I'd like to call the meeting to order, please. If we can all stand for a pledge of allegiance and a moment of silence. I pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Uh, moment of silence, folks, if you'd bear with me. I know I do this a lot lately, and I'm sorry. I'd like to recognize the passing of Tom Grondine. Tom Grondine was a three-time member of this committee, uh, as well as a member of the Matuan, uh, city council. Uh, he passed away. our condolences to Barbara and uh if you'd keep him in your thoughts and prayers, I'd appreciate it. >> Thank you. Do you want to say Tom? >> Yeah. Uh I mean Tom, his wife was also on this committee believe three terms as well.
Students, parents, and staff, welcome to the board of education study session. The following are the guidelines for public comment. Items 3.1 on the agenda. If you wish to participate in public comment, please make note of the following. The board of education encourages public input. Board members are not permitted to respond to public comment. A member of staff will contact you if information is needed. Individuals participating in public comment must adhere to the following guidelines. Speaker cards must be turned in to the board secretary or hands raised on Zoom by 5:40 p.m. 10 minutes after the meeting begins or prior to the start of public comment, whichever comes first. No speaker may yield their time to another individual speaker. Speakers must be present when their name is called in order to be heard.
Um, I started like second or third grade and then I think I started it because like watching my sisters did it and like just a lot of people that I like knew did it and I'd go watch and I was just like this seems really fun. I don't remember what got me into it exactly but I was very excited for it. So >> well >> um I started theater in 8th grade. I don't know why I started to be honest. Um, I think Presley got me into it to be honest because I was friends with her at the time and I got into it. >> Yeah. And she was doing Adam's family so I decided to try out and then um what kept me in it was >> the upper classmen like seeing them >> and I looked up to them a lot. So, >> um, speaking of looking up to people, who who would you say was kind of your biggest influence, um, in like the acting, uh, I guess like high school acting world kind of?
>> Yeah, her name is Mrs. Middleton and she had she was um she expected excellence, but she was very caring, very sweet. She she took the time to make sure that you guys were that the cast was understanding what was going on. And um I think she really sparked my vision of what I wanted to be like as a uh theater teacher. >> And so you say that you model kind of the way you teach in a classroom and the way you teach um in the auditorium kind of uh after her. >> Yes, definitely. For if from the theater standpoint, Mrs. Milton is my influence. >> Yeah. Um, out of the many plays you may have and many of the musicals you've been a part of or may have uh taught, what was kind of your favorite one? >> Uh, that's hard to say. Um, I Our Town was one that I was in when I was in high school.
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Terrific. And we'll go ahead and have a roll call. Miss Wilson. >> Dr. Blake Robson >> here. >> Miss Jill Humphre >> here. Mr. Jesse Brainer >> here. >> Mr. Chad Thompson is not present at the time. >> And Shaina Murray is on her way. >> Dr. Robersonson, you have a quorum. >> Thank you. Um, we'll go ahead and move on to agenda item 2.01, approval of the agenda. Is there a motion? >> I move to approve the agenda as presented. second. >> I thought we were maybe going to change something on the agenda. >> We can do that. Yes. Um item number on consent agenda uh uh 7 under the consent agenda item number 7.06 where it says employee work calendars for the 2627 school year.
Um, and we're needing some major remodeling done. Um, and so the board, we want to start this process tonight. We're planning on trying to interview three architectural firms. From there, we will we will ask um additional questions, possibly visit some of the corporations that they've done some remodeling at to see how they have done that. Um, we also want to continue to work through this process as and have whichever company we select do a facilities audit for us um as we go through that process and then as well um start to get community input into the process. And so tonight is mainly a working session. It's um what we've set up is that each company has about an hour. Um the first half an hour will be just a presentation from the company. The second half an hour can just be our discussion and questions and things.
