Photo Provided Doan Ford General Manager Steve Mercer, left, provides Norma Heskett the keys to her new 2024 Ford F-150 Super Cab that was donated by Doan Ford Inc. to Union Local Middle School’s Community Connections Committee to raffle for the Community Recreation and Education Zone.

MORRISTOWN –Union Local Middle School’s Community Connections Committee is raising money for a Community Recreation and Education Zone.

Its goal is to develop basketball courts, pickleball courts, a volleyball court and an outdoor science, technology, engineering and math classroom. The newly developed area will serve as not only a facility for its middle school students, but it will be open to the community after school hours.

The committee began fundraising for the project last year with the goal of being fully completed by 2027.

Recently the committee raffled off a 2024 Ford F-150 Super Cab that was donated by Doan Ford Inc., located directly across the road from the school grounds. Raffle tickets to win the truck were $40 apiece, and Norma Heskett — a former cafeteria worker for the school district — won.

Union Local Middle School seventh grade social studies teacher and Community Connections Committee member Robin Sefsick said the middle school has no playground, and she believes the facility will be a great addition to the school.

“There’s nothing but a field out back. So we decided that we wanted to provide the students with some recreational places to go,” Sefsick said. “We decided that we wanted to try to get two basketball courts, four pickleball courts, a volleyball court, and we’re also interested in doing an outdoor STEM classroom.”

She added that STEM is a big part of every school’s academic content.

“We wanted to have a place where the kids could go out and participate in STEM activities and projects that are a little bit too much for the inside,” Sefsick said.

She added that the students make flying hover objects and robots that they take down the halls of the middle school. The staff believes the outdoor classroom will provide more space for those activities.

The plan is for other classes to also have the option to use the outdoor classroom as well.

“They need to get outside and get fresh air and some exercise in between their academics because studies show that academic ability increases when students have exercise,” Sefsick said.

She added that the committee’s goal is to find ways to get the community involved with Union Local School District. She said she wants to get the word out about the school as much as possible to the community and let it know what the school is doing.

She added that she believes there often is a disconnect between the community and the schools, which leaves residents unaware of what the schools are trying to achieve.

Sefsick said the entire project will roughly cost $250,000.

Last March, the committee held its first raffle and raffled off a 2025 Honda Pioneer 700 side-by-side off-road for $20 per ticket. The vehicle was donated by Honda Direct Line in St. Clairsville

She said it was a smashing success and that the committee actually ran out of tickets to raffle.

Sefsick and the committee plan on raffling off another side-by-side this autumn but said she isn’t sure of the timing or the exact vehicle that will be awarded to the winner. Honda Direct Line will be the provider once again.

She then praised both Doan Ford Inc. and Honda Direct Line for their generosity.

If interested in purchasing a raffle ticket, you can purchase them through ULMS Community Connections Committee-Recreation Zone’s Facebook page, call the middle school at 740-782-1388, or contact any middle school student.

The community can also offer monetary donations by sending them in the mail to Union Local School District, 66779 Belmont-Morristown Road, in Sefsick’s name.

In addition to monetary donations, the school is also seeking community members and alumni who could help with excavating or donating equipment or time to help with construction when the time comes.