In the 2025 Allen County Fair baton and flag competition, several Bluffton area high school students won first and second place honors. The competition took place on August 23.
Feature Flag
1st place, written by Ellie Hartzler. Team: Madison Beasley, Brooklyn Nance, Ellie Hartzler, Ellie Roby, Calliope Buckell, Katie Galant and Leah Shadle
Danielle Cross is a 2025 Bluffton High-school Graduate who attended her last 4-H Ohio State Fair in Columbus, Ohio.
Danielle and her horse Riley qualified back in June and competed this week on July 15-16, when they were awarded Sr. 16-18 Ohio State Champion for Poles, Keyhole, Stakes, and 4th place for Barrels.
Danielle attends Allen County Fair with her group Equine Country Club. She loves to mentor other kids and plans to come back as an advisor in the Future.
Seems like several football season ago, I stood on a September Harmon Field Friday night sideline.
During a timeout, the focus of the group surrounding me quite naturally turned to a peculiar discussion: Ranking the greatest Pirate football players to sink their cleats into the 100-yard-lawn where we stood.
Can’t recall the exact group, maybe Bob Badertscher, Owen Ziessler, John Schmutz, Jake Basinger, certainly Bill Herr, and a couple younger guys, plus me.
Miley Russell of Pandora–Gilboa High School will receive a $2,000 scholarship from the Lima Memorial Auxiliary.
Each year, the Lima Memorial Auxiliary and LMH School of Nursing Alumnae Association award scholarships to local students who plan to pursue a career in the medical field. Seven outstanding students will be recognized this year and awarded scholarships at the Lima Memorial Auxiliary Summer General Meeting on Wednesday, June 11. These outstanding students will ultimately make a difference in many lives through their chosen healthcare profession.
MEDIA RELEASE__Bluffton High School is proud to recognize June Essinger as the Student of the Month for May 2025. June is a senior with a 4.0 GPA and is the daughter of Dave and Alice Essinger of Bluffton.
Throughout her high school career, June has distinguished herself scholastically, earning recognition as the Student of the Year in Organic Chemistry, Economics, Digital Art, Latin II, Science 9 and English 9. Her commitment to academics has been recognized through numerous scholarships from esteemed organizations, including the Lima Exchange Club, Lima Elks, American Association of University Women, Bluffton Lions Club, Charles River Biomedical Research, Blanchard Valley Health System Auxiliary, Vietnam Veterans of America and the American Legion. Additionally, she was named Lima Rotary Club Student of the Month and was the winner of the Lima Noon Optimist Club essay contest.
