001Yep. All right, everybody stand for the pledge. 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. Heavenly Father, we are so thankful for another very, very successful year here here at Eastern Greene, Lord. And all of the thanks and praise goes to the staff, the teachers, the students, and the community, Lord. We have been truly blessed, and we just give you all the thanks and glory in Jesus' name. Amen. All right. I call the meeting to order at 6:31 p.m. Okay, I think Mr. Woods Yeah, uh the first thing we're going to do this evening is uh recognize some some of our retirees. I've prepared a few statements cuz I wanted to get
002some numbers correct. Um so uh we have the privilege of recognizing four outstanding individuals whose dedication and service have left a lasting mark on Eastern Greene Schools and the many students they've encountered during their career. First up, we want to recognize Mrs. Karen White. >> [applause] >> You you you you you you can just you can just stand there. Yeah, you don't have to come up here. >> [laughter] >> I I just I I do want to share a little bit. Uh Karen has devoted 35 years to Eastern Greene Schools and an incredible 39 years in education overall. Uh and she's done this while serving as a special education teacher. Uh she's done that with compassion, patience, and an unwavering commitment to helping every single child succeed that was in her care. Thank you very
003much, Karen, for everything you've >> [applause] >> Next, we have Mrs. Sandy Yoho. >> [applause] >> Sandy has faithfully served Eastern Greene Schools for 29 years, and she has spent 36 years in education total. You can do 30. [clears throat] Throughout her career, she's impacted countless students as a PE teacher, a coach, a school counselor, and for the past 19 years as Dean of Students and Athletic Director at different times at the middle school. During that time, she provided huge amounts of leadership, guidance, and support to the students and staff alike. And I will also add, while while we're talking about both Sandy and Karen, that both of them were instrumental in the development, implementation, and the ongoing success of Eastern Greene Middle School. So, they were there at the beginning, and they are leaving
004it They They're leaving it better than they found it, and that's all we can ask for people to do. So, thank you both for what you've done for the middle school. >> [applause] >> Yeah. All right. So, we next we want to recognize Ms. Lori Markle. >> [applause] >> And I think I have this right. Lori has dedicated 24 years to teaching. She spent 12 years serving the state of Indiana. And then she brought her experience and passion for education to Eastern Greene Schools, where she's worked for the past 3 years teaching sixth grade math here with the middle school. We thank you for your dedication throughout the >> [applause] >> And finally, we recognize Ms. Mrs. Rhonda Dobson who dedicated 31 years of her service 31 years of service as an instructional assistant at
005Eastern Green Elementary School. >> [applause] >> During that time, she faithfully supported students, teachers, families throughout her entire career. Her kindness, consistency, and care have made a difference in the lives of the generations of students that she's assisted and helped with. Together, these four individuals represent well over a century of service to children, families, and to school. That kind of commitment is extraordinary and speaks volumes about their character, compassion, and their belief in the importance of public school. Throughout their careers, they've helped shape the lives in ways that cannot truly be measured. They have been mentors, encouragers, problem-solvers, shoe tiers, listeners, trusted adults for a generation of students. They've also been incredible colleagues that have always worked well with others and just been great teammates along the way. Their influence extends far beyond lessons taught
006or task completed. It lives on in the confidence, success, and memories of the various students that they served and the colleagues they worked with. At East at Eastern Green, we know that great schools are built by people who consistently show up with heart, dedication, and a willingness to put students first. Karen, Sandy, Lori, and Rhonda have done just that throughout their careers. And our school community is stronger because of the time they spent with us. On behalf of our entire school community, I thank you, ladies, for [clears throat] everything that you have done for Eastern Green Schools. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. >> [applause] >> NOW, BECAUSE OF ALL THE LONG HOURS THAT YOU spent here, we figure you need some time to relax. And everybody, we do have a rocking chair with little emblem for
007you that we we it's just a small token of our thanks. And I'm sure we will have an opportunity each of your buildings will be thanking you as well and spending some time to thank you for what you've done. But they had to sit through the through the meeting to get this. >> Yes. >> [laughter] >> Okay. Thank you very much. Can I go take their pictures and their Yes. Yes. Yes. And then then and then you don't have to stay. You're more than welcome to stay, but you do not have to. >> [clears throat] >> Thank you. >> always ruin our attendance, Doug. Sorry. >> [laughter] >> Here we go. Um anybody here for public comment? Nope. Okay. We'll skip that. Okay, it's recommended that the agenda for the May 11th, 2026 meeting be
