Southern Illinois News

Anna Jonesboro Community High School District 81 Board of Education met April 28.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

The Anna-Jonesboro Community High School held its regular meeting on April 28, 2025. Upon roll call at 6:00 p.m. the following members were present: Mr. Vosburgh, Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. Plott, Mr. Mix, Mr. Houseman, and Mr. Ford.

On motion by Mr. Houseman and seconded by Mr. Vosburgh to approve the Agenda as presented. All members present voting yes. Motion carried.

Mr. Detering presented the Official Canvass of the April 1, 2025 Consolidated Election and recognized newly elected Board members.

Mr. Vosburgh administered the Oath of Office to new members: Eric Massey, Jason Leek, and Jerimiah Johnson.

On motion by Mr. Mix and seconded by Mr. Ford to adjourn sine die at 6:04 p.m. All members present voting yes. Motion carried.

The Commencement of the newly elected Board of Education. On roll call, the following members were present: Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. Plott, Mr. Mix, Mr. Houseman, Mr. Massey, Mr. Leek, and Mr. Johnson.

On motion by Mr. Houseman and seconded by Mr. Mix to appoint Angie Johnson as President pro tem. All members present voting yes. Motion carried.

On motion by Mr. Houseman and seconded by Mr. Mix to appoint Stacey Plott as Secretary pro tem. All members present voting yes. Motion carried.

On motion by Mr. Mix and seconded by Mrs. Plott to appoint Angie Johnson as President. All members present voting yes. Motion carried.

On motion by Mrs. Johnson and seconded by Mr. Mix to appoint Michael Houseman as Vice-President. All members present voting yes. Motion carried.

On motion by Mr. Houseman and seconded by Mrs. Johnson to appoint Stacey Plott as Secretary. All members present voting yes. Motion carried.

On motion by Mr. Johnson and seconded by Mr. Mix to approve Board Meeting Times, Dates, and Places of Meetings as presented. All members present voting yes. Motion carried.

On motion by Mr. Houseman and seconded by Mr. Johnson to approve the Consent Agenda which contained the following items: approval of board minutes on 3/17/25; approval of closed session minutes; approval of payment for bills, acceptance of financial reports, and accept resignations. On roll call, all members present voting yes. Motion carried.

Recognition of visitors and correspondence, Public Comments: none

Items of Interest from Student Council: Good Evening AJ Board members, administration, and guests. My name is Adam Clark and I am the Treasurer of Student Council, I am also here with Jaylen Althoff, Secretary. We will host our last blood drive of the year tomorrow from 8:30-2. Please come and donate if possible. Our numbers are a little low since every sport has had to be rescheduled and they all have games tomorrow. We are currently planning for our teacher appreciation lunch for May 7th and collecting for our Silent Auction basket (Family Fun Night) for Rachel Chamness. We will be selling Kisses for you, your friends, or Kiss a Senior Goodbye later this week. Elections for next year's officers will also be this week. We are starting our Homecoming planning for next year.

Items of Interest from Teachers: Mrs. Duncan from Lick Creek brought her 8th Grade class to Mrs. Hase’s class where four seniors Cash Hodges, Brooklyn Eastman, Tes Wilkins and Lucas Salazar performed mock interviews for them for their career unit. The seniors also gave them a tour of the school and answered questions about high school. Betsy Oxford came into Mrs. Hase’s class and gave a lesson on canning and homesteading to save money and eat healthier. She explained to the students how it is done and brought in canned salsa and applesauce for them to try. Did you know the Southern Illinois Future Teacher Coalition has been working hard to battle against the teacher shortage? One of their efforts is establishing Educators Rising Clubs in all of Southern Illinois schools and providing opportunities for students to stay active within the club. Our Educators Rising Club is thriving - we have 32 students enrolled in the group. The group meets once a month to share opportunities and information about the profession of teaching and to do fun activities aligned with becoming a future teacher. Our club also participated in a competitive field trip on April 2 and brought home three awards. Now through the end of April, the National Honor Society is holding a Book Drive to collect new and gently used books at the 3rd and 4th grade reading levels. These books will be gifted to local 3rd graders to take home at the end of the school year. In addition to book donations, we are also accepting monetary contributions to help support the drive. Each student will receive a tote bag containing at least 2 books, a folder of reading at home resources, a bookmark, and stickers. The National Honor Society hosted a Penny War during the week leading up to Spring Break. Students contributed money to jars labeled with teacher names, competing to see which teacher would receive a pie in the face. This year’s winner was Mrs. Nelly Corbit. Thanks to everyone’s participation, we raised a total of $457. All proceeds will go toward supporting the NHS Book Drive and the WIBH Warm Soles New Hope Campaign. Mr. Browning’s wildlife management class just finished the boating safety course through the IDNR. 13 Students in the class received their boater license just in time for spring and summer break! The AJ FFA has been very busy the last few weeks with the Livestock judging team placing 1st in the district contest! FFA also is very excited that our student Katelynne Heinrichs has been selected to receive her state FFA degree. This degree takes a lot of work outside the classroom and is only received by the top 3% of FFA members in the state. Dawson Montfort came in and spoke to Mrs. Hase’s Co-op class on all the aspects of running and owning a business. This class just planned their own businesses and he answered all of their questions. On Friday, April 25th Mrs. Falkenburry and Dr. Moser took 38 students to Math and Physics Day at Six Flags in Eureka MO. It rained for the first five minutes then turned into a beautiful sunny day. The kids spent their day exploring the park and riding rides. An assignment was also given where students calculated things within the park along with other aspects of Six Flags and the rides. The math department would like to thank the school board and administration for allowing us to take the students again this year. The Math Team competed at SIUC Math Field Day on Tuesday, April 8th. TJ Taylor and Tyler Haywood both received Honorable Mention. The Sophomore Team also received Honorable Mention. The Math Team also competed at SEMO Math Field Day on April 10th. Winners were as follows: Number Bases: Aryanna Ozment (2nd) and Josh Binversie (3rd). Algebra 1: Seth Cochran (2nd) and Aryanna Ozment (3rd). Word Problems: Adam Clark (1st) and TJ Taylor (3rd). Exponential Log Functions: Adam Clark (3rd). Probability: Chesney Marks (2nd). Hand Calculators: Grant Lingle (3rd). Non-Routine Problem Solving: Alexis Houseman (1st). Geometry: Tyler Haywood (1st) and Blake Abernathy (3rd). Algebra Open: TJ Taylor (3rd). Medley Team: Grant Lingle, Alexis Houseman, Cash Hodges, Ruby Yates (3rd). Geometry Team: Tyler Haywood, Caden Cerny, Brian Thompson, Blake Abernathy (2nd). Problem Solving: 2nd Place Finally, nine members of the Math Team (TJ Taylor, Blake Abernathy, Tilman Dallas, Tyler Haywood, Brian Thompson, Josh Binversie, Elina Chen, Seth Cochran, and Aryanna Ozment) competed at the ICTM State Math Team Contest at Illinois State University on Saturday, April 26th.

