WARSAW — Members of the Warsaw Community School Board welcomed two principals during the regular meeting Monday, July 18.

Matthew Deeds, incoming principal at Harrison Elementary School, is not technically new to WCS, as he is transitioning to his new position from Lakeview Middle School. Coming to Lakeview will be Andy Wilson, who is coming to WCS from Carmel.

“Both of these two guys, we were blown away by the interviews they had,” WCS Superintendent Dr. David Hoffert said.

WCS Nurse Coordinator Tracey Akers gave her annual nursing service report for the 2015-2016 school year. She noted there were 47,134 health room visits at the elementary level, 9,781 at the middle schools and 9,360 at the high school, totaling 66,275. This was up 2,064 from the previous school year, she said.

Screenings performed included 2,233 vision and 1,020 dental, totaling 3,253. Throughout the year, school nurses saw 4,650 diabetes-related visits, up 305 from 2014-2015. In all, she said, there are 19 WCS students with diabetes, 420 with asthma, 45 with seizures and 91 with allergies requiring an Epi-Pen. Staff and faculty visits included 1,285.

School nurses, she said, also helped students obtain eyeglasses, dispensed medications, helped students find dental care, provided first-aid as needed and helped in a variety of other ways. They also hosted a back-to-school physical night, completed necessary training, attended conferences on health-related topics and initiated wellness activities for staff, to name a few.

She also listed a variety of roles and responsibilities school nurses must fulfill and health-related measures and issues they must monitor and remain aware of.

Beyond their regular duties, they also participated in activities like Feed My Starving Children, school carnivals, coat and food drives and Thanksgiving basket and Boomerang Backpack programs.

Akers also gave an update on Boomerang Backpacks. The program started at Lincoln Elementary School during the 2012-2013 school year and is now at six WCS elementary schools. Help and donations come from the Riley Children’s Foundation and a list of local businesses, organizations, families and individuals.

The board also heard an update on the five-year Lakeview Middle School Improvement Grant. Using grant funding, Lakeview educators completed book studies last year. The first was “Teaching With Poverty in Mind” and the second was simply titled, “Mindset.”

The grant has also allowed them to participate in enrichment programs like glass fusion, personal finance, the Stock Market Game, “Rockin’ the Song Lyrics,” a program on rhythm and melody from around the world and social media, among others.

Teachers also went to the Model Schools conference. Lakeview has partnered with Huntington College and Ball State University to provide specific certification to teachers.

Other News

• Hoffert announced WCS will host a major tech conference next week with more than 500 educators coming.
• Schools throughout the district have expressed their enthusiasm for the Stellar program through their signs in front of their buildings, reading “We’re part of a Stellar Community,” and related messages.
• The first day of the 2016-2017 school year is Monday, Aug. 15.
• The next WCS Board monthly work session is set for 4 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 9. The next regular meeting is at 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 15.