During the recent meeting of the Winslow Unified School District Governing Board the board voted to rename the Winslow High School Student Union in honor of Art Griffith. Griffith, a dedicated educator, had devoted an impressive 51 years of service to Winslow High School. His exemplary contributions were acknowledged through inductions into various esteemed halls of fame, including the Arizona High School Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame, Arizona Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, and the National High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
The board explored the possibility of holding a dedication ceremony to commemorate Art Griffith’s legacy. While the specific date is pending confirmation, discussions leaned towards scheduling the event during the last week of September. This timing aligns with the Standin’ on the Corner Festival, which attracts a substantial influx of past residents who may want to attend the dedication to the city.
The initiative to rename the student union hall as a tribute to Art Griffith was spurred by a heartfelt letter from Joe Benham. Benham, who had previously played a role in naming the football field after Emil Nasser and the industrial arts building after Rocky Rockwell, resonated with the board members’ sentiments. There were concerns about the renaming of district facilities and potentially running out of places to name after faculty, but as board member Allen Leonard puts it, there are not many people who have served the district as long as Griffith.
The board also revisited the main topic of conversation for the previous board meeting which was about transportation for young students. The board presented a policy adjustment for Jefferson Elementary School students to utilize the school bus if their residence is located beyond half a mile from the school. This change, motivated by worries about young student’ safety and convenience, was implemented two weeks ago in response to community feedback. Although the policy won’t be official until the second reading at the next board meeting, the district has implemented the policy for the last couple of weeks due to the backlash received from the public during the first week of school.
During the meeting, Tony Mora, the district’s transportation director, provided reassuring feedback on the policy change. He reported that the transition had proceeded smoothly and garnered positive feedback from parents.
The board also had adopted certain policy revisions, two policies related to staff leave were discussed. Policy GCCA-Professional/Support Staff Sick Leave was revised to credit new leave balances on the first pay day. Similarly, Policy GCCB-Professional/Support Staff Personal/Nonemergency/Religious Leave was updated to allow staff members to utilize nonemergency leave during inclement weather up to two times per year.
Also, during the meeting, a member of the public addressed the board regarding the potential establishment of a high school soccer team. The concern stemmed from the impact on the local youth football league, which holds games on Saturdays on the high school’s field. The speaker expressed willingness to collaborate with the board to ensure minimal disruptions to the youth league’s activities but to still compensate soccer’s schedule.
In other business, the board:
* Approved the following fundraising requests: WHS Honor Society, Snack cabinet, $.25-$2.50 per item; WHS Dance Line, Standin’ on the Corner pictures, donations; WHS Dance Line, car wash donations; WHS Dance Line, fall dance showcase/clinic, $40; WHS Dance Line, Fall showcase clinic performance, $5; WHS Spiritline Club, Homecoming dance tickets, $8, $12; WHS Spiritline Club, football programs, $1; WHS Baseball Club, ETeam sponsor, donations; WHS Skills USA Construction, Activity-toy drive, donations; WHS Skills USA Construction, activity-coat drive, donations; WJHS Art Club, parking space painting, $50; WJHS Art Club, Halloween dance/concessions, $4, $5. Fundraiser by the Booster Club: WHS Dance Line Booster Club, Cardinals ticket raffle (online-not school related), one for $5, 5 for $20, 25 for $100; WHS Dance Line Booster Club, Silent Auction at Fall dance showcase, $10-$50. Facility use: WHS Lady Bulldogs Booster Club, dessert auction.
* Approved the following out-of-state travel requests: Winslow Junior High School student council is traveling to Anaheim, Calif., to attend a leadership conference from Feb. 6-9, 2024, including sponsors Sabrina and Sharon Vasquez, two volunteers and 12 students, with the student council covering the cost; Tyler Allen, WHS Band Instructor, to attend the annual Midwest Clinic in Chicago, Ill., from Dec. 12-23, with Title IV grant covering the cost of the travel.
* Approved the following extracurricular/extra duty pay at Winslow High School: Tyler Allen for band ($4,771) and orchestra ($1,714), Bryce Barris for yearbook ($2,117) and career center ($500), Michelle Jones for National Honor Society ($2,587), Joanna Venegas for student council ($2,285), Marie Putman for PAC sound/lights/stage manager ($1,100), and Kyle Phillips as girls junior varsity basketball coach.
* Approved designating CVE Multimedia LLC as a sole source provider.
* Approved the following volunteers at Winslow Junior High School: Karen Rockwell for student council, John Vasquez for student council, and Michael Magallanes for football.
* Approved paraprofessional Brianna Luna’s resignation.
* Approved the following job transfers: David Degroff, transferring from bus driver (10 month) to bus driver/custodian (12 month) and Kyle Decker, transferring from custodian/bus driver (12 month) to bus driver (10 month).
*Approved the following hires at Jefferson Elementary School, Reva Hallman as second grade teacher; in transportation, Joshua Fussell as part time bus driver; and in special education, Ashlee Branson as part time speech paraprofessional and Monica Skaggs as overtime paraprofessional.
The next meeting of the WUSD Governing Board will be held at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 20, in the meeting room, located at 800 N. Apache Ave.