008approved as presented with additions, corrections, or deletions as recommended by the board. Do I have any comments on that? If not, do I have a motion? Dennis. Second. Heather. All those four. Seven out of zero. It's recommended that the meeting that the minutes from the April 13th, 2026 meeting be approved as presented. Do I have a motion for that? Sharon. Second. Dennis. All those four. Seven out of zero. It's recommended that the claims number 22112 through 22281 be approved as presented. Any comments on the claims? Okay. Do I have a motion? Carol? Second, Heather. All those in favor? 7-0 Hey Scott, I wasn't at the meeting. Okay. >> abstain. Oh, I'm sorry. Okay, so we'll do Sorry, sorry, sorry. It's 6-0. It's 6-0-1. Thank you. I have Um, yes, I think so. All right, so
009for our corporation business, the first thing I have is a motion for some early grads. I seek a motion to approve early graduation for six six-semester graduates and four seven-semester graduates. So, we have six students that will graduate at the end of their junior year and four that are requesting to graduate at the end at Christmas of their senior year. I will share just a little bit of the statistics here. Five of these students um have uh plans to enroll in college early. Four of them plan to seek full-time employment and one of them has uh signed up to join the military. And we do lose some funding when this happens, but there are also some funding mechanisms in place that we do get some funding when those students leave early. It's not the same
010amount, but you do there is a a stop gap there because we don't want to discourage this when a student has a plan and they follow that um and and that they and their family determine it's the right choice for them. Any comments? Okay, do I have a motion to approve this? Mike? Second, Kim. All those in favor? 7-0 Thank you much. Uh next I seek a motion to approve an out of state trip for the high school girls basketball team to attend a shootout at Olney Central. That will be in Olney, Illinois. Um just across the the border there. This will be in June. We do not have an exact date on that, but it will be in June. Anytime we go out of state, we need board approval or it's overnight. So. Are
011they staying overnight? >> They are not staying overnight. Okay. That was what I was told. Okay. Can I have a motion? Dennis? Second? Heather? All those four. Um seven out. >> Okay. Uh next I seek a motion to approve the contract with Jewett Sports and Occupational Services. They will serve as the 2026-2027 athletic trainer. Uh they did that this year as well. Um it's becoming more and more difficult to find somebody to provide those services. So we work with Jewett Sports and she contracts where basically she subcontracts with people and they come and work through it. We flow everything through them. And we've had it okay? Yeah, it's been a good experience. And they're most of the events have been covered. There's there's been a few times, but there's just it's hard to find people
012out there that that have the endorsement and it's really tough for smaller schools, even some of the larger schools, to fully fund that position when you figure in benefits and everything else. Okay. Can I have a motion on that? Dennis? Second? Heather? All those four. Uh seven out. Okay. Next um uh middle school dean position. I seek a motion to approve the hire of Jamie Hudson as the middle school dean of students for the middle school for the '26-'27 school year. Any comments? Motion, okay. Um I'll do Kim. Second? Heather? All those four. Against? Okay. 6-1-0. Thank you. Uh next, um I seek a motion to approve the hire of Dawn Hostetter as the director of the Early Learning Center. Uh Mrs. Hostetter's contract will extend to a 240-day contract, and it will also include
013a $15,000 stipend for the year. Uh just a little bit of background information. We are adding We're We're basically doubling the size of the Early Learning Center. Um and we're more than at least doubling our staff. And the licensing requirements is as as a licensed facility, it is different than what we've been doing in the past. So, there's a lot more oversight. Um and the uh $15,000 stipend plus an additional $35,000 of of Mrs. Hostetter's uh regular salary will be paid for out of fees collected through the Early Learning Center. So, it's This is actually saving the corporation some money by shifting some of her her uh pay to that. Um and, you know, the extended days there's a there as well. Uh and Dawn has already helped a little bit behind the scenes to
014help do some of that, and it's it's just it's it's a position that's needed. And if we were hiring this on a separate person, it would be 60 to 70,000 plus benefits. I think my concern is Is that going to be too much for her? Well, I think that if it is, then there's just some duties that she's doing now that I can take over. That's um And and my hands will be in this as well. I mean, I've all most of the ordering of of items for this um I've done and been involved with, and of course, all the construction stuff I'm doing. Um and then we've uh many of us have worked together in the hiring process. I do think there's no way we could ask for the elementary principal to do this
015on top of some some initiatives that we have there that we want to make some improvements and stuff along the way there. It would be too much to ask of that person. I believe your strategy is to have lead teachers also, right? >> Yes, we will have a lead teacher and and some of those are at later in the agenda. We will have a lead teacher and and one of those lead teachers we we anticipate just like you have a team leader on a team of teachers who kind of rises and they become the go-to on the the media that we hope to see that there and we have a couple people in in mind that could do that, but we don't have anybody earmarked for that yet. But Any other comments? Just a reminder
