Minooka Community High School again hikes student parking fees

MINOOKA – Most school fees will remain the same for the 2018-19 school year at Minooka Community High School, but fees for student parking will increase from $130 to $150 a year.

MCHS Assistant Superintendent of Business John Troy explained at Thursday night’s board meeting that parking is in high demand at Central Campus, and additional funds are necessary to counter wear and tear.

Parking fees were most recently raised in 2017 from $125 to $130, and in 2015 they were raised from $120 to $125.

A new $25 technology fee also was added for the upcoming year. Troy said that with the continuing improvements and additions to technology used for education at the school, it was time to institute a fee.

“We are implementing a lot of new technology in the classrooms and we are doing renovations on the computer systems that the students use,” Troy said.

School fees that will remain the same for next year are full-time registration fees ($230), part-time registration fees ($115), bowling ($30), driver’s education ($175), summer driver’s education ($325) and athletic/activity fees ($30).

Science Department Chairwoman Donna Engel also gave board members demonstrations of ways science teachers are bringing the subject to life in the classroom. One example included increasing engineering practices in biology.

Engel presented an artificial limb made by students of Alexa Tancil, an MCHS teacher. The challenge was to design a prosthetic leg that would allow an individual who lost his or her leg during a zombie apocalypse to walk.

Students were given different choices of materials that might be found in a dumpster. The end goal was for students to be able to strap on the limb and walk across the classroom.

School administrators plan to use “Magazine Mondays,” in which various science magazines are made available to students to annotate, to increase science literacy. Science-related books, like “The Disappearing Spoon” by Sam Kean, also are made available in classrooms.

Science teachers have their own book study, attend more science conferences and have active collaborations with the physics department at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Also at the meeting, junior Kristina Sickler was commended for placing sixth in state out of the 150 bowlers in the competition.

“This is an outstanding accomplishment,” coach Frank Yudzentis said. “Kristina’s been a varsity bowler since her freshman year, and each year she’s gotten better.”

The MCHS girls’ bowling team placed seventh in the state.

The board addressed several personnel matters after a closed session, including the nonrenewal of probationary guitar teacher Tyler White and the nonrenewal and honorable dismissal of probationary English teacher Jessica Connolly.

Science teacher Nick Barello, English teacher Kendyl Lincoln and social studies teacher Chris Williamson were granted tenure.

Leslie Hencinski and Mike Larsen were given extracurricular appointments, as assistant boys volleyball coach at a stipend of $4,746 and assistant boys lacrosse coach, at a stipend of $3,306, respectively.

The board also authorized creating 13 summer positions for cleaning the grounds, technology-related positions and a receptionist.

An additional Minooka High School District 111 Board meeting was scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday at the Central Campus Career Center, 301 S. Wabena Ave., Minooka, and the April 5 meeting was canceled.