WARSAW — With a relatively brief agenda, the Warsaw Community Schools Board of Trustees met in regular session Monday evening, Feb. 22.

The board heard from teachers and participants in the Edgewood Middle School National History Day project, a project-based learning initiative all eighth-graders are a part of.

Students and teachers took turns describing how teams choose a topic in history and research it and prepare a display and presentation in accordance with a pre-assigned theme. This year’s theme is, “Explore, Exchange, Encounter.” Examples of topics students chose include the Fugitive Slave Acts of 1793 and 1850 and women’s voting rights.

Another focus this year at Edgewood is incorporating English-language learners and special needs students.

WCS Superintendent Dr. David Hoffert next spoke of several donations the schools have received. The first was $500 from the Claypool Lions Club for Claypool Elementary School’s annual fourth-grade field trip to Camp Crosley. The donation will help keep the trip more affordable for students and adult chaperones to attend.

The next donation was also for Claypool Elementary School, in the amount of $1,000 from JanPaul Consulting LLC. This will go into the Nurturing Our Knights fund to assist families with emergency or medical needs.

The Dekko Foundation made a donation to Washington STEM Academy for $3,500 toward continued STEM education at the school.

Hoffert also noted that an adult education grant has been received, though the amount was not specified.

WCS Chief Technology Officer Brad Hagg spoke about the E-rate bids, announcing Network Solutions, Granger, as the winner.

Hagg commented that the bid process was more informal and determines a vendor for the schools’ fiber and network vendor.

He noted federal funding is available to schools and libraries for technology. This comes out of fees collected through phone bills, which are then used to ensure schools and libraries have the connectivity they need. Funds are distributed based on the number of students qualifying for free and reduced lunch.

Last fall, WCS had around 50 percent of its students qualified for free or reduced lunch, meaning the schools qualify for an 80 percent discount on things like upgrades and internet access.

Last year, he continued, a new process started in which unused funds were reallocated for priority two projects such as internal cabling, internal network switches, fiber optic cables and wireless connections.

“Their goal, really, is to make sure every school and library has the network infrastructure that can support what everyone needs to access using computers and technology,” Hagg said.

In all, he said, WCS is asking for $432,506.79 worth of equipment but only paying $86,501.32.

Upgrades are being timed to coincide with the various building projects in progress. At the high school, the total obligation out of the capital projects fund will be $63,392.33.

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Hoffert recapped two major announcements WCS recently made, including a partnership with Kosciusko Community Hospital/Lutheran Health Network with $1 million in funding. He added that announcements are forthcoming as to how those funds will be used.

He also noted the Alliance for Education ranked WCHS and the Warsaw Area Career Center among the top three examples in the nation in a variety of areas.

The next board work session is at 4 p.m. Monday, March 8. The next regular session is at 7 p.m. Monday, March 14.