016it's going to have infants and toddlers and there's a lot of different regulatory issues associated with that for administrative, right? Yes, we and curriculum. And new curriculums, right? Things like that, so. Yep, a new curriculum at the infant and toddler. We will continue to use the creative curriculum at the three through five year old nature. I've learned a lot about early childhood. Do you know about enrollment, by the way? Um we are full in toddler and then we have a waiting list um and you'll see that we're we're hiring enough people that we're we're going to staff all six classrooms. Um the number of assistants will vary at this point um that will vary depending on staffing. Um we don't have any of the assistants on here yet. We want to get the lead teachers
017in place first and I can talk about them and There's still some openings for There are yes, we have those posted and we've got some interviews uh scheduled for assistants later this week, I believe. But for children there's still some >> there's plenty there's there's some room in the infant and and then all the the third and fourth grade classrooms have opening and the fourth and fifth grade classroom have openings. Three-year-olds. Three and four-year-olds. >> Oh, yeah, three-year-olds. [laughter] Sorry. The three and four-year-old classroom and the four and five-year-old classroom both have openings. Yes. >> [laughter] >> And we do have room in our third and fourth grade. So, if you have third and fourth graders, we would we would welcome them as well. >> [laughter] >> Yes, thank you for correcting me. So, I
018seek that motion to hire Dawn as the director with the extended That's a 15-day extension of her contract days, too, by the way. And with with that the $15,000 stipend. I have a motion. Yep. Second. Sharon, all those for. 7-0. All right, thank you. Uh next, I seek a motion to approve Lindsey Bailey for a $15,000 stipend, as well. Uh she is also doing the school psychologist position. She did that last year. If you remember, we had that uh that was in August. We we did post that position and we did not get any um people taking that, even apply for it. Um this also will not come out of the education fund or the operation fund. Both the stipend and Lindsey's salary are paid out of special ed dollars. Now, to be completely transparent,
019when we spend special ed dollars there, we have less special ed dollars for teachers teaching special ed and and instructional assistants, and then that would then go to uh uh you know, into the education fund and so forth. But But again, it's we have to have a school psychologist and Lindsey has has managed both uh duties and done a good job of those as well. Okay. You have a motion. Adley, second. Heather. All those for. Okay, 7-0. Uh Uh keep the theme here, we'll talk about the ELC handbook next. Uh I seek a motion to approve the Early Learning Center handbook as presented for the '26-'27 school year. Um it's pretty extensive. Uh we tried to cover everything that we could think of in there. So, um yeah, we've and we've had some assistance with
020that. Uh we worked with a couple experts in the area, including uh Lindsey Goodman, who works with the Green County Foundation, as well as um the representative and her name slips my mind. >> Nicole? With our Yeah, I think so. Yeah. Yeah. Uh she's helped as well. And then we just just our own research and working on it. I was impressed with the handbook. It's incredibly comprehensive. I'm sure there'll be things we'll add to it as you get into it, but I I was impressed. Thank you. All right, do I have a motion? Sharon. Second. Jim. All those four. 7-0. Uh next, uh I seek a motion to approve the Chartwells second-year renewal contract for the '26-'27 school year. Again, I'll add we've had a great relationship with Chartwells. They're They're good to work with.
021If we have an issue, they respond real well. No complaints on our part. And having been at other schools, our kids are fed well and they get good portions and they can I think this is a good motion. All right, do I have a motion? Dennis. Second. Mike. All those four. All those in favor of feeding our kids. Well, you feed them regardless, but but having Chartwells do it is is nice to have. Um Okay, we have Next, we have some personnel. Uh I seek a motion to approve Tasha DeMoss Blevins. Um a a contract change for her to a 200-day contract. She was originally a 185-day contract, and with that I I'm seeking to increase her base pay to 58,000 for the year. With those 15 extra days, that covers and that's basically an
022additional $10,000. And we're not putting that as a stipend but as a as a as a base pay. She's done a great job for us. She and Mrs. Quimby have a great partnership, and we look for them to continue that and work with our students at the elementary level with their conflict resolution and problem-solving skills that are so necessary that they are so vital that they learn it at that level. Okay, I have a motion. Sharon. Second, Natalie. All those for. Seven no. Uh next, I seek a motion to approve Tim Mosher be moved to a full-time teacher contract from a one-year contract. He was in that position as a one-year contract last year. He was hired at the last minute in August, and I brought that as a part-time or as a one-year contract
023to protect the school in case of enrollment, and I I'm confident that we are in a comfortable place in enrollment in that specific area that we can move him to a full contract. Okay, I have a motion. Heather. Second, Sharon. All those for. Seven no. Okay, we talked a little bit about ELC lead instructors, and I seek a motion to approve the hiring of Stephanie Decker as an ELC lead instructor. She would start July 13th. We've got some training and some regulations we have to go through with them and some certifications they need to do, so we're bringing them on a couple weeks early to to go through all that. Um, does have some experience. Uh, she's currently working at a uh, daycare center that is closing because of some funding and just and yeah.
