In between its public work session and regular board meeting Monday night, the Warsaw School Board held a reception for two members who are leaving the board.

Retiring board members Dan Metzger and Matt Dick have served eight years on the board and did not seek re-election. Their spots are being filled by Bradley Johnson, who was unopposed in the November election, and Michael Coon, who won the general election over two others, respectively.

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WCS Transportation Director Mark Fick presented Metzger and Dick with framed certificates of appreciation during the work session.

During the reception, Board President Heather Reichenbach made a speech to the two men, referencing the movie “Polar Express” and words punched on tickets in the animated film.

“Over the past eight years, you have ‘learned’ much about school operations, from curriculum, athletics, transportation to facilities to testing, finances – all of it has been a learning curve and you have accepted the challenge to learn so you can make informed decisions about our school district. Thank you,” she said.

After they were presented with some gifts, Metzger said, “I really felt that I have learned a lot more than I contributed. You guys are just incredible people to work with. We have really good strong leaders and it’s been a pleasure to work along side of you for eight years. Thank you.”

In a provided statement, Dick thanked the voters in his district who elected and trusted him to represent them in District 1 for the past eight years.

“I consider it a privilege and an honor to have served our community and school system in this capacity. Looking back over the past eight years, I am proud of what the team at Warsaw Community Schools has accomplished and the growth experienced inside our system. I trust our team approach on this board, with no single voice being more important than the other will continue into 2019 and beyond,” he said.



New CFO

During the public work session, WCS Human Resources Director Sheila Howe announced that April Fitterling would become the new chief financial officer for WCS. She replaces Dr. Brandon Penrod, who left the school corporation earlier this year to become the Whitko Community Schools superintendent.

Fitterling received her bachelor’s degree in business administration from Indiana University East. She recently was selected as a recipient of the WCS Board Leadership Scholarship and will be pursuing her Master of Business Administration degree.

Her tenure at WCS began in 2014 when she began working with the district’s business department as deputy treasurer. In 2016, she was promoted to corporation treasurer, a role she held until her recent hire as CFO.



‘No Shave’ Payoff

Funds raised by the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department through its “No Shave November” were used to pay off negative student lunch balances.

Director of Food Services Marci Franks said she was notified a few weeks ago that the department collected the money from the community and WCS received a check for $4,300.

“It’s very nice because when we start back to school in January, we’ll have over 400 students start with a clean slate,” she said.

KCSD Capt. Chris McKeand said No Shave November started with the younger deputies last year.

“Last year they raised money as well, but this year they really worked at it,” he said.

He said many of the local smaller departments participated as well. In 2017, officers just had to pay a fee to take part, but this year they went out in the community and raised money.

Wawasee, Whitko and Tippecanoe Valley also benefited from the program. The school board presented McKeand and deputy Justin Smith with a certificate for the officers’ work.



Student Advocate

Superintendent Dr. David Hoffert presented Edgewood Middle School seventh-grader Cayman Blake a special certificate for his tobacco-free advocacy efforts.

The son of Dan and Heidi Blake of Warsaw, Cayman has “inspired many through his mission to advocate toward raising taxes on cigarettes as well as the legal age to purchase tobacco products. While still in elementary school, Blake was invited to speak by Indiana Rep. Charlie Brown after the two met during a tobacco-free advocacy event held at the Indiana Statehouse,” according to a news release from WCS.

Cayman told the board his grandpa died at age 59 from tobacco use. He was in the fourth grade at the time. His mom, Heidi, is the program director for Kosciusko County Tobacco Free Indiana and Cayman began to help her out, traveling with her to events in Indianapolis and Washington, D.C.

The release states Blake visited the Indiana House Committee on Public Health while in the sixth grade at Madison Elementary to share his support in regards to raising taxes on cigarettes. Though the House bill did not pass the full House vote, he has continued working on raising awareness about the dangers of tobacco.

He has been invited to speak before the House Panel in January. Additionally, the release states, Blake’s story will be released around Indiana over the next several weeks in preparation of the next legislative session.