District Newsletter: 10/16/2025

Celebrating Bexley Principals!

It’s National Principals Month and we are eager to celebrate the hard-working leaders of our schools! Follow along this month as we spotlight one Bexley principal each Thursday, in a fun Q&A.

Jason Caudill

Bexley High School

What Is Your Hometown or Where Did You Spend Most of Your Childhood?

Westerville

Number of Years You Have Worked in Education

This is year 23

Number of Years You Have Been a Bexley Principal

This is year 16 as an assistant principal or principal

What Is Your Favorite Part of Your Job?

The students! I love getting to know them, problem solving, and seeing what great young adults they become.

What Did You Want to Be When You Were a Child?

A baseball player

Who Was Your Favorite Teacher? Explain Why and How This Teacher Impacted You.

Mrs. Holland was my 5th-grade teacher at Emerson Elementary School. She was the eternal optimist, always seeing the best in others, but also challenging her students and talking to us about 

real-world issues like we were adults. I still remember life lessons she taught us, and she facilitated friendships in our classroom that I still have today.

What Was Your Favorite or Easiest Subject in School?

Social Studies was my favorite

What Was Your Least Favorite or Hardest Subject in School?

Science, especially Chemistry

What Activities Were You Involved in During High School? (i.e., Sports, Music, Clubs, Class/Club Officer.)

I played multiple sports, mainly baseball and basketball. I was senior class president and worked on the yearbook

What Is Your Personal Motto?

May the force be with you

What Else Do You Want Your Students to Know about You?

I absolutely love working with all of you!

Board Receives Annual Safety Update from District

You are encouraged to listen to Dr. Fine’s comments at the beginning of the Safety Update presentation. Dr. Williams’ Safety Update begins after Dr. Fine concludes his brief remarks. Presentation Slides; Presentation Video

Treasurer Presents District’s Latest Five-Year Financial Forecast

During last week’s Board of Education meeting, Bexley Schools Treasurer Kyle Smith presented the district’s Fall Five-Year Forecast, which by statute is now due earlier, in October rather than November.

Mr. Smith reported to the Board that the district is “breaking even” in terms of expenditures versus revenue, which is what was expected with passage of last year’s incremental levy. In essence, the district’s revenue increases should relatively match increases in expenditures due to inflation and other programming or staffing changes, which is what current numbers show and the forecast predicts.

The Treasurer also shared with the Board his analysis of recent and possible new legislative changes affecting school funding. (Presentation Slides)

The graph above captures in one snapshot the operating scenario facing the district over the next few years. The declining ending cash balance has been intentionally and thoughtfully planned with the implementation of a successful 2024 incremental levy. (Source: Five-Year Forecast, Oct. 2025)

BE A CHAMPION

BHS Senior Is District’s Newest ‘Champion’

This week, we celebrate senior Everett Lynch as the district’s newest champion! He was nominated by a high school teacher for Demonstrating Kindness, the second pillar of the district’s mission.

The nomination explained how Everett was observed encouraging and applauding his younger teammates on the boys’ cross-country team toward the end of one of the team’s after-school runs. His repeated kindness did not go unnoticed. Way to BE Everett!

Pictured: Superintendent Dr. Jason Fine, senior Everett Lynch, and Rachel Lilly, Bexley High School English/Language Arts teacher.

Additional Guidelines in Effect for Last Home Football Games

If you or your students are planning to go to tomorrow evening’s football game versus Franklin Heights or to next week’s last home game against Buckeye Valley, please note that the following rules will be enforced to help safeguard all of our students. These are the same guidelines in effect during the Homecoming game two weeks ago.

• First, it is imperative that all elementary students attending the football game be accompanied by a parent/guardian. Elementary students will not be allowed to enter the gate without an adult who will supervise them during the game.

• All students must exit the stadium through the SOUTH gate by the parking lot on the high school side. If you plan to pick up your child after the game, please make arrangements ahead of time since they will be exiting the stadium on the south end.

• Students may leave the stadium on the north end by the Cassingham field ONLY if they are leaving with their parent/guardian.

• Students must immediately leave school property. The Cassingham turf field and the playground are CLOSED after sunset, by city ordinance. Students violating this rule may be subject to disciplinary action.

