Members of the USD 428 school board were enthusiastic when approving five new elective courses for Great Bend Middle School at Monday’s meeting.
Board member Susan Young thought Keith Moeder’s SOAR class, which teaches organization, time management and other so-called soft skills, would work well for any student. “I want to make it a ‘mandatory’ elective,” she said.
After hearing the course descriptions, board president Jacquie Disque said, “I would want to take every one of these.”
The courses approved and their teachers are:
• Organize for Learning, SOAR Curriculum, math teacher Keith Moeder
• Yearbook, library media specialist Holley Tittel
• Coding, Robotics & Drones, instructional coach Stacey Magnett
• Geometric Constructions, math teacher Peggy Haag
• Music Appreciation, GBMS choir director JoAnna Gaunt
Last April, the school board approved a change in the GBMS schedule that allowed students more flexibility in choosing courses. Now students enroll in four core classes and four elective classes that meet every other day. With many of the electives lasting one semester, they have the opportunity to take eight electives during the year, GBMS Principal David Reiser said.
On Monday, the teachers talked about their new course proposals, including the skills that would be taught, the number of students that could take the courses and the cost. (Assistant Superintendent Tricia Reiser made the presentation for JoAnna Gaunt, who was unable to attend.)
Moeder said his idea to use the SOAR curriculum came from his own experience. He was a successful student because he worked hard but he didn’t learn some of the skills for studying, note taking and test taking until college.
“I believe (students) can be better learners if they improve their organization, time management and soft skills,” he said. “I think it could do a lot of good things for kids.” This could help students whether they are already high achievers or if they struggle in school, he added, saying up to 150 students could enroll because he could handle multiple classes.
The estimated cost annual could be up to $3,990, depending on how many students enroll, which includes workbooks and Chromebook app licenses. After the trial, the district may decide to go with workbooks only or Chromebook apps only to save money.
GBMS already publishes a yearbook but it is mostly handled by Tittel and teacher assistant Michelle Barber. Tittel said her first yearbook class would be small – possibly limited to 10 students, and by its nature it would need to be a year-long elective. Students would learn some of the same soft skills mentioned in the SOAR curriculum, along with collaboration.
Hard skills they could gain include an introduction to photography, graphic design, journalism and computer software. This could also prepare students for yearbook class at the high school level.
Tittel requested computer monitors with adaptors to hook up to student Chromebooks, a work table and digital cameras with memory cards. She said she has applied for a USD 428 Education Foundation mini-grant that might cover the cost of the cameras.
Peggy Haag’s Geometry Concepts class for eighth graders is still being developed but she wants students to see how they can use geometry in their careers. It’s an aspect of math that students don’t get enough instruction time on, she said.
Board member Deanna Essmiller asked if students who need this course will receive counseling. “Will you encourage kids to take what they need?”|
Assistant Superintendent Tricia Reiser said this is one reason the administration wanted the school board to approve the electives now, rather than later.
“The urgency of the whole approval of the courses is that next week, we want the counselor to go to the sixth grade, before parent-teacher conferences, and give an explanation of the courses to the sixth grade,” she said.
Principal David Reiser said seventh-graders will have the same opportunity during their parent-teacher conferences.
Magnett’s proposed robotics and drones class will “help engage students and encourage them to be involved in the STEM careers,” she said. Thanks to new legislation, grants should pay for the initial $4,000 in equipment costs that include robots and drones, she said. There would be enough for one class of seventh graders. There is already an advanced robotics class for eighth graders.
Gaunt’s Music Appreciation course looks at music through the past decades, starting in the 1970s. It connects the music of each period to history, social studies and language arts. The cost to create this course is $500 and Gaunt collaborated with GBHS vocal music instructor Susan Stambaugh as she developed it.
With the board’s unanimous approval of these courses, Disque said, “That’s exciting.”
Lincoln School boiler
Next on the agenda Monday was approval to join the PCA Purchasing Cooperative. Assistant Superintendent John Popp said it doesn’t cost anything to join but can save the district money, just as other purchasing cooperatives used by the district save money. In this case, it will help with the next item the board approved, a $187,805 boiler conversion project at Lincoln Elementary School.
The board will pay Innovative Groups LLC in Wichita that amount for design and engineering services to remove the 24-year-old boiler system at Lincoln and install four gas-fired HVAC rooftop units.
The board also approved a quote for the purchase of the four rooftop units at Lincoln from Comfort Products, for $28,000 ($7,000 each).
Personnel
The board made one appointment, approving Dustin Klassen as assistant principal at the high school.
Three teacher resignations were approved: Wendy Popp, math teacher at GBHS; Jacob Kasselman, sixth-grade teacher at Eisenhower Elementary; and Allie Wendelburg, second-grade teacher at Eisenhower.
The board also met in executive session to discuss an individual employee’s performance, under the “personnel” exception of the Kansas Open Meetings Act. The board was joined by Superintendent Khris Thexton and the assistant superintendents when the executive session began at 7:15 p.m. and it continued until 9, sometimes bringing GBHS Principal Tim Friess and Assistant Principal Daryl Moore into the meeting. No action was taken after the executive session, other than adjourning.
