The highlight of Turkey Valley’s nearly three hour April 13 meeting happened in the first 20 minutes.

    A performance entitled, “Norman Borlaug, The Father of the Grain Revolution” given by Josine Gossling and Ashley Kurash detailed the man’s local roots that led to a lifetime of progressive work.

    The two fifth-grade girls, who were later scheduled to give a performance at the Norman Borlaug Foundation, delighted the crowd when one exclaimed, “Let’s make hay while the sun shines, young lady.”

    The skit, which the two started work on at the beginning of the term and wrote mostly themselves, was complete with props and storyboard presentation. The two cited the book by Leon Hesser entitled, “The Man Who Fed the World” as a source for their information and further study.

    Following an overview of the Turkey Valley District Development Plan provided by Principal Carol Knoll, next up for school board review were the efforts of a few of the high school teachers. The first to present his teaching methodology was industrial arts instructor Paul Bakewell, who is responsible for Manufacturing I & II as well as Intro to Woodworking & Manufacturing.

    “Great test taking is not required to get a good grade in this class,” he stated.

    Bakewell would rather students learn life skills.

    “The thing that 20 years ago everyone did we take for granted on how to do – these kids aren’t learning at home.”

    Family & Consumer Science instructor Patty O’Hollearn said she intends to shape, “innovative citizens, effective family members,” among other good character qualities. Vocational education, which has a new acronym: CTE  – Career and Technical Education, hosts the following classes:  Foods I & II, Fabrics I & II, Child Development and Family Relationships and the one O’Hollearn takes particular “teacher-pride” in is Senior Careers.

    O’Hollearn said her goal is to create a database of former students who have gone onto their careers. These students know what goes into the formation of a Turkey Valley graduate and are eager to hire one of their peers, she said.

    O’Hollearn’s hands-on approach to teaching was highlighted by the efforts her students made in a successful blood-drive. Instead of store-bought baked goods, her students served kolaches. Blood drive spokesperson reported to O’Hollearn that they had the “best blood-drive in NE Iowa because they had the best food.”

    O’Hollearn takes an innovative approach as well. She has spearheaded efforts to use “home-grown” food in daily diets of students. Her concern for their well-being and good health is apparent.

    She said Kellogg’s Corp. has given a grant of $500,000 for food programs in NE Iowa. She also noted that Luther College is trying to incorporate locally grown food into their menus. Plantpeddler of Cresco grows much of the produce used in Luther’s kitchens.

    Steve Crawford gave a review of roof systems.

    “After your last meeting, you gave me the authority to look at things. By coming here tonight, I hope to enlighten you to what’s going on; not be the source of gloom and doom,” he said.

    Crawford used maps provided by EMC Insurance to identifying areas of concern. He cited that the major problems were: Roofs have too much water retention and are not draining properly; and some repairs that have been done have resulted in water getting trapped.

    “This year you should put some effort and money on maintenance,” he said. Crawford also drew comparisons to other schools with comparable roof sizes/structures that make their roof projects extend over a 10-year period to offset the cost.

    Crawford went on to compare the different type of commercial roofing systems that suppliers like Imperial Roof Systems of West Union employ.  He broke down the different types of materials, which could be used – identifying each product’s strengths and shortcomings as well as citing whether he had personal experience with the product and its product life.

    “Most roofs come with a 15-25 year life expectancy,” he stated. “What you are looking at is for a building done in 1962, what might be the structure underneath?”

    Crawford estimated a replacement cost of $6- to $7-a-square-foot if the sheathing and under laying materials are still in good condition. No decision was made during this meeting.

    The next item on the agenda resulted from concerns of physical insurance coverage. After last year’s tornado in Parkersburg, school board members felt this was an article close to home. John Cuvelier, school board member and local insurance company spokesperson, reported Turkey Valley’s policy, which renews in July, currently has a coverage rating of roughly 90 percent.

    The new replacement cost calculator has the coverage setting at a value of $9,730,761, whereas the total current replacement cost should disaster strike would be at $11,842,806. He recommended that, “dollar for dollar, it’s better to go and raise the total.” The board unanimously voted to approve this recommendation.

    In other business, Clark Goltz accepted the part-time position of assistant administrator. He will assist Superintendent John Rothlisberger while Rothlisberger is at the North Fayette district as part of the district-sharing plan. As part of the negotiation, Goltz will serve a one-year term with an option to renew.