024You have to have a motion. Heather? Second? Sharon? All those four? 7 out of 0. Uh, next I seek a motion to approve the hire of Emma Parks as an ELC lead instructor starting July 13th, 2026 as well. Uh, Emma is a graduate of Eastern Green and she actually has a student that is in the um, ELC currently. Uh, she did request not to have that student in her >> [laughter] >> So, but no, she will she's very eager. Um, not as much experience, but but she certainly had some great ideas and will is really excited about the opportunity. All right, do you have a motion? Dennis? Second? Heather? All those four? Uh, 7 out of Uh, next I have another ELC lead teacher. I have a motion to approve the hiring of Misty Coy
025as the ELC lead instructor starting July 13th, 2026. Do you have a motion? And she also brings experience. She's currently working in a similar position at a school in the county. Second? Kim? All those four? 7 out of 0. And that is Officer Coy's wife, if anybody wondered. I did wonder. Uh, next I seek a motion to approve Garrett Hickman as the middle school football coach for the 2026-2027 school year. Motion? Dennis? Second? Mike? All those four? 7-0. All right. My next motion will stay here with the middle school with some ECA positions. Motion to approve Bree Johnson as the seventh and eighth grade cheer coach for the 26-27 school year. I believe she did that this year, too, didn't she? She did. Okay. Dennis, second. Natalie, all those four. 7-0. Uh next, I seek
026a motion to approve Jake Cole as the middle school cross country head coach for the 26-27 school year. I believe he did this last year, as well. I have a motion. Natalie, second. Dennis, all those four. 7-0. You rich. Yes. Mark. All right. Uh next, I seek a motion to approve Darcy Vine as the eighth grade volleyball coach, eighth grade volleyball head coach for the 26-27 school year. I have a motion. Heather, second. Natalie, all those four. 7-0. Uh next, I seek a motion to approve Haley Bowersock as the seventh grade volleyball coach for the 26-27 school year. I have a motion. Uh Heather. Second. Natalie, all those four. 7-0. >> And I believe both Darcy and Haley did those positions this past school year, as well. Um next, I seek a motion to approve
027Bill Valentine as our high school boys and girls cross country head coach for the 26-27 school year. I have a motion. Mike, second. Natalie, all those four. 7-0. I also seek a motion to approve Keisha Blaze as the high school boys and girls cross country assistant coach for the 26-27 school year. I have a motion. Heather, second. Natalie, all those four. 7-0. Uh next, I seek a motion to approve the resignation of Kelly Provo as the as the Thursday school supervisor at the end of this school year. I'll make a motion. Heather? Second. Dennis? All those four. Okay, we do have some late items if we want to flip What about >> Oh yeah, let's do the donations first. I'm sorry. Um I do see a motion to approve the following donations, a $2,000 uh
028donation to the Eastern Green Elementary School PTO from them to Eastern Green Elementary School students at student activity for renewal of the Scholastic Book Flix subscription. Is that $200? It says $200, yeah. Yes, I'm sorry. A $425 donation, this is from the high school ECA FCCLA to the Eastern Green High School Riley Dance Marathon Marathon fund. We have a $100 donation um from Betty Nagel to Eastern Green Middle School Student Council in honor of Dina Fuller. And a $1,205 donation from Donna Stout to the Eastern Green High School Band. And as always we appreciate everybody donating to our our students and their various activities. We've got one more. Harold and Sharon You put it yours up before we Oh. Okay, so there's a $100 donation for Harold and Sharon Backus to Eastern Green School's negative
029lunch fund. Okay, sorry. That's all good. >> Sorry. Yep. Okay. So do I have First of all, we as always appreciate all the donations we get. It's really important to our school. So do I have a donation? Dennis or Motion. Motion. >> [laughter] >> Dennis How much We are struggling in here. You're on the hook. It's on the camera. It's May. Second. [laughter] And Natalie, all those four. 700. We'll discuss that amount after the meeting. As Scott said, we do appreciate everybody donating. Um, you know, we couldn't do some of the things we try to do around here without the generosity of our community. All right, we do have several late items. It's that time of year when we're adding you know, just a lot of things come up, adding positions, so forth. So, the
030first late item we have is uh an update to the high school student handbook. Uh we've already approved this. We do have a slight addition we'd like to put in there. So, I seek a motion to approve the updated high school handbook with wording regarding technology equipment usage and insurance. Um it's just an opportunity for students or for students and their families to purchase a small insurance policy, I believe for $20 a year. Um and that would cover any repair that happens. Um Yes, just a way for them to do that and cover uh protect them from some larger repairs. Okay, do I have a motion? I'll second. Sharon, Sharon, Sharon. 700. Oh, sorry, vote. I'm getting ahead of myself. >> [laughter] >> Yeah, 700. You're doing great today. Yeah, well, hey. Scott, I'll have
031you I think we can. I think we can. >> [laughter] >> Okay, the next one is a motion to approve the hire of Mr. J.C. Lewis as the middle school special ed teacher effective for the 2026-2027 school year. Do we know anything about him? You know, I uh >> [laughter] >> We have a new hire. >> Clary, do you want to talk with me? You went went through the process. Anything you I think a very um important phrase comes to mind about squirrels >> [laughter] >> and rabbits. No. Um J.C. um interviewed for our position. We did those interviews last week. Um, we had the privilege of being with him when he did a student teaching this year for IU. He did a semester with, um, Mrs. White and then he did a semester with
