Ohio School Boards Association
8050 North High Street • Suite 100 • Columbus OH 43235-6481
(614) 540-4000 • fax (614) 540-4100 • www.ohioschoolboards.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: Nov. 8, 2012
Contact: Crystal Davis Hutchins
deputy director of
communication services
(614) 540-4000
Release and photo of Watt
available electronically at:
http://links.ohioschoolboards.org/13296
Local school board member earns prestigious statewide honor
COLUMBUS — A Muskingum County school board member is among five people in the state selected to receive the Ohio School Boards Association’s (OSBA) most prestigious honor.
W. Bryce Watt, a board member with Muskingum Valley Educational Service Center, will be recognized as a 2012 All-Ohio School Board member on Nov. 14 during the OSBA Capital Conference and Trade Show in Columbus. OSBA Executive Director Richard Lewis will recognize All-Ohio School Board members on the final day of the 57th annual conference, a four-day convention attended by more than 10,000 Ohio school board members and school leaders.
Every year, OSBA names one board of education member from each of its five regions — Central, Northeast, Northwest, Southeast and Southwest — to the All-Ohio School Board. The award recognizes outstanding service to public education and represents the dedication shown by thousands of board members across the state.
All-Ohio School Board candidates are nominated by their respective school boards; OSBA regional committees then select the five winners.
Watt, who has been a school board member for 27 years, represents OSBA’s Southeast Region. He has served as board president or vice president for five of those years.
Watt, a second-generation school board member, began his public service with Franklin Local Schools Board of Education in Muskingum County in 1975. Bryce’s commitment to education was passed down by his parents. His father served as a school board member for nearly 50 years and his mother taught for more than 40 years.
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The veteran board member shows his passion for students by regularly attending school activities, programs and athletic events. Watt is actively involved with OSBA, where he belongs to the Board of Trustees, Board Member Cabinet, Nominating Committee and is immediate past president of the Southeast Region. His affiliations with professional organizations include AARP, National School Boards Association and Ohio Farm Bureau, among others.
Watt makes strides to continue his education through professional development. He has attended a variety of recent conferences, including ESC workshops, OSBA Board Leadership Institutes and OSBA Capital Conferences.
In nominating Watt, his board colleagues wrote: “Bryce is committed to students receiving learning opportunities and has compassion for children, teachers and the great institution we call public schools.”
Watt and his wife, Cheryl, live in Zanesville and have two children.
The other 2012 All-Ohio School Board members and the districts they serve are: Nancy Decker, Springfield Local Schools in Lucas County; Jaynie Lambert, Fairbanks Local Schools in Union County and Tolles Career & Technical Center; Sue Steele, Goshen Local Schools in Clermont County and Great Oaks Institute of Technology and Career Development; and Doug Stuart, Rittman Exempted Village Schools and Wayne County Schools Career Center.
In its 57th year, OSBA leads the way to educational excellence by serving Ohio’s public school board members and the diverse districts they represent through superior service and creative solutions.
For more information, contact OSBA or your local school board members.
Note to reporters, editors: OSBA’s All-Ohio School Board honorees have been told they are receiving the award. Please feel free to contact them for feature stories, comments or photos. Watt’s phone number is (740) 453-9980. If you wish to cover the awards presentation in Columbus on Nov. 14, please contact Crystal Davis Hutchins, whose contact information is at the top of this release.
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