Yes, May 28th marked the last day of school for students.  However, June 1 became the first day of summer work around the school district. Brookville Schools have a maintenance and custodial staff of approximately 10 and an additional 3 student summer workers who are diligently cleaning our buildings top to bottom.  Between both buildings, somewhere in the vicinity of 215,000 square feet of classrooms, hallways, locker space, cafeterias, kitchen, offices, 

etc. are scrubbed, waxed, wiped down, painted and polished. While this is a major undertaking, the buildings are sure to look fantastic when students arrive in August.

 

While the cleaning goes on, our staff is also handling any repair or upgrades to machinery, chillers and technology.  Over 500 computer workstations are 

New access points have been installed.

shut down for general cleaning and the loading of new software.  One of the major projects this summer has been the addition of new access points that will significantly improve the Wi-Fi service in the intermediate and high school.  Through increased demands brought on by on-line testing and with more students utilizing electronic devices, this upgrade was sorely needed.

 

Work continues at a fast and furious pace to prepare our buildings for a new school year!

Mrs. Spangler (5th from left) recently completed mentoring classes.

 

Brookville students are fortunate to have access to the Montgomery County College Promise Program. This initiative has a mission statement to "identify, select and support up to 500 Montgomery County, poverty impacted, eighth grade students that have shown academic promise so that the dream of attending and graduating from college becomes a reality." 

 

The intent of the College Promise organization is to accept 50 students a year over 10 years to meet the ultimate goal of awarding scholarships to 500 students, thereby allowing them to attend college at little to no cost to them or their families.  The initial group of 50 began the program as freshmen in the fall of 2011. This means that the first round of College Promise students just graduated from high school, including three 2015 Brookville graduates.

 

Brookville Schools have been fortunate to have 3 to 5 students selected each year to be a part of this program.  BIS counselor Mrs. Sherril Spangler is the local coordinator who guides students through the application process, giving direction to parents on the interview process and overseeing the student-mentor relationship.  In fact, Mrs. Spangler, pictured above, recently received instruction in how to train mentors.

 

We are thrilled to be part of a program that can have such a profound impact on lives and we are thankful for the time and effort Mrs. Spangler has put into this program.  To learn more about the College Promise Program or how to serve as a mentor, visit their website at www.mcocp.org.

 

Q:  Where is your hometown?

Clayton, Ohio.

 

Q:  Where do you live now?

I live in Lewisburg, Ohio.

 

Q:  How many years have you worked in Brookville?

This is my 15th year at Brookville.

 

Q:  Tell us about your family. 

My wife, Rachel, is from West Milton. I have 2 children, Austin (18) and Brooke (15). My in-laws retired and headed to the sunny and hot town of Fort Myers, Florida. My mother is a retired registered nurse.  My father is retired from the Air Force and from his job as a commercial artist. My 2 brothers still live in the area.

 

Q:  What is your favorite thing about working at Brookville?

Working in a small town school and having the privilege of working with the kids and great staff!

 

Q:  How do you spend your vacation time off from work?

I spend as much time as possible with my wife, children and their activities. I hang out with my friends and I spend time working and relaxing at our property in the country. I enjoy golfing, woodworking, fishing, hunting, boating, taking long trips to the beach or just weekends away.

 

Brookville Schools are proud of our series, "Where Are They Now?" which features profiles of past Brookville High School graduates. These graduates have responded to brief questions concerning their education or training after high school, their current occupation and their words of wisdom to the students in our buildings.

 

For the months of June and July, this series is taking a break. We will be bringing it back in full force with our August 3rd edition.  In the meantime, our prior profiles can be found on our website. 

One of the behind the scenes activities of preparing for a new school year is the annual school bus inspection. This inspection typically happens in either late spring or early summer.  There is an Ohio State Patrol Inspection team that comes to the school district and initiates a detailed look at each bus.  The 2015 bus inspection took place on Friday, May 20. 

 

In total, 15 buses were inspected this year which included 13 Brookville buses and 2 regional special education buses.  The OSP spent approximately 7 hours inspecting each bus, front to back, to assure they meet safety standards.  Some of the more common issues that require attention include light bulbs that are not functioning or the foam padding on a seat not being thick enough.  Minor issues such as these are corrected while the inspection team is on site. 

 

Brookville school buses traveled 185,302 miles during the 2014-2015 school year.  While our district is geographically small compared to most, the mileage amount causes tremendous wear and tear on buses.  We are fortunate to have Mr. Frank Casson as our bus mechanic.  Mr. Casson has been preparing buses for inspection the last 27 years.

As is typical, all of our buses passed on inspection day.  This is another example of work taking place in our schools, outside the classroom and behind the scenes, which is vital to the providing children a safe school experience.