Hutchinson High School’s former assistant principal is now serving as the school district’s director of teaching and learning.

Deb Marcotte is fulfilling a role similar but not identical to that of former assistant superintendent Allen Stoeckman. Marcotte, who’s worked with the district for five years, said her new role focuses primarily on curriculum and instruction.

The Hutchinson School District 423 School Board unanimously voted Monday (July 14) to move forward with a plan for a Nov. 4 building bond vote.

The ballot items, running concurrently with the 2008 general election, will consist of two questions.

The first will ask voters if they approve tearing down two classroom wings at the high school and replacing them with a multistory wing. This proposal includes adding a new gym, replacing heating and cooling systems, creating a new entrance on the building’s west side, and other improvements. The total estimated cost: $36.7 million.

Excitement is building for New Century and New Discoveries charter schools staff and students as the completion date for their new facilities nears. After five months of construction, the site is shaping up to be a school, which has New Discoveries Director Dave Conrad floored.

“We’re still looking at an Aug. 1 completion date,” Conrad said.

Yesterday was the last day of summer school for Hutchinson Middle School students, and they went out with a bang.

For the past several weeks, students going into sixth, seventh and eighth grade have been working on their math, reading and social science skills to better prepare themselves for the upcoming school year.
In Carolyn Vevea’s reading class, they’ve already tackled the book “Tuck Everlasting,” and worked on their vocabularies.