By Julie Johansen
The Emery School Board meeting last week opened with Superintendent Larry Davis presenting five names for hiring approval. The following names and positions were approved by the board: Tracy Rowley as assistant girls’ basketball coach at Emery High, Bracyi Sitterud as aide at Cleveland Elementary (individual student assistance), Stephanie Timothy and Kaitlyn Thompson as special education aides, and Brett Guymon as a full-time technology specialist in the district’s IT department.
Also approved were the amended Green River High School (GRHS) volleyball schedule and the Emery High Wrestling schedule for 2019 and 2020. Principal Jenny Gagon gave the updated plans for Cleveland Elementary’s TSSA funds of $10,000. A certified teacher was hired to help with class sizes at the elementary, also making it possible to have two kindergarten classes.
Ferron Elementary Principal Heather Behling welcomed the board and guests to the school. She announced that Ferron Elementary had been recognized as a leading school in early learning literacy. They were invited, along with a number of schools, to the ULEAD Training during the summer to share their ideas and current practices with other schools. Teachers attending were LuAnn Bennett, Melinda Meccarillo, Stephanie Roper and JennieLin Allinson as well as Behling. She informed the board that the school’s goal was to improve literacy in the writing department from kindergarten trough fifth grade. They have also purchased with their TSSA funds social and emotional learning units “Seven Mind Sets” to be used in every classroom. She thanked the board for the school counseling services of Mrs. Jeffs.
Supt. Davis reported that enrollment numbers are a little better than first reported. The district is down 21 students at this time but won’t have a final count until Oct. 1. The largest increase, 10 students, is at Emery High, which is because of the larger eighth grade class entering. The largest decrease, 17 students, is at Castle Dale Elementary. The superintendent is working with Kem Gardner, Institute of Populations Projections and the US Census Bureau representative, to get a more accurate birth data and enrollment numbers for predictions in the future. He then gave a report of his calendar for the next school season.
During the public comment period of the meeting, representatives from the middle school cheerleaders requested permission to attend the same competition as the high school cheerleaders in Salt Lake City. The request was not on the agenda so no action could be taken but will be placed on next month’s agenda.