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GOP bills call for districts to teach students the “success sequence” 

By
Laurie Bertke
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Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

TOLEDO — Is there a proven formula for achieving success in life?

Some Ohio legislators believe there is, and a pair of bills introduced this year would mandate school districts teach a formula known as the “success sequence” to middle and high school students. 

“Individuals who complete at least a high school education, obtain full-time work, and marry before having children are overwhelmingly less likely to live in poverty in adulthood” according to the success sequence described in Ohio Senate Bill 156. 

Sponsored by Sen. Al Cutrona (R-Canfield), the legislation had its third committee hearing in late June. It would require the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce to develop standards and a model curriculum about the “success sequence” for grades 6 through 12. Districts would be required to provide instruction on the sequence in at least one course required for high school graduation. 

Republican legislators also introduced a second bill requiring Ohio schools districts to teach the success sequence in the House at the beginning of June. House Bill 269 would require each school district to include instruction in the success sequence and character education for grades 7 to 12 beginning with the 2027-2028 school year. 

Under the House bill, the Department of Education and Workforce would develop a model curriculum that would teach about “character traits and fundamental values deeply rooted in the history and tradition of the United States,” in addition to the success sequence. 

This list of traits includes trustworthiness; responsibility; care for family; kindness and generosity toward others; respect and care for human life; respect for parental authority; respect for parents’ obligations to children; respect for the property of other people; respect for legitimate authority and law; respect for patriotism, service to the community, and concern for the common good; respect for religious faith, morality, wisdom and knowledge; respect for lifelong marriage, sexual fidelity within marriage, and sexual abstinence outside of marriage; gratitude; charity; and courage. 

TPS Board opposes mandating success sequence instruction

In his sponsor testimony, Cutrona called the success sequence “a proven formula to help young adults avoid poverty and achieve the American Dream.” He cited research claiming 97 percent of individuals who complete the sequence do not live in poverty in adulthood. 

“The success sequence works to empower individuals and families, and teaches the self-sufficiency and independence needed to succeed in today’s society,” Cutrona said.

While H.B. 269 has not yet received public testimony, S.B. 156 is backed by groups including the Heritage Foundation, the American Enterprise Institute and the Center for Christian Virtue, which is Ohio’s largest Christian public policy organization. 

In 2023 the Heritage Foundation released a model policy “blueprint” for states to require that districts teach the success sequence to high school students. The “success sequence” is also promoted by the Institute for Family Studies (IFS), which has pushed it as part of the organization’s “Get Married Initiative.” 

According to IFS, the success sequence was first identified by social historian Barbara Dafoe Whitehead and sociology professor Marline Pearson. It was later popularized by Brookings Institution researchers Ron Haskins and Isabel Sawhill. 

Not everyone is supportive of the push to teach the success sequence. At the third committee hearing for S.B. 156 on June 24, sixteen individuals and groups submitted opposition testimony including Chris Varwig, vice president of the Toledo Public Schools Board of Education. 

Chris Varwig, vice president of the Toledo Public Schools Board of Education (TFP Photo/Laurie Bertke)

“The TPS Board of Education feels that parents’ rights are violated whenever legislation dictates a formula for family values, rather than allowing parents to raise their children according to their own values,” Varwig wrote. 

“This bill undermines our students’ autonomy, promotes a narrow definition of success, and reinforces outdated social norms under the guise of ‘family values,’ ” Varwig added in her testimony. “Our educators are dedicated to helping all students succeed on their own terms, not through a state-mandated life formula.”

Varwig’s testimony echoed the sentiments of a resolution the TPS Board of Education passed unanimously at their regular meeting April 22 expressing opposition to S.B. 156.

The board’s resolution said the success sequence model “ignores systemic obstacles that certain groups face and hurdles that individual effort cannot necessarily overcome.” 

The bill also “threatens to enshrine Christian values in public school curriculum, stigmatize students for their poverty and induce students to internalize blame for failing to follow the success sequence rather than recognize that systemic barriers often limit the economic mobility of certain groups regardless of their individual choices,” according to the resolution. 

