MENTONE – Tippecanoe Valley has a new technology director.
The school board Monday night approved Kayla Rassi for the position. It also approved a fall drivers education program and heard about the Valley Foundation and student enrollment.
Mark Wise, board president, told Rassi she had “big shoes to fill.” Rassi replaces Brad Hagg, who became the technology director for Warsaw Community Schools Sept. 3.
According to information provided, Valley hired Rassi in February 2009 to complete the 2008-09 school year as the part-time teacher of the Little Vikings Preschool. The following two years, she taught kindergarten at Mentone Elementary.
In March, she became Valley’s data analyst and technology coach, a newly created position.
“I’m very excited,” Rassi said after the board meeting of her new position. “I like a challenge. I certainly have big shoes to fill. I look forward to serving the staff and the community.”
She said her background is in education but always had an interest in technology. She has no formal technology training, she said, but has just learned from experience, and plans to continue to learn.
Under new business, Valley’s drivers education director, Doug Heinold, proposed Valley offer a fall drivers education program.
He said he had five to six parents ask him if Valley would offer a fall class. His proposal was for Valley to offer one if at least 20 students sign up for it. He would limit it to 30 students so there would be no overlap with the spring classes for the driving part.
The spring drivers education program had more than 40 students, he said, and the summer session had around 40.
Heinold also proposed raising the drivers education rate from $270 to $275, and increasing the drivers education teacher pay 50 cents. The last time the teachers had an increase was in 2008, he indicated.
The cut-off date for registration for the fall program is Oct. 19, with classes starting Oct. 22. Heinold said classes will be Monday through Thursday for three weeks, from 3:45 to 6:15 p.m.
The board unanimously approved the proposal.
Tippecanoe Valley High School Principal Kirk Doehrmann and Northern Indiana Community Foundation Executive Director Terri Johnson provided the board with some preliminary information on the creation of a Valley Foundation.
Doehrmann said Valley is trying to formulate a foundation that not only would be accessible by people in the community, but also by alumni who moved away.
The effort would include students participating through internships using social media. Valley’s journalism students may create an online newspaper. The purpose will be to keep Valley graduates informed of what’s happening at Valley schools.
A board of directors will be created, and will include one TVHS Distinguished Alumnus, one TVHS student, four school corporation representatives and two TVHS graduates from the local community. Johnson and Superintendent Brett Boggs will serve as board advisors, Doehrmann said.
Subcommittees of the board eventually will be formed for internships, fundraising and grant making. The initial meeting of the board is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 8.
“Sounds like a great thing,” Wise said.
In another matter, official student count day was Sept. 14, Boggs reported to the board. Valley’s official student count is 1,982 students.
Boggs provided the board a 10-year report showing 2012-13 was the first year Valley’s enrollment was under 2,000 during that span.
In 2003-04, Valley’s student enrollment was 2,137 students. It was 2,192 in 2004-05; 2,218 in 2005-06 and 2006-07; 2,199 in 2007-08; 2,161 in 2008-09; 2,080.4 in 2009-10; 2,089 in 2010-11; and 2,058 in 2011-12.
Enrollment for 2012-13 at Akron Elementary is 383 students; 478 at Mentone Elementary; 518 at Tippecanoe Valley Middle School; and 603 at TVHS.
Boggs also recognized three TVHS students during the meeting.
On Aug. 28, Ben Shriver, Casimir Kromkowski and Mitch Randall were elected to the Prill School Museum Association Board. TVHS teacher Jeff Shriver also was elected to the board.
The three students are members of the TVHS American Studies class, co-taught by June Yazel and Jeff Shriver, as a cross-curricular class involving language arts and social studies and featuring project-based learning.
Recently, Boggs said, the class began looking at the plight of Prill School and decided to learn as much as possible about its history and future.
“Because of their leadership, this ‘ancestor’ of today’s schools will remain for future generations to learn about the early years of public education in our community,” Boggs said.
Upcoming school board meetings are Nov. 12 and Dec. 10, both at 7:30 p.m. at Mentone Elementary.
