MVCSD News End of the Year
The End is Near!!
The school year is rapidly coming to a close. It has been a fantastic school year but as our weather has finally the turned the corner it is evident that all of our students want to be outside. At the time of this writing track and golf is wrapping up and our baseball and softball programs are now in full swing. Summer is approaching fast. This article will highlight a few of our end of year events and discuss the remaining projects that will occur at the high school as we wrap up our remodeling project at the High School.
Let’s begin with our building project. As the punch-list for the project winds down, there are a few remaining items that will need to be completed to finish the Phase I process. A number of our room ventilators throughout the High School will need to be re-plumbed. The initial set-up was done incorrectly. A decision was made this past winter to have this work completed this summer when our students were out of the building. When this is completed, additional technical modifications and recalibrations to the heating units will also need to be programmed to ensure peak performance. Landscaping to the front of the facility will be occurring during the month of May. The cement stain at the High School entrance has not adhered to the concrete as expected so this will need to be addressed. The staining process will need to be completely redone or the cement will need to be removed and the stain will have to be mixed into the concrete. Once these items are addressed, Phase I will be complete.
Phase II of our work will begin immediately after graduation. Beginning on May 17th, the high school gymnasium bleachers will be removed. As soon as the bleachers are removed, gym floor removal will begin. Some members of our Booster Club, members from our community as well as some of our students have graciously volunteered to help in this process. Once the old bleachers and floor are removed, the flooring company will arrive to determine how level the floor is. If the floor does not meet installation specifications, liquid cement may need to be poured to level the floor. We are all hoping this does not need to occur. Once the floor is prepped, the raw floor boards will be delivered and have to “rest” in the gym for 4 to 7 days to acclimate to the weather and humidity. Once acclimated, installation can begin. When the floor is installed, painting will begin and the finish and seal will be applied. This whole process will take approximately 6 to 8 weeks. Bleacher installation will begin the first of August and that will be a 3 to 5-day process.
A colossal thank you goes to our Booster Club and Delhi Little League for the work that they have done to the baseball and softball facilities. The Booster Club replaced all of our old wooden bleachers with new aluminum bleachers and Little League updated the concession stand and locker rooms and batting cage area. Because of their donations and community contributions to these organization, our facilities look fantastic.
As our gymnasium work continues the High School gym roof will be replaced. This roof is over 20 years old and is in need of updating. In the month of June, the high school classrooms will be painted and then prepped for carpet installation. This means there will be a large amount of moving desks, chairs, cabinets, books, shelving, teacher materials, etc., in and out of classrooms. The Science and Consumer Science classrooms as well as the junior and senior hallways will have the floor tile removed. Since the tile does contain asbestos, the building will have to be vacated during the removal process. Once the tile in extracted, in July it will be replaced with an epoxy floor. During this process, some ceiling tile, electrical work and light fixture replacement will also be occurring. As usual, the campus at Delhi will be hectic. Once this work is done, Phase II of our High School renovation will be completed.
On May 6th, Baccalaureate was held in the High School Auditorium and our Dollars for Scholars Senior Awards Ceremony immediately followed Baccalaureate. The work that our Dollars for Scholars Board does for our kids to reduce post-secondary education costs for our families is unheard of. This is something that truly makes Maquoketa Valley so unique and special. It appears that over $75,000 was distributed to our seniors. It is mind-boggling what the Dollars for Scholars members continue to do each and every year for our graduating seniors.
May 9th was our Academic Excellence and National Honor Society Banquet. Dr. Jeffrey Butikofer from Upper Iowa University was our guest of honor. Dr. Butikofer is a 1996 graduate of Maquoketa Valley and currently is Professor of Chemistry at Upper Iowa University. Those student’s that qualified for this year’s Academic Excellence Banquet included our seniors of Amanda Engelken, Heath Gibbs and Brittany Sabers. Juniors students are Olivia Hoeger, Hannah Lahr, Emma McDowell, Megan Rausch, Chloe Roling, Sam Wall, Brooke Wilson and Norman Wilson. Those Sophomores that qualified include Chance Downs, Amber Engelken, Lydia Helle, Carter Hildebrand, Kailyn Hogan, Jordyn Kemp, Mason Lubben, Shelby March and Summer Schmuecker. Our Freshman AE students are Olivia Hanken-Arlen, Paige Panosh and Kim Sellner. Those students newly inducted into National Society include Hannah Lahr, Chloe Roling, Chance Downs, Lydia Helle, Carter Hildebrand, Mason Lubben, Shelby March and Summer Schmuecker.
Finally, I wanted to take this opportunity to give a HUGE shout out to Jane Huber, Kathy Jurgens, Karen Siebert and Vicki Spellerberg. These four individuals will be retiring at the end of this school year. Between all of them they have given over 135 years of service to our kids. They all have made a lasting impact on the hundreds and hundreds of children that have been part of our district. I am extremely thankful for what they have given and they will be missed deeply. I want to wish them the best as they begin their next chapter of their lives. If you happen to run into Jane, Kathy, Karen or Vicki please take the time to thank them for their service to our kids and community.
I hope everyone has a great summer.