The Holden Image

Holden School District officials made a decision to close the new intermediate school multipurpose room late last week and are testing for possible air quality issues following concerns from the physical education instructor who says she has been ill since working in the new facility.

According to Dr. Lindell Harrison, R-3 Superintendent, a company from Kansas City was at the school on Tuesday testing air quality and vapor testing.

“They are there right now taking samples and the results will be back on Friday. As a precaution, we are keeping all of the students out of the gymnasium until we find out what we’re dealing with,” said Harrison.

Harrison stressed to patrons and parents that he does not believe the situation is serious but said the district is proceeding cautiously to make sure the problem is not a serious one.

“What I really believe is there is an air quality problem. There are two air handling units servicing that area. The intake on one unit and the exhaust are level and it is possible that the intake unit is pulling in the exhaust off the other one. If this the case, it would be an easy fix. An adapter can be installed on the one unit’s exhaust to take it straight up.”

Harrison added a professor at Central Missouri State University was also consulted and said the problem could actually be a perceptual one.

“He told us one’s depth perception could be affected because the room is all white which can cause headaches. He advised us to break up the facility with some color.”

Harrison said physical education classes will not be held in the facility until all testing is complete.

“We are being overly cautious to make sure no one is in any type of danger.”

The new intermediate school opened in September and houses students in grades three through five. The multipurpose room, however, houses all physical education classes for all grades at the elementary and intermediate schools. Sandy Davidson, a senior athlete at Holden High School, was named the female state winner of the 2004 Wendy’s High School Heisman Award. Sandy is the daughter of Donnie and Sally Davidson, of Holden. Davidson was chosen out of 102 who were named as state winners from the original 14,875 students nominated for the honor.

Davidson joins high school senior Daniel Castle of St. Joseph Christian School in St. Joseph as the winners in Missouri.

After receiving their silver medals, Davidson and Castle will join the two top student athletes from each state, including the District of Columbia, as they vie for the top male and female position as Wendy’s national award winners. In the next round of the competition, the field narrows from 102 to only 12 contenders.

Created in 1994 in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals and the Heisman Memorial Trust, the Wendy’s High School Heisman Award has been recognizing outstanding, well-rounded students for more than 10 years.

“These students have been singled out as some of the most remarkable and inspiring seniors across the country,” said Tom Mueller, president and chief operating officer of Wendy’s North America. “We are pleased to recognize them for their outstanding achievements in the classroom, on the field of play and right in their own communities.”

According to Gerald N. Tirozzi, executive director of the National Association of Secondary School Principals, “These students have demonstrated exceptional dedication throughout their high school careers and should be commended for their many great achievements.”

The program is currently in the state winner phase. During each phase, the field is narrowed to determine which students will advance. As students progress, they are judged by a panel that includes past Wendy’s High School Heisman winners as well as leaders in education, business, athletics and community service.

By the end of November, the state winners will be narrowed down to 12 national finalists. Those national finalists will travel to New York City (December 10-12) to participate in the Heisman weekend festivities where the top male and female student athletes will be named Wendy’s High School Heisman National Winners. This will take place during an honorary awards ceremony televised on ESPN2 on Sunday, December 14.

“She’s very deserving and we’re really proud of her,” Kelli Spies, Holden High School Activities Director said. “When we nominated her back in September we knew she had a great chance of being a finalist, but we had no idea she’d be a state winner.”

Holden High School Principal Matt Lindsey said he believes Davidson is extremely deserving of the award, noting that she works very hard in athletics, academics and community service. Lindsey called Davidson “a very well-rounded individual.”

“I think it’s a very prestigious honor,” Lindsey said. “It’s a tremendous honor for Sandy, her family, this school and the community.”

All state winners and finalists will be posted on www.wendysheisman.com.

By Rusty Hartwell
Publisher

The Holden R-3 Board of Education discussed bids received for purchase of the old intermediate school buildings during their regular meeting Monday night.

The school buildings and land have been divided up by the board for bidding purposes into three parcels.

Parcel one includes the two-story school building and the old one-story building that housed the sixth grade and superintendent’s office. Parcel two includes the bus barn, currently in use by the district and parcel three includes an extra area of land that sits adjacent to the bus barn.

Bids were received by the district from five individuals all together. According to Superintendent Dr. Lindell Harrison, the buildings were shown to several more people than actually bid, and nine bid forms were handed out.

A $60,000 bid on parcels two and three, the bus barn and land adjacent to it, was received from Rodger McConville and Mike Watterson. According to information included with the bid, McConville and Watterson intend to use the building for a cabinet shop, contingent on approval of city zoning for business use. The intended use for parcel three is construction of a new home.

According to Harrison, part of the board’s long range plans include the construction of a new bus barn closer to the current R-3 campus in the bus parking lot. “This may be our chance to do that,” Harrison said. “Our long term interest is best served by putting the bus barn out in the bus parking lot.”

The board voted to reward the bid to McConville and Watterson, contingent on approval of zoning issues.

There were three bids received which included parcel one, the two-story school building and the old superintendent’s office.

If approved, a $3,500 bid from Donovan Hite would see the buildings historically preserved and possibly placed on a national registry for historical sites.

Another bid for parcel one was received from John Goeking for $7,500, which also included parcel 2, for the purpose of senior citizen housing.

Another bid for parcel one was received from Brenda Brubraugh. The $10,002 bid would include both the two-story and the one-story school buildings. Brubraugh’s intended use would be to live in some of the building and make the gym into a dinner theatre. Brubraugh also said she may turn some of the building into apartments later.

There was some discussion among board members as to whether it would be feasible to separate parcel one, allowing interested persons to bid only on the two-story building without the one-story building or vice versa.

Harrison told the board he didn’t feel that would be feasible, since the buildings are connected by heating, water and electrical systems.

During discussion of the bids, one of the bidders, Donovan Hite addressed the board in an effort to explain his position as far as price offered in relation to intent for the buildings use.

“I am told the asbestos removal alone could cost upwards of $50,000,” Hite told the board. “I made a very thorough survey of the building.” Hite said the asbestos removal would be absolutely necessary due to his desire to have the building historically recognized.

The board approved a motion to table the issue for further consideration and return for a decision no later than the next regularly scheduled board meeting on December 13.

By Christi Stowe
News Editor