AND THE WINNERS ARE… The people have spoken, the court has been crowned, and these royals will always be renowned, as the prince, princess, king and queen of Hartford High School’s 2016 Homecom-ing. Pictured are (from the left) Prince Logan Snodgrass, Princess Jessica Cortes, Queen Sarah Rice and King Jake Griffith. Congratulations to all including the football team as they were victorious last Friday over the Bangor Vikings.

Hartford Schools Strategic Plan implementation off to a running start

By Nancy Albright

Every Student Matters, Every Moment Counts: That is the Hartford Public School motto driving the new HPS District Strategic Plan, which is designed to promote student achievement and professional development in a challenging, enjoyable and successful educational environment.  At the September 15 Board of Education meeting, school Superintendent Andy Hubbard announced that all Quarter 1 Strategic Plan goals have been accomplished. The Q1 90-day implementation generated a Chain of Communication protocol, a Google District Events Calendar, a Google Survey, online payments for school lunches and new resource materials for HPS staff.  The Board of Education, principals and school administrators have worked with HPS Student Information Coordinator Kim deBoom and HPS Instructional Technologist Rob Sheffy to create and implement these technological tools to help students, parents, teachers and staff achieve their goals of a successful education.  The Chain of Communication protocol connects students and families to the appropriate HPS staff member to answer questions regarding students or classroom instruction, and concerns about other school matters. A PDF copy of the Chain of Communication is available for download on the HPS website. Also check the HPS Facebook page to view the document; www.facebook.com /HartfordPublicSchools.  The Google District Events Calendar lists all HPS events and allows users to add events to their personal Google calendars. The calendar is a summary of events for the district, including Hartford High School and Middle School, and both Red Arrow Elementary and Woodside. Note that athletics schedules are still located on the main Athletics page.  There is a new Suggestion Box on the home page to send suggestions, comments, or ideas about how to improve Hartford Public Schools to Superintendent Hubbard, who will direct these communications to the best person to respond. And the What’s for Lunch page lists school lunch menus and prices, and allows parents to make school lunch payments online. The foodservice debit/credit program has already begun processing transactions and Mr. Sheffy told the board that, “People are excited about the What’s for Lunch tool.”  Miss deBoom has been instrumental in creating a wealth of employee resources, including administration guides, best practices, protocols, help documents and other tools that are available through Power School to help HPS staff better serve the district.  Superintendent Hubbard thanked HPS principals Dave Janicki, Brad Geesaman, Ed Dickenson, and Joel Messenger, and gave a big shout out to Miss deBoom and Mr. Sheffy saying that, “A lot of time and effort went into implementing our Quarter 1 strategic plans. We appreciate the work you have done. You’ve all done a great job.”  Visit the Home Page on the Hartford Public Schools website at www.hartford-schools.org. Principal Messenger declares Back to School Bash a success  Woodside Elementary School Principal Joel Messenger presented photos of the Back to School Bash event held on September 6 to welcome students to the 2016 – 2017 school year. Mr. Messenger told the board that the event did not cost as much as anticipated and that it was so well attended that volunteers worked for two hours without stopping to serve up 850 free hot dogs! Red Arrow Elementary School Principal Ed Dickenson started with 650 tickets and had to run for 200 more to satisfy all the hungry people. Mr. Messenger said, “You can’t put a price tag on that.”  Principal Messenger extended thanks to the approximately 40 school groups and community organizations that participated in the Bash to promote awareness of school activities and community services, as well as all those who volunteered to make the event a success.  Potawatomi language program instructor Kevin Daugherty represented one such group at the Bash, encouraging eligible 9-12 students like Tonda Daisy of the Turtle Clan to learn her native language. Mr. Daugherty thanked HPS saying, “We appreciate Hartford Schools giving us the opportunity to teach the Potawatomi language, and we’re very appreciative that the schools reached out to the tribe.”  In conclusion, Mr. Messenger told the board, “It was amazing to see the turnout. I saw lots of smiles and lots of energy.”  Go to the Hartford Public School Facebook page to see photos of the Bash. https://www.facebook.com/HartfordPublicSchools.

Community Soup & Salad Supper October 7

 A “Community Soup & Salad Supper” will be held from 5-6 p.m. on Friday, October 7, at the North Berrien Senior Center, 6648 Ryno Road, in Coloma.  The menu includes soup, salad, bread, dessert, and beverage.  Cost for adults is $5; $3 for children up to 12 years of age; and free for children under 3.  The public is invited.  Proceeds will go to the North Berrien Food Pantry.  St. Paul’s United Church of Christ in Watervliet will host this month’s Community Soup & Salad Supper.