06-13-2019 Big money purchases and bullying headline Monday’s Watervliet school board meeting; Sun s

SCHOOL’S OUT… Quite permanently, as the demolition of the idled Red Arrow Elementary building began on Tuesday, June 4. Representatives from contractors Pitsch Company of Grand Rapids stated the 40,000 square foot project can take up to 30 days. This opening viewed from north exposure was home to thousands of Hartford Kindergartners throughout the years. The clearing of the site paves the way for the construction of the Art and Bonna Vanderlynn Community Center and new home of the Hartford Public Library. (TCR photo by Jon Bisnett)

Big money purchases and bullying headline Monday’s Watervliet school board meeting

By Kristy Noack

The first Watervliet Public Schools Board of Education meeting following the end of the 2018/19 school year took place Monday, June 10 and offered some exciting news for the 2019/20 academic period.

The board approved new English Language Arts curriculum for the upcoming school year. Susan Toothman, Curriculum Director for WPS, was on hand to explain the need for the new curriculum. According to Toothman, the last time ELA curriculum was purchased for the elementary classrooms was in 2008. Classrooms at the secondary level have not received new ELA curriculum since 2001.

The board approved spending $117,500.88 for the pre-K through fifth grade curriculum as published by McGraw-Hill and $101,233.00 for grades six through twelve for curriculum published by Houghton-Mifflin-Harcourt. Both motions passed unanimously.

The district had curriculum purchases in their 2018/19 budget but had yet to commit to a purchase. Originally, the intent was to replace social studies curriculum but that move was tabled with ELA taking center stage.

According to Toothman, the new curriculum was ordered Tuesday and will take a few weeks to arrive at the schools. Following the arrival, administrators will support the teaching staff as they become educated in the new material before school begins in September. The district will use the new curriculum this fall.

Toothman credited the teachers, support staff, and incoming superintendent Rick Seager for their input and assistance in reviewing curriculum options. The purchase, she noted, “Is great for our district, great for our kids.”

Seager, who will officially join the district July 1, was in the audience and complimented Toothman on her hard work and research. “Susan and her team and the staff worked hard on this.”

The school board also unanimously approved the purchase of a 2019 International bus with Cummins engine from Midwest Transit Co. at a cost not to exceed $78,244.00.

Regular monthly expenses for May were approved for payment. The total was $1,072,920.32, and the measure passed unanimously. A special budget meeting will be held Monday, June 24 to review the final 2018/19 school year budget as well as the proposed 2019/20 budget. The meeting is open to the public and interested parties are encouraged to attend as members will delve into the financial state of the district. The meeting begins at 6:00 p.m. in the middle/high school media center.

Reported incidences of bullying released to public

In accordance with Michigan state law, Watervliet school district principals made their annual reports on bullying. Principals commented on the total number of reported incidents of bullying, the actual number of bullying incidents, as well as their efforts to handle reported claims of bullying, and the results of those efforts.

Carole Fetke, principal at South elementary school, reported that the school’s bullying packet, which details what is considered bullying and what steps need to be taken to address the claims, was handed out six times. There were zero written complaints of actual bullying cases.

South School continues its anti-bullying effort by keeping lines of communication open between teachers and students and teachers and parents.

At North elementary school, there were five reported incidents of bullying. Following investigations, three of those cases were considered as actual bullying. North School has an anti-bullying club and conversations are routinely held with students regarding acceptable – and not acceptable – behavior. The results of the three actual bullying cases ranged from after school detention to loss of recess to the creation of a behavior plan for the offending students.

At the middle school level, principal Dave Armstrong advised there were 28 reported incidents of bullying. Eleven of those cases were actual incidents. The middle school counselor, Angelene Conkin, works with students in the classrooms and there is a “Me” self-esteem program that is available to students.

For the 11 cases of bullying, the consequences resulted in detention, parent conferences, loss of field trip privileges, and suspensions for the offenders.

