New Playground Approved for North Hancock Elementary
The Hancock County Board of Education met on Thursday evening, December 15th. Along with the approval of the final drawings for the new track and football field on the HCMS/HCHS campus, the purchase of a new playground was approved for North Hancock Elementary in 2023.
NHES New Playground
North Hancock Elementary School’s fundraisers for the new school playground are projected to have raised approximately $100,000 by the end of this school year. Principal Kelly Moore presented the Board with a list of fundraisers actively participated in by students and the money that has been raised from those to date, including their spring fundraiser, yearbooks sales and read-a-thon. She also presented board members with a list of donations NHES has received from local industries and businesses for the new playground, including Commonwealth, Don Moore Chevrolet Buick GMC, Domtar and Toyota Dealer Match Program.
Board members voted on and approved the decision to pay the remaining balance of that purchase. The existing playground at North Hancock was put together when the school was first built and was not all-new equipment. This money will allow for a brand new playground with new equipment at the school, that will tentatively be installed in late summer to early fall of 2023. Moore said they are seeking to raise a total of $245,000 in order to complete the playground in one installment.
The company, Miracle of KY & TN, will be installing a 5-12 Mega Tower Structure with a ten spin, Phyzics Moon Climber, 4 bay swing set with 8 seat belts, a swing and slide mats/14’ ten spin mats, 4’ long 12” tall surface timbers and certified wood playground mulch blown in. Hancock County Park Service will remove the existing equipment before the installment.
The Board Thanks Exiting Members
This was the last school board meeting for two of the board members, Allen Kennedy and Raphael Wheatley. They spoke and expressed how much they’ve both enjoyed serving. Several spoke at the meeting to thank them for their service on the board as well. Wheatley was nominated for a seat on the Local Planning Committee last month and will continue to serve in that capacity. Kennedy is retiring after many years of service on the Board.
The two new board members elected in November of this year, Vanessa Cox (representing District 1) and Brooke Payne (representing District 3), will begin their service attending their first meeting in January of 2023.
New Track and Football Field Final Drawings Approved
The board approved the final drawings for the new track and new football field on the HCMS/HCHS campus. Gary Nugent, owner of GN Excavating & Trucking Corporation donated the total amount for the new track and the new artificial turf football field – $480,000. They will be named GN Excavating Hornet Track and GN Excavating Stadium.
CSIP Approved
The Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (CSIP) was approved by the Board. The goal of CSIP is to raise the percentage of students scoring Proficient/Distinguished in the areas of reading, math, science, social studies and writing by Spring of 2024. These objectives will be reached through activities such as daily intervention/enrichment time in grades K-5, with Orton-Gillingham and LETRS curriculum.