• Students cannot take footballs, soccer balls, or other athletic equipment into the stadium. If balls or equipment are seen, they will be taken and returned at the end of the game.

• As always, students cannot re-enter the game if they leave the stadium area.

Annual Cardboard Challenge Encourages Students’ Ingenuity

There was plenty of family fun the last two Saturdays when students from Cassingham and Montrose Elementary Schools took part in annual Cardboard Challenge events. Numerous family members joined in the fun in support of their students’ creativity and resourcefulness.

The Cardboard Challenge began in East Los Angeles in 2012 and is now a global event, taking place in 80 countries. According to the Imagination.org, the Global Cardboard Challenge is a celebration of child creativity, encouraging children to “Just build it!”

This is the 11th year for Montrose to take part in the event, while Cassingham held its 8th Challenge this year.

Cassingham Cardboard Challenge, Oct. 4

Montrose Cardboard Challenge, Oct. 11

Best-Selling Author Talks with BHS Students, Shares History of World War II

During a sometimes somber presentation last week, Bexley High School juniors and seniors attended a talk given by best-selling author Alex Kershaw, a celebrated World War II historian and journalist.

Mr. Kershaw is the author of The Bedford Boys, The Longest Winter, The Few, Escape from the Deep and The Liberator, as well as numerous other historical books. During his Bexley presentation, he shared photos and stories from The Liberator, which he released in 2012. 

The book tells the story of American Felix Sparks, an officer in the 45th Infantry Division. In his early 20s at the time, Sparks commanded the Thunderbird unit that liberated the Dachau concentration camp in April 1945.

“Your forebearers died for them,” Mr. Kershaw told the students last week, as he explained that while only six American civilians died during WWII, more than 19 million European civilians died during the conflict.

“If we don’t study history, we will repeat mistakes,” he said.

Vocal Ensemble’s Halloween Cabaret Is Next Weekend

Get Your Tickets for This Special Event Now

Vocal Ensemble Venmo ID: @BexleyHS_VE

DARN Winter Coat Drive Ends Next Week

Consider Donating Your Unwanted Coats & Jackets

From the City of Bexley: Idling Gets You Nowhere

Bexley, let’s use our cars to go somewhere! We’re not letting October idle away. Instead, we’re asking you to join us in being idle free!

The average car wastes almost 1/5 of a gallon of fuel per hour of idling without going anywhere.

Collectively, unnecessary personal vehicle idling produces emissions equal to five million vehicles! Cars stuck in drive-through or pick-up lines don't go anywhere when they’re not moving. If you're in one spot for 10 seconds or more, consider turning off the car instead of idling.

Stopping and restarting your engine produces fewer emissions than idling for 10 seconds, so please, turn off your vehicle instead of idling for 10 seconds or more. Idling is fuelish; don't be a fossil fool. 
Learn more about the Idle Free Bexley campaign at bexley.org/idlefree.

Important Dates

Tonight! Oct. 16 (Thurs.) – Middle School/High School Fall Orchestra Concert, 7 p.m., Schottenstein Theatre

Oct. 23 (Thurs.) – Middle School/High School Fall Band Concert, 7 p.m., Schottenstein Theatre

Oct. 25 (Sat.) – Vocal Ensemble Halloween Cabaret, 1 p.m. & 7 p.m., Cassingham Complex Cafeteria

Oct. 26 (Sun.) – Vocal Ensemble Halloween Cabaret, 1 p.m., Cassingham Complex Cafeteria

Oct. 28 (Tues.) – High School Jazz Band Fall Concert, 7 p.m., Schottenstein Theatre

Note New Time! Oct. 31 (Fri.) – Middle School Musical 10 Ways to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse The Musical, 6:30 p.m., Cassingham Theatre

Oct. 31 (Fri.) – Middle School Halloween Bash, sponsored by Bexley Parks & Rec, 7:30 p.m., Jeffrey Mansion; register at bexleyrec.com

Nov. 1 (Sat.) – Middle School Musical 10 Ways to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse The Musical, 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m., Cassingham Theatre

Nov. 2 (Sun.) – Middle School Musical 10 Ways to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse The Musical, 2 p.m., Cassingham Theatre