Two middle school students give a robotics demonstration while in the background, from left, are Mary Lou Dixon, Rob Fisher, Joy Goshert and Jim Evans.
MILFORD — Since the tragedy Oct. 30 in Fulton County claiming the lives of three students, the spotlight has been placed on school bus safety, even on a national level. During the regular monthly meeting of the Wawasee School Board Tuesday evening, Nov. 13, at Milford School, the board heard a report about how Wawasee has responded to the tragedy.
Dr. Tom Edington, superintendent of the Wawasee Community School Corporation, said even on the day of the incident bus routes were checked to see if any changes could be made to make students safer. Some routes have been adjusted so students no longer have to cross busy roads to board a bus.
It was noted the parent pickup and drop off area in the front parking lot at Wawasee Middle School was determined to be unsafe. “We have three rows of traffic coming in and there is a lot going on,” said Susan Mishler, principal of WMS. “We can make some fixes and we will be rolling out those changes soon.”
Don Bokhart, school board member, asked if traffic could be slowed down along SR 13 in front of the school. “We have traffic going by at 50 miles per hour,” he said.
Mike Snavley, transportation director, said he has a contact in the state highway department and will call him to see if something can be done.
In other business, Amanda Knipper, instructional coach at Syracuse Elementary School, was recognized for being one of 25 educators in Indiana chosen for the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, a national program preparing the next generation of school leaders. Knipper said the program began in July at Indiana State University in Terre Haute and will last 14 months.
Those chosen for the program must travel to the Terre Haute campus every other Saturday to attend sessions. Knipper noted none of the classes are offered online. She will earn a masters of business administration degree and receive an administrator’s license upon completion of the program.
Knipper is balancing her duties at Syracuse Elementary with the program.
Also during Tuesday’s meeting, the board was given a presentation by robotics students from WMS and Milford Middle School. The students researched the challenges astronauts face in space and came up with solutions.
For example, astronauts would need a backpack to provide an oxygen source. The students were also able to interview Ellie Moore, a summer intern at NASA who helped them understand better the problems astronauts face.
A presentation of the robots was then given. Ryan Edgar, robotics coach and teacher, explained at a robotics tourney the students go into a room with their robots and utilize a mission table to demonstrate their robots. They must explain to the judges why they built their robots the way they did and are scored based on a number of factors including how well they work together and how effective their robots are at performing missions.
Robots are programmed to do certain tasks such as picking up an item and placing it elsewhere, for one example. The robots have sensors which detect light and movement.
In other business, the board approved several changes in some administrative positions. Amanda Jackson, administrative assistant to the superintendent, is leaving to accept a position at Wawasee Community Bible Church. She will be replaced by Tammy Hutchinson effective Nov. 30, who had been the administrative assistant to Joy Goshert, assistant superintendent.
Hutchinson will be replaced by Jean Tarner, who most recently had owned and operated a small business but who has previous experience in human resources. Anne Richey, previously a receptionist at Wawasee High School, accepted a position as an administrative assistant to the athletic director. Richey will be replaced by Lisa Knepp, who had been a Title I paraprofessional at Milford School.
