Hiring of two science teachers completes ‘21-22 CCS staffing; track to be resurfaced

    Hiring of a pair of science teachers last week now completes the certificated staffing for 2021-22.
    At their monthly meeting June 8, CCS board members approved the hiring of Ashton Wasenius of Kearney and Joni Kirwan of Imperial.
    Both will be first-year teachers in the high school science department when they start their positions at CCS this fall.
    In a related vote, board members accepted the resignation from Mathew Lagerstrom, who was hired as a high school science teacher at the May meeting.
    Supt. Adam Lambert noted the board hired Lagerstrom last month on a verbal okay, but he hadn’t received a signed contract by the May 11 meeting. Lambert said he did send the signed document later, but then asked to resign due to family matters. The CCS board unanimously okayed his resignation.
    That was part of a busy school board meeting which included several improvement purchases and upgrades, as well as the purchase of new computers for the industrial tech department.
New teachers
    Wasenius comes to Imperial from Kearney, where he graduated in May from the University of Nebraska at Kearney with a BS degree in Applied Computer Science and a Health Science minor.
    He is now pursuing a Master of Arts degree in Curriculum and Instruction at UNK, and is in the Transitional Certification Program.
    Mike Sorensen, 7-12 principal, said Wasenius will teach biology, earth science and advanced biology, and replaces Elisha Hinojosa, who resigned earlier this year.
    Wasenius grew up in Arapahoe, and had originally entered a pre-med program. He was also in UNK’s Honors Program.
    He and his wife are parents to two young girls, Sorensen said.
    Kirwan, who lives in Imperial now, graduated from Kansas State University in December 2014 with a BS degree in Chemistry, and also earned a BS in Biochemistry from K-State in May 2014.
    Kirwan will teach chemistry, physical science, STEM and physics at CCS, and replaces Torri Lechtenberg, who also resigned.
    Part of Kirwan’s work experience includes a two-year stint from 2015-17 with the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, where she was a senior research technician and managed a colony of mice. She also ran genetic PCR to determine genotype, dissected mice as needed and had other duties.
    She also worked as a temporary analyst with Midwest Laboratories in its microbiology department from November 2017 to May 2018.
    Since living in Imperial, she’s worked at Veterinary Services, Bomgaars and the Imperial Credit Union.    
Track to be refurbished;
other updates approved
    Board members approved a $90,382 bid from Fisher Tracks in Boone, Iowa to refurbish the school track surface.
    After minor repairs, the company will apply a polyurethane structural spray, giving the track two separate coats applied in opposite directions to achieve uniform application.

    The bid price includes the track and all event areas, and has a 5-year warranty.
    A date for start of the track refurbishing was not given.
    The school’s industrial technology department will be getting 17 new computers, based on a 9-0 board vote last week. Fifteen laptop computers will stay in the classroom for use during classes. The other two will go to teachers Jeff Gleisberg and Jason Speck.
    Cost for the laptops from Sterling in No. Sioux City, South Dakota will be $27,819.48. Supt. Adam Lambert thought some federal dollars could be used to help with the purchase.
    The office area inside the school’s main entrance will have a new look when students return in the fall after the board approved $14,951.36 in new desks and work stations for the secretaries, $2,000 of which is for delivery from Eakes Office Solutions in North Platte.
    Supt. Lambert said no walls will be moved, but secretaries will be more spread out in work stations.
    Also seeing some upgrades this summer will be two music rooms that will receive new carpeting. The board approved the $16,700 quote from Samway Floor Covering of McCook for carpeting the band and choir rooms.
    Cost for the band room is $10,250. The choir room quote is $6,450. A $2,435 quote for carpeting the main office entryway, which is now tiled, was not approved. Board President Karl Meeske suggested personnel be contacted to determine if they want carpet there, and felt more discussion was warranted.
    Thirty-seven new partitions in bathrooms throughout the school will be installed this summer by Combined Building Specialists of Sioux Falls, South Dakota for $44,372.
    No action was taken on the $8,551.85 quote from Prime Communications, Inc. of Elkhorn for a new key fob system for the weightroom. Supt. Lambert said it stopped working middle of second semester. Board members preferred seeing if the current system can be fixed first.
    The board also discussed graveling some of the grassy area adjoining the east parking lot to the south, but no action resulted. Meeske asked the facilities and grounds committee to bring back recommendations after they discuss options.
Closed session    
    The board met at the end of last week’s meeting in closed session.
    According to the agenda, they were in closed session for two topics—to discuss strategy and receive legal advice on pending, imminent or threatened litigation and to evaluate the performance of the superintendent.