From left to right: Clinton-Massie Athletic Director Brian Carey, Phil Harner, Candace Frump, Renee Walker with Peoples Bank, Board of Education President Jeremy Lamb, Andy Avery, Mike Gorman, and Superintendent David Moss gather at the Clinton-Massie Board meeting on June 24, where a $100,000 donation for the district’s DRIVE Project was presented.
Serena Hammond | News Journal photos
Boy Scout Quinton Smith, who has achieved the highest honor of Eagle Scout, poses with Clinton-Massie board members at the C.M. board meeting after being recognized on Monday night.
Boy Scout Nathaniel Welch, who has achieved the highest honor of Eagle Scout, poses with Clinton-Massie board members at the C.M. board meeting after being recognized on Monday night.
Boy Scout Ethan Kuhlman, who has achieved the highest honor of Eagle Scout, poses with Clinton-Massie board members at the C.M. board meeting after being recognized on Monday night.
CLARKSVILLE — The Clinton-Massie Local Schools Board of Education meeting took place on Monday night at the middle school building. A significant moment on the agenda featured Renee Walker, branch manager at Wilmington Peoples Bank, who presented a donation to the district.
Walker presented a check for $100,000 earmarked for the district’s Four Quarter Drive Project, which focuses on necessary improvements to school facilities. The school administrators noted, “Thank you, Peoples Bank, for believing in us and helping us drive education-based athletics.”
The DRIVE Project includes several critical upgrades, such as turf replacement for the school’s athletic field, which has surpassed its typical 10-year lifespan by two years. Additional plans include replacing the track, installing new grandstands, and upgrading lighting and other finishings. Athletic director Brian Carey reassured attendees, saying, “Everything is going accordingly and as planned.”
Carey also emphasized the community’s vital role in the project, saying, “This entire project has been community-funded. No tax dollars have been used to complete this project. We have an amazing community that has stepped up and helped make this happen. Not only has the community raised and pledged the money to complete the turf project (Quarter 1), we have secured approximately $500,000 in in-kind labor to help support quarters 2-4 (track, lights, grandstands, etc). Partnered with our new 501(c)(3) Athletics Boosters, we have combined to raise the money it takes to pay off the turf in the next three years.”
The athletic department had $111,000 to kick off the project from previous rentals and concessions profits, and the community has raised the rest.
“We have allocated $40,000 to be put back, starting next year, from the athletic department, to help offset the costs of the next replacement. I can’t say enough about how grateful we are for our community support of education-based athletics. The turf project is currently on target to be completed and ready for use by July 19,” added Carey.
Sponsorship recognition is an integral part of the project’s funding. “We are recognizing all donations over $500 in our Falcon Trustee Program and our corporate sponsors; however, every dollar counts in a project this size. All of the donors will be recognized on the donor wall that will be placed at the ticket entry. The perks then go up from there, including reserved seating, all-sport passes, and in-game recognition. Our corporate donors, such as Webbland Farm Excavating Corporation, Alliance Building LLC, and Peoples Bank, will be featured on the turf for their amazing support,” Carey explained. “If anyone is looking to support the drive, they can visit clearvision.cmfalcons.org/4-quarter-drive or contact me at [email protected]. Donors will all be recognized on the field at halftime of our week two football game vs Coldwater.”
Also at the meeting, three local Boy Scouts were introduced and honored for achieving Eagle Scout status, the highest rank in the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) program. “We wanted to take a moment to recognize four people that have obtained Eagle Scout status,” Superintendent David Moss announced. “I believe it’s roughly somewhere around 4 or 5% of all scouts are able to obtain Eagle Scout status. It’s a rare thing to obtain and it’s quite an achievement. Tonight we have three of the four with us.”
The scouts introduced themselves and spoke about their respective projects. Ethan Kuhlman, who achieved his Eagle Scout rank in April 2024, began his scouting journey in February 2018. His project involved constructing two bridges at East Fork Lake State Park, measuring 10 and 12 feet long and four feet wide. The project took around five months to complete.
Nathaniel Welch described his project: “My project is here at the school, next to the elementary school by the propane tank. It is a 12-foot-high deck that the marching band utilizes to prep for competitions and football games. So we have a higher vantage point to see formations like we would down on the football field. I achieved my Eagle rank in December after two months of work on my project,” Welch explained.
Quinton Smith shared details about his project, which involved building a 20-foot-long and four-foot-wide footbridge. The construction took about six months to complete.
A scoutmaster expressed gratitude for the support and facilities provided by the school district, saying, “We utilize the school facilities quite a bit, and we’re very appreciative to be able to do that. We have our meetings here and a lot of activities we do with the school system.”
