May 16, 2023 at 7:24 p.m.
Modern makeover
Jay County Junior-Senior High School commons redesign will give space more of a collegiate look
Modern makeover
The commons area at Jay County Junior-Senior High School will get a makeover.
Jay School Board on Monday gave superintendent Jeremy Gulley permission to solicit bids for a proposed $677,268 commons renovation project at the junior-senior high school.
The board also hired Sherri McIntire as the new Jay County High School girls basketball coach (see related story on page 8) and accepted a $200,000 donation from the Ray C. McKinley Family Foundation and The McKinley Educational Initiative.
Siobhan Carey of Chartwells, which manages food service for Jay School Corporation, explained that the proposed new design of the commons area includes more variety in the types of seating available, including traditional larger tables — rectangular and circular — with attached seating, booths, tables at bar height, individual seating and other options. Some tables will also have “power reload units” to allow students and visitors to charge devices. Serving and trash units are also incorporated into the design.
The various furnishings, which will mostly be on wheels and all be movable, are designed in school colors red and blue as well as neutral shades of gray, brown and white.
The goal is to make the space look more “retail” than “institutional.”
“Imagine a space … where we make the commons look more like a college dining room than a typical high school cafeteria,” said Jay School Corporation superintendent Jeremy Gulley in explaining the vision.
The redesigned space will have various displays featuring the eight high schools that existed before consolidation in the 1960s and ’70s as well as Jay County High School history.
“Our hope is, we wanted this design to last,” said Carey.
The project is to be paid for from the school corporation’s federal food service fund, which Gulley said has a balance of about $1.2 million that has built up since Chartwells took over management of food service. (The funds are required to be spent in the food service area.)
Board members Ron Laux, Phil Ford, Donna Geesaman, Jason Phillips, Vickie Reitz, Marcie Vormohr and Chip Phillips voted to permit Gulley to seek bids. Depending on the bidding process, the renovation could take place during fall break or winter break in the 2023-24 school year. Carey said the work is expected to take less than a week.
Also planned for this summer as part of facility upgrades approved in January is replacement of electrical wiring in the school’s kitchen area.
The board also accepted a $200,000 donation, to be passed through The Portland Foundation, from the McKinley family. (Ray McKinley is a Portland High School graduate.) Half of the funds will be provided to The Portland Foundation in July with the other half in early 2024.
The funds are for support of the school corporation’s existing elementary and junior high tutoring programs as well as the launch of the new school behavioral health clinic that was approved last month in partnership with Meridian Health Services. Money will be dispersed to the school corporation on an as-needed basis.
“As far as I know, you have just voted on the largest private donation to a public school district in Indiana for the purpose of supporting child mental health,” said Gulley after the board unanimously accepted the donation.
In other business, the board:
•During the Patriot Pride moment honored East Jay Middle School fifth graders, represented by Finn Hemmelgarn, Boo Towell, Grace Huelskamp, Aubrey Hunley and Harper Kunkle, who donated $735 to Jay County Fair Association in partnership with The Portland Foundation through the Care and Share program. Through the program, the foundation provides $100 to each fifth grade class to distribute as philanthropic donations and the students work to raise additional funds.
•Honored retired school employees Glen Bryant, Doug Johnson and Larry Paxson with Patriot Service Awards. The awards honor those “who have significantly contributed to the mission of the Jay School Corporation over an extended period of time.”
•Accepted several resignations, including from high school English teacher Chrissy Krieg, junior high math teacher Jared Kahlig, Redkey Elementary School Reading Recovery teacher Emily Laux, Redkey and West Jay elementary music/technology teacher Luke Milner, junior-senior high attendance secretary McKenna Daniels, girls basketball coach Kirk Comer, assistant football coach Steve Boozier, E-sports club sponsor Brittany Martyne and Just Say No sponsor Natalie Cassel.
•Approved the following: the retirements of junior-senior high head custodian Rodney Bye and bus driver Rick Current; the hiring of junior high math teacher Kenna Kahlig, Redkey and West Jay elementary music/technology teacher Emily Szelis and junior-senior high construction trades teacher Brian Dishman; a “reduction in force” for alternative school teacher Jeffery Mellott; a raise to $94,000 from the previous $91,520 for business manager Shannon Current; an update to the search and seizure policy that modifies rules for student searches to ensure that two individuals are present for any search, the search be conducted by someone of the same biological gender as the student and that an administrator or their designee be present; extracurricular assignments including Tami Tillman as high school art honor society sponsor and Andrea Garringer as junior high girls tennis coach; a field trip for the junior-senior high foreign language clubs May 25 to Cedar Point; and a bus request from Jay County 4-H Youth Camp.
•Honored retiring school employees Shelly Miskinis (38 years), Terri (Franklin) Bone (38 years), Rodney (35 years) and Kim Bye (30 years), Mary Laux (32 years), Mark Myers (27 years), Lori Sims (27 years), Bruce Phillips (26 years), Lisa Wood (21 years) and Rick Current (19 years).
•Recognized JCHS seniors Lauren Brewster, Thomas Charles and Raven Dale, all of whom have earned an associate’s degree from Ivy Tech Community College before their high school graduation.
•Heard a presentation regarding the school’s English language learners (ELL). It noted that ELL students in Jay Schools scored 17.5 percentage points higher than the state average on the IREAD-3 test last year.
•Reviewed a new civility and decorum policy to “promote mutual respect, civility, decorum and orderly conduct among employees, parents/guardians and other members of the public.” The policy will be voted on at a future meeting.
