By Ruth Fennema –

At last week’s monthly Edgerton school board meeting, Superintendent Buckridge informed the board on current COVID stats.  There is one staff member and 11 students that have been exposed to COVID.   

There is testing available for staff members and the vaccine is now also available for staff members.  Three staff members received the first dose of the vaccine last week.  The vaccine is given first to staff that have age or health related issues making the inoculation critical for them.  The inoculations could take place on a weekly basis in order of priority. 

Brandon Gunnink was welcomed to the EPS board at the January 19, 2021, meeting.  Brandon replaces Ross Kreun, and Greg Arp took the place of Kyle Landin towards the end of last year.   

Due to the changes in board members, the committee assignments were changed to accommodate the strengths of the current board members. Each board member was assigned to four committees. Lon Anker remains the chairman of the board and Gene Westenberg is vice-chairman.  Ivan Vande Griend was elected as the new clerk. 

There have been several changes in the enrollment numbers.  There were several students using the home-schooling method at the beginning of the year who now have returned to the classroom.  There is always a fluctuation in enrollment during the year because people move away or transfer in from another district.  Current enrollment in kindergarten through twelfth grade is at 403. 

The board spent some time discussing the placement of the new greenhouse for the ag dept.  The options at the top of the list were placing it on part of the practice football field or at the south end of the school’s transportation garage.  The advantage of placing it on the practice field is that it would be directly across from the shop, which is where Mr. Thompson, the ag teacher, has his other class.  The southern part of the school property would allow the greenhouse to be protected from strong winds by having another building next to it.  The board appeared to be leaning toward the spot by the transportation building, but no firm decision was made on placement.   

Principal Gilbertson was pleased to report that basketball games are taking place once again with two spectators allowed at the game for each player.  Transportation to games will be available for all students who need this option. 

For the complete article, please see the January 27th edition of the Edgerton Enterprise. If you do not currently receive the Enterprise, CLICK HERE for information on how to subscribe!