The North Ridgeville City Schools superintendent told the school board the district held its annual convocation this week to welcome staff back and honor long-serving employees, and warned the community to expect altered traffic patterns and delays as construction on a new high school and a maintenance and transportation center continues.

The superintendent said the convocation recognized employees who have served the district for five, 10, 15 and 30 years, and named Jason Sewell and Lynn Pritt as the district’s certified and non‑certified staff members of the year. “Today, we had, 3 staff members who have been in North Ridgeville City Schools for 30 years,” the superintendent said. “We are really entering 1 of the most transformative phases in our district's history with our new high school, the new maintenance and transportation center.”

The nut graf: The remarks matter because the construction projects will affect daily routines and safety around school campuses at the start of the year; the superintendent urged parents, students and drivers to follow district postings and exercise patience as routes and pickup/drop‑off patterns change.

Most important details: The superintendent credited the district’s director of human resources, Yang Hostetler, and staff organizers Brooker Shong and Anaya Aved with planning the convocation. The superintendent also said the district hosted guest speaker Damon West, described in the meeting as “the coffee bean guide,” who addressed staff about changing the environment by example.

On logistics and safety, the superintendent said parents should check official district sources — building administrators, the superintendent’s office or the district’s social media — for the most accurate and timely student pickup and drop‑off instructions. “We will have heavier traffic, due to construction and just trying to navigate some of the unknowns with construction. So we ask for some additional patience,” the superintendent said. The superintendent also reminded the community to be mindful of student walkers, bikers and new teen drivers.

Board members attending the meeting offered brief praise for summer events: a board member said open house at Liberty was “really well done considering the parking situation,” and noted kindergarten families had an ice cream social.

Discussion vs. decision: The convocation and safety guidance were a superintendent report to the board; no formal board action or policy change was recorded in the transcript regarding traffic management or construction contingencies. Separately, the board took routine actions (minutes, consent agenda, finance and human resources approvals) later in the meeting, but those votes were administrative and unrelated to the convocation guidance.

Ending: The superintendent reminded families that school starts Thursday and urged patience and attention to updated transportation and pickup/drop‑off instructions posted by the district.