MSD Shakamak starts the school year off with a great start

Members of the MSD Shakamak Board of School Trustees held their first public meeting of the school year August 15, with Shakamak Superintendent Jeff Gambill reporting a smooth start to the year. Gambill thanked the district’s custodians for their hard work and said the school was in very good shape to start the 2024-25 year.

He welcomed new staff members and congratulated Shakamak Elementary and Principal Travis Turpen on the school’s IREAD scores.

Shakamak Elementary students had a passing rate of 95.3%, putting them in the top 20% of all elementary students in the state.

Principal Turpen added the school came in at #246 of 1,300 schools taking the test, thanking the school’s staff.

In other business:

The board unanimously approved giving permission to advertise for the 2025 budget, NEOLA policy updates/revisions, including a new cell phone policy and attendance policy, and the Shakamak Jr./Sr. High School Improvement Plan, including a proposal from Gibraltar Design for the restrooms/locker rooms renovation, a proposal from Brosmer Land Surveying & Engineering for track improvements, a resolution determining the need for the project, a resolution approving form of lease and a resolution re-approving the formation of a building corporation.

The board is working with the Stentfnagel Group as Clerk of the Works. The Stentfnagel group has successfully worked with other area districts, including WRV and Eastern Greene, to oversee improvement projects at their respective campuses.

Jr./Sr. High School Principal Shane Reese reported a very smooth start to the year, commenting even the new policy barring cell phones was going well.

Board member Jim Gadberry commented with a smile, “It’s nice to walk around and see kids having conversations and playing card games without staring at their phones.”

The board unanimously approved the following staffing recommendations and requests:

• The resignations of Carla Walton as Title I teacher and Bree Major as instructional aide

• Kelsey Dieball as corporation nurse, Jana Benham as Title I teacher, Amanda Mattox as high school secretary and athletic secretary and Tracy Hamilton and Donald Rehmel as substitute bus drivers.

• Paige Wolf as fifth-grade boys basketball coach, Leslie Cooprider as sixth-grade boys basketball coach, Bryan Husband as elementary boys basketball assistant, Kelsey Pilant as seventh-grade girls basketball coach, Bryant Pilant as eighth-grade girls basketball coach, Derek Collins as seventh-grade boys basketball coach, Henry Buell as eighth-grade boys basketball coach, Joe Dieball as freshmen boys basketball coach, B.A. Shipman, Brandy Chambers and Sydney Jerrells as HS girls basketball volunteer assistants and Scott Smith as Jr. High golf coach.

The next public session of the MSD Shakamak Board of School Trustees will take place at 6 p.m. on Thursday, September 19 in the Media Center at Shakamak.