Knox Community School Board Commends Envirothon Team
The Knox Community School Board members recognized the Knox High School Envirothon team during the Spotlight on Success portion of their meeting Monday night.
The team had gone to the state competition on April 30 and placed 13th out of 17 teams. Coaches Laurie Simmons and Marge Wood told the board they were proud of the effort of the students and competed well at Washington High School.
Area Proms Prompt Law Enforcement to Step up DUI Patrols
Lifeguarding Course to be Offered at Knox High School
An American Red Cross Lifeguarding Certification course will be taught at Knox High School this summer.
Amy Nimetz will be offering two sessions: June 3-7 from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. and June 10-14 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Those sessions will be conducted at the Knox High School pool.
March is Support Music in Schools Month
Music affects everyone – even more so in students of performing arts. Knox Band Director Craige Phipps says most of his students are excited to come to school because they are involved in music classes. He believes keeping music in schools is extremely important.
Knox High School Closes Due to Electrical Issues
Knox High School is experiencing electrical issues. Students with permission from parents are being dismissed at 11:30 a.m. Students who do not have permission to leave will be at the middle school until school is dismissed for the day. Elementary and Middle School students will be dismissed at the end of the regular school day.
NIPSCO will be shutting off the electricity at the high school this afternoon in order to make necessary repairs.
Saturday night’s dance in the Knox High School Cafeteria has been cancelled and will be rescheduled.
Knox High School Junior Wins NCWIT Award
A Knox High School Junior was recognized by the school board during the Spotlight on Success portion of their meeting.
Superintendent A.J. Gappa explained that Emily Burton received a high academic honor.
“Emily won the National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT) award for Aspirations in Computing,” said Gappa. “Emily was among 20 students who won the Aspirations in Computing award in the Indiana affiliate membership. There were 1800 applications nationwide and only three national award winners. Emily was also runner-up for the national award.”
Burton recently attended a dinner and awards banquet in Indianapolis where she received a $250 cash award, trophies and other items for her accomplishment.
Status Hearing Set for Knox Teacher Accused of Sexual Misconduct
There have been no major developments in the case against a former Knox High School teacher accused of fathering a child with a former student. The Knox Community School Board initially suspended Boldry with pay on Aug. 24 and has since been suspended without pay. Superintendent A.J. Gappa said earlier that substitute teachers will fill the position until the outcome of the investigation is determined.
Financial Aid Meeting Scheduled for Jan. 16
A financial aid meeting has been organized by the officials at Knox High School.
The “Paying for College” workshop will be Wednesday, Jan. 16 at 6:30 p.m. CT in the high school cafeteria.
Knox Drama Department Gearing Up For Today’s Production
This year, the cast will be performing “The Seussical,” which is based on 21 different Dr. Seuss stories. The musical features Horton as the main character with narration by the Cat in the Hat. Director Terril Hahn said this is going to be a great show, thanks to the productiveness of their larger-than-usual cast.
Seussical to be Presented by the Knox High School Drama Department
Knox High School’s Drama Department has decided to switch things up a bit this year compared to years past. They will be presenting their musical in the fall this year instead of in the spring as they usually do.
This year’s musical of choice is “The Seussical,” which is based on Dr. Seuss stories. The musical centers around Horton with The Cat in the Hat as a narrator. Director Terril Hahn says that this is a great show that should be an enjoyment for adults and students alike.
Rehearsals for the musical are currently underway. The musical will take to the stage on Saturday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. CT and on Sunday, Nov. 8 at 2 p.m. CT.
Knox Places 4th At Plymouth Band Competition, Advances to Regionals
Knox High School placed fourth at Plymouth High School’s 14th annual “Harvest Festival of Bands” Marching Invitational held on Saturday afternoon. Knox Band Director Craige Phipps said that this was one of their stronger shows of the season. Plymouth and Knox bands, as well as other area high school bands, attracted a good crowd.
Knox Football Players Commended For Storm Clean-up Efforts
Dave Bullock from the Knox Park Board appeared before the Knox Community School Board Monday night to thank high school football coach Chris McGowan and the entire football team for helping to pick up debris at Sandy Acres Park after the July 24 storm.
