Through tears and sadness, members of the Newbury Schools Board of Education mourned the end of their district at their final virtual meeting June 29.
Through tears and sadness, members of the Newbury Schools Board of Education mourned the end of their district at their final virtual meeting June 29.
But as each member’s voice became increasingly choked with emotion, their speeches bore an underlying wish for bigger and better things to come as the district transfers into West Geauga Schools.
Newbury, the final remaining single-township school district in Ohio, ceased to exist July 1, ending more than a century of service to the Newbury Township community.
For the past several weeks, carefully observing COVID-19 regulations, the district has held a variety of closing events geared to giving alumni, parents and community members a chance to say a final goodbye and bring home a piece of school memorabilia as the district cleaned out decades of items from the buildings’ rooms.
The school’s final graduation ceremony, necessarily low key due to coronavirus concerns, was followed by a two day garage sale of old uniforms, choir robes, yearbooks and trophies. For the past several days, the school was open for final goodbye tours, many of them emotional moments for several generations within a family.
Monday, most of the board member described the generations of their families who had been a part of the school. Two of the board members — David Lair and Terry Sedivy — were classmates, Lair pointed out.
“My great-grandfather, Neil Button, served on the Newbury school board, my grandfather John Evans helped to build some of the additions on these buildings,” said board President Maggie Zock. “They helped build this treasured district. I think I represent long standing residents of Newbury who have gone through the good times and bad of this district.”
“I went here, as did my brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, father and uncles,” board member Terry Sedivy added. “The Sedivy family has been involved in this school from the very beginning, from day one. This was not an easy decision, but it had to be made.”
Sedivy said the problems of keeping a small, independent district afloat has been going on for decades.
“When I served on this board 30 years ago, we had the same problems back then, with a crumbling façade that we fixed with a Band-Aid,” Sedivy recalled. “We had 900 students … but the population had gone down from 1,000 in the 70s to 900 in the late 80s. Things change and we have to change with the times.”
Sedivy said open enrollment accelerated the dwindling of the student population until it was about a third of its size 30 years ago, making the school no longer viable and able to remain independent.
“It’s like saying goodbye to a friend,” Lair said.
Four generations of his family have attended Newbury Schools.
Lair credited board members Zock, Kimya Matthews and Sedivy for doing the right thing in negotiating the best possible deal to transfer the district to West Geauga Schools, allowing all the Newbury students to be sent to one district rather than scattered among several.
“You took the heat, but it had to be done,” Lair said to the three. “You went above and beyond, till the very last day and made us all proud to be Black Knights.”
Board member Terri Rice also praised the teamwork of the staff and all who worked to make the transition a smooth one.
“I am honored to have served with each one of you,” Matthews added. “We worked through some tough decisions and tense situations befitting such an emotional journey. Through it all, you exhibited the type of poise and decorum that this township and county deserve to see from their elected officials. Thank you for your professionalism and your courage to lead.
“I think the toughest part of being in the center of so much controversy is that the average person forgets that we, too, are mourning the loss of our school. After all, most of us are all alumni.”
Zock fought back tears, her voice cracking several times, as she thanked administration, staff and former board members David Gifford and Susan Nelson for their guidance and support as the board made difficult and controversial decisions.
“Many board members have served this district over the years,” Zock said, emotion causing her to pause several times in her statement. “I want to personally thank them for their sacrifice and dedication to community service as they sat at this table. For the past 50 years, they, too, were faced with this same conversation and we appreciate all that you went through to try to make Newbury local schools the best it could be with the resources they had.”
Following a farewell video of the school campus, prepared by West Geauga Schools Public Relations Director Jim Kish, the board members, most of them in tears, saw a video of Newbury’s band and choir performing the school’s Alma Mater and Fight Song one last time.
“Okay, you guys, are you ready?” Zock asked the board. “For the last time, I entertain a motion to adjourn.”
“What if nobody moves?” Lair asked jokingly, but soon the motion was made and the final roll call vote taken.
“It’s been an honor to serve alongside you at this table. Thank you,” Zock said, as each board member waved a final goodbye.
