Chesterton Tribune

 

 

Duneland School Board hires new teachers for 2016-17 year

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By KEVIN NEVERS

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.”

 

 

Posted 7/15/2016

 

 
 
 
 

 

 

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