FARMINGTON – The Board of Directors of Regional School Unit 9 on Tuesday, Nov. 8, highlighted the efforts of their athletic program.
Cyndi Pratt, director of student activities, sat before the board and spoke about the quality of the program since she joined RSU 9 in August. “I’m in full swing and it doesn’t feel like I’ve slowed down yet,” she commented.
“I think we’ve had a really successful fall season and things are quickly gearing up for the winter season,” Pratt said.
Mt. Blue High School saw an influx of students in field hockey and boys’ soccer, whose roster was large enough to warrant a varsity and JV team.
An application has been made to permit a Cross Country Field Trip to the New England Cross Country Championships at Ponaganset High School in Rhode Island. Students Cryus Evans and Henri McCourt qualified with their performance at the October 29 State Cross Country Meet. The motion was passed unanimously.
Farmington Director Gloria McGraw commented that a turf and AstroTurf committee was formed at the previous night’s booster meeting. She stated the committee will gather information to present to the board in the future. “There was already a lot of know-how there,” she says.
Superintendent Christian Elkington also highlighted the boys’ and girls’ cross-country and girls’ soccer teams, who each received sportsmanship awards, saying: “We’re working hard again on the pitches and we’re still good sports when it comes to how we treat Officials, how we deal with the other teams, the spectators and of course the other players.
Joining Pratt on the management report was Kevin Bremner, Director of Technology. Bremner presented two updates, on the one hand all outdated firewalls except for one department had been replaced.
The second concerned an estimated delivery date of copiers for the district. According to Bremner, the copiers should be delivered by the end of December. “A few months behind but hopefully that will happen soon,” he said.
Farmington Director Alexander Creznic asked Bremner to expand the cybersecurity initiatives he mentioned in his report. Bremner replied: “As it stands now, we really don’t have a coherent plan. Over the years we’ve just done things to make the network more secure.”
Bremner said cybersecurity is a very important issue and hopes that he and his staff have done the groundwork for a larger cybersecurity plan over the next few months.
Elkington added that he will be working with Bremner over the next six to eight months to create a 10-year technology roadmap for approval next fall.
In new business, 10 policies were submitted for revision and review. A motion was made and supported, leading to a discussion. Director Judith “Libby” Kaut of New Sharon shared her claim with the last four policies in the review. The changes made concerned suspension and expulsion.
Creznic requested an amendment to the motion, approving the first six policy changes and excluding the last four. New Vineyard’s Charles Hind supported the motion, adding to the discussion, “I’m not going to call a ‘she’ a ‘he’ or a ‘he’ a ‘she,’ so just to let you know.”
Dorothy Robinson of Chesterville said: “It doesn’t mean you’re going to call ‘he’ an ‘she’, it changes ‘he/she’ to ‘she/she’. It doesn’t change gender, just to be clear.”
The motion to change the motion failed, Creznic and Kaut voted in favour, with 11 votes against.
As originally presented, all 10 policies have been approved. 12 voted in favor of the revisions, Creznic, Kaut and Hinds opposed.
