WBCH offers this space to area school superintendents to highlight activities in their districts. This posting is from Hastings Area School System Superintendent Carrie Duits.
Academic Top Honors:
Monday evening our Board of Education honored eleven students with Academic Top Honors from the Class of 2018. While being involved in many activities inside and outside of school, all of these outstanding students earned a cumulative GPA of 4.0 or higher. Listed below are the names of the students and their parents.
Academic Top Honors Students Parents
Abby J. Burroughs Louis Burroughs and Nancy Cotant
Kayla A. Carlson Dr. Troy Carlson and Kathleen Carlson
Zoe C. Engle Mike and Cathy Engle
Shayli R. Hinkle John and Petra Hinkle
August A. Miller Tony and Alicia Miller
Sydney N. Nemetz John and Tammy Nemetz
Aaron M. Newberry Aaron and Kelli Newberry
Emma A. Post Joseph and Susan Post
Aubree R. Shumway Aaron Shumway and Kelly Voshell
Eliza J. Tolles Brad and Jacquelyn Tolles
Lillian A. Wierenga Louis and Mary Wierenga
The school system is very proud of these students, and we know that the entire community benefits from their leadership. Hastings Area Schools would like to thank each of them for all of their hard work and dedication over the duration of their school careers.
MTSS Report from Northeastern: Eric Heide, Principal of Northeastern, shared outstanding results from the implementation of the MTSS (Multi-Tier System of Supports). The reading scores at Northeastern are commendable:
- In literacy Northeastern has increased student proficiency from 66% this past fall to 73% this winter!
- Most outstanding were the kindergarten results with an assessment goal of 80%, and a result of 94% of students meeting the benchmark in reading.
- Student behavior was also highlighted with a school-wide focus on building relationships with all students.
Bond Proposal: The Board of Education approved the Preliminary Qualification Application for an August 2018 bond issue. This proposal would be a no-mill increase (no tax increase from the current tax levy) addressing critical facility needs such as roofs and increasing safety and security. This no-mill increase is an opportunity for $11,100,000. The District used input from several meetings, the community forum, and surveys to identify critical needs that should be included on the application. A survey is still available on the school's website and Facebook page, and we look forward to additional feedback and input.
Donation of $1000: Advance Packaging Corporation donated $1,000 to the Hastings Middle School track program. The award was given through a program offered by the company allowing employees to apply for high school sports donations. Andrew Miller, parent of two middle school students, applied for and received this sponsorship.
HEEF Donation: The Hastings Education Enrichment Foundation’s Board of Directors donated funds totally $4381 to help defray the cost of several enrichment programs and activities for students in the Hastings Area School System. HEEF makes a donation quarterly to the school district.
Dynamic Plan 2.0: Mark Dobias, from the MASB, is facilitating the development of a new three to five-year strategic plan for Hastings Area Schools. The purpose of the process is to develop goals and strategies to help the school system continue to offer an excellent education for students while using scarce public education resources, most effectively and efficiently. There is a survey on the District website and Facebook page for community input. The community is also invited to participate at one of two meetings:
- 6:30 pm on April 17 in the Hastings Middle School Commons, or
- 6:30 pm on April 25 in the Hastings Middle School Commons