SYRACUSE -ÊWednesday is traditionally the night of the week when churches plan activities for children and the "non-churched."

Thursday, a couple of Syracuse pastors approached the Wawasee Community School Corp. Board of Trustees about trying to keep Wednesdays open and not plan school activities on that night.

Mick McCoy, pastor of Vineyard Church, Ind. 13, said they want to work with the school board on keeping Wednesday nights open. It seems that more activities are being planned for Wednesdays, conflicting with church programs.

A representative of the ministerial association said Wednesday is the night churches reach the "unchurched," but there are a growing number of Wednesday night programs.

"We think it's important they get spiritual guidance too," he said. He said they would be glad to work with the school board on the issue and will be more than happy "to take the blame" if anyone complains about no scheduled school activities on Wednesdays.

Theoretically, he said, the church could hold its activities on any night, but switching gears now isn't an easy thing since people are used to having Wednesday night church activities.

Superintendent Mark Stock said he could gather information on the activities the school corporation has scheduled on Wednesday nights and board policy and present it to the school board at its July 8 meeting at 7 p.m. in the administration building. Typically, Wednesdays are left clear but sometimes there are games postponed or rescheduled to Wednesday because it usually is a free night.

Alan Frank, Wawasee High School principal, said there are some activities, like IHSAA sanctioned events, the school can't change.

In other business, the school board:

• Approved a donation of $500 from The Knights of Columbus of Syracuse toward the cost of the 2003-04 Academic Hall of Fame program.

• Approved $602 from the Box Tops for Education for North Webster Elementary School.

• Approved the resignation of Nance Heimann as WHS Spanish teacher, effective June 2; employment of Terri Johnson, special education teacher, Milford School; employment of Elizabeth Chapin, Spanish teacher, WHS; and transfer of Cynthia Patterson, WMS English teacher, to Wawasee High School.

• Approved Vivian Blakeslee to a fourth term on the Milford Public Library Board.

• Heard a report from Phil Metcalf on the career and technical programs.

• Approved the Title I Grant for Wawasee, which is estimated at approximately $183,258 with a carryover of $32,000, for a total of $215, 258. The final approved figures will not be available until September.

• Approved the administrative contracts and changes to the support service handbook. The school board also heard administrative assistant Joy Swartzentruber will be the new Wawasee Middle School principal beginning with the 2003-04 school year, with the current principal moving to the administration office.

• Approved the advertisement for bus bids to replace five standard 66-passenger school buses.

• Approved the textbook rental fees for kindergarten through grade eight Prices are: kindergarten - $42.50 for 2003-04, compared to $42.50 for 2002-03; readiness, $69.40 compared to $69.20; grade one, $96.50, ($99.65); grade two, $87.50, ($85.55); grade three, $101.05, ($98.70); grade four, $101.25, ($99.20); grade five, $95.80, ($92.65); grade six, $94.35, ($89.15); grade seven, $93.25, ($88.20); and grade eight, $91.05 in 2003-04, compared to $87.25 in 2002-03.

• Approved the 2004-05 school year calendar. The first student day is Aug. 18, 2004, with commencement June 3, 2005. [[In-content Ad]]