Praise, Presents, Patch Proficiency and Planning for School Makeup Days

A brief synopsis of Amity's Board of Education meeting for those who want to know what's going on, but can't make it to the meetings:

• Representatives from United Illuminating and the Connecticut Clean Energy Efficiency Fund presented a plaque to the board, commending a cost-saving lighting system at the high school. Facility Director Jim Saisa said the new lights will save Amity around $120,000 annually. Rich Steeves, chairman of the Clean Energy Fund, said, "People my age-old-don't appreciate all that's being done in energy efficiency, but younger people are buying into it. You're setting a great example for the younger generations."
• The Amity High School drama department gave $5,000 to the capital nonrecurring fund for a Black Box Theater. The gift came with one stipulation: if the project falls through, the money will be returned to the drama department. With the gift, the high school has $15,000 of the $250,000 it needs to construct a Black Box Theater.
• Superintendent John Brady discussed with the board his frustrations with losing electricity, and therefore his link to the computerized listserv that is used to alert parents and students to a school closure, following Tropical Storm Irene last month.
  He described to the board a program that would cost roughly $3000 annually that would text message alerts to students' cell phones. It would be used as an addition to the current listserv system, which is free. 
  Brady told the board that he knew that spreading the word that schools would be closed would be tough to do with no electricity, so immediately after he made the decision (and let Patch know of his decision), he walked up to the football fields where about 50 boys were practicing. He told them 'no school until next Tuesday!' thinking he was the bearer of good news, but they already knew. They'd read it on the Orange and Bethwood Patch. 
• The four superintendents from the BOWA schools will meet tomorrow afternoon to reach a plan for making up the four days school was closed after Tropical Storm Irene. Brady said they'll come up with a potential plan, which may include having schools in session on Election Day. The only school used as a polling place in BOWA is Mary L. Tracy kindergarten in Orange. Other options will be to adjust staff development days.
  Board member Julie Altman told Brady she's heard from many high school teachers who feel they have fallen behind already. Altman says the consensus of teachers is that they've already lost precious time in getting ready for AP testing in the spring, and having students attend school in late June is too late.
• All three principals reported that in spite of a school closures and having no power, teachers and students made a seemless transition into the 2011-12 school year. All three schools have switched to a rotating schedule, which is working well, according to the principals. Orange Middle School Assistant Principal Vi Gibbons told the board she's working on a bullying survey for the whole district.