The Goessel school board presented a plaque to Ran?nie Schmidt, a longtime school bus driver, during its June 8 meeting.
Schmidt is retiring after 20 years of driving for the district.
?I thoroughly and sincerely love the children,? he said. ?It has truly been a joy and an honor.?
Schmidt said he appreciated the support from John Fast, superintendent and elementary school principal, as well as parents.
Fast said besides driving, bus drivers spend many hours in meetings, first-aid training and safety. Schmidt said he appreciated the training, and he did use it in an emergency situation.
Fast also mentioned Schmidt?s dedication when his bus broke down along the Interstate. Another bus was sent to transport the students back to Goessel. But Schmidt and his wife, Meribeth, stayed with the broken-down bus the whole night until it could be moved.
Schmidt?s years of service preceded his bus-driving days to the years when he was a member of the school board. He said he was on the board during the time that the district made the transition from country schools to a unified school district.
The board approved the following supplemental contracts, some new and some continuing: high school scholars bowl, Wes Schmidt-Tieszen, with Andrew Voth assistant; junior high Quiz Bowl, Donna O?Neill; forensics, Sherri Sells; high school play director, Donna O’Neill with Andrew Voth assistant; activities director, Brian Lightner; band, Scott Taylor; choir, Andrew Voth; cheerleading coaches, D. J. Freeman and Gretchen Schrag; concessions, Ryan Hoopes; FCCLA sponsor, Beth Ratzloff; FFA sponsor, Zana Manche; yearbook, Kacie McGee; freshman class sponsor, Sherri Sells; sophomore class sponsor, Donna O?Neill; junior class sponsor, Kacie McGee; senior class sponsor, Wes Schmidt-Tieszen; high school student council sponsor, Patrick Loganbill; junior high student council, Chad Lindeman; art, Kacie McGee; elementary SIT chair, Sheri Janzen; junior high SIT chair, Brittany Hiebert; high school SIT chair, Crysta Guhr; PDC and QPA chair, Janna Duerksen.
The following high school coaching positions were approved: cross country, Brian Lightner; head football, Garrett Hiebert; assistant football, Jacob Gouvion; head volleyball, Crysta Guhr; assistant volleyball, Zana Manche; head boys? basketball, Curtis Guhr; assistant boys? basketball, Chad Lindeman; head girls? basketball, Ryan Hoopes; assistant girls? basketball, Zana Manche; golf, Chad Lindeman.
The following junior high coaching positions were approve: head football, Chad Lindeman; assistant football, Ryan Hoopes; head volleyball, Patrick Loganbill; assistant volleyball, Brittany Hiebert; head boys? basketball, Garrett Hiebert; assistant boys? basketball, Patrick Loganbill; head girls? basketball, Todd Weeks; assistant girls basketball, Brittany Hiebert.
The following junior high and high school track coaches were approved: Curtis Guhr, Crysta Guhr, Ryan Hoopes, Garrett Hiebert and Joni Smith.
After-school program
The board discussed the after-school program. Fast said ?the after-school program here at the school is really needed. It helps keep families in the district.?
ASP director Susie Shipp told the board the cost for students is according to income: $6 a day for those who pay the full school lunch price, $2.50 for those who pay a reduced price, and $1 a day for those who receive free lunches. However, those fees are not sufficient to keep the program running and might need to be increased.
Shipp said, ?I believe in this program…. Parents want to keep it.? She said snacks have been healthy, fresh fruit. Although Shipp is applying for grants for supplies and snacks, grant money across the state of Kansas ?has been nearly wiped out.?
Board member Maynard Knepp said, ?This community is extremely supportive,? if it knows about a need, it will support it.
Other business
In other business, the board:
? accepted an anonymous $400 gift to be used as follows: $100 for first grade, $100 for second grade, $100 for art and $100 for the music department.
? noted the generosity of the Goessel Ministerial Alliance for the ?major donation? for school supplies. ?That helps a lot of families in need,? Fast said.
? discussed a computer upgrade for the elementary school lunch program. The auditor told Fast it is time to upgrade the system, but complimented Fast and Denise Nickel for their accuracy with the outdated program.
? approved new computers for the elementary computer lab for kindergarten through third-graders.
? discussed purchasing a bus. Fast said the last bus purchase was in 2009. Fast will look at buses, along with bus drivers Diana Schmidt and Morris Ewert.
? heard that Rachel Boden plans to teach preschool classes three mornings a week.
? heard Marion County Special Education Cooper?a?tive board representative Kelly Bootton report the co-op board had met numerous times with many executive sessions. He said Sherri Sells resigned from MCSEC and accepted a junior high position at Goessel.
? voted to replace the tile in the elementary school after hearing from Fast that enough money remains from the building and remodeling project to do so. The tile in the elementary school was installed when the school was built in 1958.
? made plans to repair the running track, noting that nothing has been done to it since 2008. Enough money remains in the bond project to cover the $3,500 cost. The project will patch high-wear areas and fix cracks, clean the surface, and stripe the lanes.
