Superintendent Dr. Wold used the Jan. 8 meeting to highlight recent student achievements and to update the board on bond-referendum projects and staff transitions.

Students: Reese Potash, a senior, was named a Regeneron Science Talent Search Scholar and awarded $2,000 personally and $2,000 for the school. At the Hudson Valley regional one-act competition, Dylan Butanov won best student director; Nave Kenny won best student playwright and audience-favorite and most dramatic moment awards for her play Estranged; Luke Castellano received a student leadership award. The high school debate team won the Regis Christmas Classic tournament (Flynn Williams, varsity champion and top speaker) and the Isadora Newman tournament in Louisiana (Jack Borman and Jack Gessner co-champions; Brooks Guiano Gonzales earned premier distinction). Student Chase ND was selected as champion for a national STEM festival challenge and will showcase his work at the national STEM festival.

Facilities and bond projects: Dr. Wold said several bond-referendum projects have received state approvals or are close to approval from the State Education Department. Planned work for the coming summer includes starting an addition at Purchase, renovating the third floor and main office at Parsons Memorial School to improve accessibility, relocating and securing the main office at Harrison Avenue School and possibly adding handicapped access to that gymnasium, adding classrooms at the high school, renovating the baseball field and building a fitness center. The district’s maintenance crew completed a multipurpose room during the winter break that Dr. Wold said will be available to staff in the coming weeks.

Retirements and staffing: The agenda listed 11 teacher retirements and the retirement of Harrison Avenue School principal Valerie Himes. Dr. Wold said the district has already begun searches to fill the principal vacancy, a middle-school assistant principal opening and a director of science position, and emphasized the district will consider both internal and external candidates. “We have many fine young people here ready to lead,” Dr. Wold said, adding the district is accelerating recruitment efforts in a tight teacher market.

Dr. Wold also praised the maintenance crew’s work over the holiday: “We are one of the only districts I’ve ever seen that uses a maintenance crew to literally construct a building,” he said.

The board will recognize retirees at a meeting in June, the superintendent said.