Some extensive projects will be in the works this summer at the Oregon-Davis School Corporation.
Thanks to the federal E-Rate Program, Superintendent Greg Briles says the wireless access and switches will be upgraded in both school buildings.
No Funding Loss Expected at Oregon-Davis Schools
One school corporation in the area will not worry about funding cuts for the 2015-2016 school year.
Oregon-Davis School Superintendent Greg Briles says that the school’s funding will stay status quo for the upcoming year. It’s all due to enrollment.
Oregon-Davis School Board to Discuss Vocational Programs
The Oregon-Davis School Board will consider vocational programs when they meet tonight.
The approval of programs is contingent on the number of students enrolled in the classes for the next school year. Those classes include Auto Tech 2, Cosmetology II, Criminal Justice 4, Early Childhood Ed 1, Graphic Imaging 3, Health Science I, Precision Machining 2, and Welding I and II.
The board will also consider awarding scholarships and Academic Honors Diplomas and the use of TMS-Engineering through Five-Star Technology Solutions. Changes in the handbook will also be reviewed.
O-D Stages Mock Crash, Teachers Talk Candidly About Drunk Driving
You are free to choose, but you are not free from the consequences of those choices. That’s the message Oregon-Davis Middle School language arts teacher Angie Radke shared with high school students there after a mock drunk driving crash in the school parking lot. Radke’s best friend, Brooklyn Boo, was killed by a drunk driver in 1998, a week after their junior prom at North Judson-San Pierre High School. Continue reading
Starke County Council Authorizes Mailing of Inkeepers Tax Letters
Starke County inkeepers taxes are now payable to the county treasurer’s office each month. The forms that need to be submitted with those payments are available on the county’s website, and any questions can be directed to the treasurer’s office. Payments were previously submitted to the state. Continue reading
Koontz Lake Man Arrested on Warrant, Drug Charges
A 20-year-old man was arrested Friday morning after police allegedly found him in possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia.
Officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department and K9 Terror went to a home in the 8000 N. Block of Tecumseh Road in Koontz Lake to serve an active arrest warrant. Police arrived and found the wanted individual, Dorsie (DJ) Cooper, at the residence.
Smoke Detectors Available from Community Services of Starke County
A local nonprofit agency has smoke detectors available for families in need of the potentially life-saving devices. Community Services of Starke County Executive Director Joan Haugh says a couple of recent fire fatalities got her to thinking.
“I just felt we could save a life or two if we made sure every home had a smoke alarm – a working smoke alarm or sometimes two. So we applied to State Farm because they had a safety grant, and they awarded me some funds to purchase smoke detectors,” Haugh said. Continue reading
Starke County K9 Performs Routine Sweep at Local School
The Starke County Sheriff’s Department K9 did a routine sweep at the Oregon-Davis School Corporation on Thursday morning.
Handler Rob Olejniczak took K9 Terror around the corporation to search for possible drugs in lockers and the parking lot. No evidence of any illegal drugs was found.
Starke County Sheriff Bill Dulin and the officers are appreciative of the school’s effort to keep Starke County a safe environment. Principal Tim Pletcher and School Resource Officer Frank Lonigro were also recognized for their efforts.
Photo provided.
Oregon-Davis School Board to Consider Calendar for Next School Year
The Oregon-Davis School Board members will take action on several agenda items when they meet tonight.
The Board will consider the adoption of a calendar for the 2015-2016 school year. The board held previous discussion on a balanced calendar to be in line with other area schools considering the move from a traditional school calendar. The board will also decide make-up days for students for school missed due to snow. Feb. 13, April 3, May 1 and May 29 will be considered as make-up days.
Oregon-Davis School Board Establishes Strategic Planning Committee
The Oregon-Davis School Board established a strategic planning committee this week.
Superintendent Greg Briles gave testing statistics to the board members and all of the initiatives made to improve education at the corporation. He suggested putting together a committee to establish priorities, a vision, a mission, and goals for what they want the students to be able to do when they walk out of the doors. He stressed that the Oregon-Davis School Corporation is a community school.
