A former junior varsity girls' basketball coach at Perkins High School has been hired by the Perkins Local School District Board of Education to lead the varsity girls basketball team starting in the 2022-2023 season.
In addition to his coaching role, the Board also hired Ryan Orshoski to teach fourth grade at Meadowlawn Intermediate School next school year.
Perkins Athletic Director Ted Sturzinger told Board members that he is eager to welcome Coach Orshoski back into the Perkins family.
"Coach Orshoski brings a very high basketball IQ and a strong passion for the game,” Mr. Sturzinger said. “Coach Orshoski will impact Perkins schools in the classroom, on the basketball court and in the community."
Coach Orshoski currently is the principal of the middle school at Dayton Christian School in Miamisburg, Ohio, where he also taught seventh- and eighth-grade Language Arts.
From 2008 to 2014, Coach Orshoski was the head varsity girls' basketball coach at Bellevue High School, where he garnered a 110-32 record and was named the Ohio Associated Press Co-Coach of the Year for the 2012-2013 season.
He coached girls’ basketball at the junior varsity, freshman, and middle school levels at Perkins Schools from 2004 to 2008. He also served from 2014 to 2020 as Sports Administrator for Women’s Basketball at Athletes In Action, a Christian-based organization that advocates religion in high school, college, and other organized athletics.
Coach Orshoski graduated in 2003 from Oak Harbor High School and in 2008 with a bachelors degree of science in middle school education from Bowling Green State University. He is expected to graduate this year with an educational specialist degree from BGSU.
The Board voted to 3-0 to hire him as a coach. Board member Ted Kastor was absent from the meeting, and Board member Eric Lapata abstained. Mr. Lapata and Coach Orshoski are brothers-in-law.
The Board also voted 3-0 to hire him, as well as Kaitlin Griffing, as fourth grade teachers on one-year contracts.
Ms. Griffing this has been a long-term substitute fourth-grade teacher at Meadowlawn Intermediate School for the 2021-2022 school year. She previously taught for six years at Perkins Schools, before leaving to teach in the Port Clinton schools.
Meadowlawn Intermediate School Principal Jeremy Hiser recommended both teachers be hired. Ms. Griffing “is an awesome teacher and she’s doing great as a long-term substitute. She is a very positive teacher and has built a strong rapport with students and staff at Meadowlawn.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Orshoski “brings a wide variety of experience,” Mr. Hiser added. “He is passionate for students, and focuses on student achievement – and not just academics but social and emotional, as well.”
The Board also approved a two-year contract for Samantha Wentz as the district’s new Strength and Conditioning Coordinator. In the role, Ms. Wentz will work with student-athletes to prepare them for upcoming seasons.
Ms. Wentz currently is the assistant strength and conditioning coach for Archbishop Hoban High School in Akron. She graduated in December with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science from Walsh University in Canton.
While in college, Ms. Wentz was a four-year member of Walsh’s women’s volleyball team. She also is certified as a Level 1 coach by USA Weightlifting.
Mr. Sturzinger said he and the athletic staff are excited to have Ms. Wentz on the Perkins team.
“Sam's knowledge of strength training and her ability to relate to all athletes was unmatched during the interview process,” Mr. Sturzinger said. “Sam will not only lead our strength and conditioning program for all student-athletes at Perkins High School, she will also provide a strong support system, both mentally and psychologically.”
In other action, Perkins Treasurer Dan Bowman presented the Board with a five-year financial forecast for the school district.
>> Click here to view the forecast.
The Board also approved the Perkins High School Class of 2022 for graduation, pending completion of academic requirements. Perkins High School graduation is at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 5.
>> Click here to view the list.