Elk Lake food service making changes

Elk Lake Elementary turned from green to orange for a Unity Day celebration last week. The annual event, officially held on the third Wednesday of October, is an anti-bullying effort designed to promote awareness, along with building safe, supportive schools and communities. PHOTO COURTESY ELK LAKE ELEMENTARY

Elk Lake’s new food service company is slowly making changes in the cafeteria, and students are reacting positively to new items and other changes, according to information offered at Thursday’s school board meeting.
Several cafeteria employees attended the meeting and handed out large cookies to the school officials.
The board approved a $30,000 transfer from the general fund to the cafeteria account.
Two bond payments to Johnson Controls Inc. were approved: one was an interest only bond payment of just over $75,000, the other was a SCCTC Building B interest only payment totaling nearly $76,000.
The district is entering year two of a three year service agreement with Johnson Controls serving as the building technology services partner. The board approved quarterly payments of $21,662, effective Dec. 1 through Nov. 30, 2017.
The Elk Lake Elementary School took to the track last week for a Unity Day walk and celebration for grades K-6, celebrating the school’s community of friends and affirming good attitudes and actions, Elementary Principal Marc Weisgold reported.
High School principal Brian Mallery told the board that students have been enjoying the Raspberry Pie project of making tiny computers out of inexpensive kits and/or recycled parts. The computer projects were developed to provide internet technology to third world countries.
Since students have learned to assemble hardware, they have become adept at fixing computers and other devices around the school, Mallery said.
Dual enrollment with several colleges and universities is well underway for juniors and seniors. Many Elk Lake graduates are able to finish college early after earning dual enrollment credits for classes
taken at Elk Lake.
The list of 2016-17 class advisors and student council officers was presented to school board members, and is available for view on the school website.
An agreement with sending schools for the Susquehanna County Career and Technology Center was approved by the board, which allows students from Montrose and Tunkhannock Area schools to share their free and reduced lunch information with the Elk Lake food service so that they can eat lunch there.
A new substitute list was approved for both schools, and Superintendent Ken Cuomo said that a new state law may make it easier to find subs by allowing college students to apply for those jobs.
The board approved two purchase orders and agreements for copiers and service.
During the SCCTC meeting, Pamela Staats gave the director’s report, as Dr. Alice Davis was attending an Association of Career and Technology School Administrators’ conference.
Staats noted that all of the public programs are open for business, including cosmetology clinics, “Touch of Class” and Serfass Solarium restaurants, and the Auto Technology vehicle repair, autobody and welding programs are also taking work orders from public customers.
In a release to the press, Davis noted that services provided at the school benefit both students and the public. “By patronizing the school, you are giving the students an opportunity to practice learned skills under the supervision of their instructor. The benefit to the public is: getting great service at a great value,” Davis said.
The Homeland Security program was officially deleted from the SCCTC’s offerings, and is now replaced with the Police Science Program, retroactive to July 1, Cuomo said.
A color copier contract with Xerox was approved for Building B of the career center, which should cost $450.19 less per month and will not require staffers to carry copying materials to and from Building A.
An evening welding course will be held Mondays and Wednesdays, Oct. 17-Dec. 14 from 6:30-9 p.m. for tuition of $600.
Massage therapy classes are now available on Monday afternoons from 3:45-4:45 p.m., at a cost of $48 for four classes.