Three longtime members of the Boardman Local School staff, including two principals, will retire this year.
      Boardman High School Principal Cyndi Fernback will step down from her position, effective July 31; while Center Intermediate Principal Randall Ebie will leave his post. effective June 30.
      Also leaving the system will be longtime teacher Brad Calhoun, who also serves as a Boardman Township Trustee. Calhoun will join the management team at Phantom Fireworks upon his retirement from the local school system.
      Fernback, a 1984 graduate of Boardman High School, has been employed by the Boardman Local Schools for 33 years, including the past six years as high school principal.
      In announcing her retirement, Fernback said “As I am finishing my 33rd year in education, all of them amazing experiences, I am making the joyful decision to retire. I have loved my role as an administrator for Boardman Schools so very much, but at this time I have a deep yearning to clear a new space in my life, to create a new openness for new roles and experiences to come. I am not so much leaving a job as I am returning to me, my life, my family, my friends, my husband, my beautiful grandchildren.
      “I will work again someday, this I know. But for now I am going to take some time to explore balance and quiet and time—time to fill as my heart and soul desire.
      “I am leaving BHS with joy, deep fulfillment, gratitude, and love for the place that gave me so many opportunities. I will miss all of the people in that amazing building.”
      Ebie has been employed for 34 years, and spent his entire career with Boardman at Center. He was a 1982 graduate of Boardman High School, and taught science at Center for the first nine years, then he was assistant principal there, and became principal in 2003.
      Ebie was instrumental in a lot of improvements at Center, and also spent countless hours literally painting, and fixing the building. (the extreme school makeover four years ago), painted every room in the building, This year, he painted the building’s new sensory room.
      Ebie brought the first school food pantry (pilot program for Second Harvest Food Bank) to light five years ago. Today, there are three dozen such school pantries in the tri-county area.
      Calhoun will leave Boardman Local Schools after a 32-year career in education,
      During his tenure, he taught seventh grade World History, Geography and Ohio History three years, eighth grade American History 26 Years; and has most recently served as Student Support Coordinator three years. He also held several coaching positions, including assistant girls basketball coach, boys junior varsity and freshman baseball coach; and also served as Student Council advisor and intramural coordinator at Center.
      Calhoun is a Trustee of the J. Ford Crandall Foundation and has participated in many community organizations, including the Mahoning County Township Association, Ohio Township Association, Mahoning County Emergency Management Agency Planning Committee, Boardman Lions Club, Boardman Civic Association and Boardman PTA.
      “I graduated from Boardman High School in 1982, completed my student teaching at Center Middle School and was hired in 1989. My time spent with the Boardman Local Schools has been terrific and rewarding. What an honor it has been to work with a terrific staff, Boardman families and most importantly the students of Boardman,” Calhoun said.