Father, tonight we ask that you would give us wisdom and knowledge to make the decisions that would best impact this faculty and the students and this community, Lord, and that you would receive all the glory from it. Father, we just ask these things tonight in your name, in the name of Jesus. Amen. >> Amen. Thank you, Jeff. Future board meetings, March 10th, March 24th, and April 14th, all here at 6:00 at Administration building. I don't think there's any revisions to the agenda. So, we'll move on to uh public recognition and donations. As always, we'll wait till the end till we get a motion and second for these donations. Recommendation to approve $50 from Wabash Animal Shelter for Northfield cheerleading. Recommendation to approve $300 donation from Stein Tire for Northfield baseball. Recommendation to approve $300 from Dave's Carpets for Northville baseball. Recommendation to approve $200 from Ford Meterbox for Southwood baseball.
He was real finance financial guru like The books had to be exact. He was very conservative, well-liked, very uh very professional, well respected in in at that time town of Mthuan, now the city of Mthuan. Uh heavily involved in all kinds of of uh initiatives and politics within the city of Mthuan. So he had a big in impact on the city uh and was always uh very positive with with regards to greater Lawrence was out in the community all the time you know giving us praise for what we did and uh so uh I know he'll be missed in his community particularly by his wife Barbara who is also very much like like Tom in terms of her professionalism and the work she did on the committee. So he'll be missed. Thank you. I'd like to remind everybody that the big microphone isn't up to speed for us.
Maximum speaking time is three minutes. Thank you for your participation. For item 1.1, I would like to call the meeting to order on Tuesday, February 24, 2026 at 5:32 p.m. Moving on to item 1.2, roll call. Board vice president Rodriguez Pñena, >> present. >> Board clerk Ramos, >> present. >> Board member Greer is running a few minutes behind. Board member Arianas >> here. >> And I am present.
>> Like I said, the upper classmen, a lot of the seniors that have come before me, especially last year's seniors, um, because they've kind of been with us throughout all of it and I looked up to them a lot and they're kind of the people that kept me going. >> What about you, Hannah? Um, yeah. I'd say the same thing for high school, but like when I did like um my old like my old theater group in like middle school, um there's this kid named Connor and he was just a very like bright light and very just I'd say very definitely like upper classmen just in general like older people and just people that you can like watch have big roles and go through bigger things. So >> yeah. Um, out of all the plays you've done since second grade, what's kind of like your favorite play you've been a part of and like what's your most favorite uh character you've play uh played?
I played Editor Webb and then 20 years ago I directed it here at Clearwater. It was one of our first plays on the um the new school stage here. So, it's been one that's just been a uh one that I've been very close to. I've really um liked. Uh but there's some other other shows that have been just very ensemble cast. And I think that's what I like about uh theaters when we have the ensemble cast. Everyone works together and uh puts together their the productions. So, >> um and then hearing from our uh two theater kids over there, um their kind of most stressful week is tech week. Would you agree with that? That's it's probably the most stressful. Uh tech week, production week can be very stressful. We uh we're running through the full show for four uh dress rehearsals before performance, making sure that we get all of the uh technical elements put together.
Uh I still want to approve uh this work calendars ex with the exception of the support staff. We would like to pull that portion of the agenda item and look it over one more time and bring it back on March 3rd. >> We we can do that when we approve the consent agenda. >> So that would probably be appropriate. So we need a second. >> Perfect. We'll go ahead and uh address that with the consent agenda. Is there I'll go ahead and and second the approval of the agenda. Uh all those in favor >> I.
And what I did for the board this evening as well as our administrators is just kind of gave them a list of questions to guide your thoughts as we kind of talk through this. It deals with a lot of different you know aspects of building um and working through even the financing of it and those types of things. And so um tonight the first organization that we have is PSG um energy group. Um, so PSG does a lot of stuff with solar. Um, they they I've worked with them a couple of places before, talked to them in different places. Um, they um um they, you know, they in addition to the solar, that's just one aspect of it. They also do um project management. Um, they they have HVAC. They have pretty well everything under the one umbrella. And so, uh, the other nice thing about this as well is they do have a computer software package that when they completed the facility audit that we would actually have, um, to be able to view like what's critical, what needs to be replaced immediately, what can be delayed, what's that cost going to look like as we go through that process.
