Seniors & Students has successful year
What started out with 24 volunteers helping elementary students in four schools has become the Seniors and Students Program that is now more than 200 volunteers strong and in each of the district’s seven schools. Seniors & Students Coordinator Becky Hubred and district Public Information and Volunteer Program Coordinator Denise Dorn Lindberg provided the School Board with an update on the district’s progress.
Seniors & Students, a cooperative program between the district and the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program of Waukesha County, hit a milestone this year. Senior volunteers have contributed more than 55,000 volunteer hours since the program started in 1998, and the value of their time is more than $1 million. Highlights of this year’s progress include:
- Being featured at the countywide Tapestry Dinner with volunteer Jean Dickman and Maple Avenue teacher Patty Coburn as program speakers;
- Serving as a model for other school districts who want to initiate a senior volunteer program;
- Expanding the program to all district schools; and
- Continuing growth of the program in number of volunteers and hours provided.
Robotics team honored for accomplishments
Dozens of students, parents and mentors from the Hamilton Charger Robotics Team 537 crowded in the high school library to be honored for a successful year. Hamilton teacher Lori Hinytz described the accomplishments of the team’s competitive season that included being a regional finalist and earning the Chairman’s Award at the North Star Regional competition in the Twin Cities. The team also earned the Kleiner Perkins Caulfield & Byers Entrepreneurship Awards, and senior Matthew Kline was named to the Dean’s List for student achievement.
Hinytz was presented with a framed certificate in recognition of the team’s successful year. More than 65 Hamilton students are involved in Charger Robotics, which is supported by QuadTech, Rockwell Automation and GE Healthcare through financial donations and employee mentors.
Girls hockey to be offered
Hamilton female students interested in playing competitive hockey will be able to join a cooperative team, thanks to School Board approval. Hamilton will be one of nine high schools forming a cooperative team. All costs of the team will be covered through participant fees.
Along with Hamilton, the high schools that will form the cooperative team are Germantown, Cedarburg, Grafton, Ozaukee, Hartford Union, Slinger, West Bend East and West Bend West. Costs will be divided proportionally based on the number of participants from each school.
Shorter football schedule preferred
School Board members decided to let the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association know that shortening the football schedule from nine to eight games is preferred to three other options presented. School Board members were asked weigh in on the choices that were offered to reduce exposure of player injury at the end of the football season. The WIAA’s Sport Medical Advisory Committee determined that the current schedule of three games in 10 days for play-off qualifiers should be eliminated.
Other options that the WIAA offered included starting the season earlier, moving the championship later and reducing the number of play-off qualifiers. The shortened game schedule was recommended by Hamilton Athletic-Activities Director Mike Gosz and Football Coach John Damato.
Board approves new SAN purchase
School Board members agreed with Instructional Technology and Assessment Coordinator Katherine Little’s recommendation to purchase a new storage area network (SAN). The warranty for the SAN that the district purchased four years ago is out of warranty, and the cost to purchase another year of warranty would be about $13,000. Instead, the School Board approved purchase of a new SAN that includes a five-year maintenance agreement for a total cost of $23,260. In addition to additional years of warranty, the new SAN will have twice the storage capacity and the ability for expansion, which the current SAN does not have.
Personnel news
In personnel business, the School Board:
- Accepted the resignation of Hamilton special services paraprofessional Crystal Hoffmann at the end of the school year;
- Appointed Murrene Payton and Daniel Tackes to serve at summer school assistant coordinators;
- Hired Nicholas Roth as Hamilton social studies-economics teacher, Elizabeth Kane as Marcy kindergarten teacher, Amanda Brayman as Marcy fourth grade teacher, Kalie Restivo as Marcy third grade teacher and Steffanie Benitez as Templeton replacement Spanish teacher;
- Approved hourly salary rates for non-group employees for 2010-11. Among the 21 positions, 16 did not receive an increase. Increases ranging from 2.12-2.82 percent were provided for five positions based on comparisons with other school districts.