A committee will be formed to help in the search and the process should be getting underway in March.
O-D Students Looking To Conserve Energy For Nationwide Competition
Several Oregon-Davis students are trying to make a difference in not just their school, but the community as well. Oregon-Davis High School, as a New Tech high school, offers project-based learning to its students including projects with real-life applications.
A group of seniors approached their teachers with a request to undertake a challenge from Lexus to come up with a way to conserve energy in their community. The group, who called themselves “The Senior Six,” came up with the idea of starting their conservation project with the school itself. So the group, composed of seniors Dakota Cook, Danielle Marsh, Casandra Niles, Lincy Jones, Bailey Masterson and Ashley Thacker, scheduled an energy audit from Kankakee Valley REMC and Franklin Energy.
Monsanto to Present O-D Schools with $10,000 Check
The Monsanto Company will be at the Oregon-Davis Schools this morning to present the school with a grant check for $10,000. Superintendent Dr. Steve Disney said this was a tremendous effort by two teachers.
“This is terrific,” said Dr. Disney. “I think it’s a reflection of two dedicated professional teachers. Mr. Jacob Riley, our Agriculture teacher, and Mrs. Debbie Awald, our Biology teacher, approached me last spring with an idea to put together and apply for a regional Monsanto grant. I think we were one of ten school corporations within the whole Midwest area that received this.”
Oregon-Davis High School Awarded Bio-Ag Grant
Oregon-Davis School Superintendent Steven Disney proudly announced this week that Oregon-Davis High School received a $10,000 grant from Monsanto Fund to help with the school’s bio-agriculture department.
According to Disney, the school will use those funds to purchase necessary equipment for the program and integrate it into the classroom. The BioAg course combines the curriculum of both Biology and the fundamentals of Agriculture, and the grant will help to purchase items like probeware, Proscopes, graphing calculators, and other equipment.
Disney says teacher Debra Awald from the Science Department and Jacob Riley from the Agriculture Department teamed up to apply for the grant. Their project, “Biology and Agriculture Technology for 21st Century Learners,” was awarded the grant alongside ten other schools in Indiana that were awarded grants.
Rex Miller Announces Retirement From Oregon-Davis
“He could and did fill almost every position in the school system. We’re losing a great employee.” Oregon-Davis School Superintendent Steve Disney said these kind words about Rex Miller as he announced his retirement from the system.
During his tenure, Miller has been, among other things, the athletic director, media specialist, assistant principal, and even subbed as a bus driver occasionally. He retired as the dean-administrative assistant.
“He was an Oregon-Davis Bobcat through and through. He and his wife Brenda moved to this school system, and they never left. Rex was a strong community member who was willing to do whatever he could for the O.D. kids,” said Disney.
Oregon-Davis School Board Seeking Two New Members
The Oregon-Davis School Corporation is searching for two replacements for the school board. Candidates are being sought for a District III position and an At-Large member.
If you are interested in serving on the Oregon-Davis School Board, submit a letter of interest with background information and reasons why you want to be a school board member. Included in the letter should be an explanation of how you could contribute to the success of the Oregon-Davis School Corporation.
Consideration for candidates will be held at the June 18 school board meeting.
Send candidacy letters to Julie McLiver, administrative assistant at the Oregon-Davis School Corporation at 5998 N. 750 E., Hamlet, IN, 46532. Oregon-Davis has a policy of providing equal opportunity.
SCILL Center Announces Students of the Month
The SCILL Center is pleased to announce the Student of the Month recipients for the month of April.
Raymond Singleton from Oregon-Davis High School and Brian Fulghum from Knox High School were the AM class recipients of the award. Thomas Carey from Knox High School and Lucas Borg from Culver Community High School were the PM class recipients of the award. Continue reading
Three Area Schools to Participate in USDA Summer Food Program
The Knox and Oregon-Davis Schools have announced that they will be participating in the USDA Summer Food Program, and now Culver Community Schools will also offer free breakfast and lunch to any child age 18 and younger.
This is the third year that the school will be offering this program and six sites will be offering free food. For a list of the locations, click here. Culver High School will be offering breakfast from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. ET from June 4 through the 29 and from July 9 to July 16 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Breakfast and lunch will be served at the Culver Elementary School from June 4 to August 10. Breakfast is from 7:45-8:30 a.m. and lunch is from noon to 12:30 p.m. ET.
O.D. Tax Levy Passed; What’s Next?
Now that the Oregon-Davis property tax levy has passed, what’s next?