In comments regarding a resolution opposing Ohio S.B. 156, Toledo Public Schools board member Randall Parker described the “success sequence” as a “stress sequence” for students who are already dealing with many challenges. (TFP Photo/Laurie Bertke)

In comments regarding the resolution, board member Randall Parker said he believes the bill is more about control than it is about success. 

“This so-called ‘success sequence’ is no more in my opinion than a ‘stress sequence,’ for our students, because they’re already carrying so much,” said Parker. 

He said the success sequence ignores the realities of the poverty, trauma and systemic challenges that many students face. Parker, who serves as a pastor in Toledo, also said he was troubled at seeing a bill “that tries to smuggle traditional Christian values under the umbrella of legislation.”

“I follow Jesus. That’s my belief,” said Parker. “But I don’t believe in forcing him into a policy to meet an agenda. That’s not faith. That’s Christian nationalism. And I gladly and boldly oppose that. You can’t legislate love. You can’t mandate morality. And you can’t weaponize faith in a public school system that serves all children, regardless of their background. Regardless of their beliefs. Regardless of their circumstances.”

Success sequence bills similar to the ones in Ohio were recently signed into law in Tennessee and Utah and have been introduced in Texas, Kentucky and Mississippi.

Bad Homophones: Paralyze

By
Steven J Athanas
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"Paralyze" from Steven J. Athanas' Bad Homophones series.

Cartoon by Steven J. Athanas

Cartoons: “Of Course He’s Transparent!”

By
Don Lee
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TFP cartoon by Don Lee

Cirque Italia wows Toledo

By
Barrett Dorner
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An aerialist with Cirque Italia performs a hoop routine high above the water-filled stage at the group’s aquatic circus performance in Toledo. (TFP Photo/Barrett Dorner)

TOLEDO – Kelly Evans choked up describing the memory-making performance of Cirque Italia in Toledo over the weekend.

She brought her adult daughter, teenage son and much younger niece (Marley) and nephew (Brayden).

“It makes me cry because he’s so big, and these are my…it was great,” Evans said, holding back tears as she still held her niece in her arms.

Cirque Italia performed six shows during their visit to Toledo, anchoring the big-top just outside Toledo Speedway.

The “Water Circus” had a 1950s theme, with music that resonated with the older members of the crowd and acts that wowed all ages.

Supporting a fellow performer by one strap, a member of Cirque Italia is locked in on the routine. (TFP Photo/Barrett Dorner)

Acrobatics and dancing kicked things off, with the stage then rising several stories into the air. A curtain of water flowed into a 35,000 gallon pool below. There were no nets, and the pool itself was only a few inches deep, making death-defying stunts that much more exciting.

“I loved it; it was amazing!” Sabrina Gruss, 9 (but soon turning 10, she was quick to point out), said of the show. She tagged along with her sisters and dad, Scott Williams.

Picking a favorite act was a tough decision.

“I liked the ropes,” Sabrina’s sister Breanna Williams, 16, said, describing the man and woman hanging above the stage on aerial straps. 

“Yeah, it was so romantic,” Sabrina agreed before getting a dig in on her sister: “It was like you and your non-existent boyfriend!”

The female aerialist also performed several mid-air hoop routines, with balancing acts, glow-in-the-dark juggling, and an archer providing a variety for oohs and aahs.

After popping several balloons with surgical precision, that archer pointed his arrow seemingly toward the crowd. When he fired, the arrow ricocheted off several metal targets before he quickly ducked out of the way, popping the balloon that had been behind his head milliseconds earlier.

And it wouldn’t be a circus without clowns. Two of them performed skits, recruiting sometimes-hesitant volunteers to co-star, as the stagehands worked to set up each event.

A live band performed some of “the far-out, fabulous ’50s” music, as described by the booming voice over the loudspeaker. Other tracks were favorites played in their original form from the likes of Elvis and the Beach Boys.

While the music may not have been familiar to the youngest attendees, the sisters said the acts were unforgettable – especially the “Wheel of Death.”

In that part of the show, an acrobat spins around inside a circle at the end of a 40-foot arm. When he then jumped outside the circle and performed on top of it with nothing to save him should the wheel live up to its name, the audience simultaneously gasped.

