HCAC CHAMPIONS - 18
Smoking Ban • 9
Manchester College defeated Transylvania 68-65 en route to the conference tournament championship where they rolled to a 79-69 win over Hanover and secured their first title since 1995. The Spartans also earned an automatic berth in the NCAA Div. III Tournament, which marks their first post-season appearance since 1999. For more details, see this week’s Sports Shorts.
A Town Hall Meeting to discuss secondhand smoke and the “Smoke Free Air Bill” was held Feb. 22 at the Wabash County YMCA. Seven panelists were on hand to answer the public’s questions.
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of Wabash County Inc.
www.thepaperofwabash.com
March 2, 2011
Zach Dials to provide little leaguers with instruction on pitching and throwing by Brent Swan The Wabash Little League will host its second annual pitching clinic March 5, at the Wabash High School gymnasium, free of charge to all local youth. Zach Dials, Wabash area native and current member of the Florida Marlins organization, will provide instruction on proper pitching and throwing techniques to interested ballplayers, ages 8 to 18, during the two sessions. “I try to focus on more of the fundamentals,” Dials said. “One of the biggest problems we see with the younger kids is that they try and throw with their arms too much. You like to see them stay in line with the plate more and learn how to throw with their legs.” The event, which is free not only to Wabash Little Leaguers, but also members of the North (continued on page 16)
In Memorium
Opal Addis, 79 Herman Betten, 84 Benjamin Brooks, 88 William Cattron Jr., 61 Thomas Dean, 84 Opal Haas, 92 Betty Hettmansperger, 80 Harry Kilmer Sr., 70 Cathy Martin, 51 Blanche Michael, 95 Gary Treska, 58 Mable Unger, 90
Index Classifieds ............29-31 Community News..17,19,25-26 D & E....................10-11 Sports Shorts ............18 Weekly Reports ....13-15 Vol. 33, No. 47
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Dr. Weaver holds public forum to discuss renovation, reconfiguration and educational technology
PRELIMINARY BLUEPRINTS for the Metro North Elementary renovation project were presented by MSD Superintendent Dr. Sandra Weaver at the Feb. 23 meeting, sponsored by the LaFontaine Lions Club. This project will consist of revamping the school’s current pod structure (left) to form individual classrooms (right). (image provided) by Danielle Smith During a Feb. 23 meeting, Dr. Sandra Weaver, superintendent of Metropolitan School District (MSD), gave a presentation outlining the upcoming changes for the district. This meeting was held at the LaFontaine Community Building, and was sponsored by the LaFontaine Lions Club. The MSD school board has voted in favor of improvement projects for Northfield and Southwood jr./sr. high schools. Dr. Weaver outlined the projects, which will include new roofs, updated gym entrances, painting the gyms, adding a storage area, new technology switches, possibly a loading dock and, most importantly, secure front entrance areas. “Years ago, when you were in school and when I was in school, no one worried about an intruder,” Dr. Weaver said. “Unfortunately, today we worry about that. My number one job, before educating students, is keeping them safe.”
She shared artists’ renditions of the possible new look of the entrances. They will be narrower and will have two sets of doors. A person will enter the first set of doors into an airlock where there will be a buzzer and camera. After classes begin in the morning, all building entrances will remain locked all day and office staff will “buzz” people in through the front entrance. On Feb. 17, the board voted, 4-1, in favor of the Metro North Elementary renovation project and reconfiguration. The Metro North renovation project includes the construction of walls and installation of a new heating and cooling system and new flooring. Dr. Weaver displayed blueprints of Metro North’s potential new layout for attendees. In this layout, each pod would be divided into four classrooms. “We have a meeting with architects next week. We will have four teachers, two from Metro North and two that are currently
at Sharp Creek but will be at Metro North, that will be a part of that meeting,” said Dr. Weaver. All improvement and renovation projects will begin directly after the 2010-11 school year ends. Dr. Weaver spent some time reviewing how these projects will affect taxpayers, stating that the total cost of the projects will be around $6 million. “It we don’t take care of buildings, these buildings will crumble. We have to do things to keep maintenance up,” she said. Dr. Weaver then discussed reconfiguration. She addressed the public’s fear that the long-term plan will be to enlarge class sizes on the
south side of the district and shut down L a F o n t a i n e Elementary. “I want to say, right up front, that we are committed to keeping L a F o n t a i n e Elementary open. That has never been on my plate. I have been through that and it is awful to close a building,” she stated emphatically. She outlined the cost-saving benefits of reconfiguration, but assured attendees that they are determined to avoid eliminating teacher positions, which is referred to as reduction in force (RIF). “My first year in the district here, the superintendent came to me and told me he was going to RIF me. That was like ripping
out my heart. It didn’t happen but that’s awfully scary. I don’t want us to have to do that,” Dr. Weaver said. Dan Guenin, longtime sixth-grade teacher at Southwood, shared his thoughts on reconfiguration. He noted that the sixth grades had already been combined on the south side of the district during the 2010-11 school year and that it had been a positive change. “The hardest thing will be not having the little kids around anymore. I love those little kids, I’m going to miss that,” he said. He also mentioned that the fifth- and sixth-grade teachers are an older group. “Right now we’re around some younger
teachers and it’s fun. They keep you young,” Guenin explained. His main concern was the short time teachers have to work out the minute details of moving and merging. “The timeline is what scares me more than anything, just getting it done and getting it done right,” Guenin said. “All of this stuff will happen, and it will be good. The issue is: how do we get it done?” Dr. Weaver then transitioned her presentation to the topic of technology in the classroom and the new face of education. She explained how students have access to every type of information at their (continued on page 7)
AFTER PROPOSED RENOVATIONS, the front entrances at Southwood and Northfield Jr./Sr. High Schools will be narrower and will feature an airlock with a buzzer and camera. No one will gain admittance to the buildings without the office staff’s knowledge. (images provided)