Fillmore Central School Board: District donates old school photos to Harmony Historical Society

By News Team
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Fri, Aug 31st, 2007
Posted in Education

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HARMONY - At their regular meeting, Aug. 28, Fillmore Central School Board members decided to donate the class pictures of students from Harmony High School to the Harmony Historical Society, at the request of Paula Michel.

Michel approached the board with the request, stating that the Historical Society is anxious to preserve the pictures. The pictures were hanging on the walls in the school for many years, and were removed when asbestos removal began a couple of years ago. Since then they have been moved around, and some of the frames and glass have been damaged.

According to Michel, there is a room at the Visitor's Center where the pictures can be displayed. The Historical Society will be raising funds for the purchase of a display case that will hold all of the photos. The display case will cost anywhere from $1,000 to $2,000. It is unknown just how many pictures there are or how far back they go.

Michel also mentioned that people coming to Harmony for class reunions have asked about seeing the pictures. "It's a part of Harmony's history," she said. She also added that they could raise some of the money needed for the case by making a DVD of the pictures and selling the DVD.

Board member Deb Ristau made the request that an agreement with the Harmony Historical Society would include the stipulation that if sometime in the future they no longer have room for them or want them, that the pictures be given back to the school or some other place where they can remain together, and not separated.

Principals' Report

High School Principal Heath Olstad mentioned in his report that head football coach Chris Mensink has organized a fund raiser with the football team to help the victims of the flood in the Rushford area. The team will be working with Kingsley Mercantile in Harmony, who will buy needed supplies at cost for the clean-up efforts. The Fillmore Central Student Council will also be raising money. The money raised will be presented at the Homecoming game against Rushford in September. Olstad complimented Mensink and the student council on their genuine efforts to help out.

Brenda Lentz, K-8 Principal, spoke about the new Parent-Teacher Committee (PTC). The PTC put together packets of school supplies for parents to purchase, and 43 students participated. They are also planning a Kindergarten coffee for the morning of the first day of school for parents of kindergartners. The next PTC meeting will be September 18, and Lentz stated she would like members of the PR committee from the board to attend if possible.

Summer Maintenance

Projects

Superintendent Myrna Luehmann updated the board on the summer maintenance projects at the school, which are now nearing completion. The masonry repair work at the high school is finishing up, and the final flashing on the roof will soon be completed. The next phase of asbestos removal is finished, and there was some work completed at the elementary school parking lot.

Luehmann stated that during the heavy rainfall, some rain got in the east classrooms on the second story at the high school. A tarp was left over the area being worked on, but it did not keep the rain out during the storms. There has been documentation done and pictures taken of the area.

Other business

• The board gratefully accepted a check from Chris Mensink on behalf of the Booster Club in the amount of $6,000. The money will go toward the athletic department.

• Media Specialist Jill Eerdmans wrote members of the board asking about paraprofessionals coming in a few days before school starts to get ready for the year. Luehmann said this has not been done for several years now.

• There was a discussion by board members of the recently approved tennis court lease with the City of Preston. Board member Sue Sikkink stated the legal fees for the district have been around $3,500 so far, with the last bill at $1,800. The board passed a resolution to bill the city of Preston for the latest legal fees which they believed were caused by the city of Preston's lawyer making unauthorized changes to the agreement.

• Luehmann received approval from the council for the dispersal of a few of the district's assets. These items are no longer in use by the school or do not work, and will be sold as scrap metal. An old stove and mixers from the kitchen are included in the list, as well as a 1993 teal van that can no longer be used. Luehmann mentioned that one of the full size handicap vans was found to have a mechanical problem. When Lentz stated that the van is needed for transporting students, it was decided to look into fixing the van instead of getting rid of it. They will also need to replace a different van by the end of September, as they are limited to 12 years for using a van to transport students.

The board also approved the following:

• The resignation of paraprofessional Carla Prueter.

• The new Root River Program handbook.

• The annual report on curriculum instruction and student achievement, which will be posted on the school's web site.

• Two requests for open enrollment.

• The appointments of all support staff for the 2007-2008 school year

• The sports sharing agreement with Lanesboro Schools

• Raising the price of an adult lunch from $2.75 to $3.00, due to the state minimum of $2.78.

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