T-L Photo/ROBERT A. DEFRANK Zac Shutler, Union Local high school principal, describes programs to encourage student outreach to the board of education Thursday.

BELMONT — Union Local School District closed out 2019 with plans to have the middle school auditorium ready for student plays by March.

Chairs in the Union Local Middle School auditorium are in the process of being replaced with cushioned seats purchased from Harrison Hills City School District. Union Local Superintendent Ben Porter said the chairs were purchased at auction for about $15,000. The district began moving the old chairs in July, with the goal of replacing 400 middle section chairs by the first day of school. This leaves 200 chairs on the sides.

Board of Education members Koel Davia, Dan Lucas, Terry Puperi, Shaun Roe and Ed Stenger approved a quote of $64,284 from Farnham Equipment Company for installing seating at the auditorium and approved a quote of $10,710 from Isaac Clark for floor repairs at the auditorium. Afterward, Porter said there were no other offers.

Art teacher and high school drama club adviser Sheri McElroy asked when the new seating would be in and the auditorium finished.

“The seats that have already been purchased will be installed in January,” Porter said. “(For) the the new seats. .. the plan is the first and second weak of March.”

“The spring musical is the third week of March,” McElroy said. She was told the work would be complete by then. “We strive to go bigger and better every year. … It’s going to be very magical if we can do it right, but seats are kind of a requirement, and not to be worked on in the evenings when we’re trying to have rehearsals.”

The board also heard from Zac Shutler, high school principal, about ongoing projects in his building. He said a culture of education was of great importance and was impressed by the attitude among staff and support of administration.

“If the culture’s not right, you’re not going to flourish,” he said. “My number one job is to create that environment, to create that culture, for the staff. We focused a lot on that.”

Shutler said the staff is exploring new ideas such as requiring students not bringing their phones to Friday lunch to facilitate communication with others around them. Shutler said he also regularly posts student and staff achievements on Union Local’s social media.

“There’s so much good work that our students are doing, and so much good work that our staff’s doing, it’s a shame if we don’t share that,” he said. “There’s going to be negative stories out there. … That’s why it’s important to your story about what’s going right.”

Other activities include having student athletes and band members greet elementary pupils as they arrive by bus in the mornings. High school students are encouraged to perform other charitable acts.

“We’ve had students go to the mall and take angels off of the angel tree and buy gifts. We’ve had teachers take their class to the nursing home and sing to the elderly. We’ve had students write letters to our cleaning staff and our cooks,” Shutler said. “To really promote the idea of service and the act of service.”

Shutler said the school is also strengthening its partnership with West Liberty University to engage in more Science Technology Engineering and Math classes. Other recent programs included a day focusing on teaching adult skills. The school is currently planning a career day in March.

“One of the key factors of students doing well on the state test is their level of engagement. How much do they want to be here?” he said.

The board also recognized Melissa Steadman, sixth-grade teacher and middle school student council advisor, for her work in encouraging community outreach among pupils and guiding them to higher grade levels.

“She’s really building a strong foundation for our high school students to continue to take leadership roles. That’s one of our points of interest,” Shutler said. “Our students are doing a lot for us, and they’re also doing for themselves and their future.”

Puperi was named president pro tempore beginning January 2020 for the organization meeting. The organizational meeting and regular meetings were set for 6 p.m. Jan. 9.