Somewhere between the 2016-17 and 2019-20 basketball seasons these guys will become household names in Bluffton. Right now they are Bluffton seventh graders. This season, the basketball team coached by Ryan Dunlap went 19-0, winning the Northwest Conference.
In an understatement, Dunlap told the Icon that this was a dream season. All Pirate fans are following that dream.
A student at the Bluffton Community Pre-School uses a mirror to watch how she pronounces letters of the alphabet. This photo was taken earlier this winter.
The Bluffton elementary PTO never stops to take a breath. Melissa Knauss, PTO president, provided an update from the organization for the Icon. It follows:
"The PTO committee continues to look at ways we can help our school, teachers, and students.
"Nineteen lunch box totes were purchased and are being used by the majority of the first through fourth grade classrooms. The students can now take lunch boxes with ease to the cafeteria, as the totes have wheels and a handle.
Sixty basketball seasons ago, these Bluffton Pirates finsihed 11 and 6 overall and third in the Western Buckeye League.
Team members from left are Jim "Spike" Berry, guard; Jim Fisher, guard; Ron Lora, forward; James Matter, forward; Thorne Lauriat, forward; Jack Fields, center; Ron Geiser, forward; Don Alspach, center, Marvin Diller, guard and Joe Urich, guard.
This team was the 1955-56 non-county tournament champs.
