Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Reports normal for Board

It was pretty much business as usual for the Prescott School Board at its December meeting.

The Board recognized Jason Himes for his participation in the Oracle Internet Academy. Himes completed the course work online because he was unable to attend in person at the California campus, but will go there this summer to complete his training.

Himes said the Oracle class is ready to start next year and will be a benefit to the students who take it. The Oracle program teaches students advanced computer programs such as spreadsheets.

Students completing the Oracle class will be presented certificates which, Himes said, will look good on their transcript or a resume.

Janet Gordon gave the elementary report, saying Prescott Elementary School has been a "busy place" as the first semester wound down.

The Math Night Madness held in November, she said, was a success for the third graders. There was a good crowd of parents and all seemed to enjoy making Everyday Math games, which were taken home and can be used to practice math skills learned at school.

Prior to the Christmas break, she said, teachers were working to keep the focus on instruction, but it was difficult with the children thinking about the holidays and getting out of school. Christmas parties were scheduled students before the break, with three grades being taken on a field trip to see " The Polar Express". This field trip was approved because teachers were reading the book to the students with the book and movie also a writing assignment. Fourth grade students were required to compare the book and movie, showing how it was alike and different using a Venn diagram.

Willie Wilson gave the activity report for Prescott High School. He said discipline infractions were the same for November and December, with tardiness being the main problem.

In talking about the "Garland Experiment", Wilson said the Hope facility won't accept special education students because it has no room to accommodate them. But, the other students from Prescott sent there have been doing well, with one exception, and this student was suspended and is currently with the criminal justice system in Russellville.

Donna Smith and Kathy Hodges presented "Teaching Literacy in Science" at a recent math and science conference. There is a lot of reading in science, he said, and students must be able to read. PHS is one of the few high schools in the state to offer a class in reading, he added.

Athletic Director Greg Smith said the overall football program posted a 31-14 record. The seventh grade team went 11-1, with the eighth graders being undefeated at 8-0. The ninth graders played .500 ball at 5-5, while the JV squad was 4-1. The Wolves had a rough year with injuries and were 3-7.

Tennis season was successful again this year, he said, with the girls winning the district title, and Brittany Cason and Kelsey Hopkins being the district's doubles champs. The boys placed third in the district, with Victor Macas the runner up in singles at the district tilt.

The cheerleaders were second in the Jamfest competition and ninth at the AAA statewide contest. Prescott hosted the regional cheerleader tourney, while the cheerleaders were involved in various community service projects.

The cross country team junior boys were the district champs, with the girls being the district runner up. The senior high also competed strong.

Smith said a new athletic lettering system was discussed and will be implemented this year. Each coach will put the requirements for earning a letter in writing for their sports. PHS will be going to the "old system" where freshmen receive a plaque, sophomores can earn a windbreaker, juniors get a letter jacket and seniors get blankets.

The lunch situation was brought up at the meeting as well as complaints have been voiced about the meals served.

Gordon said there have been complaints about the size of the servings at PES, as some kindergarten children get only three or four French fries when they are served. Additionally, she said, the food is cold sometimes.

David Maxwell, assistant principal for McRae Middle School, said PHS has limited space for serving lunch and only so much can be prepared, still there are complaints about students not getting enough to eat. The lunch period at PHS has been split to accommodate all students and no second servings are allowed.

Prescott Superintendent Hyacinth Deon said part of the problem is the new healthy requirements where there can only be 30 percent fat in a meal. This means the fries are baked and sometimes get cold before being served.

The new regulations, she said, also limit the amount of food the students can be served.

This situation will be examined when school resumes for the second semester.

Deon said the district received a letter from the Day Service Center asking if the district would cede a small portion of land to it so a building could be constructed for ABC students. The land is 3/100 of an acre, and is adjacent to the current facility used by the Center.

Attorney Barry Barber is handling the transaction.