School board okays softball field upgrade

The Wahkiakum School District board met Tuesday for a short meeting and reviewed projects under way.

More than half of kindergarten through third grade students at Julius Wendt Elementary school are eligible for free or reduced lunches, Superintendent Bob Garrett said.

Sixty-four of 104 children in kindergarten through third grade receive free or reduced lunches, Garrett said. The district began to receive additional funding this year because of that population in the last school funding formula.

Directors approved the refurbishing of the old softball field for use by high school girls. District staff priced materials that will make it usable until the drainage issues at the new athletic fields can be resolved.

Directors discussed the irony of retrofitting the old field while new athletic fields are unused.

“It will take some time for us to get money together (to make the new fields usable),” Garrett said. Bids from turf experts have topped $80,000, he said.

Cindy Fudge, the new high school softball coach, has reviewed and supports the plan, Garrett said.

Director Tina Schubert said, “If we fix them up, they’ll be used for practice fields when the other fields are in use. It’s not a waste of money.”

Elementary and Middle School students are studying an anti-bullying curriculum, Principal Theresa Libby said.

“In our school, it won’t be someone saying, Give me your lunch money. We’re dealing with verbal put downs, rude comments, and how to respond, without bullying back,” she said.

Libby will hold a round table for parents on bullying on November 1 at 6 p.m. in Room 101 of John Thomas Middle School.

High School Principal Dan Casler and Libby are developing a work plan for a Gear Up grant of $36,000 they have received to prepare students for college. The program starts with seventh graders and supports them through high school.