New principal for BR

BY STACI WILSON

Staff changes took center stage at Blue Ridge on Monday with the hiring of a new school principal and several teachers.

Peter Supko, of Clarks Green, will take over as the middle and high school principal, effective July 21. He comes to Blue Ridge from the Delaware Valley School District in Milford where he served as the dean of students and science department chair. He is originally from the Forest City area.

Supko replaces Matthew Nebzydoski who was made principal of curriculum and instruction for grades K-12 in the district in June. Other recent administration changes include Matthew Button as superintendent; Denelle Decker as elementary principal; and Brian Dolan as business manage.

Five new teachers were also hired by the district: Yana Hannah – elementary art; Madison Legg – 2nd grade; Lisa Carpenetti – 1st grade; Rebecca Hinkley – elementary special education; and David Corbin – biology.

Although retired from her teaching position, Jill Hoffman will remain as the district’s athletic director for the next two years.

School meal prices will increase in the coming year. Prices set by the board were: middle and high school breakfast – $1.15; elementary lunch – $1.90; middle/high school lunch – $2.05; and adult meals – $3.50. Breakfast is provided to all elementary students at no charge.

Food service director Linda Cole-Koloski said her department runs four separate program, including the summer food service program now in its 11th year in the district. Breakfast and lunch is provided at the school to anyone 18 years and under. The district also provides lunches in Hallstead two times per week; snacks to the Montrose area four days each week; and also handled the meals for a 4-H day camp.

In addition to the summer food program, the cafeteria also participates in the afterschool snack program; as well as the national school breakfast program which enables the district to provide free breakfasts to all elementary students daily during the school year.

Cole-Koloski said that in the past school year, the number of breakfasts served increased by 3,000 for a total of 50,000 breakfasts served. “It’s a great program,” she said, adding that it runs at no cost to the district.

Cole-Koloski also manages the National School Lunch Program with the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act mandates. She said districts participating in the program are required by the USDA to bring the cost charged for a school lunch up to price districts are reimbursed by the government for free and reduced meals.

Currently, she said, the reimbursement from federal and state funding is about $3. The lunch price increases passed by the board will keep the district moving toward meeting that benchmark and satisfy the requirements for the next couple of years.

With the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act, the amount of fruits and vegetables served has increased, Cole-Koloski said. She also said that exactly what vegetable is served is also now mandated. For example, a certain number of orange or green vegetables are required to be served each week. “Now it’s complicated,” she said.

But there may be some leeway in some of the requirements that have not yet gone into effect, like the ones for sodium restrictions. Those, she said, are unattainable. She also expected to see some leeway or exceptions regarding whole grains.

Plate waste is always a concern, but the food service director said some of that is curtailed by the “offer vs. serve” policy. While students are encouraged to try new foods, they are not made to take them. She also said that students also have the option of leaving some foods – such as an unpeeled banana – in a certain spot if they are not going to eat it, and other students can take the fruit if they would like an extra. Less is thrown away with that system, she said. “We do the best we can with the regulations,” she said.