“That was amazing,” Sabrina said. “That was actually crazy. That was just…whoa,” Breanna said.

The audience gasped as this Cirque Italia member jumped to the top of the “Wheel of Death” without a safety harness or net. (TFP Photo/Barrett Dorner)

Cirque Italia plans to bring the Water Circus back to Toledo next year. In the meantime, this specific group of artists will be performing in Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania through the fall. Two other troupes will perform the same aquatic show across the Midwest and Canada.

The group’s other feature, Paranormal Cirque, will be in Toledo for six performances at Franklin Park Mall on August 8-11. That show requires attendees to be at least 13 years old, and anyone under 17 has to be with an adult. Tickets range from $20 to $65.

An aerialist with Cirque Italia holds on by a leg and a hand, high above the water-filled stage at the group’s aquatic circus performance in Toledo. (TFP Photo/Barrett Dorner)
A young circus-goer waves at the performers during Cirque Italia’s performance in Toledo on July 19. (TFP Photo/Barrett Dorner)
Kelly Evans of Toledo holds her niece, Marley, as she’s mesmerized by the performance of Cirque Italia in Toledo. Marley’s brother, Braylen, also joined them for a closer view. (TFP Photo/Barrett Dorner)
A Cirque Italia performer balances on several rollers during the group’s performance in Toledo on July 19. (TFP Photo/Barrett Dorner)
This trio of Cirque Italia performers ends their balancing routine with simultaneous backflips. (TFP Photo/Barrett Dorner)

Toledo City Council candidate weighs in on rezoning vote

By
Blair Johnson
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Roberto Torres, Toledo City Mayoral Candidate, speaks with Bill Hoag, a local businessman with properties in South Toledo, and Blair Johnson, a Toledo City Council candidate, after Toledo City Council tabled Ordinances 223-25, 224-25 and 225-25 at 1 Government Center outside of City Council Chambers in Toledo, Ohio on Tuesday June 3, 2025. (TFP photo by Stephen Zenner)

Over the past few months, I have been proud to work alongside residents and business owners of South Toledo, as well as Mayoral Candidate Roberto Torres and Former Mayor Carty Finkbeiner, to bring attention to the mining operation threatening our neighborhoods.

Thanks to the persistence of the community and a unified effort, Toledo City Council voted to stop the rezoning and shut it down. I want to thank Council for doing the right thing and listening to the people. Now it is time to restore the land and work toward a future that reflects what South Toledo truly needs.

I also commend Council for approving the contracts for our firefighters and police command officers. These men and women have served our city with dedication and deserved to be treated with fairness and respect. It is good to see that recognized.

Last week was a big week for Toledo. We stood up for our neighborhoods and showed our public safety workers that they matter. That is the kind of progress we need more of.

Inside Lucas County Commissioners Meeting: July 15

By
Stephen Zenner
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Pete Gerken, Lisa Sobecki and Anita Lopez, all Lucas County Commissioners during a Lucas County Commissioners’ meeting while they talk about a proposed new jail in their Hearing Room at 1 Government Center in Toledo, Ohio on Tuesday July 15, 2025. TOLEDO FREE PRESS/STEPHEN ZENNER

TOLEDO – Lucas County Commissioners resolved not to finance a new County Corrections Center on Tuesday, though Pete Gerken, Lucas County Commissioner, said it was something he had been pushing towards for the past decade. 

“Today is heartbreaking for me,” he said, but added that “it is unwise, at this point, to incur 300 million dollars worth of debt in an uncertain economy where federal and state supports are being pulled away and being attacked.”

Pete Gerken, Lucas County Commissioner, speaks on the proposed new jail for Lucas County during a Lucas County Commissioners’ meeting. (TFP photo by Stephen Zenner)

The Lucas County Management and Budget Director, John Wenzlick, presented the new jail project for the commissioners to discuss, and said the new facility would cost $273 million. Wenzlick said $54 million on the jail could be paid with cash and grants up front, but $219 million of the project would have to be financed over 35 years. Lucas County would pay a $15.7 million every year for the next 35 years, for a total cost of somewhere around $549.5 million, if the current new plan for the correctional facility went through. 