032Mr. Clary. So, he is dual licensed in science and in special ed. Um, and then we had this position come open. He interviewed it, um, but interviewed for it. He did a phenomenal job. Um, he answered some really tough questions. And, um, but really what showed to me through the interview was just his passion for helping kids that sometimes don't get as much help, um, and he really wants to make a difference in that area. And, so we were confident in hiring him. So, I'm excited to have him join our team officially. All right, do I have a motion? Sure. >> Mike. Second. Dennis. All those four. 7-0. Welcome back, Mr. Lewis. That, Mr. Lewis. I know I'm not the proudest in this group, but I'm pretty proud. >> [laughter] >> Um, next we have
033a resignation. I seek a motion to approve the resignation of Irene Birch as the National Honor Society advisor effective at the end of this school year. Do I have a motion? Other? Second. Dennis. All those four. 7-0. >> uh, all of Irene's work with the National Honor Society. She does a great job with that. Uh, next I have another resignation. A motion to approve the resignation of Hannah Martin as the prom junior prom {slash} junior class sponsor effective at the end of the school year. Okay, do I have a motion? Sharon. Second. Mike. All those four. 7-0. Again, we thank her her time. Prom is great. She was one of the co-sponsors and did a great job with it this year. Next, I seek a motion to approve Macy Bulls as the prom junior class
034sponsor effective for the 2026-2027 school year. I have a motion. Heather? Second. Dennis. All those four. 7-0. Okay, so I guess that was for the the prom. This next one, excuse me, is for the No, they're the same. Do we need to Do we need to do that one twice? It's just on there twice. Okay. Ah, the same. I'm not going to work here twice. Okay. >> [laughter] >> Next, I seek a motion to approve the renewal of Amber Rupert as the high school student support specialist for the 2026-2027 school year. This salary is funded by an anonymous donor. We had this position this year. She basically worked with our students in a variety of capacities and did an outstanding job. Mr. Kirkendall, do you want to add anything? >> She's phenomenal. I heard the
035same thing. All right, you have a motion. Natalie? Second. Heather? All those four. 7-0. Okay, one more late item we have. This is a write-in. I seek a motion to approve the prom venue for Laurel Hill. Uh, Laurel Hill. >> Laurel Hill, sorry. She's Laurel Hill. >> [laughter] >> I'm excited. >> [laughter] >> Sorry, Laurel Hill. Laurel Hill is the venue. Uh, I don't >> are looking at April 24th of 2027. Cool. Laurel Hill That's my birthday. Thanks for remembering birthday. Mill. Mill. No, I said Laurel, too. >> [laughter] >> Mill. Mill. I'm sorry. Yeah, it's just a It's been It's a a Monday for me. Sorry. So, I seek a motion to approve prom for Lauren Mill on April 24th. >> [laughter] >> Laurel. Laurel. Laurel Mill. >> [clears throat] >> 2024. We got
036it. >> On April 24th, 2027. We're going to go Sorry. Okay, do I have a motion? Dennis. Second. Natalie. All those four? Seven to one. All right. >> [laughter] >> I didn't get to that one. Discussion? Yes, sir. Principals, you got a brief discussion for us here? We do. Very brief. Okay, you want to go first? Yeah, we talked about it. We're surviving. We're getting through. Um, no, just a few updates from elementary school. I do want to thank Caitlin Price for organizing the Lotus performance for the elementary. We did that um in April after our last meeting. Um, so Violet Duncan came in. She's an author, educator, dancer, storyteller. Um, and basically it's just part of an annual series of artists um workshops and performances that bring culturally diverse music to local schools. So,
037the kids really enjoyed that. Uh today we had our Dare Day fundraiser. I want to thank all the staff that volunteered to accept dares. Um, we were kissing pigs. We were getting tattooed, pied in the face. I dodged 30-some eggs today. So, um in a very short amount of time we raised a lot of money. And those things go towards um teacher appreciation, all of the community community events that we do. So, I just appreciate the teachers and the parents that volunteered to do that with us. Um field day is this Friday. I want to thank Mr. Cuellar for organizing that. I I kids really look forward to that. Um we have preschool graduation coming up on Friday as well at 12:30 and then kindergarten graduation will be on the 19th at 10:00. Um and
038then I just wanted to say thank you to all my teachers that are packing up classrooms. We have a lot of teachers that are packing up here at the end of the year, which is a really stressful time, but they're all doing it um with a smile on their face and I appreciate the kids that are helping, the middle school kids that have come over to help. Um I know it's not an easy thing to do, but I just appreciate everybody for getting it done so we can get ready for renovations, which we're really excited for. So. And I'm excited that in 7 days I will have made it through my first year. So. I'm excited. [applause] It's been a great year. Um just great teachers, great staff, great parents, um great support from the
039board, from the admin. So I'm just very appreciative. So. Yeah. Um yeah, middle school. So I would like to um thank our student council who's putting together our teacher appreciation, which I think I mentioned before is a little different than what elementary and high school do because a lot of our teachers were in Washington D.C. last week, which is official teacher appreciation and I want everyone to be included. So we're we celebrate a week late, um but they're doing a great job. We have a lot of things lined up for our teachers this week. It's going to be very nice. So thank you to student council for putting that together. Um I also want to thank Mr. Martindale and the eighth grade teachers and then the other teachers that went on the D.C. trip. We
