Five students from Glacier Middle School talked to the White River School Board at its Oct. 14 meeting, detailing the many issues – both good and bad – that have come up in combining White River and Glacier middle schools this fall.

In the spring, to help with a budget deficit, the board decided to combine its two middle schools, each with roughly 400 students, into one middle school and chose the Glacier campus, which until a few years ago served as the district’s high school.

Students said they had become comfortable with the smaller student population their former schools presented, but were adapting. A positive was they were making new friends.

Principals Teresa Sinay and Andy McGrath spoke to the board about another transition happening at the school - grading. The middle school is moving to a more balanced grading system, but it will be a change from the traditional A, B, C, D, F system parents, teachers and students have come to know.

In other business, the board:

• announced it will host its next special meeting at 6 p.m. Oct. 28 and its next regular meeting at 6 p.m. Nov. 18, both in the board conference room.

• Approved out-of-state travel for Pam Stern to attend Language! training in Denver; McGrath, Sinay, Paul Weymiller and Tammy Mitchell to do a site visit to Orem, Utah; LeeAnn Alfano, Anna McAllister, Jennifer Bogard and Kim Adams to attend Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) Training of trainers in San Jose, Calif.; and Greg Borgerding to AVID district director training to Riverside, Calif.

• noted the district is 17 students over budget and 32 up from September.

• hired Jeanne Nole as a licensed practical nurse for the 2009-10 school year only.

• met FFA officers Kelsy Smith, president; Mikey Burley, vice president; Amanda Alvord, secretary; Kayla LeTourneau, treasurer; Taylor Moyer, reporter and Sarah Kohout, sentinel.

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