Superintendent Dr. Steve Disney said that he’s relieved that the levy passed and now he and the School Board are looking forward to enjoying the end of the school year on a positive note and planning for the 2012-2013 school year. State budget projections are a little vague at the moment, but Dr. Disney is confident that with the passage of the referendum the numbers will fit their needs in order to successfully manage the school. The corporation continues to operate off of its Rainy Day Fund to conduct everyday business.
Voters Support Oregon-Davis Referendum
The voters have voiced their opinions, and the support for Oregon-Davis Schools was overwhelming. Six hundred and ninety-nine people voted yes on the Oregon-Davis Referendum, while only 383 people voted no.
Oregon-Davis Students to Hold Mini Relay for Life
The Oregon-Davis students will host a Mini-Relay to raise money in the fight against cancer.
Students will be collecting money from now until the day of the event, May 18th. The students will walk on the school grounds in the abbreviated version of the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. The Mini-Relay will be an all-day event complete with music, games, class banners, and luminaria bags decorated by the students in memory or in honor of a family member or friend with cancer.
From the WKVI Archives
The Knox J.C.s were announcing their new officers 30 years ago today. They included: Gene Case, Chairman of the Board; Tom Jordan, President; Art Garbison, Vice President; Larry Platt, Secretary; A.J. Gappa, Treasurer; Gary Shepherd and Oscar Cowen, State Directors.
Oregon-Davis School Board Takes Action to Reduce Taxes
Oregon-Davis taxpayers will be noticing a reduction in their future bills because of action taken by the school board Monday.
“We approved the resolution to finalize the refinancing of our existing debt,” explained Superintendent Dr. Steve Disney. “What that means is that the previous debt from 2002 was at 5%, and with refinancing that goes down to 2.3%. We’ve been working on this for about nine months and this will mean a one million dollar savings to the taxpayers. It will knock about four cents off the property tax rate in 2013.”
Starke County Students to See Shakespeare Play
Seventh and eighth grade students from Knox, North Judson-San Pierre and Oregon-Davis will be attending professional Shakespeare play today at the North Judson-San Pierre High School Auditorium.
Tri Kappa gave the schools a grant for $4,105 in order to have the Navy Pier traveling Shakespeare group perform “Taming of the Shrew” at the North Judson-San Pierre Auditorium. 465 students will be able to see how the Shakespeare plays are presented and learn more about Shakespeare and the era while attending this event.
Vast Majority of O-D Elementary Students Pass IREAD 3 Test
The IREAD 3 results are in, and Oregon-Davis Elementary Principal William Bennett has announced some good news: 97.5 percent of Oregon-Davis Elementary students passed the test. The 2.5 percent of students that did not pass the test will be given extra instruction, and will have one chance to retake the test this summer. If they fail the test a second time, they will be required to receive reading instruction at the third-grade level for the 2012-2013 school year.
Bennett says he is extremely proud of all the third-grade students, parents, and staff, for “making sure students have the essential skills to become lifelong readers.” He credits early Title 1 reading interventions, full-day kindergarten, parental support, and the school’s dedication to the 90-minute reading block as key factors that led to this great success on the IREAD 3 test.
Oregon-Davis Senior Class to Attend School Board Meeting
The Oregon-Davis School Board meeting will be held today. This is a unique board meeting as it will be held at 1:00 p.m with senior class members present.
Michael Dorn Addresses Students at Oregon-Davis and South Central Schools
What would you think the chances would be of a child being successful if he had been violently assaulted both physically and sexually in his youth? What would you think the chances of a successful life would be of this same child who was also diagnosed as being dyslexic after suffering in the classroom?
If I told you this person has written 26 books and is the premier expert in school safety and anti-bullying techniques you’d probably be amazed.
Oregon-Davis and South Central Schools Sponsoring Anti-Bullying Program Today
Oregon-Davis and South Central Schools are partnering to bring in a noted anti-bullying expert to talk with students today. Michael Dorn is one of the nation’s most experienced and highly credentialed school safety experts who has authored or co-authored 18 books on the subject. His program is entitled “Weak-Fish”.
Oregon-Davis Superintendent Dr. Steve Disney is very aware of bullying in school, and has added an individual to help with student intimidation.
Drug Free Double Dare Event Scheduled for Sunday
The Drug Free Double Dare Challenge will be held this Sunday, April 15th at the Knox Middle School. This is the 12th year for the popular event which brings middle and high school student teams together to answer prevention questions about the harms of alcohol, tobacco and drugs.
Farm Bureau Members are Encouraged to Vote Their Conscience Concerning O-D Referendum
After meeting with Oregon-Davis Superintendent Dr. Steve Disney last week, the Starke County Farm Bureau has decided not to oppose the upcoming referendum. Farm Bureau President Brad Lawrence said the board is encouraging its membership to “vote their conscience” on the referendum on May 8th.
