Pictured left to right: Jeff LeRose, Executive Director, Facilities & Operations, Westerville City Schools (WCS); Jennifer Andon, Entomology Department, The Ohio State University (OSU); Allen Wilson, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Coordinator, WCS; Laura Ehninger, manager, Custodial Services, WCS; Barbara Bloetscher, School IPM Coordinator, OSU; and Kenny Nichols, Director of Facilities, WCS.
At the Westerville City Schools Board of Education Meeting held on February 23, Jennifer Andon, representing The Ohio State University’s Entomology Department, presented the District with a plaque from OSU and Improving Kids Environment (IKE) “for leadership in providing a safe learning environment by reducing risks from pest and pesticides through the implementation of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in schools.”
During the past two years, thanks to a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant, Westerville Schools has shared its award-winning IPM implementation process with five different school districts in Ohio and Indiana. As a result of this program, three school districts in Ohio are utilizing IPM strategies within their pilot schools – Columbus City Schools, Brookville Schools and the Western Reserve School District, which, like Westerville, received a national IPM Star Certification award from the EPA.