The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
The LaHarpe School Board held a regular meeting Monday night, April 7th, in the School District Library. It was partially covered in last week's Quill which told of the new board being seated.
Besides Board members, also present were Cindy Wear, Ed Pence, Jo Campbell, Charles Apt, Charlotte Davis, Pat Deitrich, David Grimes, Doug Hobby, Cindy Pollock, Laurena Hunter, Laurie Myers, Sherry Beals, Lila McKeown, Arlynn Hitz, Joyce Crim, Elizabeth Abbott, Janet McKoon, John Quigle, Robin Thompson, Todd Porter, Steve Rodeffer, Stacey Pence, Bob Bruns, Cathy Jones, Rod Myers, Tracey Anders, and WIU student Paul Savage.
In other business, the board approved a request by Charissa Thompson for dual credit for courses she will take next year at Carl Sandburg College, requests by Lisa Trout for use of the elementary gym and Robin Thompson for use of the elementary playground for soccer practice, the school calendar for the 2003-04 school year, the members of the parent/teacher advisory committee, the payment of insurance for the Reduction-In-Force employees for the months of June, July, and August, the renewal of the membership to the Illinois High School Association for the 2003-04 school year, and the Catastrophic Insurance for athletes for the 2003-04 school year.
Charlotte Davis, elementary/junior high principal, reported that Aric Soule, a WIU student, is working with the third graders to plant a tree on the school campus to celebrate Arbor Day. The Pre-K programs will have a parent night on April 30th. It will have a Safari theme. Family Day (formerly Grandparents Day) will be on Friday, may 2nd.
The 5th grade band and choir will perform and the elementary students will also sing. The Literacy Fair will be in the library and the science fair and 5th grade rock show will be in the elementary gym.
Mrs. Miller will have her students in the after-school signing class present a program for their parents on May 6th at 7:00 p.m. in the high school music room. The K-4 teachers will be participating in a follow-up math workshop with Mary Swarthout from WIU in the district library.
Teachers in grades 3-8 will meet with Gloria Chapman on April 25th for a workshop on Differentiating Instruction within the regular classroom.
The fifth grade will attend a program at the Hult Health Museum in Peoria on April 15th sponsored by the Title IV grant through the Regional Office of Education.
The 8th grade trip to Chicago is on April 25th. The 5th grade class trip to the Civil War Reenactment is on April 25th. The 8th grade will attend the Career Expo in Macomb on May 2nd, and the junior high band and choir competed in the IESA Solo and Ensemble Contest on March 29th. We will host the IESA Organizational Contest on Saturday, May 3rd, for the junior high band and chorus.
The 7th grade girls volleyball team won the first round of state finals and the 8th grade girls placed 4th in the state returning with medals and a trophy.
There are 68 students currently out for track this spring.
Ricky Johnson read the Ag Report prepared by Paul Mealiff. Five of our FFA members interviewed at the District III Proficiency Award Competition on March 12th at Jacksonville. Two of them were ranked 2nd and two received 3rd place ratings.
Isaac Rogers won 1st place at District in the Specialty Crop Production area with his pumpkins and he was ranked 3rd in the State Competition.
Livestock judges Jason Graves, Kayla Reische, Joni Dowell, Austin Johnson, J.D. Hobby, Jacob Markey, Kelli Burr, Justin Sparrow, John Dowell, and Mitch Worley competed in the Section XI Livestock Judging CDE on March 15th at Bushnell.
Around 140 people attended our annual FFA Chapter Banquet which was held in the high school gym on March 18th. Kelli Burr was awarded the Chapter Scholarship Award and Kayla Reische received the Chapter Leadership Award. April Horton was presented with the DeKalb Agricultural Accomplishment Award and David Hobby and Delbert Kreps received the Honorary Chapter Degree.
Kelli Burr and Anna Ziegler each received 4th place at the District III Public Speaking CDE on April 2nd in the FFA Creed and prepared speech divisions. Ben Cox and Cody McKeown will be attending the Farm Bureau/FFA Leadership Conference at Decatur on April 7th and 8th.