Board of School Trustees Resolution of Commendation Awards

• Timothy Ball Elementary Spell Bowl Team for winning 1st Place in Lake County in the Orange Class at the 2023 Elementary Spell Bowl Competition - Team: Tara Bull, Jeffrey Garcia, Sofija Gligorova, Jaxon Hall, Emma Hurtt, Daksh Kalra, Bree Kowalisyn, Lucy Kowalisyn, Neomi Marra, Elliot Mazur, Alex Pulkowski, Joseph Swiedals; Coaches: Lynn Carlson, Todd Emory

• Col. Wheeler Middle School Spell Bowl Team for winning 1st Place in Lake County in Class 1 and being named a state finalist at the 2023 Regional Junior Spell Bowl Competition - Team: Carter Courtright, Joshua Garcia, Shayaan Khan, Solomon Mazhawidza, Alyssa Nelson, Roan Redulla, Valerie Shanks; Coach: James Hensley

• Crossroads Regional Chamber of Commerce 2023 Inspiring Educator Awards - Overall Corporation/School Winner: Dennis Bunda, Col. John Wheeler; Finalists/School Winners: Sarah Fritz, Eisenhower; Christina Skopelja, Lake Street; Alicia Zarndt, MacArthur; Bailey Lauritzen, Solon Robinson; Annie Svetcoff, Timothy Ball; Nicole Szypczak, Winfield; Rebecca Zolp, Jerry Ross; Karen Buelow, Taft; Katie Kreis, CPHS

Patrons' Comments (none)

Consent Agenda

Action Items

• Course Additions - Crown Point High School 2024-2025. These courses will be offered pending student participation and staffing availability. 

  • Fitness Training, grades 9-12

  • Teaching and Learning, grades 11-12, capstone course

  • Culinary Arts, grades 11-12, capstone course

  • Healthcare Specialist: CNA, grades 11-12, capstone course

• Out-of -Country Field Trip to Costa Rica, Spring Break 2025 

• Out-of-Country Field Trip to France, Summer 2025

• Approval to apply for and receive Indiana Department of Education Alternative Education Grant 

  • Funding is based on the number of students who attend this program, which is approximately 40 students currently.

• Policy Additions and Revisions - Second Reading and Adoption

  • These board policies are changing to reflect recent legislation and were provided by the Indiana School Board Association. 

• Additional Construction Management Services – 2021 projects

Information/Recognition Items

• Policy Additions and Revisions - First Reading

  • Mr. Equihua reviewed potential new board policies. Another reading will happen at the December meeting. 

• Director of Grants/Assessments

  • Mr. Hardman gave an update on the Title I schools in the district. We were able to add Col. Wheeler Middle School to the list of Title I schools to maximize the services we can add to students. More information about Title I can be found at this link.

• Director of Elementary Education

  • We held over 3,700 parent teacher conferences in October, which is almost all of our elementary families. Thank you to our teachers and parents who gave their time to connect with each other.

  • Next year, we plan to add elementary STEM as our 5th specials rotation in addition to library, PE, art, and music. A STEM planning team has been meeting and interviews will begin soon for an elementary STEM specialist.  

• Director of Secondary Education

  • Thank you to Janna Carney, our media and library coordinator. Her expertise has become valuable to provide a better experience for our students and staff and to improve our libraries.

• Assistant Superintendent

  • We had numerous events lately that showcased the talents of our teachers and students: Elementary Spell Bowl, Mary Poppins at CPHS, Crossroads Chamber Gala for Inspiring Educators

• Chief Human Resources Officer

  • We recently approved raises for all employees across the corporation, including support staff. It is a lot of work in the business and HR department. Thank you to Jeanne Lange, Renee Rich, Mr. Ruess, Laurie Cooper, and Sheri Lautzenheiser who worked tirelessly to make sure payroll was accurate after these changes. 

• Chief Financial Officer

  • Echoed Mr. Equihua’s statements. Thank you to the individuals in our business office who helped coordinate changes in payment/salaries.

• Director of Communication

  • We began a new video series called Did You Know to provide a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to run our district. The first video is about our transportation department. 

• Superintendent of Schools

  • A job well done to our theatre department and their production of Mary Poppins. Great work from our football team as they played in the state championship game last weekend.

  • Thank you to Dave Coulson and our partners with EMA who helped with traffic last Friday while we hosted both semi-state football and the musical at CPHS.

Other Business of the Board of School Trustees

• None

Board Statements of Appreciation and Recognition

• Mr. Vassar - recognized the mechanics at the bus barn for their continued work, especially as the winter season begins.

• Ms. Bazin - great work by the CPHS theater department and their Mary Poppins production. The semi-state and state football games were great, and it was a great display of community to see how many Crown Point fans made the trip to Indianapolis.

• Mr. Angel - great job to our students at the state football game, where students of many different programs participated. The community support was great.