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NORTH MANCHESTER - Larry Miller, Manchester School Board member, said Tuesday the "beverage of choice" for Manchester Community Schools is Pepsi Cola. Assistant superintendent Kim Thurston agreed and said it was the schools' choice at least for the next five years.
Board members approved a five-year contract with Pepsi Cola last night as the school system's exclusive vendor. Thurston recommended the approval and said he believes Pepsi would best fit the school system's needs.
Sandy Myers, Pepsi Cola, presented the agreement to board members and offered two options for board members to choose from. The first option offers $1,000 of free product to the school system and a $550 special promotion fund. The second option offers only the $550 special promotion fund. Myers said the promotion fund would include activities such as T-shirt giveaways and free beverage coupons. The coupons would be accepted by vending machines programmed for the coupons. She said the fund would be used for "something to excite the school."
"I'm open to any suggestions from the school," Myers said. In addition, Pepsi would request complimentary advertising that the company and the school would agree upon. An example would be an advertisement in a sports program.
Thurston said last year the schools earned $37,000 from the vending program.
Myers asked "that we maintain the same level of vending that we had last year."
Thurston said he believes money earned would be equivalent or at least close to the money earned last year from Pepsi vending machines.
Board members approved the five-year contract with Pepsi, but asked for more time to decide on the option.
In other business:
• Patty Grant, Kids At Heart, reported on the Community Alliance to Promote Education grant.
Grant said 55 school corporations applied for the planning grant and 22 received $50,000 grants, with Wabash County being one. She said the program is to raise educational levels in Wabash County and the No. 1 priority is to encourage greater parent involvement. Other priorities include helping parents and teachers obtain college information for students, and information on the illiteracy rate in Wabash County. Grant said programs for these priorities have already been developed.
Such programs include Parents as Teachers, where parent educators come into homes to provide information on enhancing educational development at a young age. Grant said there also is a program for child care.
A second program is Making Academics Count. With this program, Grant said, businesses would be asked to check for high school diplomas and check high school grades when young people apply for jobs. The program would promote graduation from high school. "We want to send the message that a high school diploma is important for jobs," Grant said.
A third program is the Learn More Center, which focuses on counseling, and a fourth is block grants. Grant said all three school districts in Wabash County would receive block grants in professional development.
Each program is part of the proposal to Lilly Endowment. Grant said she expects to hear from them by December, and she will go before the school board in January to present further information on the programs. The grant allots $5 million to be spent over a three-year period.
• Cindy Roser and Jeri Lehman represented parents of the MHS junior varsity volleyball team at the board meeting. Roser and Lehman submitted a handout to board members at the Sept. 5 board meeting explaining concerns parents had about the high school's coaching staff. The handout consisted of eight questions parents wanted addressed.
Roser and Lehman attended Tuesday's board meeting to ask when answers from their handout would be given. They also reported that they are happy with newly-appointed junior varsity volleyball coach, Katie Zile.
"We're very pleased to tell you how much we enjoy Katie Zile as coach," Roser said. "She's given 100 percent." Roser and Lehman also said Zile's enthusiasm and love for volleyball has "trickled down" to team members and she is easy for the girls to talk to.
"We're more than pleased that Katie Zile is working out for the program," board president Kent Trickle said.
Superintendent Connie Curry told Roser and Lehman that she and MHS principal Nancy Alspaugh have been working on compiling answers from the Sept. 5 handout. Curry said she would contact Roser and Lehman early next week with answers.
• School board members approved hiring Amy Ambrose as a part-time technology assistant at MJHS, Theresa Smith as a lunch/recess assistant at MES, Mark Heiden as volleyball coach at MES, Christine Beery as library aide at Laketon Elementary School and Christina Sapusek as Spanish instructor at LES.
• Accepted the resignations of Randy Fratus as Manchester Elementary School custodian and bus driver for Manchester Community Schools, and Sandy Williams as lunch/recess assistant at MES.
• Approved a 2000-2001 Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities grant.
• Approved a Wabash-Miami Area Program for Exceptional Children Joint Services and Supply Contract.
• Adopted the 2001 school budget, 2001-2003 capital projects plan and 2001-2010 school bus replacement plan.
Manchester Community Schools Board of Trustees includes: president Kent Trickle, vice president Virginia Gunter, secretary Larry Miller, Todd Speicher, Sally Krouse, Brad Perrott and Thom Frantz. Superintendent is Connie Curry.
