The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.

La Harpe School Board Meeting

Monday evening, at the regular meeting of the La Harpe Shcool Board in the libray, Steve Rodeffer and Tracey Anders spoke to the board regarding the meeting of Committee of Ten, the meeting with the state superintendent of schools, Dr. Robert Shiller, and regarding consolidation issues. In other business the board approved:

• Hollie Gebhardt's eight week maternity leave,
• 2003 Ill. School Library Per Capita Grant, requests from Janet McKee and Larry Caston for use of the elementary gym,
• renewal of the coop agreement with Northwest for softball and baseball,
• first reading of board policy for use of the weight room,
• request to set up a teacher/parent advisory committee to work with the board,
• request by Mrs. Mosley, choral instructor, to enter elementary music students in a contest sponsored by Oscar Mayer Company.

In Elementary/Junior High Principal Charlotte Davis' report heard:

• there'll be a Santa Sitter activity on December 4th for children in PK-4th grades so parents may go shopping for holiday gifts.
• Title I sponsored a Parent Workshop Nov. 13 for K-4th graders. Parents learned ideas to help children be successful at school.
• Melody Hansley, Cindy Bruns and Melissa Sturlic will attend a workshop on Mapping your way through the Illi. Learning Standards.
• Carrie Finch, Kathy Driskell and Arlynn Hitz will attend an Autism workshop in Peoria.
• Mrs. Bruns and Mrs. McCool will visit a Math class in Bushnell Prairie City to observe and talk with the staff about the 8th grade curriculum.
• Mrs. Kendall will attend the second workshop on ISAT Math writing on Nov. 19th.
• Mr. Campbell and Mrs. Davis attended a Gates sponsored Ill. Technology Learning Curriculum worship in Normal on tracking data for the school. A laptop computer was provided for the school for each participant.
• Mrs. Davis and Mrs. Ann Logan attended a Title IV planning meeting for drug prevention information presented by Jim Dedera. Dedera returns to La Harpe in February to meet with parents, faculty and students thru Title IV grant.
• WIU will bring some of their international students to visit various classrooms Nov. 18.
• The First State Bank of Western Illinois and the La Harpe Telephone Company are co-sponsoring the WIU Regional Touring Theater Nov. 21st for PK-8th grades at 9:30 a.m. in the elementary gym.
• The preschool will be attending a Bureau of Cultural Affairs at WIU on November 21st.
• 2nd grade took a field trip to Weber's Tree Farm Nov. 5th.
• 5-8th grades are planning their annual skating/bowling trips on Dec. 12th.
• Music program 5-8 grades will be Dec. 11th at 7:00 p.m.
• Elementary music program will have the theme of a circus. The fourth grade will have major parts to carry the storyline. Students will be dressed as clowns or circus performers and will do stunts and sing.
• Mrs. Bartlett worked with student council members to provide activities during Red Ribbon Week. Message to students wasÐone can have fun without doing drugs. Activities included dress-up days for junior high, door decorations, prizes for wearing red ribbons, student-written essays and mottos related to staying drug-free.

In High School Principal Charles Apt's report he:

• reported participating in a program with R & D Foods where we collect register tapes. The tapes are tabulated and sent to Affiliated Foods Midwest where we are able to redeem them for educational equipment. Examples of what could be purchased are a digital camera, office chair, tripod projector screen.
• Parent/Teacher conferences on Oct. 24th and 25th were well attended.
• Jostens representative was here Oct. 17th to meet with the seniors to pick out cap and gown colors and order announcements.
• 13 girls from La Harpe are out for basketball for a total of 21 from both schools. Most of the girls practices will be at La Harpe and most of the boys practices will be at Northwest. Boys practice begins on Monday, November 18th.

Mr. Mealiff's report to the board included:

• Corn plot was harvested Oct. 7th and average yield for all 41 varieties in the plot was 179.3 B/A.
• Soybean plot of 30 varieties had a plot average of 46.3 B/A.
• Twelve members and Mr. Mealiff attended the National FFA Convention in Louisville: Kayla Reische, Jason Graves, Anna Ziegler, Kayla Brooks, Joni Dowell, Kelli Burr, Randy Bray, Bryant Fernetti, J. D. Hobby, Jesse Palmer, Justin Sparrow, and Mitch Worley.
• The Section XI 8th and 9th grade FFA Quiz Bowl is scheduled for Nov. 14th at Colchester.
• Annual fruit and calendar sales will be from Nov. 22nd to Dec. 2nd. The top leaves of the poinsettia plants in the greenhouse are starting to turn red and should be ready for sale in December.

Section XI crop judging CDE and grain fair will be at Carthage on December 4th.

Board members in attendance were: Don Latherow, Larry Caston, Ricky Caston, Barb Cox, Dan Horton, Lawrence Johnson, and Mark Irish.

Also present were: Jo Campbell, Charles Apt, Charlotte Davis, Pat Deitrich, Steve Rodeffer, Tracey and Cindy Anders, Jerry Brown, Lila McKeown, Donna Wood, Jim King, Chad Burt,

Rodney Boyle, Scott and Joy Pollock, Rena Quigle, Larry Sholl, Cheryl Blythe, Christy Fox, Robert Shutwell, John Quigle, R.D. and

Lisa Trout, Aynn Mudge, Katie Fox, Todd Porter, David and Sarah Billeter, John and Barb Louden, Christy Vincent, Lillie Anders, Sherry Butler, Gene Reische, Rod Myers, and David Grimes.