School Advisory Council
Meeting
January 19, 2005
In attendance: Dan Kennedy, CSM Mike Collis, Bridget Jones,
Jim Young, Cynthia Wallace, Anthony Vignocchi, Madalyn Andrews, Robert Graham,
Ken Cowles, Jann Vasiloff, Bill Race, Cadet Katie Vasiloff, Cadet Whitney
Vosick, Cadet Kyle Seeger, Cadet Katherine Valdesuso, Robert Lechner, Col.,
Stephen Cork
The meeting was called to
order at 11:35 a.m. by chair, Cindy Wallace; the minutes for the November 17,
2004 meeting were approved as written.
Headmaster’s Report: Enrollment remains
steady. Some students transferred out at
the end of the semester, but almost an equal number transferred in. Class size continues to maintain at 25:1 or
less with few exceptions. Our dual
enrollment program with Manatee Community College is in progress with classes
in math, English and biology. Our
certificate from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools arrived and
will be prominently placed for all to see.
Credit for this achievement is shared by all faculty and staff, but
especially to Mr. Lechner who had the enormous task of pulling it all together.
Commandant’s Report: The bank signed the letter of
intent for the purchase of the property; the bond issue was approved by the county’s
Citizens’ Advisory Committee which is the first step in the County Commission’s
approval which we hope to obtain on January 26th. Closing on the property is scheduled for
February 9th. Mr. Kennedy
commended Col. Cork for the excellent and diligent effort he put forth to make
this purchase possible. Revenue remains
consistently good; budget set for 450 students; actual payment is for 425-430
students. Heavier weight jackets were
issued by the Army and are being given to students beginning with
freshmen. These are part of the Class B
issue and will need to be turned in with the uniform upon leaving the
academy. Any parts of the uniform that
need to be exchanged due to size change, etc., can be done throughout the
year. Once they are dry cleaned and
returned to CSM Swiney new items are issued.
The Military Ball went very well, the guest speaker well received. CSM Matt Collis relocated to North Carolina;
CSM Keith Daly has joined the staff. We
are one of the very few JROTC units in the state to have more than one CSM on
staff.
Old Business: Discussion on an internal school strategic
plan for excellence was resumed. Cindy
Wallace emphasized the need for AP and DE courses. Mr. Kennedy reiterated that we do have an
agreement with MCC for 11th & 12th graders who
qualify in math, biology, and language arts.
They must first be accepted to MCC as students, and fulfill the
prerequisites required for each course.
Any 11th or 12th grader is eligible to take AP
courses that are offered. They can
register and take the test which if passed will appear on their
transcript. Teachers must be trained to
teach AP courses. Mr. Kennedy stated
that the DE offers college as well as high school credit where the AP offers
only high school credit, but does exempt students from college level courses if
the AP test is passed. (Criteria for AP may vary from one college to another.) SMA does have a couple of students enrolled
at Vo-Tech therefore doing part-time at each school. If a student requests the curriculum it
usually can be accommodated.
Cindy Wallace said that she
has had parents talk about adding electives.
Mr. Kennedy stated that new electives are considered, and classes added
and changed as demand and space allows.
Some electives are more difficult to schedule than others such as band
where continuity is desirable. Altering
the block system was discussed and has been considered; i.e., A day, B
day. Mr. Kennedy said that topic will
have to be discussed with the faculty and may be a possibility in the
future. Mrs. Vasiloff said that as long
as we keep our size as is we cannot offer as much as the larger high schools,
and that we need to remember that when parents choose to send their child(ren)
to SMA they are not only choosing what SMA has to offer, but also choosing to
leave behind what the larger schools with more space and more faculty do offer;
the academics must come first, not at the expense of adding more
electives. The possibility of summer
school was mentioned, and Mr. Kennedy stated that it may be a possibility for
certain courses. However, there could be
the problem of scheduling in the fall, for instance if personal fitness were
offered during the summer and many SMA cadets chose to take it, it could leave
the fall offering with not enough to take the class leaving the teacher and
students without a class. Our
possibilities include FCAT prep and AIP offerings. If summer courses are offered to SMA students
they may be offered to other county students on a fee basis. Cindy mentioned that SAC should develop a
framework for this internal SPE. She
will talk with Mr. Lechner about developing such a document that would include
a needs assessment, prioritize objectives, and a building blocks method of
attaining goals.
Madalyn Andrews asked if a
complete package of instructions, manuals, etc., including information
regarding the requirements for student volunteer hours and the forms be
assembled for students and parents particularly freshmen so that parents are
aware of what is needed and the procedures.
Cindy mentioned that she encounters many parents who do not know the
requirements of Bright Futures and that would be helpful. Mrs. Vasiloff mentioned that all that
material is available in the guidance office and on the web site; many items
such as Pathways are sent home with the cadets so the information is
available. Cadet Vosick stated that the
many volunteer opportunities are available through JROTC, all are all posted on
a board and all cadets are made aware of them.
Anyone can sign up for them to get community service hours. It was suggested that these opportunities
could be added to the web site.
Facility improvements
continue with the upgrading of all the rooms.
There is a 4 year life on the portables and adding a new wing to replace
those is in the future plans of the academy.
It was suggested that a committee assist Col. Cork in the assessment of
the facilities improvement; Robert Graham, Cadet Vasiloff and CSM Collis
volunteered.
Expansion to South County is
as before-no site has been found so we are looking at August 2006 before
opening there. The middle school
expansion is about the same there is no location as yet, and opening a junior
college is still something that could happen, but that is very far in the
future.
New Business: SMA will be the recipient of a portion of the
proceeds from the Creative Cooks fund raiser due to the generosity of that
group. Some tables are still available;
silent auction items are still needed.
CSM Collis said that about 90
cadets will go on the Appalachian Trail.
They will be mostly freshmen and sophomores. This year motor coaches will be used to
transport them due to a $500 donation.
Summer camp will be for those cadets who will be juniors in the fall;
approximately 40 will go and will be selected from the leadership positions.
Cindy stated that elections
for next year’s SAC should be held at the end of this year rather than wait
until school starts, so that the SAC is up and running when school opens. We will need a slate developed as some of
current members’ terms are up. Cindy
would like to see incoming freshmen parents selected at the orientation meeting
in March so their names can be included.
Bridget Jones mentioned that someone will need to be selected to finish
her term this year since she will be going on maternity leave. Cindy stated that she will not chair SAC next
year as other commitments will consume her time. It was the consensus of the group that for
continuity’s sake it would be best if someone currently on the committee step
up to chair. Mr. Kennedy thanked Cindy
for the excellent job she has done and commended her for the promptness of the
meetings and keeping them on track. Mr.
Race said he felt it was time for someone else from the business community to
fill his position, but Mr. Kennedy asked him to reconsider; that he brings a
lot to the table, and is a valuable member.
Cadet Vasiloff explained the
cell phone turn in program that SADD is participating in, and asked all the
members to take fliers to their places of business and their friends. The money will be used in part to plant a
tree of life as a visible, daily reminder of good decision making, the cadets
are getting very good at teaching classes, they will start weekly announcements
about SADD that are written by the cadets, and they would like to be able to
attend the national conference this year.
The next meeting will be held
February 16, 2005 at 11:30 a.m.; meeting adjourned at 12:35 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Jann Vasiloff, Recording
Secretary