•Accepted a $1.08 million Title I grant.
Jay School Board on Monday gave superintendent Jeremy Gulley permission to solicit bids for a proposed $677,268 commons renovation project at the junior-senior high school.
The board also hired Sherri McIntire as the new Jay County High School girls basketball coach (see related story on page 8) and accepted a $200,000 donation from the Ray C. McKinley Family Foundation and The McKinley Educational Initiative.
Siobhan Carey of Chartwells, which manages food service for Jay School Corporation, explained that the proposed new design of the commons area includes more variety in the types of seating available, including traditional larger tables — rectangular and circular — with attached seating, booths, tables at bar height, individual seating and other options. Some tables will also have “power reload units” to allow students and visitors to charge devices. Serving and trash units are also incorporated into the design.
The various furnishings, which will mostly be on wheels and all be movable, are designed in school colors red and blue as well as neutral shades of gray, brown and white.
The goal is to make the space look more “retail” than “institutional.”
“Imagine a space … where we make the commons look more like a college dining room than a typical high school cafeteria,” said Jay School Corporation superintendent Jeremy Gulley in explaining the vision.
The redesigned space will have various displays featuring the eight high schools that existed before consolidation in the 1960s and ’70s as well as Jay County High School history.
“Our hope is, we wanted this design to last,” said Carey.
The project is to be paid for from the school corporation’s federal food service fund, which Gulley said has a balance of about $1.2 million that has built up since Chartwells took over management of food service. (The funds are required to be spent in the food service area.)
Board members Ron Laux, Phil Ford, Donna Geesaman, Jason Phillips, Vickie Reitz, Marcie Vormohr and Chip Phillips voted to permit Gulley to seek bids. Depending on the bidding process, the renovation could take place during fall break or winter break in the 2023-24 school year. Carey said the work is expected to take less than a week.
Also planned for this summer as part of facility upgrades approved in January is replacement of electrical wiring in the school’s kitchen area.
The board also accepted a $200,000 donation, to be passed through The Portland Foundation, from the McKinley family. (Ray McKinley is a Portland High School graduate.) Half of the funds will be provided to The Portland Foundation in July with the other half in early 2024.
The funds are for support of the school corporation’s existing elementary and junior high tutoring programs as well as the launch of the new school behavioral health clinic that was approved last month in partnership with Meridian Health Services. Money will be dispersed to the school corporation on an as-needed basis.
“As far as I know, you have just voted on the largest private donation to a public school district in Indiana for the purpose of supporting child mental health,” said Gulley after the board unanimously accepted the donation.
In other business, the board:
•During the Patriot Pride moment honored East Jay Middle School fifth graders, represented by Finn Hemmelgarn, Boo Towell, Grace Huelskamp, Aubrey Hunley and Harper Kunkle, who donated $735 to Jay County Fair Association in partnership with The Portland Foundation through the Care and Share program. Through the program, the foundation provides $100 to each fifth grade class to distribute as philanthropic donations and the students work to raise additional funds.
•Honored retired school employees Glen Bryant, Doug Johnson and Larry Paxson with Patriot Service Awards. The awards honor those “who have significantly contributed to the mission of the Jay School Corporation over an extended period of time.”
•Accepted several resignations, including from high school English teacher Chrissy Krieg, junior high math teacher Jared Kahlig, Redkey Elementary School Reading Recovery teacher Emily Laux, Redkey and West Jay elementary music/technology teacher Luke Milner, junior-senior high attendance secretary McKenna Daniels, girls basketball coach Kirk Comer, assistant football coach Steve Boozier, E-sports club sponsor Brittany Martyne and Just Say No sponsor Natalie Cassel.
•Approved the following: the retirements of junior-senior high head custodian Rodney Bye and bus driver Rick Current; the hiring of junior high math teacher Kenna Kahlig, Redkey and West Jay elementary music/technology teacher Emily Szelis and junior-senior high construction trades teacher Brian Dishman; a “reduction in force” for alternative school teacher Jeffery Mellott; a raise to $94,000 from the previous $91,520 for business manager Shannon Current; an update to the search and seizure policy that modifies rules for student searches to ensure that two individuals are present for any search, the search be conducted by someone of the same biological gender as the student and that an administrator or their designee be present; extracurricular assignments including Tami Tillman as high school art honor society sponsor and Andrea Garringer as junior high girls tennis coach; a field trip for the junior-senior high foreign language clubs May 25 to Cedar Point; and a bus request from Jay County 4-H Youth Camp.
•Honored retiring school employees Shelly Miskinis (38 years), Terri (Franklin) Bone (38 years), Rodney (35 years) and Kim Bye (30 years), Mary Laux (32 years), Mark Myers (27 years), Lori Sims (27 years), Bruce Phillips (26 years), Lisa Wood (21 years) and Rick Current (19 years).
•Recognized JCHS seniors Lauren Brewster, Thomas Charles and Raven Dale, all of whom have earned an associate’s degree from Ivy Tech Community College before their high school graduation.
•Heard a presentation regarding the school’s English language learners (ELL). It noted that ELL students in Jay Schools scored 17.5 percentage points higher than the state average on the IREAD-3 test last year.
•Reviewed a new civility and decorum policy to “promote mutual respect, civility, decorum and orderly conduct among employees, parents/guardians and other members of the public.” The policy will be voted on at a future meeting.
•Accepted a $1.08 million Title I grant.
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