Oregon-Davis School Board Receives Update on The Crossing Students
Oregon-Davis Superintendent Greg Briles gave the school board an update on the students attending in The Crossing alternative school in Starke County.
There are six Oregon-Davis students that currently attend classes at The Crossing, and five more will be enrolling in two weeks. Briles stressed that when the next student count day happens in February, those students will be included toward the corporation’s Average Daily Membership, or ADM, count. The money the corporation receives for those students goes toward their enrollment at The Crossing. No additional money is spent.
Oregon-Davis School Board Votes Against School Lunch Increase
The Oregon-Davis School Board members discussed lunch prices, but Superintendent Greg Briles explained the item to increase prices didn’t need to be on the evening’s agenda.
Briles said he was initially looking at funds in the food service department, and he thought that the board may need to raise the price by five cents and maybe even ten cents. If the board were to consider a five cent increase, it would amount to an additional $876 per year at the elementary level.
Briles said he would be looking deeper internally with commodities and into the corporation’s work with the Northern Indiana Educational Services Center (NIESC) before increasing prices. He noted that there could be more funds to take care of what is needed in the school’s budget.
Oregon-Davis School Board Reorganizes, Discusses Board Compensation
The Oregon-Davis School Board member Christopher Lawrence took the oath of office at the beginning of last night’s school board meeting as he was elected for another term to the board in the November election. After that was complete, the board reorganized. Lawrence respectfully stated that he thought it was time for someone else to lead the board and took his name out of consideration for board president. Kurt Hayes was elected president of the board with a unanimous vote. Andrea McIntosh was elected vice president while Shirley Budka will serve as board secretary. Those board positions were also approved by a unanimous vote.
The school board voted to retain their regular meeting schedule on the third Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. CT. They may call special meetings or work sessions as necessary. The measure passed by majority vote of 4 to 1. Lee Nagai abstained from the vote.
One-Time Energy Assistance Available to Struggling Citizens
Good News for Job Seekers Surfaces out of the 2014 Workforce Summit
The Northwest Indiana Workforce Board hosted this year’s Workforce Summit in Merrillville. The most pressing piece of information to surface from this year’s summit was the state of Starke County’s unemployment rate. Continue reading
O-D FFA Teams Perform Well in State Competition
Back: (L-R): Emily Niles, Amanda Niles, Delaney Shively, Mr. Carlin, Bobby Pucel, and Audrey Crawford
Dalton Good not present
The Oregon-Davis FFA Crops and Forestry teams competed Saturday in state competition at Purdue University. The Junior High and Senior Crops Teams went through various studies of crops, weed plants, seeds and grain grading for an overall score. Continue reading
Pay it Forward on Giving Tuesday
Get into the spirit of the holiday season tomorrow with Giving Tuesday. Starke County Youth Club Executive Director Irene Szakonyi says the local nonprofit has joined the movement.
“It really does inspire people to take action for their local community to give, whether it’s giving a gift of money, of time, of making a donation of another sort,”Szarconyi said. “We really want to encourage and join what is now actually a global movement to give on Giving Tuesday, which is Dec. 2nd.” Continue reading
Oregon-Davis FFA Members Advance to State Competition
Members of the Oregon-Davis Future Farmers of America chapter are heading to state next month. All eight students who took part in the Area X Crops Judging/Forestry/Entomology CDE at at Plymouth High School on Monday qualified to advance to the state-level competition at Purdue on Saturday, Dec. 13. Continue reading
Oregon-Davis Adopts Balanced Calendar Concept
The Oregon-Davis School Corporation is the first in the area to adopt the balanced calendar concept. The school board voted 5-to-1 in favor of the plan, with board member Lee Nagai casting the lone no vote. Continue reading
O-D School Board Accepts $5,000 Donation
The Oregon-Davis School Board members accepted a $5,000 donation from the Starke County Economic Development Foundation.
Superintendent Greg Briles said the money will be used toward the school’s engineering component in Project Lead the Way.
