FARMINGTON – The SAD 9 board unanimously authorized three overnight field trips at its meeting Tuesday night.
Carol Shumway, director of the Syncopations, a girls’ singing group at Mt. Blue High School, asked the board to approve a performance tour to England.
The group plans to leave Boston for London “on the first Friday of April vacation week,” said Shumway. In addition to performing twice in London, the group plans to visit historic sites such as the Houses of Parliament, Canterbury Cathedral, and the Roman baths in the city of Bath. Shumway said that costs for the tour will be covered by family contributions and by fund-raising efforts.
Board member Jo Josephson of Temple made a motion to grant approval, telling Shumway, “I’d just like to thank you for the terrific experience you’re providing these students.”
The board also approved a proposal by Dennis Hayes, director of singing group Mt. Blue Voices. Hayes said the Mt. Blue Voices have planned an April trip to Orlando, Fla., “to participate in Walt Disney World Magic Music Days.'”
Costs will be covered by fund-raising and family contributions. Among other activities, students will take part in a workshop with professional Disney singers, and a performance in front of an international audience. The board again approved the request unanimously.
The board voted to allow Cascade Brook School sixth-graders to stay overnight at Camp Susan Curtis in Stoneham for an experiential learning program. The Farmington middle school students will be participating in games and challenges that focus on the theme of respect, said school counselor Martha Arnold.
Superintendent Michael Cormier announced that teachers will need to seek outside funding for transportation costs for all field trips outside SAD 9. Cormier cited skyrocketing fuel prices, and said district officials are wary of paying transportation costs with allotted classroom resource money.
In two executive session hearings, the board decided to readmit two students that had been expelled.
Two duty monitors and a bus driver were hired, and the board approved a request by Cormier to hire an educational technician to help in a kindergarten class at Cape Cod Hill School in New Sharon.
The board also discussed several policies that it will vote on in the future. Among issues covered were unhealthy food sales both in and out of school, procedures for dealing with chemical hazards, administration of medication to students, and family care leave.
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