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MILFORD - Gene Dush, eighth-grader at Milford School, placed first in the school's science fair each year for the past three years.
Tuesday, he presented his science fair project for this year on the pulse jet engine to the Wawasee Community School Corp. Board of School Trustees.
Dush began his presentation with a history of the pulse jet engine, saying it was first used in World War II by Nazi Germany. He was able to get the blueprints off the Internet to make the engine but made some modifications.
The engine has five main parts and he discussed how it works.
A video was shown of Dush demonstrating the engine. Rich Bender, Dush's eighth-grade science teacher, said when they tried the engine out, it shook the walls and it really created some throttle.
"It's a really neat project," he said.
Bender told the school board Milford School has held the science fair for the past 13 years for grades six through eight. The students do their research papers on their projects for the language arts department. The science department is where the students develop their ideas and work on their projects.
Students begin their projects in December.
Milford Principal Cindy Kaiser said community members interested in science serve as science fair judges.
This year, there were 270 science fair projects. All students are given poster boards to start their projects. Students in special education, Kaiser said, complete their projects at school with the help of staff and parents.
Later in the meeting, the board unanimously approved the 2003-04 teachers' union master agreement, classified wages and administrators' wages. They also approved the WCEA as the exclusive bargaining representative for the 2004-05 school year.
Wawasee Superintendent Dr. Mark Stock said the WCEA already ratified the agreement.
Certified employees will receive a 2 percent salary increase on the base bachelor's and master's pay columns. A cash stipend of $350 will be given.
For classified wage earners, the average wage will increase 2 percent retroactive to July 2003. Some variations may occur due to differences in job classifications and seniority schedules that already exist, including custodians and head custodians.
Instructional paraprofessionals will receive an additional 25 cents per hour beginning with the first pay in April.
For administrative wages, there's a 2 percent increase with no stipend. The merit plan will be indefinitely funded at zero percent and the $2,500 amount that has been in the 401(a) will be placed in the 403(b) instead.
In other business, the school board:
• Approved the alternative to suspension and expulsion program as presented in February. The program will begin in the fall.
• Held the first reading for the alcohol and drug testing policies and procedures for school bus drivers.
• Accepted a $1,199 donation for a xylophone from the Wawasee High School Band Booster Club for the Wawasee Middle School.
• Accepted a $2,000 band booster donation to Milford School, of which $1,150 will be used to purchase a xylophone to be used and kept at the school.
• Recognized Kaiser for being awarded as a Reading Renaissance Master School candidate. Master School candidate indicates that Kaiser's efforts to adopt Reading Renaissance methods school-wide have continued to result in measurable increases in student reading performances.
Wawasee School Board members are chairman Dallas Winchester, vice chairman Mary Louise Dixon, secretary Marion Acton, Brian Dawes and Jeff Wells. Their next meeting is April 13 at 7 p.m. at Syracuse Elementary School.
