01-30-2020 Hartford schools facility upgrades complete; Kute Kid; Work continues on Strategic Plan a

2020 OFFICERS… Watervliet 4-H Straight Shooters Club elected officers for 2020 on Dec. 8 at their annual Christmas party. Elected were (from the left): Reid Lowry – vice president, Charlotte Lowry – reporter/ photographer, Benjamin Lowry – treasurer, Mylia Mensah – president, and Henry Lowry – secretary. The Lowrys are from Watervliet and are homeschooled. Mensah is from Berrien Springs and a student in Berrien Springs schools. This will be the first time holding office for each of these new officers.

4-H Straight Shooters Club holding annual open house, March 22

Watervliet 4-H Straight Shooters Club will hold their 2nd annual open house for club sign-up on Sunday, March 22 at 2 p.m. at the Watervliet Rod and Gun Club, 3413 Hennessey Rd. The club meets most every second and fourth Sunday from 2-4 p.m. Fee is $10 per year per child. Club is open to children ages 9-19 and if space available 7-8 year olds welcome as well. Members must have taken hunter safety class to shoot all fire arms, but may shoot archery. Children must be accompanied by an adult unless cleared by leaders!

THIS KUTE KID IS… Riley “the cool kid”, helping stack firewood. His parents, Brent & Jennifer Robbins of Benton Harbor, love him for helping with a smile. Riley’s proud grandparents are John & Marilyn Robbins of Benton Harbor and Mark & Marianne Dine of St. Joseph.

Hartford schools facility upgrades complete

By Jon Bisnett Typical monthly bills were presented at the Hartford school board business meeting on Monday, Jan. 20. Business Manager Rebecca Drake made note of the following: Apple iPads were purchased for the Redwood ESL department with 41a grant funding. Varsity boys and girls basketball uniforms were purchased. Billing for the lighting project at Redwood is complete including outdoor playground lighting and library lighting converted over to cost-saving LED. Two additional Chromebook carts were purchased for Redwood Elementary with leftover Capital Outlay Funds. A new ride-on floor scrubber for use at the high school – middle school campus was also purchased with excess Capital Outlay Funds. Also noted, the auditorium upgrade audio and lighting project is now complete and has been billed in full. The remainder of contingency money will be used to replace some of the old stage lighting fixtures. Personnel Lisa Goodson has resigned from the high school secretary position after three years of service. Darcel Hildebrand retires from the accounts payable/ payroll specialist position in Central Office following over 23 years of service to the district. Karen Williams will retire at the end of February following 19 years of service as secretary in Central Office. The board approved terms of the contract for the Central Office Secretary. Interviews are planned. Meeting location changes The board gave its approval to moving the location of the Feb. 3 and March 2 board meetings as follows: Feb 3 – Retreat to take place at the Van Buren Intermediate School District Conference Center; March 2 Work Study meeting will be conducted at the Hartford Middle School. Board assignments Hartford school board president Ben Chambers presented the list of committee assignments for 2020-21 as follows: Building & Site – Jason Meachum (Chairman) along with Mike Banic and Rick Vawter; Finance – Kurt Kuehnle (Chairman) with Ben Chambers and Rick Vawter; Policy – Mike Banic (Chairman) with Lisa Johnson and Rick Vawter. Board representatives are as follows: Academic Review – Lisa Johnson and Ginny Rice; Hartford Foundation – Kurt Kuehnle; Scholarship Committee – Rick Vawter; County Association – Mike Banic; Interlocal Recreation Board – Ginny Rice Reports Trustee Rick Vawter reported the Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Banquet will be on Thursday, Feb. 27, at 6 p.m. at the Hartford Sportsman’s Club. Tickets are $10 and may be purchased at the Hartford Public Library, City Hall, or from Vawter. Vice President Mike Banic reports that the Policy Committee will meet to go over NEOLA (the district’s provider of policy services) updates and also plan to bring Social Media and Cell Phone policies to the entire board for input and review at the next meeting. Superintendent Report Superintendent Andy Hubbard was pleased to announce that there will be a high school – middle school musical this year following a one-year hiatus. The tentative date is the weekend of March 27. A search for applicants for the director and assistant positions is underway. Hubbard is receiving applications for the three open positions: High School Secretary – closes Jan. 22, Central Office Secretary – closes Jan. 22, interviews on Jan. 24; Accounts Payable/Payroll Specialist – closes on Jan. 31. Hubbard also formally announced the hiring of Tom Matthews who will lead the Indians 2020 season as Head Varsity Football Coach.

Hartford School Board retains officers for 2020 school year

The Hartford School Board kicked off the 2020 year with the Annual Organizational Meeting held Monday, Jan. 13 by maintaining the status quo and reelecting the full slate of officers as a single nomination motion. Senior board member Jason Meachum opened the meeting acting as chairman, as the board unanimously approved the current slate of officers to continue at those positions for the 2020 school year. Ben Chambers will again serve as Board President with Mike Banic as Vice President. Jason Meachum will serve as Secretary along with Kurt Kuehnle who continues in the role of Treasurer. Board salary compensation was set at $30 per meeting for a maximum of 30 meetings and $15 for committee meetings, representing no increase from the prior year. Consent agenda The board approved the official consent agenda items as follows for the new year: Depositories – Chemical Bank; authorized signers – Superintendent and Business Manager. Designated persons to assume specified responsibilities: Business Manager to assume the responsibilities for the Treasurer and Board recording secretary assumes the responsibilities of the Secretary. Electronic Transfer Officer – Business Manager; Banks: Chemical Bank; Legal Counsel: Thrun Law Firm; Copyright Compliance Officer: Superintendent. Standing committees President Ben Chambers requested all Board Members to forward requests for committee assignments to him prior to the January Business Meeting at which time he will designate committee tasks. Special meeting The Board conducted a student expulsion hearing, details of which are protected under the umbrella of FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974.)

Valentine’s Mostaccioli Dinner on Saturday, Feb. 15

Freshwater Community Church from Coloma is hosting a Valentine’s Mostaccioli Dinner at the Watervliet Fire Department on Saturday, Feb. 15 from 4-6 p.m. The menu includes mostaccioli, salad, garlic bread, beverage and dessert. The dinner is open to the public and there is no charge. Call Amy at 269-876-1326 for more information.

Work continues on Strategic Plan at Watervliet Schools

By Annette Christie Monday, Jan. 27 brought another step completed for the strategic planning process that the Watervliet School District is currently involved in. The process began in October with the selection of Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates (HYA) as the consulting firm. The process is now at the state of engagement, as the consultants facilitate several focus groups. Groups of students, staff, teachers, the board, and administration are all having their turn at being involved in the process. This week was a community focus group by invitation. Business owners, city and township leaders, and investors in the community and the district were asked to discuss the district’s strengths and weaknesses, what they expect from the students graduating from Watervliet, and individual visions of success for the district. It seemed easy for those involved in the process to name the strengths in the district, taking more time to identify its weaknesses. Through the process, Vickie Markavitch with HYA has gathered and studied the student data. They will compile all of the notes from the focus groups and give them to the committee that will be working on the vision, mission, values and beliefs statements, as well as developing a 3-5 year strategic plan. Markavitch has been a superintendent in three states in districts of all shapes and sizes, urban and rural, large and small, rich and poor. She said her resume includes being the superintendent at the Bridgman School District. The district is investing $15,000 for the three-phase strategic planning process.