Wawasee School Board Honors FFA Members, Discusses PLC Progression
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Alaister McFarren-
SYRACUSE – At its meeting Tuesday, the Wawasee School Board honored members of the FFA horticulture team for becoming national champions at the FFA division national championship in Lincoln, Neb.
The championship, which was for horticultural judging, was won by Wawasee High School sophomores Leina Helfers, Arrington Krull, Serena Lesko and Jack Stover.
In the competition, the students had to identify a variety of fruits, nuts, ornamentals, flowers and other plants based on as little given information as a stem and a seed. They also had to complete an 80-question test and judge flower arrangements.
“It was fun getting the chance to learn about potential agricultural careers in zoos, landscaping and other fields,” said Helfers.
The board also heard from senior Evan Coblentz about his time representing Indiana at the World Food Prize Global Youth Institute in Des Moines, Iowa.
Coblentz’s journey began when he presented at the Indiana Food Prize Youth Institute at Purdue on food insecurity in Uganda. His paper centered around improving the health of dairy cattle in the nation via the use of enhanced genetics, namely helping solidify their calcium levels, and veterinary care.
One of six Indiana students to attend the institute, Coblentz was able to hear from global leaders on food insecurity, including the dean of agriculture at Iowa State. He was also able to present and defend his report to a group of judges and receive feedback.
“This opportunity qualified me for a variety of different internship possibilities, including overseas if I chose,” said Coblentz. “It stretched me as an individual. I would highly encourage other students to get involved in activities like this.”
In her student learning report, Assistant Superintendent Joy Goshert stated that last Friday’s teacher work day was used as a professional learning community day, where each PLC met and focused on its respective field.
To help speed up the PLC process, Goshert continued on to say that they will be implementing a program called “Illuminate.” This program helps create creative assessments and will help evaluate depth of knowledge in students.
She added that Indiana schools are now required to screen kindergarten through third-grade students for characteristics of dyslexia.
“We are not diagnosing dyslexia,” Goshert emphasized. “We are just identifying signals.”
The board also heard from member Don Bokhart about the importance of good public relations, which he and WCSC Superintendent Dr. Tom Edington heard about at a presentation given by the Indiana School Board Association.
“It’s important that we emphasize all the good news that happens to offset the negative that gets put out there all too often,” said Bokhart.
Edington said around 20 WCSC teachers will be attending “Red for Ed” day in Indianapolis to encourage more legislative support for public schools on Tuesday. Unlike several other surrounding school corporations, Wawasee will remain open.
Indiana sits last in the nation in pay increases over the past decade and a half; funding has not kept up with the cost of living.
In other business:
• Overnight trips were approved for Wawasee High School Competition Cheer (Greenfield, New Castle), WHS Student Council (Fort Branch), WHS Concert Choir (Mason, Ohio), WHS Physics I and II/Calculus Classes (Sandusky, Ohio), WHS, Milford Middle School, Wawasee Middle School Robotics teams (Indianapolis), MMS physical education classes (Otsego, Mich.) and WMS Band and Choir (Sandusky, Ohio).
• Cindy Hilgenburg was appointed to the North Webster Community Public Library Board of Trustees
• The WCSC vision statement is still being revised and will be approved in either December or January.
• The middle school’s PTO Craft Bazaar will be Dec. 7. All spots are filled.
• $5,603 was raised through this year’s United Way campaign.
• Four WMS teachers will be attending “Make It Your Own,” a STEM workshop focused on student-owned learning. Each teacher will receive $1,000 mini-grant and $1,400 in learning materials.
• The old Syracuse elementary school was auctioned off for $125,000
