May 20, 2015 at 4:58 p.m.
Crescent Elementary School library renamed for former librarian
Crescent Elementary School library renamed for former librarian
By By Katie Perttunen-
The library will now be named The Betty White Library, after a former librarian who was with the school district for 22 years and assisted in the implementation of the library programs. Crescent was her first library.
The naming is in recognition of a gift to the Hodag Schools Foundation to be used for the Mike Webster Stadium track restructuring project.
The donor and amount are to remain anonymous, with the stipulation that the library be named "The Betty White Library."
According to a Hodag Schools Foundation press release, White dedicated her life to education.
"Betty can't recall a time when she didn't want to be a teacher," the release states. "She remembers playing school during recess as she grew up, and she always took the role of the teacher, pretending to write her lesson plans on leaves. Her first actual teaching job was in the same school district where she attended school. At that time, Betty taught second and third grade; in fact her youngest sister was one of her students. After she married, Betty left teaching to raise her daughter and three sons. A job brought the White family from Laona to Rhinelander, where her husband, Jerry, would become a long-time instructor at Nicolet College. When the White's youngest son entered kindergarten, Joyce Opper, then a Rhinelander School District administrator, called Betty, asking if she would be interested in helping set up the first elementary library in the School District of Rhinelander. She accepted, remembering that she felt she 'just had to get back to school.' That job gave Betty the perfect opportunity to combine her creativity and teaching skills. She loved her job, adding 'It was the best - working with the kids, especially kindergarten and first-graders. It was a joy.'"
"During her 22 years in the School District of Rhinelander, Betty worked in most of the libraries, but Crescent was her 'first library,'" the release states. "So it is only appropriate that in honor of Betty White, and in recognition of a donation to the Hodag Schools Foundation, the library at Crescent School will now be named The Betty White Library."
This donation, according to HSF Vice President Sue Makris, comes at an important time for the School District of Rhinelander and the community.
"It allows HSF to provide additional funds to the district in order to make improvements at the Mike Webster Stadium by allowing students to be able to use the track for physical education, and provide the community and students a higher quality facility for classes, activities and community events."
In other business, the board approved a bid from Musson Brothers to pave the areas outside Pelican Elementary for $8,930, James Williams Middle School for $106,338, and Rhinelander High School for $27,775.
The board agreed to purchase a TRANE rooftop air handling unit for the Rhinelander High School from TRANE Wisconsin for $53,100, with installation by Dahlquist Plumbing and Heating for $23,651.50.
The spending did not stop there.
The board accepted a proposal from OMNI Glass for the high school and middle school 2015 summer painting projects for $62,080 and approved the purchase of 795 Chromebooks for Rhinelander High School, James Williams Middle School, and Northwoods Community Secondary School. The board also purchased 66 iPads for students at Crescent and Pelican Elementary Schools.
The board approved a proposal from Audio Architects of Chippewa Falls for the replacement, update, and enhancement of the public address systems at Rhinelander High School, James Williams Middle School, Central Intermediate School, Crescent Elementary School, Pelican Elementary School, and Northwoods Community Elementary School at a cost of $160,742.02. The new system will add consistency between all schools for paging announcements in the event of an emergency, school officials said.
The board accepted a proposal from Richie Lakeland Oil and Propane of Minocqua for the purchase of diesel fuel during the 2015-2016 school year. The district will be charged a markup of $.13 per gallon over OPIS (Oil Price Information Services.)
The board agreed that transportation fuel during the 2015-16 school year will be purchased from Gillespie Fuel at a $.17 discount.
The special education department was approved to purchase a 2015 Chevrolet Suburban from Parsons of Eagle River at a cost of $43,649.
Regarding open enrollment, 20 students are applying into the district, with 13 of those applicants being current attendees.
Forty-two students are enrolling out of the district, of which 12 are currently enrolled in the district. The rest already attend a non-resident school district, are enrolled in home-school or private school, or are just beginning school in the 2015-'16 school year.
These numbers are about the same as last year, Superintendent Kelli Jacobi said.
In other business, the board approved a change in layoff reemployment from 24 months to 12 months, and changed the language of the sick leave bank to clearly define that it is to be used for emergencies and serious illnesses only.
The board also revised the Professional Employee Handbook pertaining to post-employment benefits for employees with six to 14 years of service as of June 30 2014, by terminating their health insurance on Aug. 31 the year of their retirement. Employees hired since July 1, 2008 will also see their insurance terminated on Aug. 31 the year of their retirement.
An addendum was added to the retirement agreements for professional employees who receive family hospital/
medical insurance benefits.
"If the retired Professional Employee dies during the period when he/she is eligible to receive hospital/medical insurance benefits from the District, his/her spouse and/or dependents who are eligible shall be eligible to continue to receive those benefits for the remainder of the post retirement schedule based on the single rate of insurance for the spouse or a family rate of insurance for the spouse with dependents as established at the time of Professional Employee's retirement," the addendum states.
Jacobi said the district is working to fill positions left open by retirements and resignations, and they have a good number of applicants. A single position in the physical education department netted 55 applicants.
The board also heard an update from Bob Lefebvre on the Cedric A. Vig Outdoor Classroom.
Elementary and high school students teamed up to plant 5,000 trees, he said.
The parking facility has been expanded, and a blacktop handicap accessible trail will be complete in June.
Katie Perttunen may be reached at [email protected].
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