040had a very successful trip. Everyone got there and got back, so yay. Um without incident, I would say for the most part. Um it was it was a great time. They got to see some really cool stuff this year. They got uh to go to a few different places that they don't typically go. So that's exciting and they had a exciting um experience. They went to the Lincoln Memorial and then um the Secret Service came and said you have to leave here. Evidently, um the president was on grounds and so they had Everyone had to leave um while that was happening. So, they got to see some um some pretty cool stuff happen right there in front of in front of them. So, uh I think they all came back today talking about it and
041talking about what fun they had and it's not an easy thing to put together and Mr. Martindale has done a really great job over the years making sure that it's all organized and well taken care of. So, thank you to all those teachers. Um I also want to thank the teachers that stayed back with a few kids that didn't go. They organized all the help that they did with the landscaping, with helping the teachers, um and you know, making sure that that time was still valuable here while they were here with us at school. Um I want to thank our music department. Um they're getting ready to have their spring concert here tomorrow at the middle school, so I'm excited to see what's happening um tomorrow. I know that they've made a lot of growth
042over the year and so I'm just excited to see this one more time, one final time. Um I also want to I have a few statements just for my three retirees that I wanted to make sure that I mention. Um So, Mrs. White um you mentioned is a huge has been a huge part of our school for so long. When I first came back to Eastern, um I got to work one-on-one with Karen and that was an experience. She was always very helpful to me. Um it was my first time in seventh grade. She made sure that I had everything that I needed. Um if I didn't know how to make accommodations, Karen always goes above and beyond to make sure that um all the kids get exactly what they need. She thinks outside the
043box. Um she's creative with solutions. She always has some kind of solution, and she always advocates for what's best for kids. And so, she will be greatly missed. I am excited for Jaime to to take on that position, and I think he had a lot of great time with Karen, and that's just going to make him even stronger. So, um, I just want to know I want her to know that she'll be greatly missed, and that I appreciate everything she's done during my time as principal. Uh, for Mrs. Markle, she's only been with us for a few years, but she's done a lot in those few years. Uh, she does track book sometimes. Um, she makes sure that she shows up for special events like >> [cough and laughter] >> trivia night that we've had.
044She's always willing to help out. Um, and I'm just very thankful for her. She's a strong advocate for me, and some days when I feel down and like I don't know why I'm why I'm doing what I'm doing, um, it seems like Lori always finds me and finds a way to lift my spirits up. So, um, again, she will be missed, and I thank her for everything. Um, >> [clears throat] >> stop. >> [laughter] >> So, so, Sandy, um, has been my my right-hand woman, and she's someone that's meant a lot to everybody in this room and in this community. Um, she told me I'm not going to read everything I put here, but she told me, um, when I got the job, she said, "I'll give you 2 years, and I'll show you as
045much as I can in 2 years." And I could not have made it 2 years without Sandy. Um, I don't I've I don't know. It's going to be hard. Um, again, I'm super excited for Jaime to take over, and he's going to be a great addition to the position, but I just want to thank Sandy for her mentorship during this time, um, for always listening, whether it was just to listen to me rant, um to give some kind of feedback, uh to have the tough conversations with me when I wasn't ready to have the tough conversations. So, um she's just been a constant source of support for me and I will miss her dearly. So, thank you very much to all three of my retirees. They're all amazing. Um I swear it's not something that
046I'm doing that everyone is leaving. Um I hope that it's maybe that they feel like like you mentioned that they left the school um better than when they came and that it's in good hands. So, >> [clears throat] >> um and then I just want to welcome Jaycee and Jamie to the staff. I'm excited to have them. I'm excited for new beginnings and changes. So, All right. The high school's ending the school year with 339 students and a school year attendance rate of 93.99%. >> [laughter] >> I know. I just need that one. Um Bio ILEARN scores are 11 points higher than the state average. Uh we were sitting at 56% uh of our students scoring meeting proficiency or better. Uh the awesome thing about this and you know, we And now Allison kind of
047knows just cuz Mr. Moffitt left early last year and it was a hard position to try to fill. Um and so, you know, coming into this year, my biggest concern was going to be Bio ILEARN scores and um only 8% uh scored only 8% of our students, seven students, did not meet proficiency. Okay? So, they were That's in the the the lowest category. Um which is absolutely phenomenal. Um, so I appreciate the work that she she did to kind of get them ready. Um, I also have an amazing biology teacher at Andy Hutcheson. Uh, he put sweat and tears and a lot of tears >> [laughter] >> uh, into this group and he did a phenomenal job uh, and uh, very very proud of him. I would also like to announce that summer school will
048be held May 26th to June 8th for the high school students. Uh, parents were emailed a form um, if they wish to sign up. Uh, teacher appreciation week was fantastic. I hope all of our teachers recognized just how much we appreciate them. At the high school we had raffles and meals and even a couch for our teachers lounge. Um, there was something every day and I would like to recognize Carrington Wyatt for all of her hard work gathering donations from the community. Um, we kind of tag team that and I really appreciate all her help. Um, so I'd like to to thank the following um, for all of their support. Uh, Crumbl Cookies, Thompson Furniture, Ruoff Mortgage, Chick-fil-A, uh, Pint Up Energy, Papa John's, Kathy Kirkendall, Duke Lemonade, uh, Texas Roadhouse, Wendy's, Dairy Queen, Mr.
