While arts in the village can seem vital and ever-present, from features in the News to galleries and shows around town, according to Yellow Springs Arts Council members, there is significant work to be done.

At the July 9 school board meeting, Treasurer Joy Kitzmiller reported that the Yellow Springs school district ended the financially challenging 2008–2009 fiscal year in the black.

On an ordinary street in town, there is an ordinary brick ranch with two ordinary maple trees planted in the front yard. But inside this ordinary house is a woman with an unordinary history. It’s a personal history that reflects advances in civil rights and decolonization. It’s the history of one woman with a pioneering spirit, keen leadership skills and a love of learning.

YS Kids Playhouse kicks off its summer programming beginning Thursday at 7:30 p.m. with the opening show of A Price to Pay: Before Bond Became 007. Running for two consecutive weeks, Thursday through Sunday, the production, written by YSKP alum Daniel Malarkey, tells the story of the teenage James Bond and how he earned his lucky 007.

At the June 11 Yellow Springs Board of Education regular meeting, board member Richard Lapedes announced the beginnings of a new pilot program to encourage collaborative inter-district programming throughout Greene County, spearheaded by Governor Strickland and Jane Dockery of Wright State’s Center for Urban and Public Affairs (CUPA).

In an unseasonably warm third-floor classroom humming with rows of PC computers and hulking monitors, veteran teacher James Ventling surveyed the space, occasionally forced to peer around bundled groups of wires fed down from the ceiling. On the walls were maps of constellations, renderings of virtual landscapes and examples of graphic design.

RECESSION IN THE VILLAGE This is the fifth in a series of articles looking at how the unstable economy is affecting various aspects of Yellow Springs life, including businesses, nonprofits, the arts, housing and schools. The aftermath of the sub-prime mortgage fallout finds the nationwide housing sector still in a serious rut caused by widespread […]

The May 14 school board meeting was held at Yellow Springs High School at 4 p.m. before, at its high point, an audience of approximately 40 people. Board President Aida Merhemic opened the meeting with an apology for the timing of the meeting, which was scheduled so as not to conflict with the schools’ spring music festival.

In the public portion of the April 23 school board meeting, board members discussed reductions and additions to the 2009–2010 school year budget and the second revision of next year’s district education plan. Reporting a projected five-year deficit of $400,000 to $500,000, Joy Kitzmiller distributed a list of 2009–2010 budget modifications that reflect personnel and service changes at Mills Lawn, McKinney, and the Yellow Springs High School.

Backed by a full musical ensemble of community members, the Yellow Springs High School Drama Club, Thespian Troupe #4671 and the YSHS Theatre Arts Association will present Peter Pan in the Mills Lawn auditorium April 24, 25, 26 and May 1, 2, 3.

It’s a “new spin on a very traditional tale,” director Kelly Pekar said of the production. “We’ve tried to pull out some of the deeper meanings…about how time changes people.”