By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Carolyn Ulsh retired from education before technology became a mainstay in classrooms. But when she died in 2020, she left a memorial to Bowling Green High School that will put more high tech at students’ fingertips.
During Tuesday’s Bowling Green Board of Education meeting, High School Principal Dan Black announced that Ulsh left a “significant” memorial to be used for student learning.
“What she’s done is going to impact students for years and years,” Black said.
Ulsh, a former Latin teacher and BGHS guidance counselor from 1964-1985, left close to $500,000 to the high school.
“I find it terribly ironic that a former Latin teacher is funding a robotics program,” board member Norm Geer said when reached later in the week.
Ulsh was a 20-year neighbor of Norm and Tari Geer.
“The high school was her life,” said Geer, who served as Ulsh’s attorney. “She really cared about people. She really cared about the kids. They were like her children.”
“She wanted everyone to feel they were important, smart, and had something to offer,” Tari Geer said.
As school counselor, Ulsh saw that some students struggled with difficulties getting higher education.
So a portion of her memorial will be used to fund scholarships for seniors going into the field of education, with at least two students to get $2,500 a year, renewable for four years.
The scholarship fund is “meaningful,” Geer said. Once it is up and running, the fund will provide up to $40,000 a year in scholarships.
“It’s significant,” Geer said.
The Ulsh memorial funds will continue benefiting students “indefinitely” since the funds are not being put in extremely conservative investments, Geer explained.
“We want the money to be used,” not just sit around slowly growing, he said.
Some of the memorial will also be used to bring more technology into classrooms. “It’s something that just wasn’t in our budget,” Geer said. But by investing Ulsh’s donation, the district should have money to spend on robotic equipment for years to come.
“All of this will be available for a number of years,” Geer said.
A high school STEAM team – focusing on science, technology, engineering, art and math – decided on the best uses for the first round of funding. With $10,000 available each year, this year’s funding was used to purchase robots for the computer science classes taught by K.C. Hale.
Hale showed off two of the robotic vehicles at the board meeting, giving board members Tracy Hovest and Ryan Myers the remote controls to race.
Having robotics in the classroom better prepares students for their futures – and gets them excited about learning, Hale said.
“It’s just awesome. It really is a trip to see,” he said.
The memorial was also used to purchase equipment for the art department, allowing students to print, engrave, score and cut cork, wood and acrylic, cut intricate designs on paper and print words on textiles and food.
Art teacher Nikki Myers said the new equipment allows students to explore careers in technology, and to work together.
“We wanted to find a way to get these kids to collaborate,” Myers said.
A room at the high school currently used for STEAM classes will be dedicated to Ulsh. Using the art equipment purchased with the memorial funds, the students created a slate sign engraved with Ulsh’s picture. The room will be dedicated later this year, being dubbed the “Mind Cave” by students.
The slate sign is perfect for Ulsh, who had a passion for collecting rocks from around the world, Myers said. “That’s pretty sweet.”
