SYRACUSE – Wawasee Community School Corp. Board of Trustees met Tuesday evening to discuss the blueprints for the new Syracuse Elementary School, student learning reports and a $60,000 grant, among other things. Brian Bohlender, architect for Barton-Coe-Vilamaa, presented 3-D drawings for what the new elementary school could look like. The provided pictures showed an arial view and a ground-level view. The school will feature a geothermal system to control heating and cooling. According to Bohlender, changes have been made to the diagram within the past few weeks and are still being developed. Joy Goshert, who directs instruction and curriculum for the district, shared a student learning report. The upcoming sophomore class will be tested throughout the year with the practice SAT in the fall, end of course assesments for algebra and English 10, as well as a newly formatted ISTEP+. With the ISTEP+ coming from a new provider, Superintendent Dr. Tom Edington said that grading procedures will need to change to align with Indiana Department of Education standards. Dina Coverstone is a teaching coach for Syracuse Elementary who assists other teachers with practices and techniques. The school received a $60,000 grant from the Laudeman family to allow Coverstone to continue. Other topics covered included: • New teacher orientation will be Aug. 3 to 7 for the 10 new teachers hired so far. • A proposal by the Town of Syracuse to provide a resource officer for the entire school district was approved. It must still be approved by the Syracuse Town Council. • Starting in 2016, high school graduations will be held at 2 p.m. on a Sunday as approved by the board. The change is the result of multiple conflicts with sports schedules. •There will be a new robotics course in the high school career and technical course offerings. • The board agreed to vacate the portion of Brooklyn Street in Syracuse that is owned by the Wawasee school district, and dedicate it to the Town of Syracuse. The school district gained ownership due to a past clerical issue.
