RIPON SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWS AND NOTES

District Saves $35,000 in Energy Costs with New Technology
The District has entered into a 5-year, zero percent interest capital lease agreement with Alliant Energy in the amount of $35,861 for energy savings that will come from changing computer servers to virtual servers and computer monitors to more energy efficient screens and units. Students are already using netbooks instead of desktop computers with CRT monitors, and the entire network is already being shifted to virtual servers with referendum technology funds.

School Board Invited to Present at Statewide Conference
After hearing about the two-year study the Ripon Board of Education conducted on the subject of homework and the resulting new policy and guidelines for assigning homework, the Wisconsin Association of School Boards (WASB) has invited the Ripon school board to present a session at the 2010 State Education Convention for other school boards to learn how it was done. Thousands of school board members and administrators attend the annual convention in Milwaukee to share with colleagues, talk with vendors, and listen to international experts.

New Boiler at RHS Fires Up
The new boiler for Ripon High School approved by voters in the April 2009 referendum is now installed and providing heat throughout the school just in time for falling outside temperatures. The two original 1963 massive boilers have been replaced by a three-stage, energy-efficient system that will be more responsive at a lower cost.

First Curriculum Updates and Books Approved
Using referendum funds approved for curriculum and textbooks, K-12 teachers from the English/Language Arts curriculum committee met during the summer and updated the curriculum for the first time since 2002. Based on the updated curriculum new high school textbooks have been approved by the school board and ordered. The selection process for new books for K-8 grades is now near completion. A standards-based curriculum format is being used for greater clarity and will be posted on the District’s web site soon.

Sixteen Ripon Teachers Earn Master’s Degrees
The Ripon Board of Education recognized 16 teachers at the September school board meeting for role modeling lifelong learning by earning their master’s degree in the past year. This raises the percentage of Ripon teachers who have a master’s degree to 62%. Another dozen or so teachers are in the midst of their graduate programs. Fifteen of the recognized teachers participated in the weekend UW-Oshkosh cohort program for educational leadership that was developed in partnership with the Ripon Area School District. Receiving school board recognition for earning their master’s degree were Gretchen Geiger, Sue Mokler, Jessi Johnson, Kara Weir, Sherri Schmidt, Mark Bradley, Jenny Reilly, Lisa Burdick, Barb Korneli-Krueger, Becki Baird, Barb Ames, Wendy Hoepfner, Shelly Hokenson, Lori Hron, Beth Lors, and David Wilkins.