Wayland Union Board of Education

The Wayland Union School Board met on Monday, December 11th at Wayland Union High School for their regular meeting.

All consent agenda items were approved.

Recognition of Student Artist for this year's District Christmas Card

• This year, Elisa Sieurin, a Foreign Exchange Student at the High School was selected as the winner of the district Christmas card design contest. Unfortunately, Elisa was unable to attend the meeting so she will be recognized during the January meeting.

Recognition of High School Athletes

• Adam Valk honored the athletes who qualified for states this fall. The Equestrian team finished 7th in the state. Cross Country had one student finish 92nd at the state meet. Girls swim finished in 9th place overall as a team, and Laney Wolf was also the state champion for the 50 yards freestyle event earning herself a banner that will be hung in the gym.

High School Building Report

• Santino Di Cesare began by playing a video created by Scott Gundersen, the art teacher at the High School. Afterwards, Mr. Di Cesare thanked his staff members for attending the meeting. Continuing on, he discussed the High School's points of pride. The High School held a survey to see how Capturing Kids Hearts is being perceived within the building. The High School scored above average on several categories. Last year, the average attendance rate for CCA was 84% and this year it's 92%. Going off that, CCA went from 5 students passing all 6 classes first trimester in 2022 to 25 students passing all 6 classes first trimester in 2023. Next, Student Council members discussed what their goal is as a group, which is to improve school culture and make students feel welcomed as soon as they walk in the doors. They stated that Capturing Kids Hearts and Jostens have been huge resources for the group this year. Some of the ideas include playing music during passing time, celebrating staff/student birthdays, and passing out affirmations. Student Council members also shared different events they host such as freshman orientation, homecoming, and harvest hop.

Student Board Members Report

• Mathew Chubb and Ava Makowski shared that students are full of joy and ready for the upcoming break. Student Council is beginning to plan for Coaches vs Cancer. SADD is decorating cookies during PRIDE time on Tuesday. NHS is busy writing letters and passing them out to elementary students within the district. ECO Club just finished up a bake sale this past week as a fundraiser. Debate is preparing for state competition starting this upcoming week. Band and Orchestra are preparing for holiday concerts this week. Boys and Girls Basketball earned their first win this past week against Hopkins. Bowling is off to a good start. Wrestling came in 2nd out of 8 teams in a recent competition. Winter Guard just finished tryouts and is now preparing choreography for the upcoming season. Dance team is getting ready for their first basketball performance this Friday and upcoming competitions in January. Cheer just competed last week, earning 8th out of 12 teams.

Committee Meeting Report - Fine Arts Committee

• Becky Hohnke shared that orchestra has a growing program. Choir numbers have doubled since last school year. Ten students in choir recently competed in state competition. Theater recently performed The Red Velvet Cake Wars, which was a student directed play. The dance program held a successful fall preview concert. Winter Guard had 37 students tryout for the team this year. Lastly, the discussion has began about having Wildcat band alumni come back to play with the band, possibly during Homecoming.

Committee Meeting Report - Facilities & Finance Committee

• Dan Cassini shared that Peter Zondervan would normally discuss this topic, but unfortunately he is out sick. The primary focus of the committee meeting was talking about the bond.

Governance Team Good News

• Becky Hohnke shared that her daughter is returning from college this week for winter break. Theresa Dobry is also welcoming her son home from college this week. Norm Taylor shared that he was able to travel to Egypt and Jordan with his wife. Janel Hott shared that she got to spend time with 5 of her previous exchange students in Europe. Tim Reeves shared that the central office participated in Secret Santa, he was gifted a sign made by Roy Harter and his students.

None.

Assistant Superintendent of Finance & Operations

• Leslie Wagner shared the revenue for year to date numbers. We are currently right on track in comparison to previous years numbers. We currently have 3 major bids out; Pine Street bathrooms, Soccer field, and Middle School roof and windows. Food service has been busy passing out thousands of meals to our students. Transportation went through state inspections on their busses, they all passed.

Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Services

• Teresa Fulk shared that in the next work session meeting, the board can discuss index and grades for the district. This upcoming week begins winter break, after that the district hits the ground running with NWEA testing.

Superintendent

• Tim Reeves shared that there are alot of holiday events happening in the district, he encourages the community to attend. Coming up, there is a community forum at the end of January, this is an opportunity for community members to engage with the board. National Blue Ribbon Recognition continues to go on, Robin Seniura and Teresa Fulk have had the opportunity to celebrate on the national level. Kynlee Boomsma, a current high school Junior, was hired to bake cookies for the district as a Christmas thank you for the staff.

Update on Pool Design Progress

• The water portion of the pool has been designed, meaning gutters, water orientation, etc. The current discussion is focused on how to orientate the lobby of the athletic entrance, and where specific program spaces will be located.

Soccer Stadium Project

• The goal is to keep the water off the field so it doesn't become squishy. The soccer field will be receiving turf, but that is coming from casino funding, not bond funding.

Public Improvement Fund Projects for 2024-2025

• Leslie shared the budget for upcoming public improvement fund projects. Projects include the final science classroom payment, brushless bus wash, roofing for district, maintenance vehicle and plow, playground improvements, etc.

Request for Overnight Field Trip for HS FUTURES Program in May, 2024

• Teresa Fulk shared that the only overnight trip request is to Northern Michigan to allow students to experience campus life. Amy Nelson is the staff advisor.

Discussion Regarding Logo Design for Signage in New Construction Projects

• Tim Reeves shared they wanted the board to vote on the designs for the signage for the upcoming bond projects. Janel Hott and Becky Hohnke shared that they want consistent colors, logos, etc throughout the whole district. Dan Cassini shared that he only wants colors/logos used that are officially adopted into the district. He wants to make sure that everyone is on the same page of what it mean to be a Wildcat, meaning he would like to have a branding campaign.

Request for Use of Buses for Grad Party 2024

• Approved

Second Reading of Proposed Policy Updates and Changes

• Approved

Soccer Field Lighting

• Approved

Jeff Koon thanked the Jazz band for performing at the meeting. He also thanked the Student Council members for presenting tonight.

Janel Hott shared that she loved the video Mr. Gundersen put together. She is really proud of the high school for producing awesome, amazing students.

Becky Hohnke thanked the Jazz band for being willing to play for them. She appreciated the presentation from the Student Council and is blown away by the improvement in attendance for CCA. She wishes everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Norman Taylor shared his appreciation for the high school. He wished everyone a Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year.

Dan Cassini shared that he had a fantastic day at the high school. All of the teachers welcomed him into the classroom with open arms. He also can't say enough positive things about the High School office staff.

Theresa Dobry thanked the high school staff, Student Council, and everyone working on the bond. She appreciates that we are consistently setting the bar higher and higher throughout the years.

The meeting adjourned at 7:46pm

*Please note: This is a summary of the meeting. Official board minutes will be approved at the next regular board meeting on Monday, January 8, 2024 at 6pm. The meeting will be held at Baker Elementary.