COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Thousands of children across central Ohio received free winter coats on Thursday, just in time for frigid weather.
The drive was part of local nonprofit Bonzy Charities’ sixth annual Coat Day Columbus.
Eight schools participated, including elementary schools in Reynoldsburg and South Western City Schools. Every student was allowed to pick out a brand-new winter jacket.
“I was looking at the colors and I thought the blue one looked the best,” fifth-grade French Run student Aleen Hasan said.
Reynoldsburg City Schools Whole Child Support Director Ashley Pittman said the students had a choice and a voice while picking out their coats.
“They come in super excited, they're matching with their friends, they're able to kind of coordinate,” Pittman said.
Doug Godard, president and founder of Bonzy, said a coat can be the difference between a child coming to school or staying home on a cold day.
“This is one way of helping out the kids so they can be present at school,” Godard said while visiting Prairie North Elementary. “Students at this school are on free and reduced-price lunch programs and that’s the type of school that we focus on.”
Pittman said every child at French Run in Reynoldsburg walked away from school Thursday with a warm jacket. It’s one less thing for parents to worry about.
“Whether you really, really need the coat or it's just an extra one to have to play outside or grow into, that's fine. We don't want to draw attention to one single person,” Pittman said.
A brand-new coat for a child in need costs $25. You can donate and learn more about Coat Day by visiting the Bonzy website by clicking here.
LEWIS CENTER, Ohio (WCMH) -- After passing a bond issue on Election Day, Olentangy Local Schools will soon build two new schools.
The district said these are needed to keep up with increasing enrollment.
Some parents said they are relieved the bond issue passed because their children are already experiencing overcrowding in Olentangy schools.
“This is just in time,” parent Joe Meisner said.
Olentangy’s fifth high school will be built on 139 acres of land the district already owns off of Bunty Station Road and the 18th elementary school will be built nearby Bean Oller Road in Delaware.
The bond issue won’t raise taxes, and it gives the district $235 million to construct the buildings, which will break ground in 2026.
Meisner already has two students in high school at Olentangy Berlin and a third who will start ninth grade right as the new buildings open.
“The school’s built for 1,800; there’s over 2,000 kids there,” Meisner said. “I think when they walk through the hall, I think it's like just a madhouse.”
Parent Lindsay Lee moved to the district a few years ago, mostly because of the schools. She said her young children will benefit from the extra space.
“You can see both in the parking lots or school activities, there's just more children here,” Lee said. “We can definitely see the overcrowding in the schools now, so we could easily forecast that happening in the future. It definitely caused concern for us.”
Olentangy’s enrollment is growing by about 400 students each year. Lee said classroom size has a direct impact on students.
“There are multiple studies out there that show a manageable class size helps influence the quality of education and the attention that the kids get,” Lee said.
Meisner’s children currently attending high school don’t have lockers because of overcrowding.
“There’s only so many classrooms, so many teachers,” Meisner said. “You can put them in trailers, but who wants to volunteer for their kid to be in a trailer outside the school?”
Construction at both sites will begin in 2026. The district said the elementary school should open around 2027 and the high school should be complete around 2028.
Some people said they voted no on the bond because of worries about a future tax increase, but Olentangy Schools maintains it didn’t matter if the issue passed or failed -- an operating levy is still needed in the next few years.
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