MANSFIELD — Janeen Hire didn’t give up, even as her voice was giving out.
“A speech therapist with laryngitis,” she said, voice breaking as she stood at the podium in the Mansfield City Schools board room.
Board members, family members and other school employees and students chuckled.
The district recognized Hire as an “Every Student, Every Day Champion” during its regular board meeting Tuesday.
Despite barely having a voice, Hire stood to express her long-term appreciation for the district.
“This is a very special place for myself and all of my family,” Hire said. “My entire family had almost 170 years of experience in various parts of this school system.”
Hire has worked as a speech, language and hearing pathologist for almost 63 years. All but four of those years have been at Mansfield City Schools.
“I love what I do. I still do,” Hire said. “The children are the leaders of tomorrow.”
Hire graduated from Mansfield Senior in 1957 and Purdue University in 1962. When she returned to work for the district in 1963, she was one of two speech therapists in the district.
She worked in six grade schools her first year on the job, serving 100 children.
Hire left briefly after the birth of her first child to work for Richland County.
“At the end of the school year of ’63, we were expecting our first child,” Hire said. “Mansfield City told me I couldn’t work for a whole year after my son was born.”
“I stayed (with the county) ’til 1968, when my father was asked again by the personnel director (of Mansfield City Schools) if we could have me come back to this system,” Hire added.
Hire retired from Mansfield City Schools in 1999 with 38 years of service, but it didn’t last.
“My second husband passed away shortly after I retired, and the director of special education called and said, ‘You’re not going to stay home. You’re coming. I need you to return,’ which I did,” Hire told the board.
Hire currently works at Mansfield Spanish Immersion. In a written statement read during the meeting, Principal Michael Brennan called her an embodiment of commitment to the schools.
“Janine is more than willing to go the extra mile for students and their families. I have relied on her and her can-do attitude since I began working as a principal here,” Brennan wrote.
“Janine regularly visits homes of students and families to speak with them. She works with students of all ages and advocates for their success at all times,” he added.
“Because of her vast experience and ties to the community, she helps families with doctors’ appointments, follows up with medical professionals and is able to connect families with outside resources. She seems to know everyone in Mansfield.”
Despite her many years of service, Hire said she’s regularly taken aback when former students recognize her.
“I’m always surprised to watch children point at me when we are in the store somewhere and they know who I am,” she said.
“Or the grown adults who come back and say, ‘You were my speech teacher’ or ‘You took care of my hearing.'”
AP scholars go above and beyond in the classroom
After Hire’s recognition, administrators highlighted several AP Scholars from Mansfield Senior High School.
Advanced Placement (AP) tests are administered each spring, following the completion of AP courses. By receiving scores of 3 or higher, students can earn college credit and placement.
“The AP tests are of high rigor, and this is where we get a chance to compare our students against students in the area, the state and across the country,” Principal Kris Beasley said.
“The four young ladies that we’re going to talk about tonight have not only exceeded expectations at the local level, but their scores and what we’re acknowledging them for is statewide worthy. They compare with their peers on the nationwide level.”
Quinn Hodapp and Lorelai Stufft are AP Scholars, meaning they have taken at least 3 AP tests and scored an average of 3 on those tests. (AP tests are scored on a scale of 1 to 5.)
Beasley read comments submitted by their teachers, who described Hodapp as a lover of mathematics and a talented artists. Educators called Stufft self-motivated, achievement-driven and a voracious reader.
The board also recognized Chelsea Dees and Emma Kline, who have each taken 5 AP tests.
Kline is an AP Scholar with Honors, meaning she scored a 3.25 average on at least three tests. Teachers said Kline is a natural intellect who has the ability to discover and learn on her own if she doesn’t know something.
Dees earned the title of AP Scholar with Distinction, meaning she earned an average of 3.5 or higher on her tests.
The lieutenant governor of her Key Club district, Beasley described Dees as “hyper busy.”
“She is acknowledged by most of her teachers as quite possibly the top academic student they’ve ever had,” Beasley told the board.
Beasley also recognized several recent 2024 graduates, who were unable to attend the meeting.
Santana Saavedra, Michael Seveigny and Sophie Henderson were all named AP Scholars. Kaiya Bookman was named an AP Scholar with honors.
“These are the students we are creating at Mansfield Senior High, these types of kids who are going above and beyond,” Beasley said. “They serve our community. They’re active.”
