By HOLLY GASKILL
Preliminary mock-ups of a new Bluffton High School entrance were presented to the Bluffton-Harrison school board Monday night.
In planning to renovate parts of the roof and walls for moisture issues, the school will be able to make several design choices with the exterior of the building. Superintendent Brad Yates showed several proposals from Elevatus Architecture, each of which incorporated some combination of the school’s colors and logos at the building’s entrance.
Yates advised the architecture firm had organized a small committee to discuss design plans, and board member Trent White will represent the board as faculty liaison. Additionally, the board also approved a series of formal resolutions determining the need and funding for the project.
The board also discussed the 2024-25 school year calendar, which may include several changes compared to the year’s past. Notably, students may attend school on the Friday of the Bluffton Street Fair.
Yates said the district surveyed families online and had 456 respondents, 56 percent of whom were parents and guardians. In the results, 42.4 percent of respondents preferred to attend school on “Street Fair Friday.”
Additionally, 58 percent preferred the school year starting on or after Aug. 15, 64.8 percent preferred a six-day spring break, 60.1 percent preferred a five-day fall break, 84.1 percent preferred a 10-day winter break, 50.8 percent preferred a President’s Day to be a school day, 46.4 percent preferred Martin Luther King Jr. Day to be a school day, 67.7 percent preferred Good Friday to be a non-school day, 65.7 percent preferred a three-day Thanksgiving break, and 67.2 percent preferred ending the school year before Memorial Day.
Considering every factor, Yates explained, it’s difficult to meet every want and state requirement.
In the presented calendar, Aug. 8, 2024, was the first student day, and May 22, 2025, was the last student day. The school would have a five-day fall break, a three-day Thanksgiving break, a 10-day winter break, a six-day spring break, and Good Friday off. School staff would begin school on Aug. 6, 2024, end on May 23, 2025, and similar holiday breaks outside of Thanksgiving, which would be a two-day break.
Days off may also include Martin Luther King Jr. Day, President’s Day, and an additional Friday before winter break, pending approval from the Indiana Department of Education.
The drafted calendar was approved by the school board, but several members expressed flexibility to amend the calendar following public feedback.
Additionally, the administration recognized a series of recent awards, grants, and accomplishments. Notably, the Indiana Department of Education awarded the district $250,000 through the Excellence in Leading & Learning Award. Yates said the administration is still in the process of determining the use of this grant, but he anticipated a significant portion will be used on professional development.
Assistant Superintendent Julie Meitzler noted that the district had also received a school safety grant, a paraprofessional grant for instructional assistants to pursue professional development opportunities, and a $500 Paths to Quality Appreciation Award.
Bluffton High School Principal Steve Baker then shared that the US News and World Report’s recent rankings show BHS largely within the top 15 percent of high schools but closer to the top 3 and 4 percent for performance and graduation within Indiana.
Other items of discussion were:
• Jinny Broderick, clinical program manager at Park Center, thanked the board for their partnership for a suicide awareness walk taking place at the school on Saturday, Sept. 30.
• There were several positive highlights to the district’s ongoing projects. The middle school’s roof replacement is expected to be “substantially completed” by the end of the month; the parking lot and tennis courts are also expected to be soon completed. Additionally, the high school’s HVAC project is complete, and the maintenance team will soon be trained on the new system.
• The resignations of Sally Fornwalt, a middle school food service employee, and Kaleigh Massman, an elementary instructional assistant, were accepted.
• The board approved the employment recommendations for Angie Edwards, middle school intense intervention instructional assistant; Leah Tullis, elementary school intense intervention instructional assistant and childcare supervisor; Natalya Nuttle, childcare supervisor; Alexandria Craig, Amy Hipsher, Tyler Sonnigsen, Griselda Martinez, and Madison Siders as substitute teachers; and Ron Heck, bus driver. The transfer of Jessica Clark from elementary intense intervention instructional assistant to middle school food service was also approved.
• The board approved the following high school coaching staff: Craig Teagle, varsity boys’ basketball head coach; Mark Prible, Marcus Morgan, and Chad Grieser, varsity boys’ basketball assistant coaches; Doug Curtis, varsity girls’ basketball head coach; Bryan Bowman, Jaci Moser, and Abby Ault, varsity girls’ basketball assistant coaches; Ben Sprunger, boys’ wrestling head coach; Tim Zeis, boys’ wrestling assistant coach; Justin Uptgraft, boys’ swimming head coach; Steve Linderwell boys’ swimming assistant coaches; Caleb Geimer and Alyssa Cyrus, high school boys’ swimming volunteer coach; Hunter Cunningham, girls’ swimming head coach and boys’ and girls’ diving coach; Kristi Searles, girls’ swimming assistant coach; and Schlaura Linderwell, girls’ swimming volunteer coach.
• Additional approved coaching hires were: Matthew Sturgeon, middle school boys’ basketball coach; Brett Bothast and Scott Ribich, middle school boys’ basketball volunteer coaches; Jeff Blair, middle school girls’ basketball coach; Lauren Brinneman, middle school girls’ basketball coach; Aaron Sturgeon, Matthew Sturgeon, Jackson Lambert, Marcus Morgan, Matt Beste, Adam Atkins, Denny Squires, Phillip Heer, Clint Renner, Vic Reinhard, Eric Keifer and Preston Kaehr, boys’ Future Tigers basketball coaches; Kelli Kistler, Felicia McElveen, Tristan Dick, Marah Hill, Zoey Smith, Kelli Kistler, Chrissy Craig, Andrea Herrold, and Tim Garrett, Lauren Brinneman, girls’ Future Tigers basketball coaches; and Eric Mounsey, Brett Bothast, Clint Renner, Vic Reinhard, Justin Uptgraft, Phillip Heer, Spencer Harris, and Matt Beste, boys’ travel basketball volunteer coaches. Harris was also approved 4-0 as boys’ Future Tigers basketball coach — board members Mike Murray, Bruce Holland, Julie Thompson, and Angie Sheets were in favor, and White abstained.
• The district announced its intent to employ a middle school boys’ basketball coach, elementary school intense intervention instructional assistant, and middle school instructional assistant.
• The board received donations of $500 from St. Joseph Catholic Church to the high school Life Skills ECA fund; $900 from Park Community Church for unpaid lunch accounts; $1,951.92 from Gay Saunders to purchase a copy of “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus” for every kindergarten student and $300 donation to the elementary library; $500 from Paths to Quality to the preschool for the Level 3 Milestone 5-Year Award; $500 from Farmers & Merchants State Bank, $100 from Shelton Financial Group, and $750 from an anonymous donor for pork chop dinner supplies for the high school football program fundraiser; $1,500 from an anonymous donor to high school football students in need; a book and goodie bag for every first grade student from Indiana Farm Bureau Ag; and five umbrellas for staff to use in the elementary car rider line from Amber Arnold.
• As part of their regular review of district policies, the board voted to delete policies JQ-E Application For Use of School Facilities for the Purpose of Operating a School Age Child Care Program, JQ-E1 School Age Childcare Program Survey, and JQ-E2 School Age Childcare Program Waiver Form. They also approved a new policy, EDB-1 Chemical Management Policy.
holly@news-banner.com