New Lucas County jail costs posted on a large television during a Lucas County Commissioners’ meeting in their Hearing Room at 1 Government Center in Toledo, Ohio on Tuesday July 15, 2025. (TFP photo by Stephen Zenner)

“One of the biggest challenges that we have is the impacts that the debt service for 35 years will incur on future generations and Lucas County as a whole,” said Jessica M. Ford, the county administrator. “This is the largest project that the county will undertake if we decide to move forward.”

Touting the savings a new jail would offer and lamenting the ills of continuing with the current facility downtown, Lisa Sobecki, Lucas County Commissioner, made convincing arguments for the new correctional facility. 

Lisa Sobecki, Lucas County Commissioner, speaks about the proposed new jail during a Lucas County Commissioners’ meeting. (TFP photo by Stephen Zenner)

“Without a new facility, our sheriff will be unable to implement the best practices in inmate management that we all know are safer and more cost effective,” she said. “This facility is old. Its systems are failing, and we cannot continue to live along with Band-Aid solutions.” 

Then Sobecki reminded those in attendance that the people who enter the jail could very well be innocent and guilty of no wrongdoing. 

But ultimately, the financial mountain of debt the new project would potentially incur was too great for any of the commissioners to fully embrace. 

“Right now, we’re operating in a deficit,” said Lucas County Commissioner Anita Lopez. “We are still operating in a deficit. So for us to again spend when our revenue is going flat and our population is decreasing, that means we’re going to have to make significant cuts.”

Anita Lopez, Lucas County Commissioner, speaks on the proposed new Jail for the county during a Lucas County Commissioners’ meeting. (TFP photo by Stephen Zenner)

“Cuts,” she elaborated, could be extended to county staff, and she anguished over the thought of letting go of county employees in this job market in order to build a jail. 

After considering the matter, Sobecki said, “We can and we should do better with the current conditions in our pre-trial detention facilities. I’m going to ask…that we embark on a plan to assess what it will take to rehabilitate and look at the current jail that we have to make it better than what it is.”

Following the commissioners’ meeting, Gerken said he grieved not having a new jail, but resolved to work in the new direction of improving the current Lucas County Corrections facility. 

Pete Gerken, Lucas County Commissioner, speaks to press after voting against funding a new jail during a Lucas County Commissioners’ meeting. Gerken expressed a desire for the new jail, but said it didn’t make financial sense to put forth $300M for a new jail at this time. (TFP photo by Stephen Zenner)
Lucas County Commissioners honor Michael Veh, the senior project liaison for Lucas County, as he enter into retirement from his position at the county. (TFP photo by Stephen Zenner)
Tom Kralovic, sanitary engineer for Lucas County, is honored by Lucas County Commissioners, as he retires from his position for the county. (TFP photo by Stephen Zenner)

Rocky Ridge: MINE

By
Don Lee
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TFP cartoon by Don Lee

RELATED STORY: Rocky Ridge creates dust up in South Toledo

Inside Toledo City Council: Proposed zoning changes voted down

By
Stephen Zenner
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Toledo City Council gets ready before a meeting in Toledo, Ohio on Tuesday July 15, 2025. TOLEDO FREE PRESS/STEPHEN ZENNER

TOLEDO – Following a brief summer break for Toledo City Council, representatives jumped back in on Tuesday, July 15, voting on ordinances 223-25, 224-25 and 225-25. 

Controversy has surrounded these ordinances, which proposed the rezoning of areas west of Byrne Road and Airport Highway to general industrial. The past two times the ordinances came up for a vote, all three were tabled.

Rocky Ridge Development LLC proposed the rezoning back in May at the planning and zoning committee, but began to suffer backlash from the South Toledo neighborhood the proposed rezoning would affect. 

Mayoral hopeful Roberto Torres initially made headlines for interrupting a Toledo City Council Agenda Review by presenting petitions from South Toledoans, and on Tuesday was able to celebrate a small win as all three ordinances were voted down. 

