High school submits proposal to keep group fundraisers in check
Tonganoxie High School activities director Brandon Parker and THS acting principal Brent Smith have submitted a fundraising request form to be used for school groups wanting to organize fundraisers for the 2007-08 school year.
At a recent school board meeting, board members voiced concern about fundraising and the strain it could have on businesses and residents.
Guidelines of the THS request form, presented at the May 14 board meeting, include:
- That a group may work an unlimited amount of service fundraisers, such as concession stands, car washes and various community projects.
- That school organizations wanting to sell items such as candy, trash bags, ornaments, etc., as a fundraiser must first receive administrator approval. Requests must be filled out and submitted to the administration.
- That sponsors and coaches may not order from promotional companies without administrator approval. Items include megaphones, hand clappers, plastic balls, etc.
The forms also require documentation regarding how much money needs to be raised, along with the amount the district would fund.
Board member Leana Leslie said the forms provided a good plan for the high school, but wanted similar guidelines at the middle and elementary schools.
“I would like to see this filtered to all the schools,” Leslie said. “I mean, I think this is pretty generic enough.”
Parker mentioned sending information to the Chamber of Commerce, to be distributed to businesses, regarding companies selling ad space for calendars or programs. Parker said there are legitimate companies that, for example, print postseason programs for high school activities. But others don’t benefit local merchants, according to Parker.
Board honors seniors
Tonganoxie High School outgoing seniors Justin Smith, John Davis and Mike Fonkert were recognized at the May 14 meeting for their academic achievements.
Smith received a plaque honoring his status as a National Merit Scholar finalist.
Superintendent Richard Erickson hailed Smith’s achievement.
“Justin is one of 2 percent of student scholars to achieve that,” Erickson said.
THS assistant principal Brent Smith also announced that Justin Smith was awarded a $2,500 scholarship from the National Merit Scholar fund.
“Justin gets all kinds of awards nowadays,” the principal said.
The board recognized Davis for his class-leading ACT score of 34. The highest possible ACT score is 36.
“As you can see it’s incredible,” Erickson said.
Fonkert, meanwhile, scored a 33 on his ACT.
“Mike, we’re just very proud of what you accomplished,” Erickson said.
On Saturday, Davis was named class valedictorian, while Fonker was salutatorian.
TMS telecommunications
Board member Diane Truesdell asked technology director Carl Robison about technical difficulties with the phone system at TMS as far as transferring calls. Robison said the problem was remedied in the past couple of weeks.
“If the problems fixed, we’ll check,” Truesdell said.
Code of conduct approved
After discussion with THS assistant principal Brent Smith about various severities of punishment for hazing, the board approved the district’s code of conduct.
The board also approved student handbooks for each of the three schools, as well as the board policy.
Farmers market OK’d
Brenda Wood’s plans for a farmers market in one of the THS campus parking lots should be coming to fruition. The board approved her request to hold the produce sales on Saturdays through October.
Board members voiced concerns about which parking lot the market could be held because the campus also is the site for many weekend activities. Members, though, thought there was ample parking space and that the exact spot could be pinned down in the future.
THS teacher resigns
The board accepted the resignation of high school instructor Megan White, who taught physics, terminated the work agreement of Joyce Parker, who was a custodian, and hired Ann Kontor as foreign language instructor at THS.
In addition, the board approved the hiring of the maintenance and custodial staff as presented, as well as the classified employees, as presented and adjusted, for the 2007-08 school year.
As was reported last week, the board approved hires for all THS coaches in spring and winter sports for the upcoming school year, as well as TMS coaches.