At the Danville Independent Schools Board of Education meeting Monday evening, the board had their first viewing of district calendars for the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 academic years, and they approved a bid for improvements to the baseball and soccer concessions stand and press box.

Chair and co-chair of the calendar committee, Assistant Principal at Mary G. Hogsett Primary School Pamela Hambrick and Bookkeeper at MGHPS Brittany Broach, commented on the calendar committee’s work.

Hambrick said, “The committee worked to put together calendar recommendations that balanced both the instructional needs of students and took into consideration the preferences of families and the community. We appreciate the time and thoughtful problem-solving of all committee members.”

Broach said, “We appreciate all the hard work from the committee members in creating calendars for two years. We also appreciate all the feedback from staff, students and parents on what they would like in the calendar. We hope that having two years completed will help families plan in the future.”

The board also approved a bid from a contractor to make improvements to the baseball and soccer concessions stand and press box. Based on a recommendation from staff, they chose Elite Builders group LLC out of the three contractors who placed bids.

“All three contractors do great work,” said Director of Transportation and Facilities Ernest Dunn. “They were all reasonably and competitively priced. Our decision to go with Elite was influenced by its connection to the DISD and them being graduates of Danville High School and former student-athletes that were familiar with the shortcomings of that facility.”

Improvements needed on the concessions stand and press box include renovations to flooring, roofing, and siding to help with wind and rain, plumbing, better windows, and moving the stairwell outside to add space.

Also during the meeting, representatives of Friends of the Arts gave a presentation on a poetry anthology entitled “Ink and Paper Verses,” a collection of poetry by Danville Schools and Boyle County Schools student honorees from the Frank X Walker Literary Festival Poetry Contest.

The books are available to purchase for $10 a copy at Plaid Elephant Books, and there will be two book signings there this week with the poets: Jan. 26 from 4-6 p.m., grades kindergarten through 5th, and Jan. 27 from 4-6 p.m., grades 6th through 12th.

Because it’s School Board Recognition Month and the meeting was held at MGHPS, students from the school who were recognized for their behavior and accomplishments presented board members with thank-you cards from students, and the school provided refreshments.

Students recognized:
• Amy Hernandez got a certificate from the Transportation Department because she takes it upon herself to check on her fellow bus riders before they leave the bus.

• Caymen Ball got a certificate of Excellence for Top Accelerated Reader

• Peter Swanson got a certificate of Excellence for Top Accelerated Reader