049Doug Lewis, uh, Starbucks, uh, Crane Credit Union, uh, Salisbury Press, uh, Verona Coffeehouse, Crescent Donuts, uh, Farmers Mechanic Credit Union, and then um, last but not least, uh, Eastern Green High School Student Council. So, um, it was quite the massive undertaking and uh, uh, it was but it was a fun fun week. I saw a lot of donuts flowing out of that building. It was like 12 days of Christmas. Yeah, it it was a lot. It was a lot. Uh, AP testing is underway. Uh, students completed AP Calc uh, this morning and will be testing on Wednesday for AP Lang Comp. I want to say SpongeBob the musical was a huge hit. Thank you to Mr. and Mrs. Drummond and everyone associated with it for all their hard work on the musical. Much appreciation to
050Grace Bonecamp and Hannah Martin for their planning of prom this year. It was fantastic night. Uh I think for the first time >> So I'm going to brag on them because I was there with the photo booth and doing all that not the but the people who ran the facility came up and asked for us to come back because the they said that was one of the best behaved bunch of kids they'd had in a long time. And I mean when they ask us to come back and they said they didn't extend that to other schools. So I I was so proud of you know, they went out of their way to say that and I thought it was really a cool thing to say. So I will brag on you. We have wonderful kids.
051Yeah, we do. We have fantastic kids. So >> And I won't talk about the stories they told from other schools. I'm just proud of ours. Yeah, so I would definitely wanted to thank thank our students for representing Eastern Green the right way. Special thanks are due to Tess Wolfer and Ariel Boosenberg for their dedication dedicated efforts in making senior honor night a success. I would also like to thank Mrs. Probst. Mrs. Probst has a behind the scenes kind of role at all of our events. She uses her culinary classes to cater the events and it makes rather than parents just coming and going uh uh it makes a really great community [clears throat] opportunity for people to sit down and catch up and talk and Um, really kind of enjoy the event and and kind
052of >> really do a >> job. They do. They do a phenomenal job. So, um Really good. High school finals will be on May 18th, 19th, and 20th. So, best of luck to all of our students as they finish out the year. And I'd also like to uh invite our school board to high school commencement ceremony on May 30th. That is it. All right. Thank you all. Mr. Lowe's. Yeah, just a quick construction update. Uh we continue to make progress and on the roof project here at the elementary and middle school campus. It is all on schedule. Uh should be completed over the summer months and uh completely done and cleaned up and off campus before the start of school in August. If the weather continues to cooperate. Um at the high school, uh they
053are also working on the restroom facility and the handicap parking, which is located between the football field and the soccer field. That is also on schedule. A little bit of uh ahead of schedule, actually. The rest of the construction projects uh will begin uh as soon as school's out. We will have renovations in the ELC wing, um equipping our infant and toddler room, and then remodeling the the four pre-K rooms. Um at the high school, we will continue with the high school bond project and start work in the high school front parking lot. And from there, they will transition to the transportation barn parking lot area and resurface those and um do it the correct way this time. Um I do want to remind everybody that the money used for these projects um is from
054debt services. It does not directly impact our operations or education budget. So, we want to thank our community for that, but I just want to make sure everybody understands that it will not directly impact uh funding in the operations or the education budget. Um I also want to thank Rich Tarr and his sixth grade construction class. They've been working on our central office bathroom hallway and we've eliminated the hallway and is now just a central office restroom. So it is wrapping up. They've got to do a little sanding on some drywall, but we appreciate their work on that. They've done a good job. It's been a good learning project for them, but it's also saved the school some money. But we we appreciate them doing that. I also want to thank all of our teachers
055and students that were involved in testing throughout the course of the spring semester here. Whether it was I-Read, I-Learn, SAT, AP, the the biology I-Learn, whatever it might be, you know, a lot of time and effort in preparing and there's pressures on those tests for the students and for the teachers. So we recognize that. I know we have a few AP tests still to go, but I just want to give my heartfelt thanks to everyone that was involved in helping the students get through those tests and we anxiously await to see what the results are. I also want to echo that we had a great week last week celebrating our teachers and appreciating all they do, especially across the elementary and high school campuses. Last last week this week we will be celebrating our middle
056school staff and uh we just appreciate all they do. I'm just always thankful for what the teachers do, the impact they make. It will last a lifetime. Most people that become teachers do so because they had a teacher that made an impact. Um so it's you know, it goes beyond just what they do in the classroom. So I appreciate that. Mr. Kirkendall mentioned I do also want to invite the entire board and our community to join us for the graduation of the class of 2026. That will be at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 30th at the high school gym. Come out and help us as we celebrate this class and and accomplishments. Um I also want to echo the musical was great. Um Uh the first night we had a little bit of water pressure
