Ningbo Jushen Casting Industry Co.,Ltd.

High School will add an eighth period more class offerings

HAMILTON, Ill. - With nearly a year's experience as Hamilton High School principal, Ron Gilbert told school board members Wednesday that a number of new classes and some scheduling changes are planned for next school year.

The high school's school day will be 16 minutes longer starting in 2008-2009. Classes start at 8:05 a.m. and let out at 3:04 p.m. now. Starting time will stay the same at 8:05 a.m., and let out at 3:20 p.m. Seven periods a day will expand to eight periods.

Study halls will all be held at one time during the day instead of staggered throughout the day.

¡°When we have study hall in one block, students can have more access to their teachers,¡± he said. ¡°They can get a pass and go to another teacher's classroom for help. It will really be more like a homeroom than study hall. Our classroom teachers supervise study hall.¡±

Last month, Gilbert outlined two heavy equipment operating classes that will be available for high school juniors and seniors. He has applied for two grants, $1,700 and $1,250, to help with start-up expenses. The grants will be announced in the first part of July.

A welding program has started this fourth quarter with five students in the class taught at Steel Castings in Keokuk. It also will continue next year.

¡°At the end of the first welding class, we'll have some discussions and see how it went,¡± he said. ¡°We hope to be able to expand it for additional students.¡±

Last month, Gilbert had said the welding class, taught by S.J. Smith Welding at Steel Castings, could accommodate up to seven students.

Gilbert and school board member Craig Huls attended an April school board meeting at Illini West, the converged high school district in Carthage, Ill.

¡°We talked with Illini West about sharing some programs,¡± said Gilbert. ¡°If we share with them, we could have 12 to 15 students for some of these classes instead of five or six. Adding an eighth period to our class day will align with their schedule, too.¡±

Illini West High School offers a two-year course for students to earn certification as a licensed practical nurse.

¡°Students take the courses at Illini West and get certified through Southeastern Community College,¡± said Gilbert.

¡°We will continue to expand our automotive classes. We're discussing adding culinary arts. The meeting with the Illini West School Board was very positive.¡±

Huls also thought the meeting went well.

¡°We were very welcomed at that meeting,¡± said Huls. ¡°We hope to develop more good relations with them.¡±

Superintendent Dr. Jim Jackson said Hamilton could have some options of expanding some other classes with Illini West.

¡°We want to provide our students with as much as possible,¡± said Jackson. ¡°We have about 35 percent of our graduates who do not continue schooling after high school. We want to provide skills and classes that will allow those students to be prepared to enter the workforce at decent paying jobs.¡±

Five Hamilton students will visit Ziegler Industries in Nauvoo, Ill., on April 30, said Gilbert.

¡°They will possibly offer our kids industrial painting, light mechanics, welding and other commercial applications,¡± he said.

¡°We want to add some classes next year in the fine arts, too,¡± said Gilbert. ¡°We want to add stain glass, graphic arts, jazz band and concert choir classes. We can do this without adding staff.¡±

Board member Mark Menn asked if the school could offer CAD, computer aided drafting.

¡°We don't have the computer systems to run that,¡± said Gilbert. ¡°It's quite an expense.¡±

Personnel actions

After meeting in closed session, the board approved hirings for the 2008-2009 school year:

Mike Coultas for district technology coordinator.

April Anderson for high school math teacher.

Dan Buelt as Titan boys golf head coach and Leslie Jefferson as assistant golf coach.

Lisa McCredie as Titan girls golf head coach.

Michelle Young as Titan cross country head coach.

Peggy Adkins as Titan poms/dance sponsor.

Deb Wilson as Titan football cheerleading sponsor.

Don Capaldo as Titan football head coach; Darrin Bozzola, Dave Sadeghi and Rob Munson as assistant football coaches.

Ken Schuster, Titan girls basketball head coach; Marty Hall and Ron Ferrell, assistant girls basketball coaches.

Ron Ferrell, Titan baseball head coach.

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