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After consolidation of the Vienna Township Rural School District and Fowler School District in 1961, the newly formed school system was known as the Fowler-Vienna School District. It was felt throughout the years that the newly combined district name caused separation between the two communities.
After the retirement of long time Fowler-Vienna School District superintendent, Andrew Cvercko, the new superintendent, Dr. James Medved, wanted to unify the students in both communities with a different district name. In 1981 he presented a motion to for a name change to the Board of Education. In January of 1982 the PTA and PTO held a naming contest with all four school buildings (Baker, Currie, Neal, and the high school) in the district participating. Each homeroom class submitted a potential name. From the submitted names, the PTA and PTO selected three that were placed on the ballot; "Mathews," "Buckeye Valley," and "Ridgefield." The majority of students voted to change the name to "Mathews" after the current name of the high school, which was so named after former teacher Ithel F. Mathews.
The front page of The Mustang Wire from December 1981 describes the "Name the School System" contest.The Mustang Wire publication from the Vienna Historical Society's collectionDonated by Barbara (Hart) Ullom
The Mathews High School Class of 1982 was the final group of graduates with diplomas that read "Fowler-Vienna School District."
1982 Diploma:1982 was the final year that "Fowler-Vienna Local School District" was listed as the district on a diploma.Image courtesy of John Ullom
The new name, "Mathews Local School District," took effect on September 1, 1982 during the 1982-1983 school year. Mathews High School student diplomas in 1983 reflected the name, "Mathews Local School District."
1983 DIPLOMA:1983 was the first year that "Mathews Local School District" was listed as the district on a diploma.Image courtesy of David Daum
The 1982-1983 school year was also the first school year that students from Vienna and Fowler attended elementary school together. Pupils in kindergarten through second grade would attend Currie Elementary School, while students in third through fifth grade would attend Baker Elementary School. Previously, Fowler students attended Currie School and Vienna students attended Baker School until they met for instruction at Neal Middle School.
Warren Tribune-Chronicle, August 28, 1982.
Warren Tribune-Chronicle, August 29, 1982.
There was no mention of the district name change in the 1982-1983 Mathews High School yearbook.
Mathews Local School District still stands as the name of the district.
The official website for the school district may be found here.
Updated 9/19/2020
This article is adapted from "Identify the School, Unify the Communities." Vienna, Ohio, Where We Live and Let Live: Town 4, Range 2 of the Connecticut Western Reserve (Apollo, PA: Closson Press, 1999), pp. 214-215. Additional research by Christine Novicky, 2020.
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