Adam Martinez, Toledo City Council Member for District 2, asks his fellow council members to vote against ordinances 223-25, 224-25 and 225-25 during a Toledo City Council Meeting in Toledo, Ohio on Tuesday July 15, 2025. The ordinances dealt with rezoning areas to general industrial zoning near Angola Road, South Byrne Road and Airport Highway. (TFP photo by Stephen Zenner)

Before voting commenced, Toledo City Council representative for District 2, Adam Martinez, admonished his fellow council members to vote against all three ordinances. 

“I would encourage all of my colleagues to vote this down,” he said, and was not disappointed. 

Only two council members—Vanice Williams, District 4, and John Hobbs III, District 1— voted for ordinance 223-25, which proposed rezoning on 4004 Angola Road, where Rocky Ridge Development admitted it had begun mining without the proper zoning. And according to residents, the company had increased their mining activity in the months preceding the vote. 

Williams was available for comment after the meeting. “I voted on the first one, because I wanted the project to be finished and cost effective and be done with it at the end of the year. Just getting it finished,” she said. 

The City of Toledo had contracted with Rocky Ridge Development to dispose of spent lime, used in the water purification process.

The other two ordinances, which proposed an expansion to the mining were unanimously voted down. Williams said, “I don’t want them to expand; y’all causing too much trouble. Just finish it and get out the way.”

Jason McKown, a resident on Angola Road, is all smiles with his wife, Kelly McKown, after Toledo City Council voted down a group of three ordinances that would introduce general industrial zoning near their home. (TFP photo by Stephen Zenner)

Residents affected by the mining stepped outside of the council chambers to celebrate after the voting was finished on the three ordinances. 

“We came in here thinking it would be held off again,” said Jason and Kelly McKown, two South Toledo residents.

“I think they finally listened to the residents. That we don’t want it [the mining development] in that area,” Kelly McKown said. “It’s not good for a residential area.”

Torres could be seen hugging affected citizens in the foyer of 1 Government Center. 

Roberto Torres, a candidate for mayor of Toledo, congratulates residents of South Toledo after Toledo City Council voted down three ordinances allowing for general industrial zoning near residential housing. (TFP photo by Stephen Zenner)

When asked about the city council vote, Torres said he was excited for the community, and continued on to say, “I ran [for mayor], because in this city, it tends to be a politics that’s governed by the special interests.”

When Rocky Ridge Development went before the planning and zoning committee, they admitted to beginning mining as far back as 2021-2022. 

Bill Hoag, who grew up near the area and owns property near the mining development, said he reported the mining to the city four years ago. “They were told right in the very beginning and still kept going,” he said.  

Bill Hoag, who grew up in South Toledo and owns a number of properties near the areas up for rezoning, is relieved after Toledo City Council voted down three ordinances allowing for general industrial development near his hometown neighborhood during a meeting in Toledo, Ohio on Tuesday July 15, 2025. (TFP photo by Stephen Zenner)

“Why you letting them break the codes for three years? Who was telling them not to do anything?” Hoag said, and called for accountability. “It’s somebody in the city. Who told them it’s okay in the first place? Who allowed it [the mining] to go on without stopping it?”

WTOL reported that the FBI had been looking into the circumstances surrounding the mining near Angola Road for years without proper zoning. 

“I think this was a well organized fight from the residents, and that’s what service is about,” Martinez said after the meeting. 

Hoag mentioned an effort to find a different use for the land that escaped rezoning.

We’re actively involved right now as a group to try to find developers to step in to do something better with the area,” he said.

13 ABC reported the stop work order was posted on the 4004 Angola Road property Wednesday, which should stop the mining in the area.

Choreographer talks Heathers: The Musical

By
Riley Runnells
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The cast of Heathers sings “The Me Inside of Me." (Courtesy photo by Photo Dave Photography)

Riley Runnells weighs in on this month’s show at the Collingwood Arts Center

TOLEDO — There’s nothing like the flood of emotions when taking the stage and the curtain lifts for your opening night. 

You’re jittery in full hair, makeup and costume, knowing that months of hard work have led to this moment. When the lights come up on the stage, you’re not only ready—you’re confident. 

Only this time, instead of feeling the warm lights on your face and trying to block out the individual faces of the crowd, you’re one of those audience members. This time, you’ve spent months training your cast on choreography, so when the time comes for an audience, you can sit back, relax, and watch your friends shine.

