Wawasee Board Hears About Renovations, Dual-Credit Courses
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Kathy [email protected]
Superintendent Tom Edington said there are many building inadequacies that have been accumulating, and it’s time to address them. One of the problems is the concession/restroom building behind the football bleachers. For years there has been too much congestion in that area, as well as a need for restrooms for the visitors section, he said.
“There are a lot of items on the list and I’d like to see them addressed,” Edington said. He will announce the projects at the next public meeting in January.
The board approved new courses coming to the high school. Principal Mike Schmidt said he wants to address the needs of the middle 50 percent – many of them students not planning on attending college and those who will in order to gain college credits while in high school.
These courses, he explained, will offer dual credits in many cases, but also will allow students to study areas outside the usual high school curriculum. Among the new offerings will be: dual-credit photography; calculus; peer tutoring for peer facilitators; medical intervention; and young entrepreneurship, provided by Grace College.
Kim Nguyen, director of the Career and Technical Cooperative, explained the Connexis software utilized by his department, which allows advanced manufacturing and logistics information. He is excited that class offerings are embraced by industry, promising students a chance at lucrative careers after school.
“With the certifications we offer, they have the possibility of getting $50,000 to $60,000 jobs right out of high school,” he said.
Milford Assistant Principal Ryan Connor reported on the soon-to-end school resources officer pilot program. He listed the benefits seen at the school, adding that students came to view onsite police officers as just “another staff member.”
Resource officers, he said, besides checking the school and surrounding property for security purposes, helped with custody paperwork, truancy, defiant or out-of-control students, lock-down coordination, door checks, research of laws and investigation into suspicious people in town, and even assaults off school property but involving students. He added that he would like to see the program continue if funds should become available.
“It’s been a good thing,” Connor concluded.
In other business the board:
• Congratulated the FFA horticulture team, and awarded Jennifer Hamilton, who was there representing the team, a plaque.
• Approved the purchase of four new buses at a cost of at least $72,000 each.
• Heard that $4,000 was raised during the “No Shave November” program. The program was initiated by Jace Stewart, teacher at Syracuse Elementary School.
• Accepted a $9,000 grant from Kosciusko County Community Foundation for the career/tech department, and $6,250 from Kosciusko County Economic Development for middle school success coaches.
• Encouraged residents to stop by Shopko until the end of December to help raise money for the schools. No purchase is necessary; visitors need only sign a paper during their stop, and $1 will be donated for every sign-up.[[In-content Ad]]
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Superintendent Tom Edington said there are many building inadequacies that have been accumulating, and it’s time to address them. One of the problems is the concession/restroom building behind the football bleachers. For years there has been too much congestion in that area, as well as a need for restrooms for the visitors section, he said.
“There are a lot of items on the list and I’d like to see them addressed,” Edington said. He will announce the projects at the next public meeting in January.
The board approved new courses coming to the high school. Principal Mike Schmidt said he wants to address the needs of the middle 50 percent – many of them students not planning on attending college and those who will in order to gain college credits while in high school.
These courses, he explained, will offer dual credits in many cases, but also will allow students to study areas outside the usual high school curriculum. Among the new offerings will be: dual-credit photography; calculus; peer tutoring for peer facilitators; medical intervention; and young entrepreneurship, provided by Grace College.
Kim Nguyen, director of the Career and Technical Cooperative, explained the Connexis software utilized by his department, which allows advanced manufacturing and logistics information. He is excited that class offerings are embraced by industry, promising students a chance at lucrative careers after school.
“With the certifications we offer, they have the possibility of getting $50,000 to $60,000 jobs right out of high school,” he said.
Milford Assistant Principal Ryan Connor reported on the soon-to-end school resources officer pilot program. He listed the benefits seen at the school, adding that students came to view onsite police officers as just “another staff member.”
Resource officers, he said, besides checking the school and surrounding property for security purposes, helped with custody paperwork, truancy, defiant or out-of-control students, lock-down coordination, door checks, research of laws and investigation into suspicious people in town, and even assaults off school property but involving students. He added that he would like to see the program continue if funds should become available.
“It’s been a good thing,” Connor concluded.
In other business the board:
• Congratulated the FFA horticulture team, and awarded Jennifer Hamilton, who was there representing the team, a plaque.
• Approved the purchase of four new buses at a cost of at least $72,000 each.
• Heard that $4,000 was raised during the “No Shave November” program. The program was initiated by Jace Stewart, teacher at Syracuse Elementary School.
• Accepted a $9,000 grant from Kosciusko County Community Foundation for the career/tech department, and $6,250 from Kosciusko County Economic Development for middle school success coaches.
• Encouraged residents to stop by Shopko until the end of December to help raise money for the schools. No purchase is necessary; visitors need only sign a paper during their stop, and $1 will be donated for every sign-up.[[In-content Ad]]
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