02-20-2007PIERCETON – Prior to the regular Whitko School Board meeting, the trustees toured the Pierceton Elementary School‘s library with librarian Sue Lopshire.
Lopshire demonstrated how the new automation system is being used by the students and employees. The software was installed in September.
A set of library statistics for all schools shows a total of 713 patrons at Whitko Middle School, which has 6,246 titles.
South Whitley Elementary School has 581 patrons and 7,127 titles. Pierceton Elementary School’s library has 665 patrons and 7,973 titles.
Whitko High School has 713 patrons and 6,246 titles.
During the regular meeting finance officer Phil Menzie gave a cautious report.
“At this time of the year, there isn’t much to say. What I do say probably won’t be accurate,” he said, “because the state hasn’t approved our budget.”
He added that the state hasn’t approved the corporation’s budget because the counties haven’t received their assessed values. He said Kosciusko County will probably send out a provisional tax bill for May collections.
Superintendent Jeff Hendrix said heavy snows closed schools for several days and there is one designated snow day left. The end of the second trimester is being moved back three days.
A recent professional development day for staffers had to be canceled. The planned speaker could not reschedule and the various school principles would present the next faculty education unit, called Understanding by Design.
Construction has been ongoing in and around the high school since last summer. The work should be completed in the next couple of months. The board set the rededication date of Whitko High School as May 20 at the urging of board member Pete Mitchell.
Mitchell, holding a newspaper-sized program of the original dedication, said the March 12, 1972 event was “quite a shindig.” Held on a Sunday afternoon the school choir and band were featured. Students led groups on a tour of the facility. Then-Sen. Birch Bayh was the featured speaker.
The board recognized nine students taking art classes who recently received 11 art awards during the Scholastic Art Contest in Fort Wayne. The event was held at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art.. Winning “gold keys” were Shirley Banks, Kylee Brown, Christine Calhoun, Wendy Chalk, Natasha Crouse, Callista Duggins, Kyle Frantz, Landon Lawrence and Cole Mishler.
These students will compete in the national Scholastic contest in New York.
Whitko art students have won more than 300 gold keys, 700 scholastic honors, 36 national honors and 111 international awards.
The board also approved hiring Mandy Freed as WHS junior varsity volleyball coach and Matt Furthmiller as WHS girls’ assistant track coach.
School board members are Hal Trump, Deb Collier, Dave Tranter, Pete Mitchell and Mike Braddock.