Brad Coon, high school principal, shared that he received 12 reported incidences of bullying. However, zero cases were determined to be actual offenses. The high school offers a conflict resolution program. Coon noted many of the reported incidences were “created outside of school on social media, which then finds its way into the school.”

Dave Kindt, WAY program principal, was pleased to note that the program received zero reported incidents. Kindt said the key to the WAY program’s success was the active promotion of a bully free zone that is explained and reinforced to each student on a regular basis.

Joe Allen leaving district, parapro Darlene Litaker retires

Joe Allen, principal of North elementary school since 2010, provided the board with his resignation. Allen has accepted a position as an elementary school principal at South Haven Area Schools.

IMMEASURABLE IMPACT… Dar-lene Litaker was recognized Monday evening by the Watervliet Public Schools board of education fol-lowing her retirement from the district. Litaker, pictured here with Dr. John Jarpe, acting interim superintendent, was a paraprofessional for 25 years at South elementary school. While she will miss the students and staff, Litaker is looking forward to relaxing with her friends and family. (TCR photo by Kristy Noack)

Darlene Litaker, a paraprofessional at South elementary school, announced her retirement from the district. She received a congratulatory gift from the board for her 25 years of services to the students of Watervliet. Litaker, a resident of the city, said, “I’ll miss the children and the staff.” She plans to spend her retirement relaxing and spending time with her family, which includes her “second grandbaby in four days!”

Oh! the Places Panthers Will Go!

The board unanimously approved two requests for overnight, out-of-state trips. Acting interim superintendent Dr. John Jarpe advised the board that any trip across state lines, overnight, or a significant travel distance within Michigan must be approved by the board.

Board members heard from Watervliet High School band director Jennifer Hollandsworth, who requested the band and choir be allowed to travel to Florida April 22-27, 2020. Hollandsworth advised the board that the band “hope to march through Magic Kingdom” at Walt Disney World. The choir is set to perform at Disney Springs.

Lauren Andrews, middle school Honor Club advisor, requested the board give their approval for a trip to Atlanta May 10-14, 2020. Andrews commented that the MSHC has previously traveled to Tennessee and Mackinaw City, Michigan. She shared with the board an itinerary that included stops at Georgia Aquarium, Martin Luther King Jr. Park, and Coca-Cola. Watervliet school board president Bill Spaulding jokingly gave Andrews thumbs down on the trip, telling her “Wrong itinerary, Mrs. Andrews.” Spaulding is the Unit Sales Manager (General Manager) at Pepsi Beverages Co. in Benton Harbor. With laughter echoing in the room, the board unanimously passed both trips.

Additional motions approved

The board approved two additional motions. The student handbooks for the 2019/20 school year were approved. Additionally, Board of Education policies were approved.

