The Haxtun-Fleming Herald - What can we reason but from what we know? -Alexander Pope

Haxtun School Board members tackled a full agenda in a Tuesday evening, Feb. 15 meeting with topics including students presentations, coaching assignments and personnel matters. A good deal of coaching and personnel discussions centered around preparing for the coming year including votes on extending retirement transition years for two staff members and hiring high school volleyball coaches.

The meeting last week opened with a presentation from a group of junior high students who have been working, as part of a school assignment, to build a greenhouse. The students, Paige Firme, Lexi Imhof and McKinley Payne, presented information on the Garden of the Dawgs Greenhouse, currently under construction just north of the main high school building. The seventh graders said they are learning hands on skills while raising money, writing grants, working concessions and purchasing materials for the greenhouse and also constructing the structure over the past few months.

Junior high students involved with the greenhouse recently took a field trip to Lone Star where they participated in a training day. Lone Star students taught Haxtun students how to grow plans starting with plugs and then also demonstration how to transfer to larger pots when necessary.

While construction of the greenhouse itself is almost complete, students would also like to move forward with a storage shed to be located next to it to house tools, pots and other items related to the greenhouse and growing phases. Students are working to develop a list of needed materials and quotes for such from the Haxtun Building Center. Plans are to have high school students in the ag shop construct the shed once funds are raised and materials are purchased.

“We are learning a lot about construction and tools for everyday life,” Imhof told board members at the conclusion of the presentation.

Plans are for students to grow a variety of plants over the next few months and hold a sale around the middle of May for community members to be able to purchase plants and vegetables for garden use this spring and summer.

Board members also heard from two seniors who presented information on the upcoming senior trip. Allie Thompson and K’lyn Bornhoft said the senior class plans to leave Haxtun on March 19 and travel to Glenwood Springs for an overnight trip. The trip also includes a stop to eat lunch along the way, several hours at the Glenwood Adventure Park, hot springs and shopping before returning home the following day.

In the past, Haxtun seniors have been able to take overnight trips to celebrate the end of their high school years but more recently, trips have been limited to just day-long celebrations. Several months ago, seniors approached administration and the Board asking for permission to be able to bring back the over-night trips, which was met with approval and enthusiasm for the graduating class.

Later, during personnel discussion, board members, administration and teachers discussed possible changes for sixth graders next year. As it is now, sixth grade is the first step into junior high and students go from a self-contained fifth grade classroom to a very nomadic change to junior high in sixth grade. Some staff members recently discussed the possibility of utilizing a hybrid combination of the two classroom styles next year to slowly introduce sixth graders to the junior high and high school nomadic class style.

As discussed at the meeting, the fifth and sixth grade classes would still remain very separate, however, maybe share a commons area in their own portion of the hallway as well as share recess time as they currently do now. The shift, would allow students to slowly grasp the junior high lifestyle while allowing more time for maturity and transition. The decision on allowing sixth graders the ability to patriciate in junior high sports will still be evaluated, as it is every year, based on student numbers, but the possibility for sixth grade students to participate in sports may still be very viable.

Principal Dustin Seger said hopes are to make the transition year of sixth grade a very positive one and to make it special for those students.

“We never want to make a kid grow up too fast,” Seger said. “It just makes sense, let those kids be kids.”

The idea of a sixth grade hybrid transition year is still in the very infancy stages and discussions will continue in the coming months.

In other business board members:

• Voted to hire Don Schelling as the high school head volleyball coach. Board members also approved Doug Kamery as a volunteer, part-time assistant high school volleyball coach. Now that a head coach has been hired, the District will seek an assistant coach to fill the role Schelling held this year;

• Approved the purchase of a new Walker mower from Kurtzer’s;

• Approved adding Tim Hahn to the substitute teaching list. He is currently working to obtain his certified license;

• Accepted a resignation from Laurie Wilcox effective June 1. Her position will transition to a Reading Specialist;

• Approve Rich Gerk and Dena Gerk for a second transition year into retirement. All board members voted yes with the exception of Abby Henry, who voted against.