WBCH offers this space to area school superintendents to highlight news in their districts. This posting is from Hastings Area School System Superintendent Carrie Duits:

 

During Monday’s meeting, the Hastings Area School System Board of Education learned that the 2017-18 school year is off to an amazing start! As we welcome our new and returning Saxons, we are happy to report that the current 2015 Bond projects are on schedule and on budget. Positive things are happening in Hastings Area Schools and we owe it all to the support from our community!

 

Our community’s support is having a positive impact on our students and attracting attention from visitors. Student participation in both middle school and high school sports are up by approximately 15% this fall—with increased numbers in every sport! The swim team hosted seven other teams for its home invitational. Their season is off to a great start with our amazing new scoreboard, which was purchased with donated funds from our many community sponsors. Thank you!

 

During the meeting Monday evening, the board approved and accepted with gratitude, a donation of $1,000 from the Richard B. Messer Trust for the high school drama department, another example of how our community supports our students!

In other business the board:

·       Approved, in principle, the proposed travel study trip to Washington D.C. for Hastings Middle School 8^th grade, June 13 – 17, 2018

·       Accepted the personnel report which included 80 appointments, which included instructional assistants, paraprofessionals, bus drivers, marketing coordinator, extracurricular advisors, coaches, etc.

·       Approved the purchase and installation of heat reclaim coils and compressor from Hurst Mechanical.

·       Heard an update on the 2015 bond projects and the upcoming 2017 bond proposals.

Community support of the 2015 bond has allowed the school system to make renovations and upgrades to facilities throughout the district to provide a safer and more stimulating educational environment for all our students. In 2015 we eliminated $12,000,000 from the proposal which was earmarked for technology, transportation and athletics. In November, we hope our community will support the two new proposals.

 

Homecoming is Sept. 29, when we will be playing Marshall. Homecoming week activities and plans are already underway, including store front painting and the Homecoming parade going through downtown again this year. It’s wonderful to be downtown and see all the businesses, families and community at large show their Saxon pride and support for our students. We hope everyone joins us as we celebrate our students and the fact that it’s always, “A great day to be a Saxon!”

 

The next meeting of the board will be 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 16 in the multi-purpose room of Central Elementary, 509 S. Broadway, Hastings.