MONROE — On Feb. 11, the Monroe School Board:

●   Accepted donations of $1,000 to the Monroe High School chorus and $500 to a scholarship for a Monroe Middle School student’s trip to Washington D.C.

●   Recognized students from each school by awarding each with the January Lamp of Learning Student Excellence.

●   Authorized the retirement of MHS art teacher Kathy King.

●   Accepted a $1,000 scholarship donation from James and Melissa Lees and a $200 scholarship donation from Bank of New Glarus for the MMS Washington D.C. trip.

●   Heard information from board members and administration who attended the Wisconsin Association of School Board Convention in Milwaukee, with notes that the speaker who had come from abuse in the foster system to thrive as a large business owner through the help of community members who gave him books, was one of the best in years. Members also discussed workshops on community-based learning support and mental health programs.

●   Authorized the retirement of MHS English teacher Barbara Robertson.

●   Accepted an $800 donation from St. John’s Church, a $20 donation from Ellen Mart and a $50 donation from Union Presbyterian Church for the Backpack Buddies program. 

●   Approved the purchase of a new camera server for the high school from Integral Building Systems Inc. of Madison for just under $11,000 on the recommendation of Director of Building and Grounds Rich Zentner, after reports from Business Administrator Ron Olson that in recent months the server for the security cameras has completely failed once and in recent weeks, important pieces of equipment are no longer working.

●   Accepted a $500 donation from Donna Fenn to the MHS Drama Department in memory of her parents, Alvin and Jean Goepfert, as well as a $50 donation to MMS consumer education classes from the Wisconsin Pork Association.

●   Approved the implementation of an elementary Spanish program to begin with the 2019-20 kindergarten class, funded through Colony Brands donations over the next four years totaling $590,000.

●   Received audit information from Reffue, Pas, Jacobson, Knox & Koster LLP and were given a clean opinion. 

●   Accepted a $500 donation to the MHS math and science departments from Olin Oil Company and Monroe Northsiders, a $1,000 donation from Quest Industrial to the MHS Wrestling Program and a $2,500 donation to the MHS Art Department from the Glendenning Family Foundation. Board President Dan Bartholf expressed gratitude for the support shown to the district in the form of donations.