Calves Coming To TVHS
AKRON — The Tippecanoe Valley High School FFA wants to “beef” up the school lunch menu with a little homegrown meat.
Members pitched the idea to the Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation Board of Trustees during its regular meeting Monday evening, June 13. Board members expressed enthusiastic support of the idea.
The idea is to fence off a portion of the grassy area behind the maintenance shed, between the football field and the wooded area and purchase four calves to start. Three-sided wooden shelters will offer the calves protection from the elements.
The students explained one steer can provide up to 700 beef patties. They plan to start small, with only four, to make sure the project is doable for them. They will bring in the calves at the beginning of the school year. The idea is for them to be ready for processing by winter break so the beef will be in the freezers by the time students return.
This Old Farm, a USDA federally inspected facility in Colfax, will handle the processing. The students noted they still have a lot of planning to do before the can bring the calves in.
The board also heard an update on the Akron school project. The 1967 classrooms have undergone demolition. Workers found a crawl space, asphalt and a septic tank beneath the floor. The septic tank presumably dates to the 1949 wing. Drainage has been completed through the neighboring farm field.
The Tippecanoe Valley Middle School 1:1 initiative is underway. Dell Education Series laptops have been chosen and changes were approved to the student handbook to reflect the new technology usage. Students will not take the laptops home in the evening, so parents will not be required to purchase insurance on them. Programs will allow teachers to create lesson plans, assign homework and communicate with students via cloud technology, so students can access assignments from anywhere.
The board also approved the opening of Country Fun 4 Kidz Daycare inside Burket Educational Center.
TVSC received the following grants:
- $4,100 from Dekko Foundation for the TVHS art program
- $350 from Fulton County REMC for the Akron Elementary School physical education department
- $350 from the Valley Hometown Fund for the Akron Elementary Kindergarten Choice Time room
- $935 from the Valley Hometown Fund for the TVHS special-needs prom
- $450 from the Valley Hometown Fund for the Mentone Elementary School Leveled Library
- $583 from the Valley Hometown Fund for the TVHS Young Entrepreneurs Academy
- $15,000 Title I grant for TVMS
- $9,607 from United Way of Kosciusko County for Akron Flyer Time and Mentone Bulldog Buddies
- $16,000 for the Mentone kindergarten readiness program
The board also accepted the following donations:
- $150 from the Fulton County Las Donas Club
- $4,500 from Cargill for TVHS Boomerang Backpacks
- $6,000 from Cargill for TVMS Project Lead the Way
- $450 and materials from North Central Co-op and Niff Tone for the Mentone kindergarten readiness program
Other News
- Superintendent Brett Boggs outlined a proposed debt forgiveness policy.
- The board approved the addition of a new policy pertaining to criminal gangs and criminal gang activity.
- Boggs proposed the school’s materiality threshold be set to include all lost or misplaced revenue and all assets, other than cash, of any value. The State Board of Accounts requires all entities to have a materiality threshold. The board will vote on it at the July meeting.
- The board approved an additional appropriation of $225,000 from the rainy day fund to be used for the 1:1 initiative.