A savings of $79,000 a year could be realized if St. Ignace Area Schools burns wood chips to heat the buildings, a new study concludes. The preliminary assessment was discussed during the school board meeting Monday, December 8.

The district spends about $158,000 to heat the buildings with natural gas, but if the school were to use wood chips, Superintendent Mike Springsteen told the board, the annual heating cost could be reduced by about 50%.

Converting the school to a biomass heating system would cost approximately $580,000, Mr. Springsteen said, and would include a boiler, an auger system to automatically feed the boiler, and space for wood chip storage. Savings in fuel could pay for the facility in eight years, based on today's expenses, he said.

"It's worth looking at," he said, "The savings is pretty significant."

St. Ignace Area Schools is one of six schools to share a grant from the Upper Peninsula Conservation and Development Council for the "pre-feasibility assessment." The study was performed by Integrated Design from Marquette.

The finance committee will discuss the idea at its next meeting and is expected to recommend that the work on the assessment. Trustee Rick Litzner asked Mr. Springsteen to see if a grant is available to cover the cost to construct the biomass facility.

The school continues to operate with a deficit budget, and factors that could impact the school's financial situation will include state funding, school spending, voluntary staff changes like retirements, and student enrollment.

Lower diesel fuel costs are helping with the bus program, said school business manager Kathy McLeod. In July, the school was paying $4.20 per gallon, but now it is paying $2.56. The school is exempt from fuel taxes.

Governor Jennifer Granholm has promised that the latest round of state budget cuts will not include money for schools.

The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians has given $15,461.48 to St. Ignace Area Schools, which will be used to help meet the goals of the district's five-year technology plan and possibly replace some of the aging Middle School computers.

Physical education instructor Emily Fullerton gave a presentation to the board on the seventh grade class trip to Camp Daggett at Walloon Lake, where students learn team and leadership skills, problem solving, trust, and respect.

The students, she said, challenge themselves on the indoor course, which includes activities 30 feet in the air.

"If everyone didn't listen and work as a team, you couldn't achieve the final goal," said Bradley Gustafson of one of the activities. He is a seventh grade student who attended the camp and was at the Monday night board meeting.

Developing leadership skills in students, said Mr. Springsteen, is one of the most important things a school can do.

"They need to get into situations where they have an opportunity to develop those leadership skills and work together, be a part of a team, and see if they can trust one another."

Camp Daggett is funded with revenue from the healthy snack concession.

The Great Waters Center for Life Long Learning will offer two college classes through North Central Michigan College, Mr. Springsteen announced, beginning in January at the high school.

The school board approved hiring Kelly Stevens as a full-time bus driver. She will fill the position vacated by Sandy Thorin, who is retiring. The position of LaSalle High School special education paraprofessional Carolyn Hamel, who resigned in November, will not be filled yet, said Mr. Springsteen, as staff explores ways to cover her duties.

The board will begin its selfevaluation prior to the next meeting, and Mr. Springsteen will present tabulated results at the February meeting.

Elementary School Report Pedometers were given to students in kindergarten through eighth grade Monday as part of the Safe Route to School grant, said Principal Kari Visnaw. The program encourages students to walk or ride a bicycle to school.

Students will take the pedometers home each evening but they will not be used on weekends. The project is to encourage students to be active after school. Steps taken by each student are recorded by the device. The class with the highest number of steps will be awarded with a trip to Mackinac Island in May and lunch at Grand Hotel.

The school improvement team continues updating language arts and mathematics plans, she said.

Middle School Report

Principal Gregg Fettig is working with county probation officer Mark McDonald to establish a Saturday School to help students who have been given disciplinary points. Students will be required to attend Saturday School for each disciplinary point they have above six. They can attend to reduce points.

Points are earned when students violate school rules, which include disorderly conduct, cellular tele- phone violations, provoking a fight, cheating, and bullying.

Students with four points are suspended one day, with five points are suspended two days, and with six points are suspended three days.

"The purpose of this program," said Principal Don Gustafson of Saturday School, "is to try and assist the students who already are in the court system or who already, perhaps, have been suspended and need to try and find a way to work off some points and get their grades to improve. In essence, it's more of the carrot as opposed to the stick."

The program is being funded from a grant from Mackinac County Probate Court.

Students with at least five points also can reduce the number by attending after school detention, said Mr. Fettig. They can work-off up to two points per semester.

Enrichment classes are being offered to seventh and eight grade students during their study hall and include a yearbook club and student council.

LaSalle High School

At the end of the first marking period, which ended October 31, there was a slight increase in student honor roll statistics compared to last year, said Mr. Gustafson.

Of 232 high school students, 104 (47%) made the honor roll. Last year, 41% of the students made the honor roll, which requires a student to maintain a B or better grade average. By class this year, honor roll students included 43% in the 9th grade, 42% in the 10th grade, 41% in the 11th, and 60% in 12th grade.

Mr. Gustafson attributed the increase in honor roll students in the senior year to students maturing and preparing for graduation, and the flexibility in their course schedule. Seniors, he said, already have taken many of the required classes, which may or may not interest them. With those completed, they now have an opportunity to select more classes they find interesting.

The school board next meets Monday, January 12, at 7 p.m. in the middle school library.