Blue Ridge fills teaching slots

BY STACI WILSON

Blue Ridge School Board moved to fill two teaching slots at the Aug. 18 meeting.

Vincent Lo Russo, ofBethesda,Md., will take over as the high school band director beginning with the start of the new school term.

John Scavone, who was the director, resigned fromBlue Ridge, effective Aug. 31, after being hired to teach band at Forest City Regional. The board accepted his resignation, with regret, at the July 25 meeting.

Lo Russo, who is originally from theMoscowarea, said he hopes to help build and stabilize theBlue Ridgeband program which has gone through several teacher changes over the past two years.

The board also hired Christopher Clark,Corning,N.Y., as a secondary math teacher.

Following the resignation of seventh grade math teacher Elizabeth Holtzman approved at the July 25 meeting, high school teacher Sue Graham was moved to the middle school math position.

Adele Kryger, of Kingsley, was approved as the middle and high school life skills teacher.

Janice Johnson was transferred from the secondary life skills teaching position to a third grade elementary teaching slot.

Sam Folk, ofNew Milford, was named the head cross country coach for the upcoming season.

Carolyn Clark, ofCorning,N.Y., was also approved as the junior high cross country coach. She will also assist the varsity team.

Doors in the cafeteria need to be replaced due to deteriorating conditions. The board voted to solicit bids for the replacement of the doors.

Business director Loren Small reported maintenance and repair projects taking place at the school campus were on track to be finished by the start of the school year.

Superintendent Robert McTiernan presented board members Joel Whitehead and Harold Empett with certificates from the Pennsylvania School Board Association recognizing their years of service on the board. Whitehead has served on the board for 28 years. Empett has been a boardmember for 12 years.

Food Service Director Linda Cole-Koloski provided her annual update to the board on the cafeteria program.

Koloski has been the food service director in the district for the past seven years.

Last year, a $100,000 upgrade was made in the food service area. The cafeteria was able to cover $50,000 of the cost in 2010.

At Thursday night’s meeting, Koloski presented the board with a check for the other $50,000 of the project cost.

“Since I have been atBlue Ridge, I haven’t taken any funds from the district,” Koloski said.

She also noted the district’s maintenance staff handled many repairs in-house – saving money. Koloski also thanks the IT department for their support of the cafeteria department.

Koloski reported that 3003 meals were served during the Summer Feeding Program.

She also said that after offering free breakfast to middle and high school students during PSSA testing, the level of breakfast participation increase for the remainder of the school year.

Koloski also said that although mandated changes to lunch pricing were coming, she is able to hold meal prices without an increase this school year.

Lunches for grades 4-12 will be $1.60; grades k-3 are $1.35; middle and high school breakfast is 85 cents; elementary students receive breakfast at no charge.