Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
LARWILL – Several students and sports teams were recognized at the Whitko School Board meeting Monday, Feb. 16.
Because of a school cancellation last month, January students of the month were recognized, along with February. Teachers spoke about their students’ work ethic, and how they responded positively to their peers.
January students of the month were Addisyn Hersha, Kelton Kilbourne, Madilynn Fugate and Taya Carver. February students of the month were Tori Romine, Carter Imhoff, Amelia Michel and Hunter Prater.
The girls basketball team, currently standing at 25-1, are playing at the semi-state at Frankfurt High School Saturday, Feb. 21. If they win, they will play at the state finals the following week. Senior Reese Stonebreaker, junior Ally Brown, and junior Jayma Stonebreaker all were named the first Three Rivers Conference All-Conference Team, and junior Kyra Lowe was named on the honorable mention team.
Senior Landon Smith ended his high school wrestling career Saturday, Feb. 14 at semi-state.
“He is such an important aspect of our athletic and wrestling program. Even though it didn’t go the way he wanted it to go, he still showed up to support the girls basketball team … because that’s the kind of leader he is,” said Athletic Director Drew Benedict.
Further student achievements included:
• The Whitko Criminal Justice program competed at Trine on Feb. 7, where one team qualified for state in the Crime Scene Investigation category, and another qualified for state in mock scenarios.
• The Indiana High School Athletic Association awarded the Whitko Senior High School student section with an exemplary report, which is the first in 12 years, according to Kathy Longenbaugh, principal of Whitko Senior High School.
• Benedict stated that five out of six of the school’s wrestlers placed at sectionals.
• The band took several gold and silver awards at the Indiana State School Music Association, and two students will be competing at state.
• The Whitko Archers competed in a state qualifier, and 14 archers had their personal best.
In other business, Liz Riggers, principal of Pierceton Elementary School, gave a brief presentation with Claire Frame, one of the teachers at PES; and her student Greyson, about the Heggerty Phonemic Awareness Curriculum.
“This is a research based, systematic phonemic awareness system designed to build early literacy skills in young learners,” said Riggers. “It is used as a brief, 10-minute routine to help kiddos work through those skills.
“This method teaches students through rhyming, isolating beginning and ending sounds, blending sounds to make words, segmenting words into individual sounds, and manipulating phonemes,” Riggers continued.
Frame had Greyson demonstrate this by asking him how many sounds he could make out from words like “sound” and “rise”; had Greyson add or subtract syllables from words to make new words; and had him recite back to her the nursery rhyme “Jack and Jill.”
Emily Hower, an architect at Garmann Miller; and Austin Papenbrock, territory manager for Garland, gave an update on the Whitko roofing project. The board also approved awarding Fort Wayne Roofing the WJSHS and South Whitley Elementary School re-roofing project. The total project cost is $2,705,242.63.
Hower stated that the project will tentatively be completed over the summer break, but there are some areas that construction crews will not have to worry about students, so they will start a little earlier.
The following agenda items were also approved:
• Indiana School Board Association policies, Book 4000 first reading, with the second and final reading at the March 16 school board meeting.
• A school bus use request from Way of Christ board member and Whitko bus driver Brock Ostrom. The North Manchester First Brethren Church members would ride the buses from North Manchester to the Way of Christ Retreat, Epworth Center in North Webster and back on March 12, 15, 19, 22, 27 and 29. The church members will pay for all fuel expenses, liability insurance and associated fees for Whitko bus drivers Brock Ostrom, Gwen Ostrom and Barbette Walthers.
• A school bus use request from St. Patrick Arcola member and Whitko bus driver Amy Deckena. Deckena requested the use of two minibuses from 2:30-8 p.m. Friday, March 13 to shuttle people from the church to a parking lot about a half mile away. A second Whitko bus driver, Jered Deckena, will drive the second vehicle. The church members will pay for all fuel expenses and driver fees and have provided proof of liability insurance.
• The second and final approval of ISBA Book 3000 Policies, as presented.
• Second and final reading of Policy 1106 update regarding a vacancy on the school board, which follows a recommendation by school lawyer Tim Shelly.
• The motion to approve SuperEval for the superintendent that was tabled last month was not approved.
The next school board meeting is 5:30 p.m. Monday, March 16, in the Whitko Career Academy lecture room.