Sun shines on the Hartford Strawberry Festival

By Annette Christie Organizers of the Hartford Strawberry Festival were blessed with fantastic weather for their two-day event held June 7 and 8 in downtown Hartford. Friday night festivities at Ely Park created a nice buzz as the festival kicked off. Food and other favorite vendors set up for the weekend in the park and had quite a crowd to view and taste their samplings. The Kiddie Parade was followed by the crowning of Strawberry royalty. Strawberry Prince Briar Wolf and Princess Ariah Warner were named. Briar is the son of Ethan & Veronica Wolf. Ariah is the daughter of Whitney Outlaw and Nathan Warner. The first runner-up to Strawberry Princess was Amiah Mireles-Mejia. Her parents are Jessica Mireles and Elias Mejia. Allison Quintero was named Strawberry Shortcake. She is the daughter of Mavi & Luis Quintero. The youngest royalty, Sweetest Strawberry, went to baby Fern Owens, daughter of Brian and Brittany Owens. Saturday morning brought the delicious pancake breakfast at the high school, sponsored by the Hartford Band Boosters, followed by the Strawberry Run. The run is sponsored by the Hartford Lions Club. The top prizes were awarded to the following: 5K Run Awards – Overall Women Crystal Cowgill, Hartford with a time of 20:27; Madison Johnson of Lawton with a time of 22:27; and Leah Vanderkooi of Kalamazoo with a time of 22:35. 5K Run Awards – Overall Male Marc Lemons, Chicago, Illinois with a time of 17:30; Kody Edmonds, Hartford with a time of 19:33; and Randy Marsh of South Bend, Indiana with a time of 20:40. 10K Run Awards – Overall Women Page Eisbrenner, Watervliet, with a time of 45:14; Margaret Rivera, Chicago, Illinois with a time of 51:02; and Addison Miller of Grand Junction with a time of 54:28. 10K Run Awards – Overall Male Augustus Hinch, Watervliet with a time of 40:06; Aurelio Melgarejo of Bangor with a time of 40:15; and German Casiano, Watervliet with a time of 40:29. Rides, food and favorite vendors continued in Ely Park during the day Saturday. One of the highlights of the festival, the Strawberry Parade, had onlookers up and down Main Street led by Hartford’s finest Police. The parade had floats, the high school band, Strawberry Royalty, and other queens and kings. Hartford’s award winning float carried all of the community’s representatives in their finest. The Bed Race winners were the “Donut Bandits” comprised of Brandon Bowman, Matt Kuzma, Jacob Rodriguez, Dakota Everett and Stephanie Bowman. The event, organized by the Hartford Chamber of Commerce had many area sponsors including Hartford Township, The Pokagon Fund, Four Winds Casino, Charlie Weeden, Inc., Harding’s Friendly Market, Miller Thermometer Company, Hartford DDA, Gala-T-Inn, Hartford City, Spectrum Health Lakeland, Mann Metal Finishing, Wightman & Associates, His Place Cathedral of Faith, Hartford Animal Hospital and Arrow Pet Clinic, Tom Smith Tractor, and Richter Insurance.

STRAWBERRY PARADE… Miss Hartford Brynn Duffy and Mr. Hartford Xavier Salinas served as the hosts of the Hartford Strawberry Festival and on their award winning Community float. The theme, As Big as Kansas, As Big as Oz, carried other royalty including Miss Congeniality Cecilia Peralies; Mr. Hartford’s Mr. Nice Guy Noah Wade; Little Miss Hartford Lilly Johnsen and her first runner-up Kennedy Deckard; Little Mr. Hart-ford Javier Frias and his first runner-up Carter Moore; Miss Teen Hartford Raven Ledesma and her first runner-up Jersey Baker; Miss Junior Teen Hartford Cessie Finley and her first runner-up Zoe Prillwitz; Mr. Hartford’s 1st runner-up Alexander Lehnert and 2nd run-ner-up Evan Parker; Miss Hartford’s 1st runner-up Mikinzie Chambers and 2nd runner-up Piper Reinhardt. (TCR photo by Annette Christie)

5K FEMALE… Strawberry Run 5K winners in the female category are (from the left): 2nd place Madison Johnson of Lawton; 3rd place Leah Vanderkooi of Kalamazoo; and Hartford’s own 1st place Crystal Cowgill with a run time of 20:27. (TCR photo by Annette Christie)

10K FEMALE… Strawberry Run 10K winners in the female category are (from the left): 1st place Page Eisbrenner of Watervliet with a time of 45:14; 2nd place Margaret Rivera of Chicago, Illinois; and 3rd place Addison Miller of Grand Junction. (TCR photo by Annette Christie)

2019 HARTFORD STRAWBERRY PRINCE Briar Wolf was all smiles as he rode the float carrying the newest royalty in Hartford. He is the son of Veronica (right) and Ethan Wolf. (TCR photo by Annette Christie)

2019 HARTFORD STRAWBERRY PRINCESS Ariah Warner waves to her crowd at the Strawberry Parade held Saturday. She is the daughter of Whitney Outlaw and Nathan Warner (left). (TCR photo by Annette Christie)

10K MALE… Strawberry Run 10K winners in the male category are (from the left): 1st place Augustus Hinch of Watervliet with a time of 40:06; 2nd place Aurelio Melgarejo of Bangor; and 3rd place German Casiano of Watervliet. (TCR photo by Annette Christie)