Vibe Coffee House and Café owner Carlton McLellan received the Ohio School Boards Association Business Honor Roll Award. The award is handed out to individuals who have shown a commitment to students at Lima City Schools. McLellan has extended his business space to the district for student projects such as the “DECA” marketplace and a safe place for students to spend time. He has also supported educational programs in the classroom such as the “Closing the Achievement Gap” program. It was something he wanted to do to give back.

The Lima City School Board held a special meeting Tuesday evening to discuss the making policy in the district. Following the recommendation of their Director of Nursing and the Allen County Health Department, they voted to lift the mandate. The policy change will begin on Wednesday, and masks are no longer required for district transportation, school events, or in school. People can still wear masks if they choose to do so.

The “Every Day, On Time: School Today, Success Tomorrow” campaign that kicked off at the beginning of the school year would not have been possible without corporate sponsors who donated to the cause. The school could not spend federal dollars on incentives like gift cards, and food, which the sponsors helped with. 

At the meeting, the Board swore in new member Cindy Brownlow, who won the election last November. They also voted for the Board President position and appointed Sandra Monfort, who will serve that position through the 2022 calendar year. The group voted on representatives and committee members as well as voting on approving dates for board meetings this year. We spoke to Brownlow on what her goals are as a new board member.

The “Every Day. On Time. School Today. Success Tomorrow.” campaign will bring attention to the need to be on time to school. The effort is to remind students and parents about the importance of being at school and being on time. They have a commercial and billboards in place and will be doing workshops to increase attendance.

Progress was made Tuesday night for the redevelopment of the Metro Center downtown.