Longtime Mansfield barrister predicts 24 tracking snows this winter:
Clear Fork helps special-needs kids overcome COVID-19 losses:
Gary Bowman:
Today – Judge Frank Ardis will not take a back seat to a groundhog when it comes to weather prognostication. The veteran Mansfield Municipal Court jurist says he thinks he’s more accurate than a woodchuck. Fortunately, the two weather seers operate at opposite ends of the winter spectrum, meaning never the twain shall meet.
Punxsutawney Phil advises us in early February when winter will end. But Ardis, using a secret formula he learned as a lad from a corner store owner, offers an early winter look at how many “tracking snows” we will see during that winter. So what’s his prediction for the winter of 2021-2022?
24 tracking snows. A tracking snow is one in which a near-sighted man could track a rabbit. We have had three already and Ardis says we will get 21 more. And he foresees quantities of snowfalls, not quantities of snow depth. The judge’s definition of a tracking snow is as scientific and tongue-in-cheek as the formula used to predict it, annual prognostications he has shared with local media for decades.
So what’s the key to his prediction formula, a method he learned as a boy from the owner of a store at the corner of Helen Avenue and West Fourth Street?Well, he grew up on Rowland Avenue and back in those days, he’d hang out at a little neighborhood store. That’s where Scott Brown divulged his formula. So … what is the formula?
One important part is the date of the first snow … you can’t do it until we get the first one. The first one this year was Nov. 14. Then, you need to look at the date of the new moon. Ardis, who is in the midst of his last term on the bench, had better hope he is more accurate this winter than last — his worst on record.
He says last year was a fluke. He had predicted 45 snows and we only had 23. But outside of that Ardis has had winters of uncanny accuracy. In 2015-2016, his secret formula told him there would be only 11 tracking snows. There were exactly 11 that winter.
He has also come close on many occasions. Ardis predicted 26 snows in 2019-2020 and the total was 22. In 2017-2018, he predicted 30 and the total was 32. Just don’t blame Ardis if his snowy forecast fails to accurately predict. The NWS office in Cleveland has a difficult time predicting snow falls within a 24-hour window. And that’s with a lot of technology.
Storm to relate near-death experience Dec. 14 in Mansfield
Next, some local history. In 1985 at the end of a trip to Europe, Howard Storm had a near-death experience which changed his life. He went from being an atheist to a God-believer, from an art professor to a clergyperson.
He is the author of four books and has delivered talks about his experience all across the United States and in China, Africa, and throughout the Americas. He will be in Mansfield today Dec. 14, to speak at St John’s United Church of Christ from 7 to 8 p.m.
While there is no cost for attendance, donations to support his 12-year mission to a small village, San Victor, in the nation of Belize, will be accepted. Copies of his books will also be available for purchase, and Howard will be happy to sign them.
Clear Fork rebuilding social skills for special education students
Next, from KnoxPages – Even in the best of times meeting the needs of special education students can pose challenges for educators. But when the pandemic forced stay-at-home remote learning, augmented by summer breaks, those challenges intensified. Critical in-person, face-to-face contact was lost.
For teachers and their special-needs students at Clear Fork Valley Local Schools, a 21-month rollercoaster of rebuilding eroded skills continues. Even though schools have now reopened, students impacted by attention deficit disorder, emotional disturbances, autism spectrum-related issues or other learning disabilities have fallen far behind.
Allison Hahn, a special education teacher at Clear Fork Valley High School said: “Remote learning and summer vacation were key setbacks. The start of the current school year has been like starting all over. It was very hard to be away from kids and know they were struggling.
“Some students have mental and emotional issues. Some are depressed or displaying anxiety. In my 26 years of teaching, this is the most severe I’ve seen. Kids couldn’t practice social skills while at home.”
Hahn and other Clear Fork special education teachers are coordinating with parents as they work to help their students catch up.
Special Education teacher Nicole Traxler said that during the pandemic: “our work went from an 8-hour day to a 24-hour day as we tried our best to help.” Teacher Sonia Kelley said: “Some students could do work on the computer, but most could not. I would deliver homework in paper packets to homes, then go back to pick it up.”
All that was lost during stay-at-home and summer months won’t be recovered overnight, but teachers feel like measurable progress is being made.
Traxler said: “I’m just so thankful to have my kids back in person.”
Gary Bowman
Finally, we’d like to take a moment to remember Gary Bowman of Mansfield. If Gary Bowman said it – he’d do it! He was a promise-keeper for whom uprightness was a lifestyle, and he embodied trust, loyalty and honesty.
Gary was an honorable man who prioritized God, Country and Family – a man who sought wisdom to know the right path and the integrity to always take it. Born in Mansfield, he graduated from Crestview High School in 1970. Gary had a genuine work ethic, and a content spirit – he’d prefer to fix anything than replace it – and spent hours keeping his landscaping “nice and neat.”
Gary retired in 2016 with 31 years as a tool and die maker with RR Donnelley & Son in Willard as well as operating a residential rental company. Ohio State Football game day was a seasonal highlight, and Gary inherited a love for Ford Automotive from his father, owning both a 1926 Model T and a 1935 Convertible.
For decades, Gary was an active member of Ontario Christian Fellowship, serving the congregation as Deacon, usher, communion server, Sunday school superintendent, and in the small group and Promise Keepers ministries.
Beyond all of his work and activities, Gary’s legacy will be his deep love for his family. He is survived by his wife, their children, stepson, grandchildren, brothers, sister, and numerous nieces and nephews. Thank you for taking a moment with us today to remember and celebrate Gary’s life.