057issues, so I didn't get the entire second uh act, but uh we did get the water pressure issue taken care of. But uh it was the the students did a great job and uh a lot of uh uh comedy. If you've seen SpongeBob before, you recognize some of that that comedy. Uh finally, the last thing I have is once again, I just want to congratulate uh Karen, Sandy, Lori, and Rhonda on a well-deserved retirement. You'll be greatly missed, and you leave some really big shoes for me to fill. Um thank you for all you've done for the students at Eastern Green Schools, and uh uh the two of you specifically that I've worked with, thank you for everything you did while we when you worked with me. So, thank you. That's all I got. >>
058Sure. Hang in there. >> [laughter] >> I know the last this last few days are going to be absolutely crazy, and so I know some of our days The little game signs >> [laughter] >> helping to set up that my granddaughter was not able to go on the DC trip just at the last minute. We had some issue come up, and then it then they withdrew it, and she could have gone, but but she really loved those three days. Um and cleaning out the classrooms, um I filled the back of my trunk with all the stuff because she couldn't stand to see things being thrown >> [laughter] >> I thought, "A girl after my own heart." And Sandy, >> [snorts] >> Okay, I can't look at her. >> [laughter] >> The only thing comes to
059my mind, Sandy, is I have lots of pictures of my daughter when she was playing ball. But I have one specific picture that you were on the court in the Toby Yaho gym before it was named that. And you have a cast or wrap all the way down your leg for some knee injury or something, I'm guessing. And I looked at it and I'm like, that's dedication, man. That is dedication. [clears throat] So, thank you for all you've done and the role model you've been for our young ladies. I so appreciate that. Thank you. Thank you. I feel like I've followed Sandy's career even before she was here because she was with my mother-in-law at Wood. So, I hear Sandy stories there. I'm sure you guys got in trouble. Good or bad? Good. Oh. You
060only have the bad ones, I think. >> [laughter] >> She She really loved Sandy. She She really thought a lot of you. I I know that for sure. She's a great lady. Yeah. So, um congratulations to Sandy and Jamie. Um yeah, and looking forward to seeing what you guys are able to do. I know it'll be great things. Um and seven days. >> [laughter] >> I I feel like there's a six seven joke in there. It's not still like >> [laughter] >> It's not cool anymore. It's not cool anymore. It's not cool. I'm cool now, so It's not cool. It's not cool. Yeah. Well, I I feel like my family is apt [clears throat] of the Sandy experience because Liam's the only one that got it this year and there's going to be a lot
061of times where you would be needed. So, sorry. [laughter] Um when Jameson comes up, like I apologize in advance. >> [laughter] >> He has the basketball. He Jameson is an amazing person, but he does everything with 100% passion, whether it's good or bad. So, uh just yeah, they're set. >> his fashion sense. >> Oh, the chains and the the wristbands. Oh, he's always yes. Yeah, that's kind of breaking our bank like my >> [laughter] >> friend's shoes that have holes in them. Uh but uh as far as Ms. Markle goes, we were blessed to have her this year for Liam. And one thing that I remember, and I might get it wrong, but when I went to parent-teacher conferences with her is she was in like Jacksonville or something. And so, you know, back in
062like my nursing career when we were on a journey to become our first like magnet hospital, and we were interviewing some of our nurses, and they were talking to our magnet surveyors. Like the ones that said, "I passed four other hospitals to come to work here because it I want to work here." That says a lot about our school. I mean, to to have to make that commute to and from and to stay after and do extra things. Like we're doing something right here in Eastern Greene. So, be proud of everybody in this community, I guess, for that. I'm always proud of our community. Um my mom met the fourth graders at a uh field trip this week. And my husband was the uh chaperone. So, he knew she was coming, and I had told
063her teacher that she was coming, but she just was going to surprise Evelyn and eat lunch with them since it's where we're from. And those moms were on her. Like, "Who are you lurking around here? Like, what's your business here? Protecting our kids." So, um as much as my mom didn't appreciate that, um I do because like we just have that this community feel that you don't get everywhere else. So, thank you everyone that's watching or listening for everything you do for everybody all the time. Um and congratulations, we made it through another year. I just want to thank those who work on our sports grounds and our school grounds. They look amazing. They've done Our congratulations Sandy. Thank you. Good job. Thank you. I don't I don't We got to get chain around your
064neck. >> [laughter] >> You know, it's been a good year. We've had a very successful year. We have a hell of a staff. You know, I sat through an ISBA meeting last week and heard horror stories that we never even think about having. So, to all our staff, that you're all are appreciated more than you can imagine. So, Okay, with that, is recommended the meeting be adjourned at 7:26. Do I have a Dennis? Second, Mike. It is adjourned. All All those for, sorry. I've always wanted to vote against it. Okay.