Holden Public Schools opened their doors to 52 additional
students according to numbers released by the district on opening day.
District officials, added, however, these numbers could fluctuate somewhat
the first few weeks of school.“We don’t take an official count until the fourth week in September. Typically, enrollment settles in after Labor Day,” said Superintendent Dr. Lindell Harrison. The biggest increase was seen in the high school with an additional 41 students over last year’s numbers. According to figures released, this is due to an exceptionally large freshmen class which has 162 members compared to 132 last year. Tenth grade increased by seven students, the junior class decreased by four and the seniors saw an increase of eight members to their class. “It is unusual to see such an influx of growth into one class (freshmen) which causes a strain at the high school,” he said. “What happens, is an increased number of extra classes such as math and science. We planned for a large freshmen class but not this large. We had planned for class sizes in the low 20’s but the average class size will be more in the mid 20’s. It also requires a few more books, and a few more chairs.” Larger numbers in the lower grades in the elementary do not create near the problem because Harrison explains the district has four to five sections in all the elementary grades so three or four new students only increase class size by one. The middle school decreased in the number of total students from 370 last year to 358 on opening day. There were 122 students enrolled in sixth grade; 115 in seventh grade and 121 in eighth grade. Numbers at the intermediate school will jump this year considerably due to third grade classrooms being included in the new intermediate addition. Third, fourth and fifth grade showed a combined student count of 298 students. Elementary figures which include grades kindergarten, first and second grades totalled 290 students. See The Image For Full News Coverage By Rusty Hartwell Publisher Holden
Mayor Terry Hedglin says he would favor a joint project with the Holden
School District to construct sidewalks on Main Street to provide a safe
area for students who walk home from school.“It is an issue that has been discussed for a long time but there has always been an issue of money problems. It just hasn’t been on the front burner,” said Hedglin. That, however, may change following a vehicle/pedestrian accident involving a high school student on the first day of school that resulted in one student being taken to an area hospital by ambulance. Although Superintendent Dr. Lindell Harrison says he does not think the lack of sidewalks caused this particular accident, it could, he added, have been a contributing factor.” With no sidwalk on Main Street until students are north of 14th Street, a large number of students walk in the street and according to students and district employees, it makes it difficult for traffic travelling down Main Street. “You literally have to weave in and out of the students walking just to get down the street,” said one high school student. An employee of the district said they go out of their way to avoid Main Street once school is out due to the number of students walking. Although it would require council approval, what Hedglin favors is a matching project with the school district to make the sidewalk construction possible. “I would say it would be possible right now - at least possible to do some. Even if we had sidewalks to 16th Street, I think it would help with a lot of the problems.” Harrison agrees that the lack of sidewalks has been an issue with the district for many years because of the concern for student safety. “We are always concerned about the safety of our children and have talked for some time about trying to put sidewalks on at least one street leading north of school. Safety is our main concern and we will continue to pursue some method to get sidewalks north of the schools,” he said. Harrison said he believes the district would be receptive to a joint project between the city and the district to finally obtain a solution to a long time problem. “The school board has talked about this for years - it has always been a topic,” he added. “When you get nice weather, you may have 50-100 kids walking home or downtown after school.” The accident, Hedglin says, brings this problem to the forefront and he says he is willing to listen to any options to better the situation. Hedglin added, however, he would want the input of landowners along the street. “We would need the cooperation and opinions of the landowners along the street,” he added. See The Image For Full News Coverage By Rusty Hartwell Publisher |
During the regular monthly meeting of the HOPE Coalition
Board, members focused on the current financial strains of the service
center. To offset the cost of a supervisor, the board voted to charge a partially refundable fee for the GED preparation classes offered through the service center. Participants will be charged $25 for the course. Once the participant completes the program and receives a GED, $10 will be refunded. Other revenue-generating ideas include offering beginning and intermediate computer classes. Fred Christenson informed the board that Crystal Harper, currently a volunteer in the service center, is qualified to teach these classes. The annual haunted house will be set up to entertain Holden residents during the month of October. The haunted house is typically a successful fundraiser. The most significant opportunity for raising funds for the service center is the sale of NAP tax credits. Board members voted to form a committee that would not only develop a simplified explanation of NAP tax credits, but also create a slogan to generate interest in the program. Committee members include board president Bob Mickey, member Jane Christenson, and service center volunteers Patricia Williams and Crystal Harper. According to Mickey, NAP tax credits are issued by the Missouri Department of Economic Development. The purchaser receives the benefit of a 70% state tax credit as well as claiming the contribution on their federal return as a charitable donation. In addition, tax laws allow a five-year carryover to claim the credit. As an example, after factoring in the state credit and federal deduction, a business making a $10,000 donation would result in out-of-pocket expenses of $1,500. Any entity filing a business tax return is eligible for this opportunity, including farmers and persons with rental income. There are no limits placed on the amount of donations, and the transaction must occur during the calendar year. Anyone interested in obtaining further information about NAP tax credits should contact Mickey at Farmer's & Commercial Bank, 732-5516. The Christensons have also been visiting area churches to present a Powerpoint presentation which highlights the services provided by the service center. The purpose of the presentation is to raise tax-deductible donations through awareness of the services provided by the HOPE center. In other business, the board agreed to ask service center volunteer Patricia Williams to fill one board vacancy through the end of the calendar year. There is currently one additional board vacancy, the position previously held by Steve Antal. Any citizen interested in this position should contact Mickey. See The Image for full news coverage By Trina Davidson News Staff According
to Holden Superintendent Dr. Lindell Harrison, fourth and fifth grade
classrooms will move into the new intermediate school Labor Day weekend
as planned barring any unforseen problems.“We already have possession of the third grade classrooms and pretty much have possession of fourth and fifth grade classrooms as well. However, we are using the fourth and fifth grade areas for storage for the library until it is released. We plan to have kids in there after Labor Day weekend,” he said. Although the classroom situation seems set, some auxiliary areas affected by the move are still unsolved. The addition of the intermediate school to the south campus caused the district to move the playground equipment to an area in front of the elementary school. Harrison says, however, leaving the playground in that area does not work well. “It would make the entrance to the building for parents and visitors difficult,” he said, although taking out the circle drive in front and creating an alternative drive on the north side was an option for the district to consider. Although there is an open area south of the school, Harrison says that area has always had a drainage issue. “We just can’t go out there with the playground because everything drains to that area,” he added. Several options remain under study and both involve changes in the high school baseball field. One option involves moving the ball field 180 feet to the south which would put the field 10 to 15 feet within the district’s property line. “We have a blueprint for that option and are currently shopping around for bids,” he said. The other option is to swing the foul lines of the baseball field which would just involve a change in the orientation of the field, he said. Although parking has been a concern, Harrison says there will be 30 additional parking spaces on the west side of the building and he doesn’t anticipate parking to be a major issue or problem. See The Image For Full News Coverage By Rusty Hartwell Publisher |
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