Ohio
Entire Staff at Ohio Preschool Resigns at Once: 'We Gave Our Life to Those Four Walls'
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(811x224:813x226)/Preschool-Teachers-052624-cf9e27e888df4f3faa9f245f3a3f6d2d.jpg?ssl=1 "Entire Staff at Ohio Preschool Resigns at Once: 'We Gave Our Life to Those Four Walls'")
The entire staff at an Ohio preschool is taking a stand.
According to ABC affiliate News 5 Cleveland, all of the members of the staff of the preschool at St. Peter’s United Church of Christ in Amherst — including the director and assistant director — resigned at once last week due to a lack of transparency from the church’s leaders.
The school’s now-former assistant director, Heather Nail, confirmed to the outlet that the resignations were driven by budget concerns.
“Each year to start your new year you got to know what your budget is,” Nail said. “And when you don’t have a clear number of what your numbers are, it’s very hard to start that year.”
She and the now-former director, Wendy Kosakowski — who worked at the school for 18 years — confirmed that they had budget concerns for years and were never given the answers they needed from the church council about any preschool funds. This, they said, led them to reach a breaking point and decide to walk away.
“We held our heads up high, and we just left with our integrity and our morals,” Kosakowski told News 5 Cleveland, noting that the staff does “appreciate everything” they got from working at the school for a combined 50 years. “We gave our life to those four walls,” Kosakowski said.
Teacher Kerri Kobylka and aide Taylor Stempowski also stepped down when their colleagues did.
According to Kosakowski, her staff would attend meetings and ask where the money went from fundraisers specifically for the preschool and would receive no answers.
“We just decided we’re tired of fighting for really finding out what’s going on,” she said.
Local parents also expressed their frustration with the situation.
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“I did take him out of the program because all of the teachers left,” mom Taylor Watson, whose older son previously graduated from the preschool, told News 5 Cleveland of her younger son.
Jessica Pieciak, whose daughter just finished her second year at the school, said she is disappointed that the staff and church leadership could not resolve their issues. “I think the main issue here is the transparency,” she told News 5 Cleveland. “We were fundraising for the preschool, not for the church.”
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Kosakowski said she empathizes with the families who make up the school’s community.
“It’s just very sad for those parents who cannot find another preschool because they’re full,” she explained. “And those are the parents that I’m very sorry for, and I am truly sorry for how this year ended. This is not the way that we wanted it to end at all.”
The teaching staff told News 5 Cleveland that the church plans to continue running the preschool with new leadership.
The Ohio Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at March 3, 2026, results for each game:
Mega Millions
Mega Millions drawings take place every week on Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m.
07-21-53-54-62, Mega Ball: 16
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 3
Drawings are held daily, seven days a week, at 12:29 p.m. and 7:29 p.m., except Saturday evening.
Midday: 5-4-7
Evening: 5-5-9
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 4
Drawings are held daily, seven days a week, at 12:29 p.m. and 7:29 p.m., except Saturday evening.
Midday: 0-0-0-4
Evening: 9-4-6-2
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 5
Drawings are held daily, seven days a week, at 12:29 p.m. and 7:29 p.m., except Saturday evening.
Midday: 0-1-8-0-0
Evening: 8-6-0-3-3
Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Rolling Cash 5
Drawings are held daily, seven days a week, at approximately 7:05 p.m.
01-18-27-30-31
Check Rolling Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Millionaire for Life
Drawings are held daily, seven days a week, at approximately 11:15 p.m.
09-10-13-25-54, Bonus: 05
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Enquirer digital news director. You can send feedback using this form.
Ryan Day explained the hiring process that led to former Falcons head coach and NFL assistant Arthur Smith becoming the offensive coordinator of Ohio State football.
Appearing as a guest on “The Jim Rome Show” March 3, Day emphasized the importance of hiring a someone with an extensive body of work to coach the Buckeyes’ offense.
“When Brian [Hartline] moved on to South Florida [we] wanted to go bring in somebody with great experience,” Day said.
Day said the Buckeyes first looked at coaches with collegiate coordinator experience, then the NFL. Smith’s three-year tenure as a head coach in the NFL, along with his extensive time with the Tennessee Titans as an assistant and offensive coordinator, made him stand out as a candidate, Day said.
“…[I] had a chance myself to sit down and talk with him. It was excellent,” Day said. “He’s a great communicator, very intelligent, and really loves the game of college football. When you hear a story about growing up and how much time he spent around college football, you could just see it in his eyes.”
Day added that the new role has been almost “refreshing” to Smith when given the chance to work with college players and young talent.
Smith has spent the majority of his coaching career in the NFL. He served a year as a graduate assistant at North Carolina, his alma mater, and brief stint with Ole Miss as an administrative assistant.
Smith was then hired by his hometown Titans in 2011 and spent the the rest of the decade with them, rising from quality control coach to assistant offensive line coach to tight ends coach. Promoted to offensive coordinator in 2019, he led Mike Vrabel’s Titans to proficient offensive seasons with running back Derrick Henry.
Day said hiring Smith will allow him to take a back seat on the offense.
“It was great to have Matt [Patricia] on defense, and Brian [Hartline] did a great job as well, but I think this year will allow me to even step back even more and try to do as much as I can from the head coaching seat,” Day said.
After Hartline accepted the South Florida head coaching job, Day stepped in to call plays during the Cotton Bowl against Miami. Ohio State lost 24-14.
Smith joins Buckeyes defensive coordinator Matt Patricia as an Ohio State coordinator hire with previous NFL head coaching experience. Smith went 21-30 as the head coach of the Falcons for three years.
Ohio
Woman dies after saving grandchild playing in driveway from out-of-control car, Ohio officials say
A woman in Pickaway County, Ohio, died after moving a child out of the way of an out-of-control car, authorities said.
The Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office said in a post on Facebook that 52-year-old Laura J. Hammond of Mt. Sterling was fatally struck by the vehicle on Feb. 27 on Walnut Creek Pike in Circleville.
The sheriff’s office said officials were called to the area for a report of a crash around 10 a.m. At the scene, investigators learned that the driver of a Nissan Sentra was headed southbound on Walnut Creek Pike when they went off the west side of the road. The car then careened through two yards before hitting a Chevrolet Equinox parked in the driveway of a home, officials said.
The Nissan, at the same time that it smashed into the Chevrolet, hit Hammond, pinning her between the two vehicles. Before being hit, the sheriff’s office said Hammond moved a child out of the way, which “more than likely saved his life.” CBS affiliate WBNS reported that the young child Hammond saved was her grandson.
“Laura actually picked up the child and tossed him. At the end of the day, it saved his life,” Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office Capt. John Strawser told the news outlet. “And when Laura tossed him, very unfortunately, she took the brunt of the vehicle.”
Hammond was taken to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The young child was taken to a local hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
The driver of the vehicle was also taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office and the Ohio State Highway Patrol are investigating the crash. The sheriff’s office did not release any additional information about the crash.
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