BY SHEANA PORTER
HOOPESTON — The Hoopeston Area School Board on Thursday reviewed the Adequate Yearly Progress status report for all five schools in the district.
Although the grade schools did exceeding well, the school district overall did not make AYP.
Maple Elementary School, which is kindergarten through second grade, was not included in the testing because the state does not test those grade levels.
The test scores for Honeywell Elementary School, which houses third and fourth grade, were very good this year.
Of the third-grade class, 74.9 percent of the students met or exceeded in reading, while 90.6 percent of the fourth-grade class met or exceeded in math for the state.
At John Greer, the fifth grade met or exceeded in reading at 72 percent and for math at 93 percent. The sixth grade also exceeded in reading and math.
At the Hoopeston Area Middle School, the students in seventh and eighth grade met or exceeded with 71.5 percent in reading and 77.9 percent in math.
Principal Larry Maynard reported the high school scores were a little below average at 40 percent for reading and 36 percent for math.
Maynard stated, “We are off to a good start. We are putting emphasis on the PSAE’s and are filing with the Board of Education to take the test off-site. That way, the students can have a better testing atmosphere.”
Maynard and the high school staff are looking into Parish Hall as a possible testing site.
Lynn Wolgamot, executive director of Keep Vermilion County Beautiful, proposed a plan to create a recycling program called, “Keep Hoopeston School District Beautiful.”
“We are looking into the possibility of all the northern schools joining together in the program,” Wolgamot said.
The schools include Bismarck-Henning, Armstrong-Potomac and Rossville-Alvin.
Wolgamot has spoken to Mervis Industries of Danville and said, “Mervis has agreed to take the paper recycled due to the growing paper market in China.”
Wolgamot and Mervis believe it will be easy to pilot this program if each school applies for a $10,000 grant for the proper supplies needed, such as totes for the paper.
“If the other schools say no, then Hoopeston can apply on their own,” Wolgamot said.
She plans to pitch the idea at a superintendents’ meeting Nov. 5.
In other business, the school board:
-- Approved the audit report.
-- Set the tax levy hearing for 7:30 p.m. Nov. 8 at Honeywell School.
-- Discussed a seventh- and eighth-grade baseball co-op arrangement with Rossville-Alvin. Hoopeston Area would pay for transportation to the practices, while Rossville-Alvin would pay for transportation to the games. Both school districts would split the cost 50/50 for supplies.
The board will vote on it at next month’s meeting.
-- Learned Hoopeston Area alum David Theobald, who is writing a fiction book, is seeking permission to use the Cornjerker name and Jerky logo. The board will vote on the request at the next meeting.
-- Heard Superintendent Hank Hornbeck announce all five schools are in compliance with the moment of silence law.
-- Learned today is the last day of grading. Parent/teacher conferences are set for 4-8 p.m. Oct. 25 and 8 a.m. to noon Oct. 26.
-- Learned Maple and Honeywell schools will begin fundraisers Monday.
WHAT’S NEXT
The Hoopeston Area School Board will meet 7:30 p.m. Nov. 8 at Honeywell School.
