McAnally roof, new buses and art discussed at monthly GCSC meeting

The Greencastle Community School Corporation was presented with an update of the McAnally roof project by Superintendent Dawn Puckett Monday night at its monthly board meeting.

At the August meeting, concerns were raised and discussion was heavy about whether or not the companies involved with re-roofing the McAnally roof were going to work together or if the project could even be completed before needing to be put on hold and continued in the spring.

Puckett was happy to announce that the project, although supposed to have been completed already, is now around

70 percent complete.

"They (Brazos Urethane and Moisture Management) are working together very cooperatively," Puckett said of the two companies working to finish the project as soon as possible.

If rain subsides, Brazos Urethane and Moisture Management have pledged that finishing the remaining 18,000 square feet of roofing is in sight.

"They are pledging now they can finish everything" in 14 days Puckett told the board regarding recent conversations with representatives from each company.

The board discussed the need to purchase three new buses in the near future, including an 84-passenger Type D bus, a white activity bus and a special

needs bus.

The 84-passenger bus is estimated to cost $110,000 while the estimated to cost for the other two are around $100,000 for the pair.

The board approved the purchase of the large bus and to accept bids for the purchase of the remaining two.

Tzouanakis Intermediate Principal Jon Strube was pleased to welcome Jennifer Rhoades as the new assistant principal at Tzouanakis Intermediate.

Rose comes to Tzouanakis Intermediate with years of past teaching experience in Danville, Avon and multiple years running a daycare.

Heiley Johnson and the rest of Greencastle will soon see a piece of Johnson's art posted on billboard near the Teachers

Credit Union (TCU) as part of a campaign held last spring which asked for anti-bullying artwork from students.

The project is sponsored by the TCU and although Johnson graduated last year, her art will soon be up for all to see.

Several elementary students who submitted artwork have also been chosen as winners and will see their anti-bullying artwork printed as poster by the GCSC and used to help spread the message of anti-bullying in Greencastle schools.

In other business:

* Total expenditures for the GCSC for August were $1,210,704.

* Puckett provided an update to the flooding that occurred at Greencastle Middle School during a weekend deluge that left several classrooms in need of "drying out." The classrooms have been cleaned several times, tiling has been replaced and an environmental testing was conducted which shows that the rooms are below the required amounts of fungi and other particulates to make the classrooms inhabitable again. To be on the safe side of things, the rooms will be given an additional thorough carpet cleaning and retested before moving children and students back into the rooms.

* The board approved several resignations, including Scott Sutherlin from his position as custodian at Tzouanakis Intermediate; Marty Scott as noon aide at Deer Meadow Primary and Autum Ramsey as spell bowl coach at Tzouanakis Intermediate.

* The board approved FMLA and maternity leave for Tiffany Grabinski at Tzouanakis Intermediate, taking effect Nov. 24; FMLA leave for William Smith at Greencastle High School effective Sept. 8 and FMLA unpaid leave of absence for Ellen Ellerman from the transportation department.

* The board approved the hiring of several substitute teachers including Cheryl Hayes, Shane Johnson and Karen Martoglio.

* The board approved hiring multiple staff, including Melesa Doty as cafeteria assistant at Tzouanakis Intermediate; Lisa Conley, Linda Collins and Martha Scott as noon aides for Ridpath Elementary and Steve Prosser as student worker/cafetera assistant at Tzouanakis Intermediate.

* Several transfers were approved by the board including Olivia Query from substitute to full-time bus driver; Virginia Wilson from substitute custodian to full-time custodian at Tzouanakis Intermediate and Paula O'Brien from cafeteria assistant at Ridpath Elementary to instructional assistant at Greencastle Middle School.

* The board approved the hiring of multiple extra curricular activities faculty at Greencastle High School including Jacob Wright as freshman football coach; Charles Pingleton as head wrestling coach; Tabatha Briones as assistant varsity girls' basketball coach; Brock Beebe as volunteer equipment manager; Dave Lilly as volunteer boys' soccer coach; Katherine Dory as academic superbowl coordinator and Brenda Meyer as National Honor Society co-sponsor.

* The board also approved new hires for Greencastle Middle School including Jana Boggess as seventh-grade girls' basketball coach; Hope Crosbie as dance coach; Erin Blaydes and C.J. Shields as special science project sponsors; Stacie Stoffregen as science department chair; Katherine Dory as music department chair and band assistant; Deborah Rode as English department chair; Mary Traub as physical education/health department chair; Ande Warren as technology department chair and student council sponsor; Molly Warren as SPED department chair; Ben Wells as social studies department chair; Katherine Asbell as guidance department chair; Amy Weleiver as publications, library services department chair and website development. The board also approved Courtney Dickey as Tzouanakis Intermediate spell bowl coach.