SYRACUSE - Wawasee School Board started their August board meeting with a presentation on the participation of the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization.
Kimberly Sandor and Tim Spang updated the board and those present on the school corporation's transition from the Lakes Area Mentoring Program to Big Brothers Big Sisters. The original LAMP program has been in place for the past three years, but will cease this fall due to the fact that its federally funded grant will end.LAMP established mentoring relationships between adult volunteers and Wawasee Middle School students, and Big Brothers Big Sisters will enable existing relationships to continue, as well as work to develop new ones. Big Brothers Big Sisters is committed to growing the mentoring program by the recruitment of area volunteers.
"At the end of the last school year, there were about 19 matches in the middle school," said Spang. "Six of those matches ... the youngster is going into high school and the match will not continue at this point. Out of the remaining 13, we've maintained nine of them. Two of them have become community-based matches."
Spang went on to explain that a community-based match is different than a school-based match in that there is contact outside of the school environment.
Big Brothers Big Sisters currently is serving 10 counties in northeast Indiana and three in Michigan. More than 1,500 children will be involved with the program this year.
"Our hope is not only to sustain what LAMP has put in place, but to grow it," said Spang. "At one time, there were 30 matches, so we've got our work cut out to get it back to where it once was. We're excited about being here, and our biggest challenge is finding volunteers."
The school-based program is called "Lunch Buddies" and volunteers meet with the kids during lunch and recess hours on school property. Safety is a priority for the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, and adult volunteers go through an extensive background check, which includes criminal background checks, national sex offender registry check, contact references, and there is no planned contact outside of the school for school-based volunteers.
"We love the opportunity to come into a program that's already been successful," said Spang. "We're looking forward to it."
Interim Superintendent Dick Kline told the board that the meeting with the school staff prior to the first day of this school year went well. Kline said he was extremely impressed with the quality of the new teachers and staff hires.
New certified personnel hires are: Pam Weingart, temporary third-grade teacher, North Webster School, Aug. 14 through Nov. 9; Heather Clevenger, half-time social studies teacher, Wawasee Middle School; Jaimi Andrew, half-time kindergarten, Milford School.
Certified Personnel transfers are: Ashleigh Taylor, from half-day kindergarten to first grade, Milford School; Kim Conrad, from full-day kindergarten to half-day kindergarten and half-day temporary literacy coach, Syracuse School; Janell Eltzroth, from half-day Reading Recovery teacher to half-day Reading Recovery and half-day temporary kindergarten, Syracuse School.
Sarah Holsopple, WHS science teacher, has requested a leave of absence beginning with the birth of her child through May 30.
Support Service Personnel hires are: Steve Rozow, head custodian, Syracuse School; Kimberly Bohnstedt as a seven-hour day, 180 days instructional paraprofessional, Wawasee Academy; Jennifer Petrusko, Rebecca Dingeldein, and Shannon Hartman as Title 1 Reading Recovery paraprofessionals, North Webster School, five hours a day for 185 days; Brenda Ross, Title 1 paraprofessional, North Webster School; Molly Hunter and Kari Winkelman, Title 1 paraprofessionals, Syracuse School; Valerie Leininger, Liana Butcher and Jennifer Traub as temporary Reading Recovery paraprofessionals, Syracuse School; and Jaimi Andrew as a three-hour-per-day special education paraprofessional, Milford School.
Nakole Weber will transfer from Syracuse Elementary bus route 37 to the open WHS/WMS route 46. Chris Hopkins will transfer from Wawasee Academy as an instructor to special education paraprofessional at Syracuse School.
In other business, the board:
n Approved Kline's contract.
n Approved room lease agreement with the Head Start Program at North Webster.
n Approved mileage reimbursement fees to be 92 percent of the current IRS rate of 48.5 cents per mile, rounded off to the next cent. This rate will fluctuate at 92 percent to match IRS rates no matter what they do, and the rate is retroactive to July 2007.
n Announced that the search for a full-time superintendent is ongoing and has so far yielded one candidate to be interviewed.
Wawasee School Board members are George Gilbert, Dallas Winchester, Becky Linnemeier, Mike Wilson and Mary Louise Dixon.
