The Duneland School
Board voted unanimously to appoint three new teachers and an athletic
trainer at its meeting Wednesday.
The new teachers:
* Richard Meyers,
4th-grade, Bailly Elementary School. Meyers is a graduate of Valparaiso High
School and Purdue University North Central.
* Aubry Rose, art,
Liberty Elementary School. Rose, who has eight years’ experience in the
Mendota School District in Illinois, earned her bachelor’s degree in art
education from Western Illinois University and a master’s from Northern
Illinois University.
* Thomas Moodie,
industrial technology, Chesterton High School. Moodie, who comes to CHS from
Portage High School, is a CHS and a Ball State University graduate.
* Marnee Flinn-Smith,
athletic trainer, CHS. Flinn-Smith, who has 18 years’ experience at Michigan
City High School, is a Valparaiso University graduate. She will also be
teaching health.
Also appointed on
Wednesday were four aides: instructional aides Karen Adock (Chesterton
Middle School), Joyce Murphy (CMS), and Elizabeth Kadish (Bailly); and a
corporation-wide high ability aide, Jennifer Boster.
Three others were
appointed as well: a CHS varsity girls assistant volleyball coach, Ashley (Gordeneer)
Hall; a CHS lifeguard, Rebecca Schmiegel; and corporation-wide summer help,
Molly Brust.
Accepted was the
resignation of CHS noontime aide Jenny Moore, effective at the conclusion of
the 2015-16 school year.
Kudos: Debate
Later in the
meeting, Superintendent David Pruis took a moment to congratulate the CHS
Speech and Debate Team for its superb showing at the National Speech and
Debate Association’s national championship tournament, held this year in
Salt Lake City, Utah.
“I’m just
continually amazed at the performance and achievements of our kids,” Pruis
said.
CHS’
accomplishment: it was one of 10 schools to win a School of Outstanding
Distinction award, presented to only the top 10 schools in the nation. To
win it, a school must break into the elimination bracket in both speech and
debate competition. This year CHS broke seven speakers into the Top 60 round
and three debaters.
For the record, the
NSDA’s national championship tournament is the largest academic competition
in the world. Beginning with the district level of competition, some 4,000
students compete to qualify for nationals, where generally between 300 and
400 students compete in each event.
Kudos: Swimming
Pruis also
congratulated CHS grad and current Indiana University swimming star Blake
Pieroni for securing a spot on the U.S. Olympic swim team.
Pieroni swam a
personal-best 48.78 in the 100 freestyle to take sixth place at the U.S.
Olympic swimming trials in Omaha, Neb., on June 30. The top four finishers
automatically secure a spot on the team, with the fifth and sixth places
eligible for selection. Pieroni was selected to compete in the 400 free
relay at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. “We’re extremely proud of
Blake and of his achievements and we wish him the best of luck,” Pruis said.
Blake swam for the
Trojans from 2010 to 2014 and was a three-time state champion in the 100
freestyle and a two-time state champ in the 200 IM.
Member John Marshal
also put in a good word for the former CHS swimmers who finished a hundredth
of a second or so out of contention: Kyle Whitaker, Aaron Whitaker, and
Vanessa Krause.
Facilities Projects
Meanwhile, the
board heard a detailed presentation from Director of Support Services Greg
Lindy on the progress being made on the various summer facilities projects.
All is well,
schedules are being mostly adhered to, and there’s no reason to think that
the work won’t be done before the 2016-17 school year begins in five weeks.
Although, Lindy allowed, “the last nail will probably be put in some of
these projects an hour before the first bell.”