Whitehouse Reading Specialist Named Teacher Of The Year
BY KAREN BERGER— MIRROR REPORTER
Her official job is Title I reading teacher, but Martha Farrell could more aptly be called a decoder extraordinaire. Last month, she was introduced with another title – Teacher of the Year – to her peers at Anthony Wayne Schools.
“Talk to the staff and you will hear stories about how she goes above and beyond to help her students,” superintendent Dr. Jim Fritz said of the Whitehouse Primary teacher.
In a cozy basement room lined with books, graphics and Dr. Seuss’ Thing One and Thing Two, Farrell sits atop a giant exercise ball, facing a semi-circle table with six small chairs.
Each day, Farrell works with up to six students at a time to focus on learning to read.
For a half-hour each day, students leave the classroom to engage in activities outlined by the Wilson Reading System – finger tapping to sounds, repeated readings, rehearsing what to write and speak, and using magnetic boards or SmartBoards to unscramble and re-form letters.
“This is for students who are not learning to read using traditional means. It breaks down the language into very fine parts. It’s a multi-modal way of learning our language,” she said. “Sometimes this is the spark that gets them to understand our coding system.”
Glancing over at the fuzzy Dr. Seuss characters, Farrell admits that she wasn’t much of a fan when growing up, but now she sees the wisdom in the unique characters and rhythmic phrasing Theodore Geisel created.
“Whether he knew it or not, he got it,” she said.
After growing up in Maumee, Farrell earned a bachelor’s degree in speech and language education at the University of Toledo and a master’s degree in speech and language pathologies at Eastern Michigan University. She worked as a speech pathologist with Lucas County Educational Service Center and Washington Local Schools before joining Anthony Wayne Schools 19 years ago. She has served as Title I reading teacher since 1999.
Having a knowledge of language disorders and how it impacts reading has been a benefit, she believes.
“The two fields meld together. In the long run, reading activities can impact language,” she said.
She encourages children to to make it a habit to read every day, like brushing their teeth.
Helping children learn is made easier by the support she receives from teachers, administration and parents, Farrell said.
“When I hear the phrase ‘It takes a village to raise a child,’ the village that I think of is Anthony Wayne,” she said. “I feel extremely fortunate to be a part of the Anthony Wayne family, and I am honored to received the Teacher of the Year award.”

City Of Waterville Considers Issue Requiring Landlords To Report Tenant Information
BY NANCY GAGNET — MIRROR REPORTER
The owners of rental property in the city of Waterville may be asked to do more when a tenant moves in or out.
At the October 10 Waterville City Council meeting, council held a first reading for an ordinance that would require property owners to notify the city’s tax commissioner when a tenant moves in or out.
The ordinance, which applies to both rental and lease agreements, would also include a $50.00 penalty if the property owner fails to comply.
According to city administrator Jim Bagdonas, the ordinance would allow the staff to obtain current information on residential and business tenants.
If an individual fails to notify the city of his or her residency, the city could miss the opportunity to collect income tax, Bagdonas said. He also noted that water and sewer service are usually listed in the landlord’s name.
“Due to the transient nature of tenants and the city’s responsibility to maintain the income tax, we need to keep updated information. This would require someone with firsthand knowledge to share that information with us,” he said.
Council member Jim Valtin questioned the need to make landlords responsible for something tenants are required to do.
“It seems like you’re taking the responsibility of somebody else and making it a burden of somebody else,” Valtin said.
According to finance director Dale Knepper, the September income tax collections are $16,000 above last year.
“We’re still holding strong. Income tax collections are up 7 percent over last year for total collection,” he said.
For the quarter, income tax collections are up $8,900 from the amount budgeted, and $91,400, or 4.6 percent, over budgeted projections for the year, Knepper said.
At the October 21 meeting, the finance committee will review the ordinance regarding tenant notification by property owners.
Council is expected to take legislative action on the issue on November 14.
In other action at the meeting, council members:
• Approved a $7,026 change order for the Baer Park paving project.
• Passed a resolution accepting the amounts and rates as determined by the budget commission and authorizing the necessary tax levies and certifying them to the county auditor.
• Entered into executive session to discuss pending litigation.

The next meeting of Waterville City Council is on Monday, October 24 at 7:30 p.m. at Waterville Town Hall, 25 N. Second St.