SIDNEY — The school year is off to a positive start at Sidney High School.
Principal Doug Zimmer and Assistant Principal John Willoughby discussed the first month of school during Monday night’s Sidney City Schools Board of Education meeting.
“There’s lots going on at the high school,” said Zimmer.
He expressed his appreciation to Tiffany Rank, Allexis Davis and the Sidney Daily News for their work on The Sidney Buzz which is published weekly in the newspaper.
“We’re off to a great start academically and athletically,” said Zimmer. “It’s very contagious among the students.”
He said the high school students helped with the Whittier Elementary School mumfest. DECA also held fundraisers to help the hurricane victims. FCCLA and Key Club collected toys and made backpacks for Wilson Health.
During the Sidney-Piqua athletic events last week, the two schools came together for cancer awareness.
At the football games this season, said Zimmer, there has been an elementary night, high school and middle school band night and the alumni band has played at several games.
“Homecoming is this week and it kicks off Wednesday with a pep rally and a meet and greet,” said Zimmer. Thursday will be the football game and the king and queen will be crowned at 6:15 p.m. Friday, the volleyball team will play Tipp City and Saturday is a cross country meet. Saturday night is the homecoming dance.
Willoughby discussed the new positive behavior program — Positive Based Interventions and Supports or PBIS — introduced at the high school this year.
“We want you to feel invited when you walk into the school,” said Willoughby.
The program’s goal is to create a positive, predictable, consistent and safe school environment for all students, he said. Students will “Be Accountable,” “Be Respectful” and “Be a Solution Seeker” with the program.
On a weekly basis, he said, reports will be run on attendance and behaviors of all the high school students. If a student hasn’t been absent or late for school, they will receive a stinger buck. If they have had no behavior referrals to the office, they would also receive a stinger buck.
“They will be able to redeem them at the end of the nine weeks for items such as food, apparel and merchandise,” said Willoughby. “We are looking for companies or individuals to donate items for the program.”
At the end of the semester, he said, the stinger bucks can be placed in the the school’s “beehive” and the student will be entered into drawings for items such as TVs, gift cards and other big items.
In other business, the board:
• Approved a contract with th Sidney-Shelby County Board of Health to provide health services at a rate of $37 per hour.
• Hired Christine Garcia-Sanchez as an aide at Whittier, $13.04 per hour plus $2 per hour low incident pay, and Shelley Scoggin, as an aide with a hearing-impaired student attending Jackson Center School, $15.71 per hour plus $2 an hour low incident pay.
• Hired Josh Billing as a home instruction tutor on an one-year, as-needed contract at $26.11 per hour.
• Employed Bob Reisinger, substitute van driver, $15.62 per hour; Tim Musser, substitute aide, $11.34 per hour; Julie Slaybaugh, substitute van driver, $15.62 per hour; Megan Gray, substitute van driver, $15.62 per hour; and Joan Holliday, substitute custodian, $13.59 pere hour.
• Heard a report from board member Chip Hix about the Upper Valley Career Center board meeting. He said a presentation was made about the German exchange student program.
The board’s next meeting will be held Monday, Oct. 16, at 6 p.m. at the board of education building.
