Wawasee School Board officers for 2013 are, from left, Rebecca Linnemeier, president; Rob Fisher, secretary; and Mike Wilson, vice president. (Photo by Tim Ashley)

At North Webster Elementary School there are classes and then there is C.L.A.S.S.

During Tuesday evening’s regular monthly meeting of the Wawasee school board in Syracuse, the first meeting in 2013, the board heard a presentation from a few North Webster Elementary teachers about Connecting Learning Assures Successful Students, or C.L.A.S.S.

Mitch Willaman, fifth grade teacher, said teachers are excited about C.L.A.S.S., used at the school for approximately the last three and a half years. “It has unified us and set us on a common course,” he said.

Essentially C.L.A.S.S. follows the two basic rules of doing what is right and treating others right. Teachers stress to students the importance of treating other students positively and in a respectful manner. Teachers model the same principles by being careful when they speak to students.

Lori Jones, fifth grade teacher, noted there are several “lifelines,” or core values, emphasized. Those include, among others, honesty, self-control, respect, integrity, friendship and more. Teachers are able to integrate C.L.A.S.S. principles into lesson plans and how they teach.

For an example, there is a “community circle” time where students are encouraged to believe they have a voice and everyone is equal within a circle. There is usually a singular theme for the community circle time such as preparing for a test, working on vocabulary skills and others. The kids feel like they are important and belong to a group, it was emphasized.

C.L.A.S.S. is a school wide program, but fourth and fifth grade students are chosen as ambassadors to be leaders among the rest of the students. Ambassadors can attend a summer camp and have opportunities to develop leadership skills.

A motto used for the program is “As good as you are, you can always get better.” Josette Abrams, art teacher, said teachers at North Webster Elementary are working together because of C.L.A.S.S. and it has changed the way she teaches for the better.

In other business, the board heard a brief report from Bob Cockburn during his Stat of the Month presentation. Attendance rates through the first trimester of the current academic year are above 95 percent for all grades. The flu outbreak in recent weeks has lowered attendance rates, but only by a few percentage points at some schools.

Also on the agenda, the school board was reorganized for 2013. Rebecca Linnemeier is now the president. Mike Wilson, who had been the president in 2012, is vice president and Rob Fisher is secretary. Betty Bultemeier is recording secretary and David Cates is the board attorney.

The board will meet the second Tuesday of each month in 2013, with the exception of April, and meetings will normally be held in the Warrior Room at Wawasee High School. A stipend of $2,000 plus $55 per meeting will be paid quarterly to board members capped at a $4,000 total.

Mary Lou Dixon is president and George Gilbert secretary of the board of finances. Board representatives authorized to open sealed bids and receive quotes for school business are Dr. Tom Edington, Jim Evans, Bob Lahrman and Joy Goshert. Evans and Sandy Hollar are treasurer and deputy treasurer, respectively.

In other business, there was a public hearing regarding the school corporation’s Internet safety policy, but no one from the public spoke. Dave VanLue, technology director, said the corporation is required to comply with the federal Children’s Internet Protection Act in order to receive a discount on phone and Internet service.

VanLue noted Wawasee gets a 73 percent discount on service based on the number of students receiving free or reduced price lunches. Wawasee’s Internet policy is published in the student handbook, he said, and parents are required to sign a statement during school registration saying they have read and understand the policy. Internet filters and monitoring software are also used.

Also during Tuesday’s meeting, the school board approved moving forward with the purchase of the former Precision Automotive facility on Chicago Street within walking distance of the high school. “It will make an ideal location for the marine mechanics program starting in the next school year,” said Dr. Edington, superintendent.

The average appraisal price between two appraisals is $265,000, Edington said. Precision Automotive is moving into a new building. He noted it would cost three times as much to build a new facility on the high school campus and space is already limited.

During his report to the board, Edington noted in response to the Connecticut school shootings in December, several safety measures are being addressed as part of a lengthy list. “We’ve already locked things down more and made it tougher to get into buildings,” he said.

For a more in-depth reporting of the Wawasee School Board meeting, see today’s issue of The Mail-Journal.