By HOLLY GASKILL
Southern Wells is moving forward with its plans to add after-school programming.
The district had made this addition a goal to serve the community’s needs. On Tuesday, the school board approved a program proposal 4-0, permitting to begin advertising applications.
Elementary Principal Cari Whicker said 116 households had responded to a survey, 83 of which stated they were interested in programming. These 83 households included 121 potential students. The proposal outlined spaces for 60 students to start.
Whicker said this survey also showed significant interest in the program being available until 6:30 p.m. to accommodate those that work until 6 p.m. Rather than an hourly rate, Whicker proposed a $5 daily fee to simplify bookkeeping.
Additionally, the school will hire a director for the program, contracted from 2-7 p.m. The director will be responsible for student coordination, bookkeeping, and other day-to-day details. All things considered, Whicker believes the program will break even.
Later, the school board approved changes to the Junior/Senior High School handbook on its first reading.
The school included several changes to the handbook for the upcoming school year, notably to the school dress code. Principal Kim Conner said she had received many arguments about the dress code from a class Bill of Rights writing assignment and agreed some changes were worthwhile.
The dress code now allows high school students to wear tank tops, contingent that the straps are at least the width of any two fingers. Recognizing that different students have different proportions, the school will also ditch its rule stating shorts and skirts have to reach the student’s fingertips if their arm was straight at their side. Instead, the rule says that shorts need to cover the student appropriately. Lastly, rips in jeans may be higher than fingertip length but must be below the jean pocket.
The school also added a brief policy regarding its response to issues occurring on social media stating the school may intervene if it affects the school day. Other changes included the expansion of letterman jacket patches for various extracurricular activities outside of sports and the addition of the Future Farmers of America handbook within the general handbook.
Other updates were:
• A regular audit of the district’s finances required a corrective action plan to fix mistakes filed in a financial report regarding money received from federal programs. Treasurer Lora Warner said the paperwork was misleading regarding the requested figures, and ultimately, some line items were higher and others were lower than the state’s reference. Superintendent Trent Lehman stated this was a common mistake.
• Transportation Director Jessica Killingback updated the board that the transportation department has been able to be more efficient and foster a better culture. Killingback noted that for 574 students who take the bus to school within the district, their bus driver is the first and last face they see every school year.
• For National Library Month, Media Specialist Dawn Ulfig discussed the library’s programs to encourage student engagement and literacy at the school library and the Wells County Public Library.
• The retirement of kindergarten teacher Crystal Palmer was announced. Her retirement will be effective at the end of the school year.
• Employment recommendations were approved for Mila Dominguex for elementary school student teacher during the fall, Marcella Winters as the preschool teacher beginning in the fall, Jennifer Bannister as preschool aide beginning in August, Natalie Slusher as technology support aide beginning April 20, and Kristina Miller and Martha Paxson as summer school teachers with Annette Thompson as an aide. Additionally, Joel Roush and Emily Knight were approved as Raider Up Transition Camp teachers with Annette Loney as an aide, contingent upon at least 15 students being enrolled in the class.
• For fall coaching, the board approved employment recommendations of Chad Eltzroth and Gary Paxson as high school football assistants, Byron Osborn for freshman/junior varsity football, and A.J. Wright and Mark Rickerd for junior high football.
• Donations were accepted from Alissa Williams, Neff Insurance Agency, and Honegger, Ringger, and Co., for Business Professionals of America, and Farmers and Merchants State Bank for football, as well as general donations from Foudy CPA Group and State Farm in Hartford City.
• Fundraising requests were approved for the football team to offer snow cones at various spring events and to hold a youth football camp July 24-28, Adrenlize Raise 365 for softball uniforms in April and May, and girls basketball to hold a youth camp May 8-10.
• Field trip requests were approved for the elementary archery team to attend the national competition in Lousiville on May 11, physics and AP calculus to go to Cedar Point on May 12, choir and harmony choir to Kings Island on May 12, BPA to Nationals in Anaheim California at the end of April, and for the sixth graders to go to Ouabache State Park. Lehman notified the board that the HVAC class had visited the University of Northern Ohio, which he had specially approved as a time-sensitive opportunity. Board members Steve Stauffer and Andrew Pursifull were then approved as chaperones for the FFA’s National Soil trip to Oklahoma.
holly@news-banner.com
