By Matt Clevenger
For Miami Valley Today
CASSTOWN — After conducting surveys to seek input from students and parents, the Miami East Board of Education has approved school calendars for the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school years.
“This year we surveyed both the staff and parents for their suggestions,” district superintendent Dr. Todd Rappold said before the two new calendars were approved during the board’s regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 18. “In both surveys, over 70 percent requested a two-week Christmas break. The next highest-ranking choice was to be out before Memorial Day, and the last-ranked choice was a full week for spring break.”
“We heard lots of positive comments from parents,” Dr. Rappold said. “It gave the calendar committee good information as we were creating the school calendar.”
Student’s first day will be Aug. 26, after the Miami County Fair, and the district will take two weeks off at Christmas break. Students will also get a full week for spring break and be out of school before Memorial Day.
“The 2021-2022 school calendar will look very similar,” Dr. Rappold said.
In other business, board members also heard reports on the district’s recent Hoops for Hope fundraiser and VikingFest carnival.
“This is the fifth year that the Lady Vikings have supported Hoops for Hope,” Dr. Rappold said. “During that time, they have raised over $5,000. Two Saturdays ago, when they played the Northwestern Warriors, they raised $1,452 and they presented that check Friday night to Hospice of Miami County.”
VikingFest was also a success.
“We had folks in the building from the time the doors opened to the time the doors closed,” Dr. Rappold said. “We had probably close to 30 high school students who were in attendance, and staff members who were in attendance running the games.”
“It’s just an old-time school carnival,” he said. “The really nice thing about VikingFest is that all of the proceeds go back to the students and staff.”
Also at Tuesday’s meeting, board members heard a financial report from district treasurer Lisa Fahncke.
“We’re pretty much right on target for the year,” Fahncke said. “Our revenue’s reflecting actual over budgeted and our expenditures reflecting under the amount budgeted, so that puts us in a positive position for the year.”
Board members also congratulated the boys and girls swim teams, who are both 2020 CCC conference champions, and also announced several other important upcoming dates.
Kindergarten registration and screening will be held on April 30 and May 1 this year, and board members also announced that they will conduct their annual tour of the district on Tuesday, March 24. starting at the junior high school at 8 a.m.
The board’s next regularly scheduled meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, March 16.
