Panfalone to lead Clyde High School staff as principal in 2024-25

Clyde High School will have a new principal beginning with the 2024-25 school following the upcoming retirement of Joe Webb at the end of this school year.

The new principal will be Anthony Panfalone, who is now assistant principal and athletic director at Bellevue Middle School.

"He is a natural fit for us, a Bellevue High School graduate who also taught in Clyde a few years ago," said Lucas Messer, superintendent of Clyde-Green Springs Exempted School District. "We are looking forward to his fresh presence in CHS."

When at Clyde High School, Panfalone taught health and physical education along with some elective courses and coached baseball and football.

"Getting the opportunity to come back to Clyde High School is a full-circle moment for me. During my time as a teacher at CHS, I had a really good experience and enjoyed the school district and community. Getting the chance to come back is something I truly appreciate," Panfalone said. "Pride is a word that comes to mind when I think of CGS. The people in this community have a lot of pride and value their schools, and that is something I really respect about Clyde-Green Springs. I look forward to serving the students, staff and community."

After leaving Clyde High School he was assistant principal at Port Clinton High School before he was hired for his current position at Bellevue Middlle School. Panfalone earned his bachelor 's degree in education and his teaching certification from Heidelberg University in 2013. In 2018 he earned his principal certification with a master's degree from the University of Findlay in educational administration. In 2023 he earned his superintendent license when he graduated from Clemson University with a degree in educational leadership and supervision.

He and his wife, Sarah, have two children, Domonic "Dom," age 3, and 6-year-old Claire, who is excited to attend Clyde Elementary School this coming fall.

Clyde Public Library adds mural

The Clyde Public Library has a new mural downstairs in the children's area, painted by Beth Sage of Sagebrush Artistry and Gardens, Huron.

"It was a project that we have had in mind for a while and we started the process almost a year ago," said Angela Herrera, youth services librarian.

Colorful paintings of whimsical forest animals cover three sections of the wall above shelves of childrens' books.

"We always knew we wanted a fores-themed mural," Herrer said. None of the drawings contain specific storybook characters, which was a deliberate decision.

"But I can find at least 40 storybooks about some of the animals pictured," Herrer said. "Our new director, Rachel Henck Bentley, and I talked it over and came to the decision that we wanted the mural to feel more whimsical and like a fairy tale or children's book come to life. That is why you can find forest animals, fairy-tale creatures and animals normally found elsewhere (the giraffe, hippo, and sloth)."

A few specific requests were made: that the library be painted into it in the form of a castle; that a hummingbird be painted in honor of Deb Meyer, who served as children's librarian for 40 years before her retirement; and for inclusion of a grumpy bird, which was a favorite storybook character of Doreen Knoderer, a former library employee.

"This was also a way to acknowledge and include our former employees who have passed away," Herrera said.

One of the best parts about the mural is that it invites inspection; an "I Spy" book on the side of the mural lists different animals or objects to find throughout the mural. Herrera said that it ties in with a monthly '"Peek and Find" scavenger hunt in the children's section that is popular with children. She said that youths love to point out the animals to their parents, and some have commented that they seem to notice a new detail every time they look.

Clyde Museum plans May program on Civil War

A program about Northwest Ohio in the Civil War will be presented at the Clyde Museum by Larry Michaels, local historian, at 6:30 p.m. May 14. The museum is on Buckeye Street across from the Clyde Post Office.

Jeanette Liebold Ricker writes about Clyde and Green Springs. Contact her at 419-547-8177 or by email at jeanette.ricker@gmail. com.

This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Panfalone to lead Clyde High School staff as principal in 2024-25