Stew-Stras Board Schedules School Kickoff Celebration

There are many changes facing students and parents in the Stewardson-Strasburg School District heading into the new school year, so school officials have scheduled a kickoff celebration to welcome those old and new to get acquainted and to see what's new.

Stew-Stras Superintendent Michele Lindenmeyer said the kickoff celebration will be held on August 11. It'll be an opportunity to meet new Grades K-12 principal Justin Deters, who is succeeding the departed Mark Giertz, and to share more about the expanded sports co-op with the Windsor school district. There are also plans to raffle off old Stew-Stras uniforms, hold a cookout, and to have a garage sale where old desks and files and other no-longer-needed items may be sold.

Stew-Stras board members filled some coaching vacancies. Silas Pogue of Windsor was named the Windsor/Stew-Stras Hatchets head baseball coach and Ben Giertz of Stew-Stras was named assistant coach, Sarah Gentry of Stew-Stras was hired as girls track coach, and Brittany Holsapple was hired as Windsor/Stew-Stras head softball coach and Jason Newkirk was named assistant coach.

The Board also named Courtney Wittenberg as a library aide, and Ben Giertz as a Special Education aide. Wages of non-certified staffers, except for bus drivers, were set as of July 1 with bus drivers pay to be set at the July meeting.

The Stew-Stras board also approved a policy that allows children of fulltime district employees to enroll tuition-free if space is available; authorized Lindenmeyer to spend up to $12,500 for athletic field excavation and installation of new softball fence; agreed to purchase a used 14-passenger activity bus; and purchase a security fob system for new exterior entrance doors. Board members heard that demolition work and asbestos abatement work on the old restroom next to the gym has been completed and now the work to install the new restroom will begin.