Bullock said 45 members of the team took their time out of practice to help the park members who were swamped with all the wreckage after the storm. The team spent several hours picking up branches and limbs and tiding up the park for regular patrons. He added that some of players remarked that it was some of the hardest work they’d done so far this season.
The board thanked Bullock for his comments and also commended the team for showing great community spirit in a time of need.
Knox High School National Honor Society Honored By School Board
The Knox High School National Honor Society was spotlighted during the school board’s recent meeting. Superintendent A.J. Gappa says the members were involved in a great fundraising effort.
“Dr. Ratliff, the principal at the high school, brought to the board a letter from the Pennies for Patients fundraising effort,” said Gappa. “Our National Honor Society at the high school raised over $1,200 in pennies to support that fund. The whole nation raised over $600,000.”
Knox High School Continues To Offer Free Breakfast and Lunch
A few Knox High School students are involved in the second session of summer school, and High School Principal Dr. Elizabeth Ratliff said summer school has been going well.
“We have a lot of classes going on at the high school,” said Ratliff. “We also want to remind you that we do have free lunch or breakfast for any individual under 18 going on at the high school. They can come in and get a complimentary lunch or breakfast. If you have visitors in town, we’d welcome you here.”
Breakfast and lunch will be served at the high school Monday, July 23 through Thursday July 26. Breakfast is served from 7 to 8:30 a.m. and lunch from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CT.
Knox High School Graphics Department Receives Flexo Press Machine
The Knox High School Graphic Arts Department has received a flexo press machine to help expand the many programs in that department.
The Mark Andy 830 flexo press comes from Bettylyn Kraft from the Phoenix Challenge. Knox High School is the only school in the state to add a flexo press to the print education program, allowing students to print packaging and other labels.
Registration Schedule For Knox Schools Released
Knox Community School Superintendent A.J. Gappa announced that the school registration schedule has been released this week.
“The high school, middle school and the elementary school released registration dates for the upcoming school year,” said Gappa. “I know it seems like the old school year just ended, but that information will be posted on the website and we will get that information out so everyone is aware of the registration times for the upcoming school year.”
The registration days will be Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, July 31 through Aug. 2, at the Knox elementary and middle schools, and Aug. 1 and 2 at the Knox High School. To download a full schedule, click here.
Freshmen registration is Thursday, Aug. 9 from 8 to 11 a.m. Back to School Night is Monday, August 13 from 4 to 6 p.m. at all schools, and the first day of school for Knox students is Tuesday, August 14.
Knox High School Teacher Wins Department of Education Essay Contest
The Department of Education issued a unique challenge to the teachers this spring. They presented a contest in which a staff member was asked to write a six-word essay about a colleague or about the school. Knox Community School Superintendent A.J. Gappa said one of the teachers at Knox was selected as a winner in the contest.
“Mary Kleinfehn, one of the teachers at the high school who is actually going to retire at the end of the year – she’s taught Special Ed here for many years – wrote her six-word essay about Curriculum Director Peggy Shidaker. She has worked with her for many years. Two weeks ago, the Department of Education picked six winners from around the state and Mrs. Kleinfehn’s essay was selected as the winner from the Northwest region of the state,” said Gappa.
Plymouth Assistant Superintendent Announces Retirement
A 1963 graduate of Knox High School, Dr. Rodger Smith has announced his retirement, effective at the end of the school year at Plymouth. He has been the assistant superintendent of the corporation since 2008. He was superintendent of the John Glenn School Corporation for five years before his employment at Plymouth.
Smith still makes his home in Knox.
Knox Community Schools Laptops Benefit Students, Teachers
Knox Technology Coach Chris Ross gave a laptop usage update to the Knox Community School Board members this week. Superintendent A.J. Gappa says it has been a learning experience for teachers and students.
“We talked about how the staff has transformed from the beginning of last year where they were all entry level and how they’ve progressed throughout the school year – some more rapidly than others because they’re handier with technology,” said Gappa.