Curriculum Director Finders spoke about Wildcat Academy, State Testing, and Courses being offered for next year.

Principal Rice spoke about upcoming dates, Musical, Secret Student/Faculty Appreciation Week, NHS, SISHA Banquet, 5 Essential Survey, 8th grade information, updating policies, Knox Boxes, Graduation, Attendance, and Academic Intervention.

Superintendent Detering reported on training for new board members, District Vision Meeting, Social Security/IMRF Audit, Title 1 Revenue/Expenses, Soccer Complex, Graduation, Risk Management Plan, Consolidated Plan, and the June Meeting Date.

On motion by Mr. Houseman and seconded by Mr. Johnson for the Board to enter into closed session at 6:56 p.m. for the following reasons (1) the purpose of appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employee of the public body or legal counsel for the public body, including hearing testimony on a complaint lodged against an employee of the public body or against legal counsel for the public to determine its validity. 5ILCS 120/2(c)(1) Collective negotiating matters or deliberations concerning salary schedules for one or more classes of employees. 5 ILCS 120/2 (c)(2) On roll call, all members present voting yes. Motion carried.

On motion by Mr. Houseman and seconded by Mr. Leek to return to regular session at 8:37p.m. On roll call, all members present voting yes. Motion carried.

On motion by Mr. Houseman and seconded by Mrs. Plott to approve the COPE/SOAR Agreements FY26. All members present voting yes. Motion carried.

On motion by Mr. Houseman and seconded by Mr. Johnson to approve the purchase of an Activity Bus. On roll call, all members present voting yes. Motion carried.

1st Reading of Board Policy Updates.

On motion by Mr. Houseman and seconded by Mr. Mix to hire Chris Lambert as Substitute Custodian. On roll call, all members present voting yes. Motion carried.

On motion by Mr. Johnson and seconded by Mr. Mix to hire Marc Sheffer as Substitute Bus Driver. On roll call, all members present voting yes. Motion carried.

On motion by Mr. Houseman and seconded by Mrs. Plott to approve Darren Frazier as Volunteer Fishing Coach. All members present voting yes. Motion carried.

On motion by Mr. Houseman and seconded by Mr. Massey to approve the Fall/Winter Coaches as follows: Football: HC-Jamie Yates, AC-Joel Dallas, Aaron Lence, Jayce Turner, Volunteer-Dave Sullivan, Jeremiah Johnson, Carson Pengress, Manager-Jacob Wells. Volleyball: HC-Whitney Harris, AC-Danny McFarland, Volunteer-Ashley Harvel. Boys Soccer: HC-Chelsea Reinier. Golf: Boys HC- Jim Woodward, Girls HC-Bob Holderfield, Volunteer-Brandon Bierstedt, Paula Bierstedt, Ayden Bailey. Cross Country: HC-Matt Denny, AC-Beth Miller, Volunteer-Andy Bundren. Cheerleading: HC-Hillary Meisenheimer, Volunteer-Kristen Chamness. Boys Basketball: HC-Mike Chamness, AC-Josh Staples, Jordan Adams, Volunteer-Mark Chamness, Matt Crain, Blake Pena. Girls Basketball: HC-Rodney Seip, AC-Ashton Stanley, TBA. Wrestling: HC-Chase Hargrave, AC-Mika Sadler, Volunteer-Blayne Holshouser, Andy Sadler, Arieh Hart, Drew Holshouser, Daniel Dover, Justin Johnson, Edward Dahmer. Bowling: HC-Cary Quick, Volunteer-Micah Cross, Bree Stone. On roll call, all members present voting yes. Motion carried.

On motion by Mr. Leek and seconded by Mr. Johnson to adjourn the Regular Meeting at 9:35 p.m. On roll call, all members present voting yes. Motion carried.

Next regularly scheduled meeting is Monday, May 19, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. in the High School Library.

https://aj81.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/April-Minutes.pdf