Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
LARWILL - Whitko Community School Board heard reports Monday from Whitko Junior High Principal J.D. Maurer and Transportation Director Rhonda Snavley.
Maurer started off letting the board know about the new House Bill 1634, which aims for automatic enrollment for junior high students in a higher honors math course. It will take effect within the next year, and Maurer stated that he will have a matrix from the math committee about how it will look.
Maurer thanked the board for allowing him to attend the Marzano Conference in San Antonio, Texas. “We all brought something back, and it was money well spent,” said Maurer.
For next fall, the junior and senior high will be working on common instructional practices.
“This isn’t to take away from the teachers' autonomy,” stated Maurer, “but what can be some common instructional practices when we are taking attendance, objectives, outcomes and what students are learning.”
Maurer stated this will help veteran teachers and new teachers understand those frameworks, along with looking at description guides, and will help with communication and what they will offer to students.
The junior high will have a Valentines Day dance Feb. 13, “and yes, the kids think it’s pretty cool.” Students have to be passing all their courses for this current semester in order to attend.
Snavley stated that the bus shop passed their annual drug audit with the state police, and all numbers were met with a 0% positive. New driver files were completed and up to date with recommendations from law enforcement.
Jacob Hill started Jan. 5 as a full-time mechanic for the bus shop, “and he’s doing an outstanding job,” stated Snavley. “He’s jumped right in and has taken on most of the plowing around the campuses.” Hill is working on getting his Class B CDL.
Mike Howard, an economic and government teacher, brought up the curriculum and diploma requirements.
“Anticipating that 33 out of 84 students are college bound, more than less likely they will be taking an economics 101 course, and a government course," said Howard. "I think it’s important to prepare those kids going into college to be ready to take an econ course, so they are not seeing this material for the first time.”
Howard stated this would give the students an opportunity to not just get the basic forms of economics, but to also get the economics of how to get a mortgage, what their credit scores are and the ties to government.
“The world is so challenging for our students now,” said Howard, “and how they handle their economic future when they get out of school can really determine their success level later on.”
Howard stated he understood there are finance courses students can take but made the argument it would be a better option for seniors to take these courses. He stated it is hard for an eighth-grader to wrap their head around ideas like the economic market and feels that by allowing seniors to take those courses it would help them later on. Howard also stated while taking these courses, students will not appreciate it in the moment, but later on will reap the benefit.
Other Business
“We want to thank all the donors. We greatly appreciate what comes in month after month, and we do not take it lightly,” said Superintendent Dr. Amy Korus.
WCS received the following grants or donations from these entities:
• $1,527.03 from Bowen Health for Criminal Justice competitions.
• $1,000 from South Whitley Community Facilities for the South Whitley Boomerang Backpack program.
• $500 from UPI/Parks, Oakwood, Ill., to support the Whitko FFA Chapter.
The board approved the following agenda items:
• Warrick and Boyn as school legal representatives.
• Updated cell phone allowance list.
• Georgia Tenney as liaison to the Indiana School Board Association.
• Approval of ISBA policies, Book 3000, parts one and two, on first reading, with the second and final reading to take place at the Feb. 16 school board meeting. This is part of a book-by-book changeover from Neola policy management to Indiana School Board Association policy management.
• Policy 1106 update regarding a vacancy on the school board removing language indicating a lack of candidates for school board election causes a vacancy on the board. Also, the board members may develop a list of prospective appointees, consider applications and reduce the candidate list to three individuals in executive session. Interviews with candidates for a vacant school board position are to be conducted in a public meeting. This update follows a recommendation by school lawyer Tim Shelly.
• Diploma requirements as recommended by Whitko Senior High School Principal Kathy Longenbaugh. This would take place in the next year, and would keep economics as a required course, and geometry.
• Field trips.
• The second and final approval of ISBA Book 2000 Policies, as presented, was approved. This is a book-by-book changeover from NEOLA policy management to Indiana School Board Association policy management.
Korus congratulated Reese Stonebraker for signing on to play with Saint Francis and also commended the Lady Wildcats, who are the Three River Conference Champions. Their first game is Feb. 3.
Whitko art students competed in the 56th annual World School Children's Art Exhibition in the Republic of China and received three selected medals of excellence. Out of the 14 medals given to U.S. students, Whitko art students received four of them.
