From left are WCS board members Jeremy Mullins, Jay Baumgartner and Brad Johnson.

WARSAW — Anyone who’s ever heard the expression “you had to be there,” would understand the significance of a Warsaw Community Schools program designed to enhance the geography education of the school corporation’s youngest students.

At its regular monthly meeting on Monday, March 18, WCS’s board of trustees heard a presentation from students and staff members from Harrison Elementary School on Lenovo Mirage Solo Headsets, self-contained virtual reality devises designed to take students on a virtual journey to some of the most storied locations on Earth.

Board member Randy Polston

“A lot of our Huskies may never leave the state of Indiana,” said Harrison Elementary School Principal Matt Deeds. “There are a lot of opportunities that they can do and a lot of places we can go.”

According to Chief Technology Officer Brad Hagg, the school corporation purchased 36 of the headsets and received a discount of $100 per unit. “The great thing about those headsets that you saw is all previous headsets have required a phone,” said Hagg. ‘This is first set developed that’s all in one device.”

“Within the experience itself, you get these arrows that kind of guide your eyes like a tour guide would,” said Jacob Cauhom, who helped present the devices to the board.

After board members each spent time looking into the devices, the board asked a group of Harrison first graders their favorite parts of the lesson.

Hagg said the devices are available for use throughout the school district.

“Really, you take these devices out of the box, you join a WIFI network and off you go,” he said.

Amy Hobbs discusses Special Education laws with the WCS board.

In other business, the board:

• Acknowledged the efforts of artists from Harrison, whose artwork was displayed in the meeting room.
• Heard a presentation from Jefferson Elementary School regarding a $1,000 donation from Church of the Good Shepherd. Carolyn Nye, representing the church, told the board the donation was made possible by the sale of peanut brittle.
• Applauded the efforts of Dave Craig and Kevin Brown from the Maintenance Department, who recently saved the life of a local resident from a house fire.
• Received multiple presentations from Chief Academic Officer Dr. David Robertson, who briefed the board on standards-based grading, the school corporation’s ongoing partnership with the University of Virginia and updates on the school’s ongoing safety efforts.
• Received a report from Amy Hobbs on laws related to special education.
• Received a report on literacy interim assessments.
• Heard an update from Superintendent Dr. David Hoffert on activities in the state legislature related to education.