Chesterton Tribune

 

 

Duneland School Board approves Trailbound and SCUBA trips

Back To Front Page

By JEFF SCHULTZ

The Duneland School Board met briefly Monday night, approving next year’s Trailbound trip and the Marine Biology/Scuba program for Chesterton High School students next summer.

As mentioned by CHS history teacher Bob DeRuntz at September’s board meeting, the Trailbound group will travel during the week of June 14-21 to the Outer Banks in North Carolina to visit the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the replica of the 16th Century ship Elizabeth II and the site where the original Roanoke Colony was located.

The group will next stop at Kitty Hawk nearby and tour the Wright Brothers National Memorial. On their way home, the group will stop in Dayton, Ohio, to visit the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park and the Museum of the Air Force to complete their lessons in the history of aviation, said Duneland Assistant Superintendent Jim Goetz.

Goetz said this is the 16th year for Duneland’s Trailbound program. The course will be called “First Colony, First Flight.”

Also, the Marine Biology/SCUBA will fly down to Key Largo, Fla., and spend five days, July 13-17, at “Marine Lab,” a marine research facility.

Students will complete several lab experiments diving, snorkeling, and learning about marine ecology and biology. The trip will also set aside a day in Key West, Fla., but most of the days will be spent in the lab.

Students participating in the programs will also receive class credit.

"It’s just a great opportunity for the kids to do something they may never get the chance to do, and they get a credit for it,” said Goetz.

Both the Trailbound and the SCUBA program are self-supporting with students paying their own expenses. The per student cost for Trailbound is $800 while the SCUBA program is $867.

Applications were due Friday, Oct. 31. Eighteen students signed up for the SCUBA program.

WIS students in shape

with activity monitors

Also during the meeting, Westchester Intermediate physical education teacher Nicole Wilson and sixth grader Chloe Deterling gave a presentation on how WIS students are using activity monitors to promote a healthy lifestyle. The monitors are worn on the wrist like a watch and tell how many steps the student has taken and calories burned that day.

Wilson said the monitor also keep track of how many minutes the student is involved in moderate to vigorous activity. She encourages students to reach 60 minutes a day in those activities.

Student data is then evaluated and awarded either a gold, silver or bronze rating. Wilson said at the end of a nine-week period, the homeroom with the top number of minutes gets to display a trophy for bragging rights.

Deterling handed out monitors to each of the school board members to demonstrate how they work. “They help teach the benefit of leading a healthy and active lifestyle,” she said.

Wilson said the monitors were paid for with the school’s technology funds.

Accolades

In his comments to the board, Schools Superintendent David Pruis praised CHS juniors and art students Haylee Corzan and Mia Johnson, who in September were awarded Best in Show at the Youth Chalk Art Competition hosted by Frontline Foundations in Chesterton. They each received a $250 gift certificate for art supplies, Pruis said.

Pruis also gave kudos to the CHS Boys Cross Country team for advancing to semi-state, the CHS Trojan Guard Marching Band for placing fifth out of 20 bands in the ISSMA state finals, and the Bailly Elementary Student Council for donating $225 to the L.O.V.E. for Haiti, raised by selling scented pencils.

Future meeting dates

Because of meeting dates abutting holiday vacations, the board approved date changes for its December and January meetings.

The board will meet next on Tuesday, Dec. 9 at 5 p.m. It will hold its reorganization meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 14 at 6 p.m.

In other upcoming events, School Board president Ralph Ayres encouraged the community to attend one of the veteran programs at the Duneland Schools. There will be one at 1 p.m. at the Middle School on Veterans Day, he said.

Ayres said the Indiana General Assembly is scheduled to have its reorganization meeting on Nov. 18. He reminds that this upcoming assembly will be a budget year, which means state lawmakers will be studying the funding formula for public schools.

Personnel report

The board unanimously approved the consent agenda containing a list of staff appointments and resignations.

David Sultzer will be the alternative class placement supervisor at CHS. Christine Pratt will be permanent groundskeeper at CHS.

Walter Schulz and Tiffany Cardin are starting as custodians for the school district on a probationary basis. Custodians Travis McCormack and Tonya Kennoy will move from probationary to permanent effective in November and December, respectively.

Faith Michael will be an instructional aide for Westchester Intermediate and Sue McLaughlin will be an instructional aide at Liberty Elementary.

Jayne Wachsmann will be a high ability aide for the school corporation.

Two new lunch aides will be welcomed, Tehana Letica at CHS and Claire Mueller at Jackson Elementary. Sarah Lively will be a cooks helper for the corporation.

Coaching positions include Ken Florek who will be the 7th Grade basketball coach at the middle school. Kellie Cahillane and Elise Gustafson will be assistant girls track coaches at CHS.

Resigning this past month are DSC high ability aide Kaylee Collins, Bailly Elementary lunch/recess aide Jean Gaulke, CHS access control/detention supervisor David Sultzer, and CHS alternative class placement supervisor Jennifer Drlich.

 

Posted 11/4/2014

 
 

 

 

 

Â