This is the unusual thrill you get from working as a choreographer: your creativity, passion for the art, and love for teaching come to life on stage, all while you get to witness the excitement. My current experience choreographing Heathers: The Musical with Stone Productions.

The show itself follows Veronica, a high school loser who strikes up a popularity deal with Westerburg’s most popular divas, the Heathers. But when Veronica gets a sour taste from the so-called “sweet life,” and teams up with her boyfriend to teach the “populars” a lesson, her high school angst develops a body count. 

What makes this show so special is that everyone can resonate with the story in some way, though not from the murders (I hope). Audiences will see themselves in the characters being bullied, the characters learning compassion, and the effort of these characters to work through their trauma, big or small. 

Now, this isn’t my first rodeo as choreographer. I choreographed my first show (Seussical The Musical with Waterville Playshop) in April 2024, and since then have completed six total shows as choreographer. Heathers is my seventh, and it’s my third time choreographing a show for Stone Productions.

Heathers lead Maggie Titus (playing Veronica Sawyer) dances with the cast during “Dead Gay Son.” (Courtesy photo by Photo Dave Photography)

I’ve been grateful for all of my choreography experiences, but there’s something truly special about Heathers. Not only is it one of my favorite shows—my neighbors are seconds from filing a noise complaint thanks to my belting in the shower—but it’s also a choreographer’s dream. I went into this show equipped with a witty, biting, and overwhelmingly fun score, along with a cast full of Toledo’s finest community theatre staples to bring it to life. 

Our director, Jaymes Gregory Mull, and assistant director, Lizzie Schmitz, had their work cut out for them with the staging and vision for this iconic show. Our music director, Ben Tittl, dealt with intense, advanced harmonies and was tasked with whipping our cast into shape vocally. Our crew, lead by Stage Manager Brad Arps, had to find ways to construct croquet mallets, fake guns and bombs, and a torturous high school scenery, all while keeping the scene changes short and sweet. 

As for me? I’m the lucky one on the production team. My role never felt like a job; it only ever felt like a privilege. Bringing to life iconic numbers like the Heathers’ battle cry, “Candy Store,” and the nostalgic teen party anthem, “Big Fun” was nothing short of a gift. I pulled influences from the original Winona Ryder flick, paid homage to the original West End cast version, and studied the characters and their relationships to create the most authentic picture possible. 

I could drone on and on about the gratification I receive seeing my own vision come to life. After almost seven shows, it never ceases to amaze me that what I envisioned in my head and wrote down in the notes app of my iPhone (I’m a professional, what can I say) turns out as incredible as it does on stage.

This is all thanks to our Toledo talent: the cast of Heathers. I am forever in awe of the way they study the choreography, take to the material, and always find the fun in the process— even after I’ve drilled them on the same section for the 40th time, it’s 10 p.m. and there’s no air conditioning, so we are all drenched in sweat. Dancing in this show brings them joy, and I couldn’t be more grateful and proud.

So when we talk about the flood of emotions from opening night? For me, every emotion falls to the wayside save for one: pride. I am so proud of this team for the work we’ve done and the production we’ve put together—and you will be, too. 

Heathers: The Musical runs at the Collingwood Arts Center July 18, 19 and 26 at 8 p.m., and July 27 at 3 p.m. This production, though featuring teen characters, has adult themes, so viewer discretion is advised. 

Father, son launch OJ Tech company

By
Stephen Zenner
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Jeremy Schroeder with his son Ollie Schroeder, 14, outside their home where Ollie Schroeder works on computers out of the basement of the house in Weston, Ohio on July 7, 2025. TOLEDO FREE PRESS/STEPHEN ZENNER

WESTON — Basement and garage startups are baked into the mythology of the tech industry, and one such basement in Weston, Ohio has been loaned to 14-year-old Ollie Schroeder.

Ollie Schroeder, 14, stands behind his main desk in his father’s basement, where he runs OJ Tech in Weston, Ohio on July 7, 2025. TOLEDO FREE PRESS/STEPHEN ZENNER

Jeremy Schroeder, Ollie’s father, made a deal with his son.