Recommendation to approve $5,000 donation from CIE LLC for Southwood softball. Recommendation to approve $500 from Thorn Insurance for Northfield baseball. and recommendation to approve $500 from Wabash Elks Lodge 4471 for Northfield Chile.
We'll have to use the push buttons here. >> Cheryl, would you please >> Miss Harris, Miss >> Mr. Jones? >> Mr. Mercedes >> here. Mr. Ty, Mr. Ho >> here. Um, I'd like to get a motion to approve the minutes of February 10th, please. >> I'll make a motion to accept the minutes. >> Second.
Moving on to item 1.3, pledge of allegiance. Will Mr. Arasio Tjo, principal of Aladdale Elementary School, please come to the podium? >> Good evening, board president Benvidas, board members, cabinet, and community. I am Oasio TCO. I am the incredibly proud to serve as principal of Valley Elementary. This year at Valley, we have been focused on building systems that support students and holding ourselves accountable to results. We are strengthening student voice, deepening partnerships with family, improving attendance, and sharpening instruction. And we are seeing growth because of it. It begins with student leadership and voice. At Valley, we believe students should not just attend school, they should help shape it. Through the expansion of Viking Council and Viking Voices, our students now have structured opportunities to lead, gather peer feedback, and bring forward the issues that matter most to them. Their ideas directly led to our schoolwide kindness bingo initiative, which engaged students across campus in intentional acts of kindness towards one another.
>> Um, I always get cast as like villain sidekicks and it's really fun. Um, Hercules, I was panic and that was probably very fun. James and the Giant Peach, I was like a ton of random roles, but I forgot how fun of a play that was too. Just it was like silly and I don't remember anytime that was serious. So, that was fun. Also playing Iago and Aladdin was an interesting experience but it was fun. So >> what about you care? >> Um I would ether have to say Annell from Steel Magnolia's because the cast was so like tightly knit. There was only six of us and so we all worked like very closely together and we were all very close. either that or last year an Frank I played an and I really liked that role because it was such an interesting experience to play such an emotional character and as well as like a historical person like someone who was real and it took a lot of work to try and portray that accurately as possible.
So adding in lights, adding in sound effects, adding in mics. So it just it's a lot to try to pull everything together, but uh it's exciting to see what happens from Monday night of production week to performances on the weekend. >> Yeah. And uh new being new to this, this is my first play um and maybe my only I don't know what will happen uh next year at Bethl, but um I'd say um I definitely am enjoying it. I enjoy practices a lot and I'm enjoying the play um Our Town by Thor Wilder. Um and just have even just four lines, just having just four lines and still like being able to have a voice and be a part of it um is pretty cool. And it's definitely something that I think I should have gotten to a little sooner. >> I I hear that quite often from some seniors that all of a sudden they get in involved in a show their senior year and they said, "Oh, I don't know why I didn't do this earlier.
>> Any opposed? All right. So, we'll go ahead and move on to I think the reason probably most of us are here tonight, the superintendent recognition awards. Dr. McCord. >> Thank you, Mr. Dr. Robertson. Uh if the board would join me in front of the DAS this evening, we have some people we'd like to recognize.
Um, so that's another nice feature that they also bring to the table tonight. Um, Dennis Stockdale is a retired superintendent. Um, he was with um, West Washington, >> East Washington. >> Last seven years at East Washington and before that I was nine years at Garrett just over. So um so most recently they've been working with Bedford which is right up the road from us and doing remodelings of their buildings and stuff and so um so this evening and and this is just very informal. So as they go through and do their presentation if we want to ask questions as we go through that's perfectly fine. So um and if things move faster than an hour then that's great. If the groups here. We'll bring them in and try to get out here as quickly as we can. So, >> absolutely. Thanks, Michael. >> All right.