ONEIDA — ROWVA High School students may be studying chemistry in a “new” room in the near future.
ROWVA District 208 Superintendent Joe Sornberger on Jan. 15 displayed an architectural rendering showing how the current chemistry room could be remodeled into a new lab. It included all new fixtures, cabinets and tables on wheels that could be moved to be used for experiments. An acoustic ceiling and LEDs would update the ceiling and the floor would be changed to an epoxy surface.
“The ROWVA Public Schools Foundation is ready to step up and help make this happen. I hope to do it this summer,” Sornberger said.
He plans to ask the school board for permission to take bids in February. He estimated the new lab would cost $100,000 or more, but exact costs will not be known until bids are received. The room has needed updating for quite some time, according to Sornberger.
ROWVA agriculture teacher and FFA Advisor Rodney Main gave a comprehensive annual report for 2016-17 in which 118 students took a first semester agriculture class and 107 took a second semester agriculture class. There are 52 members of the ROWVA FFA Alumni, state and national associations.
Main reported that 36 members of the Class of 2016 had taken an ag education class during high school. Of those, 19 enrolled in college, including seven studying agriculture, and 17 joined the workforce or military.
ROWVA Central Elementary Principal Kerry Danner reported that the Ron Clark House project in the elementary continues to benefit the school. She said students have shown great enthusiasm for the system, with some getting winter coats or rubber bands for their braces in their “house” colors and one girl even made a shirt in her house colors. They will be learning about the character trait self-discipline beginning Jan. 19.
The district’s two unions will be notified that a Reduction in Force is possible, although Sornberger does not expect at this time that any RIF will be necessary.
The 2017-18 school calendar was amended to account for the snow day taken earlier this month.