“Hey, you get the basement completely cleaned out, and we’ll build some benches down there,” Jeremy said, alluding to making a space to work on computers.

Shortly after making the deal, Jeremy said his son “had that sucker cleaned out and all of the tech stuff moved down there.”

A server rack, some tools and a logo later, the father-son duo launched OJ Tech— where the “O” stands for Ollie and the “J” for Jeremy.

Against the rural normalities of Weston, the OJ logo, an orange overlapped with a glass of orange juice, hangs off the side of the red home with the words “Computer Repair” falling vertically below it. 

Out front, Jeremy Schroeder’s nephew rides a bicycle in the street, while Ollie Schroeder pulls apart a computer a few feet underground.

Let’s get to work

In less than 30 seconds the 14-year-old dismantled a computer, showed the machine’s insides.

Ollie Schroeder, 14, disassembles a computer in the Schroeder household basement where he runs OJ Tech. TOLEDO FREE PRESS/STEPHEN ZENNER

“I was replacing the bad SSD [Solid State Drive],” Ollie Schroeder said. “One [hard drive] just went bad, and so I just replaced it and installed a new operating system of Windows.”

This fall, Ollie Schroeder will enter high school as a freshman, but with a working knowledge of Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems. 

Software is his dad’s side of things, where Jeremy works full-time as a web developer for MadAveGroup, but Ollie likes to blaze his own path on the hardware side of tech.

When people come to Ollie he said it’s usually a simple hardware issue people are afraid of fixing themselves. Converting hard drives to solid state drives, a basic backup maneuver improving speed and resilience of the data, is what Ollie said he gets the most requests for.

Ollie Schroeder, 14, disassembles a computer in the basement. TOLEDO FREE PRESS/STEPHEN ZENNER

“It’s pretty much just like adult Legos,” Ollie said. “Because everything has a specific place, and everything goes in one place, like building an actual desktop computer. Super easy.”

Connecting computers

More challenging for Ollie’s inquisitive mind was managing servers.

In the OJ basement, behind the workspace desk and next to the sump pump, a metal rack holds information accessible to the outside world, two gaming servers for Minecraft, a router and a few data host servers the father and son made functional.

Ollie Schroeder, 14, points to his oldest server on his server rack in his father’s basement. TOLEDO FREE PRESS/STEPHEN ZENNER

Much of the technology a layman might struggle understanding was bought used from GovDeals, a website that sells old government surplus items, including computers, parts and servers.

A sticker reading “Indiana Family & Social Services Administration,” still is attached to a hard drive in the basement, indicating its origins. 

Jeremy Schroeder simplified the website as “Ebay for governments,” and these used parts were enough for Jeremy and his son to cobble together a workable network.  

“When you go to OJTech.net [the company website] this is literally talking to that computer right there,” Jeremy Schroeder said, pointing to one of the boxes in the server rack.

Processing chips the father/son duo uses to run their servers.
Much of the equipment Jeremy Schroeder and his son Ollie Schroeder, 14, use are items bought from government auctions.

Honing skill

For now, Ollie Schroeder is just following his curiosity and making a quick buck here or there.

“Last year, we did like $5,000,” his father said, and mentioned they had done some work for Monnette’s Market for their deli queue system this year. Because of that work, Jeremy Schroeder said they might do around $15,000 this year, which is a good start for the teenager who already has a good handle on what he might want to do in the future. 

Multiple hard drives on the server rack in the basement of the Schroeder household. TOLEDO FREE PRESS/STEPHEN ZENNER

On the docket for the almost high-schooler is making a 10gb ethernet.

This next school season, Ollie will begin his studies at PENTA Career Center, studying IT. He then plans on going to Owens Community College, followed by a bachelor’s degree in IT or server maintenance at the University of Cincinnati. 

Learn more about the father son duo on their website and Facebook page.
Ollie Schroeder, 14, with his father Jeremy Schroeder in their tech workshop for their company, OJ Tech, in Weston, Ohio on July 7, 2025. TOLEDO FREE PRESS/STEPHEN ZENNER
Business card for Ollie Schroeder, the owner of OJ Tech, in his father’s basement. TOLEDO FREE PRESS/STEPHEN ZENNER
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