Gilboa-Conesville Board Recognized, Praised At Meeting

GILBOA-CONESVILLE — Gilboa-Conesville School Board members were thanked for their dedicated service and commitment to education at the Thursday, Oct. 16 board meeting.

"We are so glad to have you," Superintendent Bonnie Johnson told school board members while noting it was School Board Appreciation Week.

Board members attending the meeting were president Greg Woodcock, vice president Jacquelyn McGuire, Karl Gockel, Stephanie Bruck and student representative Rowan Tyree. School Board member Mike Fleischman was unable to attend the meeting.

"You are supported and appreciated," 7-12 Principal and Special Education Director Mary Hinkley told board members.

During her report, Hinkley said a recent career fair at the school went well.

"Students engaged with presenters and the presenters were all great," she noted.

Elementary Principal Candice Gockel said the school is using a $1,960 grant from Nyscate, a state technology organization, to purchase three Ipads, Apple Pens and software to enhance digital art skills and knowledge in grades 9-12.

"They will use what artists in the field are using today and it will be a great experience," she said. "This technology will give our students the opportunity to have an advantage going forward."

Johnson reported that she is hoping a rather small project of replacing doors in a school building to get them up to current code can be done over Christmas Break. On the sports front, she said that the Gilboa-Conesville-Roxbury varsity boys soccer team won the Delaware League regular season title and then the league championship with a 5-0 win over South Kortright in the Saturday, Oct. 18 championship game.

In his report, Tyree, the student representative to the school board and student council president, said he felt the new policy on cell phones was working well. Like schools across the state, GC students must turn in their cell phones at the start of the school day to be secured in a safe place and then get them back at the end of the school day.

"It gives kids the opportunity to talk more and socialize more," said Tyree, a senior. "There are moments here and there but overall I think it has gone well."

The school board gave first reads to several policies, some mandated by the state. Second reads and approvals are scheduled for the November meeting.

Approved near the end of the meeting in personnel actions were Adreannah Cruz as CROP Peer Tutor; Clyde Cole, Modified Boys Basketball Coach; Amanda Ross and Darcy Jaeger-Brand, cheer coaches; Ashleigh Carr, volunteer cheer helper; Jackie Cestare, varsity girls basketball coach; Claudia Owen, Junior Varsity boys basketball coach; Michelle Fleischman, modified girls basketball coach; Julie Paes, Luann Brainerd, William Cipolla, Taryn VanValkenburgh, basketball scorekeepers; Linday Timm, Tara Cammer, Robin Haight, Amanda Ross, Alissa Cox, Allison Case, Casey Smith, Julie Paes, basketball chaperones; Jake Laban, Casey Smith, basketball clock operators; Andrew Dumas, varsity boys basketball coach; William Cipolla, JV girls basketball coach.