repost opened a platform for individuals who believed the program would benefit the county. After a group discussion, and meetings with laundromats in the Clinton County area, the group officially began offering its services to four laundromats in November of 2020. Karen states that the program’s purpose at that time was, “something for kids to do while they waited for their parents to do the laundry instead of running around or not doing anything or being on phones. [Instead] giving them books to look at while they waited, and teaching families that reading is a good thing to do while you wait wherever you are.” Once Karen left for her travels, Elizabeth focused on growing the program, which led to the libraries spreading to new locations, and servicing events—the first large event being an Earth Day celebration hosted by Main Street Wilmington. At the event, community members such as Mrs. Harris from Harvest of Gold and local preschool teachers volunteered to read books every hour. Shortly after this event, they began to set up bookshelves at the Clinton County Farmer’s Market once a month, which gained consistent traction. In 2023, shortly after Karen had returned from her travels, the duo pursued 501c3 status, with funds made available by Peoples Bank, The Eagles, and private donors. Since then, the organization has flourished, spreading the love for literacy to the entire county and adapting to the community’s needs. Karen states, “all of this is about breaking down barriers to access to books, promoting book ownership, and the creation of little libraries in homes.” She emphasizes that this is not strictly subject to young children but to people of all ages. One of the most recent activities that the CCLF hosted was ‘Read Across Clinton County’, which was a 2-week long interactive event that encouraged reading and incorporated local businesses as “passport stops”. Elizabeth explains, “a lot of people hadn’t heard of some of these businesses. These businesses are ready to do it again. They are so excited. We had such a great turnout. We had over 860 passport stops made.” The CCLF has exciting plans for its future, including focusing on a holistic approach for the community and exploring avenues for adult literacy services. Learn more at fb.com/clintoncountyliteracy.

The City of Wilmington, Ohio approves ‘Davids Drive Connector Path’ by 6 to 1 vote at City Council on Thursday, June 6, 2024. Joshua Schlabach (1st Ward) “YES” Michael Snarr (2nd Ward) “YES” Don Wells (3rd Ward) “YES” Bob Osborn (4th Ward) “YES” Jamie Knowles (At-Large) “YES” David Nanstad (At-Large) “YES” Kelly Tolliver (At-Large) “NO” Following the vote, City Service Director, Michael Crowe, said he would carry out the wishes of the city. Community members in attendance were overheard pleasantly saying that was “respectful of him to say”. Wilmington has been awarded $1,000,000 of Federal funds for a 2.2 mile path on Davids Drive will connect Lynne Lane with State Route 134 and is expected to start development in 2026. If you have additional questions regarding this project, please reach out to Annen Vance, Clerk of City Council at clerk@wilmingtonoh.org.

WILMINGTON, Ohio—New Wilmington High School (WHS) graduate Brynnley Bryant was awarded the $500 Randall J. Harris Scholarship in graduation ceremonies this spring. The Randall J. Harris Scholarship honors the memory of one of Wilmington’s own graduates. Harris, a 1971 graduate of WHS, was a staff sergeant for the United States Army, who was killed at the age of 34 in a non-hostile, peace-time incident in Honduras on June 13, 1987. Harris was a military police guard patrolling the perimeter of the Palmerola Air Force Base when he was shot by a Honduran solider. The base was used to stage training exercises for about 1,200 U.S. regular, reserve and National Guard forces. Ironically, Harris was killed on the nine-year anniversary of beginning his military career at Fort McClellan, Ala. Brynnley Bryant, an avid reader, compiled a 4.3 grade point average and was a member of the varsity volleyball team for four years. Her teachers and counselors said she was always personable and outgoing, very responsible and contributed positively to the school environment. She plans to attend Pace University in the fall, where she will also continue her volleyball career. The Harris scholarship is awarded annually to a WHS senior whose qualifications include graduating in the upper third of the class; who shows positive attributes of leadership, service and character; and who may or may not demonstrate financial need. Contributions to the fund can be made to the scholarship in care of the Clinton County Foundation, POB 831, Wilmington, Ohio 45177. Press Release Submitted by Dana Dunn

Sonshine Christian School (SCS) is a preschool and kindergarten educational center located inside Wilmington Church of Christ at 909 W Locust Street. Cassie DeBoard became the new Executive Director in 2023 and brings a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education and 6-years of experience teaching in a public middle school. In her new position, Cassie is working for  the school to not only be known for its Christian values, but also its academic excellence. “My goal is that when we have a kid going into the first grade... that principal looks at that record and says, ‘ooo, they went to SCS... we know they’re going to be awesome”, said DeBoard. This passion for academics began in her childhood and has since grown. “My passion has always been education, ever since I was a little girl with a chalkboard in my room with my Teddy bears... my stuffed animals were very smart,” joked DeBoard. DeBoard’s hope at SCS is to better prepare students for kindergarten. “Parents are starting to realize that when [their child] gets to kindergarten and first grade, they’re expected to know so many things. They need that little step up to get them [prepared]”, said DeBoard. SCS currently has three classroom levels available, ranging from 3–6 years old. In the upcoming academic year, DeBoard plans to hire additional teachers and increase enrollment from 40 to 70 students. Enroll and find job opportunities at sonshinechristianschool.com.

Stephanie Hughes and Jeff Linkous with Clinton Swim & Tennis Club joined us on the podcast to share the history and importance of Wilmington's community pool. Listen to their full interview on your favorite podcast player below: 🍎 Apple: https://bit.ly/rcwp-apple 🤖 Google: https://bit.ly/rcwp-google 🟢 Spotify: https://bit.ly/rcwp-spotify 🎥 YouTube: https://bit.ly/rcwp-youtube 😎 Website: https://bit.ly/rcwp-website

Wilmington's International Student Exchange (IES) program currently has over 9 students from countries such as Italy and Spain hosted by local families. Local ISE students recently led service projects at PAWS Humane Society and the Clinton County Homeless Shelter. One of the students, Jana Torres, answered questions about her experience with the program thus far. Q: What country are you from? A: I'm from Barcelona, Spain Q: What is your community like in your native country, and how does it compare to Ohio? A: It's totally different. Ohio is calm, you need a car for everything, and the lifestyle is totally different. My house in Spain is big, 2 floors with a pool. My town is pretty big and you have everything that you need there. If you have to move, you don't need a car, and you can do it with public transportation. Q: What is something unexpected that occurred when moving here? Or what is the biggest culture shock? A: The food, and having to ask for a ride because I can't go walking to the places. Q: What is one fun fact about you? A: I speak 4 languages and I have 2 little sisters If you are interested in opening your home to host an international exchange student please visit the iseusa.org website and check out the host family FAQ page. You can also read testimonials from past and current host families. When you feel ready, complete the host family interest form, and an area representative will get in touch with you. You can also get involved by joining our team of Area Representatives! Help match host families and exchange students and bring the world closer together while making supplemental income.