The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.

West Central School Board Discusses Old Trophies' Composites

At the regular meeting of the West Central School board on Wednesday, March 15, the board discussed a request from the Stronghurst High School Alumni Committee to take possession of old Stronghurst/Southern trophies from before consolidation for the purpose of auctioning them off as a fundraiser and transferring the proceeds to the Southern Alumni Committee.

They also requested to take possession of the graduation composites for the purpose of displaying them similar to the way the old Stronghurst composites are displayed. .

The meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m.in the West Central Elementary School cafeteria by Board President Lonnie Brent with all board members present at roll call except Kathy White.

Staff members from WCES, WCMS, and WCHS as well as Sebastian Perez and Brooklyn Miller and their families were present to present their school improvement plans and to address the board. President Brent led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Under Good News Items the following items were highlighted:

• Ms. Olson and Mr. Harris earned funding at DonorsChoose.org for a classroom project called  Net Your Standard PE Project . Through the donations of parents and organizations, they earned enough money to purchase a 220 lb Weighted Blue MultiUse Standard Base for the middle school gym. 
• Bradon Annegers place 2nd in State for the 3-pointing shooting contest.
• The West Central FFA has been busy competing in several Career Development Events recently, and the results are as follows:
• Job Interview: Kami Endress - 1st place in Varsity and moves on to District on April 5 in Geneseo,  Jon Anderson - 1st place in the Novice Division.
• Meats Judging: 1st place team at Section #4 Contest. Nick Brokaw-1st, Alec Vancil-3rd, Brock Bigger-8th, and Jon Anderson and Heidi Ford were team participants. This makes the third year in a row West Central has won this contest area.
• Junior Team - 1st place overall with Ruby Gittings tied for 1st, Kaylynn Hennenfent-7th, Dexter Ricketts-12th, and Dayne Gittings-14th. West Central has won this contest the past three years.
• Senior Teams - Team #1-3rd overall with Alec Vancil-6th, Jensen Bowman- 8th, and Heidi Ford and Lacey Bigger as team participants. This team won Swine and Sheep Divisions. Team #2 - 7th place overall with Brooke Waterhouse- 13th and team members were Jon Anderson, Courtney Torrance, and Colyn Crane.
• The Vet Science team - 1st place winner at Section 4 Contest.  Heidi Ford-1st, Alec Vancil-3rd, Lacey Bigger-6th and Jon Anderson-12th.
• The Send A Sucker to a Friend fundraiser, run by the 5th grade students after initial guidance from Ms. Lewis, resulted in a total of $700 being donated to the St. Jude's Children's Hospital and the Almost Home Humane Society in Oquawka.
• Team Bringing the Heat participated in the Polar Plunge in Galesburg to raise funds for Special Olympics.
• Eagle View and Good Dental have provided programs at the school to promote healthy habits.
• The third grade students participated in several Ag related activities. They attended Ag Day, sponsored by the Warren/Henderson County Farm Bureau, along with activities being shared by the high school FFA students that showed how food comes from the farm to the table.
• Hannah McIntire placed 2nd in Chemistry in the WYSE competition. She will compete in the state competition at the University of Illinois.
• WCMS Scholastic Bowl team placed 2nd in the Sand Valley Conference Tournament. nt.
• West Central will host Regionals for softball on May 17, 18, and 20.
• Nine band members participated recently in the LTC Honor Band.
• Connie Sue Torrance thanked the board on behalf of the youth group for the use of the middle school gym. They will be serving a free meal at Stronghurst Methodist Church on March 26.

The agenda was approved as presented. Items XA, XB, and XC were moved to be presented immediately before Item VI. Comments from the Public.

Byron Helt addressed the board on behalf of West Central Middle School with regard to the reclassification of the WCMS Assistant Principal position.

The board heard electronic and oral presentations from the WCES, WCMS, and WCHS School Improvement Teams regarding their proposed School Improvement Plans. Guest students Sebastian Perez and Brooklyn Miller assisted with the WCES presentation.

The board approved the Consent Agenda. Items approved under the Consent Agenda included the following:

• the minutes of the February 15, 2017, Regular Meeting and Closed Session,
• the minutes of the February 17, 2017, Regular Meeting,
• the February 2017 bills, February 2017 building Activity Account Reports, the February 2017 Treasurer s Report, and review of the District Financial Report,
• the 2017-2018 school district calendar as presented,
• the continued participation in the Illinois High School Association,
• the continued participation in the Illinois Elementary School Association,
• directing Superintendent Markey to begin work on the FY18 District budget,
• the designation of three district vehicles as surplus property for the purpose of disposing of said property, and
• the lease for district-owned rental property for 2017-2018.

In other business the board:

• reviewed and heard reports from the building principals; Jason Kirby, Athletic Director; Melinda Frakes, District Technology Coordinator; and Shaila Ayer, District Psychologist and Special Education Director.
• discussed a Roof Report letter and possible Life/Safety Amendment for roof work at West Central Middle School.
• was approached by a gentleman in the community expressing interest in the Media facility. The board discussed the extent of his interest.
• granted permission for Mr. Kirby to explore Lincoln Trail Conference options that would improve our athletic programs.

The board entered closed session at 8:36 p.m. to discuss matters related to personnel, compensation, and contract. The board exited closed session at 10:15 p.m.

The board took the following action in regards to personnel:

• approved the proposed board policy revisions on First Reading as presented:
• approved the transfer of Erica Bush to a 1st grade teacher
• approved the transfer of Jessica Winters to a 5th grade teacher
• approved the transfer of Jamie Meier to a 4th grade teacher
• approved adjusting Crystal Mabe s hours from 7 hours/day to 8 hours/day
• approved John Benge as a WCHS volunteer Assistant Softball Coach
• approved the resignation of Matthew Link as a WCHS Assistant Football Coach
• approved the resignation of Megan Endress as a WCHS Cheerleading Coach
• approved the resignation of Brenda Steck as a WCHS Cheerleading Coach.

The board was reminded that the next regularly scheduled meeting will be Wednesday, April 19, 2017 at 6:00 p.m. in the West Central Elementary cafeteria.

There being no other business to come before the board, the board adjourned their meeting at 10:29 p.m.