AKRON - Looking out for the nutritional needs of students, Tippecanoe Valley High School Principal Kirk Doehrmann presented the Boomerang Backpack Project to the school board Monday night.
More than 50 percent of Valley's elementary students qualify for free or reduced payments for lunch. But when those students go home for the weekend during the school year, they may get little or none of their nutritional needs.Doehrmann said a friend of his at East Noble told him about the Boomerang Backpack Project. He told Doehrmann to look into it and see if he wanted to start it at Valley schools.
Doehrmann said the program helps with the nutritional needs of students in the free and/or reduced lunch program. On Friday, the elementary students are given a backpack full of healthy snacks for the weekend. The backpacks are packed at the high school by student volunteers, and taken to the elementary schools.
On Monday, the students bring back the backpacks.
One of the benefits of the program, Doehrmann said, is that there is an attendance jump on Fridays and Mondays because the children want to get their backpacks.
The goal of the program is to make it a continually running program. It would start by serving 200 to 300 students.
"We really feel this is an important thing for our kids," said Doehrmann.
There are 36 weeks in the school year.
The board approved Doehrmann to get started on the program immediately. He said they will look into getting sponsors for the program.
Katie Miller, Mentone Elementary principal, said many students have anxiety as the weekend approaches because of the lack of food they may experience at home. "We feel pretty strong that this is something we need to do," she said.
"There's a lot of benefits we see," said Doehrmann.
He said the goal is to have the program ready by the first week of school. Anyone who wants to help with the program can contact Doehrmann at the high school.
In other business:
n The board approved using TVHS parking tag fees to help pay for random drug testing at the school.
Valley started its random drug testing program during the 2007-08 school year. This past year, Fulton County's Local Coordinating Council and the Fraternal Order of Police declined to help support the program. Valley did receive a $2,000 grant from Kosciusko County's Local Coordinating Council, but were unable to cover the costs.
The cost of testing rose $10 a trip this year because of fuel cost. TVHS currently tests 20 random students from a list of athletes, extracurricular activities students and students who use the parking lot. The tests take place nine times a year at a cost of $30 per test. Valley needs $5,490 per year for the tests.
For the 2008-09 school year, TVHS sold 223 tags at $10 per tag.
n The board approved the social studies textbook adoption for 2009-10, the textbook rental fees for the school year and the school improvement plans.
For 2009-10, the textbook rental fees will be $63 for kindergarten; $100 for first grade; $121 for second grade; $123 for third grade; $104 for fourth grade; and $107 for fifth grade.
At the middle school, the basic textbook rental fees will be about $105.50 for sixth and seventh grades, and $100 for grade eight.
n The board approved hiring Karly Arens, Spanish teacher, TVHS; Matt Cavender, custodial/maintenance, Burket; Pamela Craig, head cook, Akron; Sharon Kindig, athletic secretary, TVHS; Michelle Shepherd, teacher, special education, TVHS and TVMS; Melanie Lowman, head swim coach, TVHS; Kris Walker, assistant football coach, TVHS; and Gary Wagoner, full-time custodian, TVHS.
n The board approved the resignation of Linda Martin, bus driver. Superintendent Brett Boggs said Martin has been a faithful bus driver for Valley for a long time, more than 30 years. He publicly thanked her for serving the school corporation for so many years.
"We appreciate her years of service," Boggs said.
n Overnight and out-of-state trips were approved for the boys basketball team, June 20-21, Indiana University; volleyball team camp, July 8-9, LaPorte; and Tippecanoe Valley FFA, July 19-22, West Virginia.
The FFA achievement trip to Southern Indiana July 19-22 also was approved. Students who were the top 10 point award earners in FFA will go canoeing and possibly cave exploring. Approximately $800 of FFA funds will be used for the trip.
Participating students will be Kate Myers, Kyle Riffle, Tyler Boganwright, MacKenzie Johnson, Ashley Sheetz, Stephanie Shriver, Samantha Holloway, Rayanna Reffitt, Molly Wright and Becky Minnick.
n The board approved for Technology Director Brad Hagg to attend an out-of-state conference Nov. 1-4 in Champaign, Ill. The conference is the STI User Conference.
n Robert Uhrich was reappointed to the Fulton County Library Board. He has served on the board the past eight years.
n Board President Bryan Murphy said graduation ceremonies went really well. He understood it was the largest class ever to graduate from TVHS.
Dave O'Brien, board member, said the class is to be commended.
Boggs said the students showed each other respect, they were very well behaved and handled it quite well.
"It was a graduation we can be proud of," Boggs said.
n The upcoming board meetings are: June 23, 7 p.m., Rochester Middle School, presentation on the study of the merging of services with Caston and Rochester community schools; June 29, 7:30 p.m., capital projects workshop, administration office; July 13, regular meeting, administration office, 7:30 p.m.; July 27, 7:30 p.m., budget work session, administration office; Aug. 10, 7:30 p.m., regular meeting, administration office; Aug. 17, 7:30 p.m., budget public hearing, administration office; Sept. 14, 7:30 p.m., regular meeting and budget adoption, Mentone Elementary; and Sept. 28-29, Indiana School Board Association fall conference, Indianapolis.
