Mt. View aims for student ‘wellness’

BY TOM FONTANA
Correspondent

Mt. View School District is proposing to adopt a new “Student Wellness” policy to help assure proper nutrition and enhanced nutrition education for its students.

The first reading of the policy was held at the board of directors meeting on Monday night, Sept. 22. As read by director and policy committee chairperson Christine Plonski-Sezer, the policy stresses that physical as well as dietary habits are directly related to academic achievement.

It proposes that a ‘Wellness Committee’ be formed to promote the integration of nutritional education into curriculum courses, and encourage student projects related to nutrition.

The policy also commits the district to provide students with food and beverages in compliance with the national standards for school lunch programs.

Plonski-Sezer said the policy would be available on the district website for public perusal.

It was announced that the district will host a four-day program by the Crisis Prevention Institute (based in Milwaukee, Wis.), and will be hosting other school districts for the presentation. It was explained that a core team of administrators and faculty will be trained in safety and de-escalation techniques for crisis situations.

Both school principals announced that the first progress reports of the 2014-15 school year will be issued on September 29.

Elementary principal Christine Kelly stated that the first ‘Koffee Klatch’ with faculty members and a “handful of parents” was well-received.

High school principal Robert Presley announced that an annual coupon book sale fundraiser would yield about $7,500 to be used for programs benefiting students.

District business manager Joseph Patchcoski thanked a group of bus drivers who volunteered to introduce kindergarten students to bus riding during the recent open house.

“They should be commended,” he explained, “as they spent a lot of time out there helping these new bus riders learn how to get on and off the bus safely, and how to act on the bus.”

Wrestling coach Ken Decker requested that the board approve the installation of a hoist in the high school gym to raise and lower a lighting system that would illuminate an area at the center of the wrestling mat where action takes place during a match.

It was stated that Decker’s program would pay the costs for the system, but only needed the board’s permission for installation. The board agreed to consider the request.

Director Michael Barhite questioned a budget item of $4,700 for the pouring of concrete. It was explained that concrete pads were created to provide a base for batting cages near the high school baseball fields.

“When did the board approve pouring concrete?” board president Thomas Stoddard asked. “Why are we pouring concrete without the board knowing?”

At a previous meeting, there had been a discussion about artificial turf that baseball coach Ernie Griffiths had acquired free of charge to be installed in the batting cages on the concrete base.

“He doesn’t run the baseball field,” Stoddard added. “There needs to be a discussion of the process that leads to these decisions.”

Barhite, who serves as chairperson of the board’s Building and Site Committee, suggested that approval for the concrete work may have come from the district maintenance director Robert Taylor (who was not present), and it may have already been in the budget for regular grounds maintenance.

“He may have decided,” director Jason Casselbury said, “that since concrete equipment was here for other projects, it was convenient to take advantage of that and pour the concrete for the batting cages as well.”

It was decided that more information would be needed when Taylor was available.