Duneland school board honors longtime basketball coach, praises literacy improvements – Chicago Tribune

The coaching career of longtime Bailly Elementary School physical education teacher Jack Campbell was celebrated at the Duneland School Corporation School Board meeting Monday night. Campbell announced last month that he was resigning from his position as Chesterton High School Girls Basketball Coach at the end of his 36th season.

He also retired as the high school’s head baseball coach at the end of the 2023 season after 53 years at the helm of the team. A member of the Indiana Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame, Campbell ended his Chesterton varsity coaching career with 1,275 wins, including 820 on the diamond and 455 on the field.

“I was a sophomore in high school when Jack Campbell came here,” said Duneland School Corporation Board Secretary Tim McGinty, who played for him as a student. “I don’t think you can find people with better character than Jack Campbell. “I think the Duneland School Corporation was very fortunate to have had it in front of children for 50 years.”

On the other hand, Brummitt Primary School Principal Antonino Cammarata made a presentation about his school’s student performance for the 2022-23 academic year. It reported that 91% of students passed the IREAD exam, while Brummitt came out on top in mathematics in the Association of Schools, which consists of similarly sized schools in the area.

Students can take the IREAD exam in their sophomore year. If they pass, they are done; if they fail, they have two more attempts in third year.

In spring 2023, 61% of Brummit’s sophomores passed IREAD. At the time, 85% of the school’s third-year students passed, and the rate rose to 91.8% in the last attempt.

Board Vice President Brandon Kroft said he sent two kids to Brummitt and remembers the scores not being that strong. He asked Cammarata what had changed.

“We are rolling out curriculum that aligns with priority standards,” Cammarata said, referring to the Assured Viable Curriculum the school currently uses.

He explained that his staff also meets weekly to share successes and failures, and he spoke warmly of the teachers he saw waiting outside his office as instructional coaches.

“I think having an instructional coach is just going to be a game changer,” he added.

Superintendent Chip Pettit said the Indiana Legislature’s emphasis on early literacy in Senate Bill 1 is also a welcome addition.

“I think the point is that early literacy is critical to success,” he said.

Skillman Corporation Project Manager Chris Muvceski said work on renovation and construction projects at the company’s seven school campuses, Westchester Intermediate and Yost Elementary, is expected to be completed by May. Intensive work at Liberty Intermediate and Liberty, Jackson, Brummitt and Bailly Elementary Schools will continue throughout the summer and is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Also approved was a contract allowing repair work for the Chesterton High School Student Services Office following three inches of flooding from a frozen sprinkler line on Jan. 15. The consultancy and sports offices, as well as everything behind the main desk, were affected by large amounts of water. damage.

The board allowed advertising for Bailly Gym renovation proposals that would allow the Chesterton High School gymnastics program to move and remain installed year-round. Currently the program is housed in the Chesterton High School Field House and requires seasonal setup and teardown. The renovated space, which will include a pit, floor divider and new equipment, will provide space for the high school team as well as middle school and club gymnastics.

The board also approved $1.5 million to purchase 10 new buses, below the 2024 bus replacement budget of $1.7 million.

Shelley Jones is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.