Members of the Belpre High School choir performed Thursday before the regular meeting of the Belpre City Schools Board of Education. The group sang “Do You Hear What I Hear,” “Mary Did You Know,” “Carol of the Bells” and “Holly Jolly Christmas.” (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

BELPRE – The Belpre High School choir performed Thursday night before the regular meeting of the Belpre City Schools Board of Education and choir director William “Bill” Van Pelt said this was their 10th performance of the holiday season.

“Your students have been representing Belpre City Schools and Belpre High School with pride spreading Christmas cheer,” Van Pelt said.

The group sang “Do You Hear What I Hear,” “Mary Did You Know,” “Carol of the Bells” and “Holly Jolly Christmas.”

Superintendent Jeff Greenley thanked the choir for their performance at the meeting and the many they have done throughout the community during the holiday season. He said their performance Thursday night was just a small sample of the talent they displayed at the other events. He said what surprised him the most about each event he attended was the amount of community support he saw.

“The better we are as an organization and partnering with families and including them in that way, I think the better it is for us,” Greenley said. “Bill, truly just blown away by what I’ve seen this week, and grateful for it.”

Members of the Belpre High School choir performed Thursday before the regular meeting of the Belpre City Schools Board of Education. The group sang “Do You Hear What I Hear,” “Mary Did You Know,” “Carol of the Bells” and “Holly Jolly Christmas.” (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

Greenley also gave the board an update on winter sports saying the wrestling team has begun competitions, the boys and girls basketball teams are doing well and Ethan Greene, a member of the not yet officially recognized bowling team, bowled a perfect game.

“If you have the chance, they just designed new bowling uniforms, which are probably the fanciest ones we’ve had on campus. They’re quite nice looking,” Greenley said. “That’s another avenue, you know, where there’s a niche of kids that that’s a perfect fit for to feel like they’re part of a team and have a place.”

Greenley gave an update on the bond project and said the administration has spent a significant amount of time meeting weekly, and sometimes more often, with the design firm Fanning Howey. He said they have been very receptive to the administration’s feedback.

“When we’ve had some items that we didn’t quite think they got right, they have listened and they came back and, you know, really hit the nail on the head,” Greenley said.

He said the project is currently in the schematic design phase which means they are deciding where the building will sit on the site, planning how the inside will be laid out and considering what the outside will look like.

Members of the Belpre High School choir performed Thursday before the regular meeting of the Belpre City Schools Board of Education. The group sang “Do You Hear What I Hear,” “Mary Did You Know,” “Carol of the Bells” and “Holly Jolly Christmas.” (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

Greenley said he knows members of the public are eager to see some movement on the project and anticipates more information being available in the coming months.

“We’ll have much more to share, and we’ll be able to pivot towards a feedback process with the public,” Greenley said. “But we want to make sure it’s right. We want to make sure that we have a strong draft before we put it forward for public feedback. So we appreciate their patience. But rest assured, we are working very diligently behind the scenes to make sure that that process is as smooth as possible.”

The meeting ended with Greenley and members of the board wishing everyone in the community a Merry Christmas and happy holiday as students and teachers begin their winter break.

Douglass Huxley can be reached at dhuxley@newsandsentinel.com

Members of the Belpre High School choir performed Thursday before the regular meeting of the Belpre City Schools Board of Education. The group sang “Do You Hear What I Hear,” “Mary Did You Know,” “Carol of the Bells” and “Holly Jolly Christmas.” (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

Members of the Belpre High School choir performed Thursday before the regular meeting of the Belpre City Schools Board of Education. The group sang “Do You Hear What I Hear,” “Mary Did You Know,” “Carol of the Bells” and “Holly Jolly Christmas.” (Photo by Douglass Huxley)