Leeling Honored as Gatorade Player of the Year

SIDNEY--The Sidney Board of Education met on Monday, August 12, for their monthly meeting. Before the start, there was a brief District Hearing to allow for public input and discussion on District Policies including Safety and Security, Teacher Evaluation, Attendance, Parental Involvement, Student Fees, and Bullying. All of these policies can be reviewed at http://www.sidneyraiders.org. There were no comments or questions from the public about these policies at the hearing.

The group adjourned the hearing and then switched to the Regular Board Meeting. The first order of business was to honor Sidney standout athlete Karsyn Leeling for winning the prestigious Gatorade Player of the Year Award for Girls Track and Field in Nebraska. The outstanding high jumper will be competing in the upcoming school year on the Track & Field team for the University of Nebraska. She is the first Gatorade Player of the Year Award winner from Sidney High School. The award was started in 1985 and is only won by a truly outstanding athlete who also excels in academics and community involvement. Rich Gonzalez, editor of PrepCalTrack.com said of Leeling's achievement, "In a nerve-racking event defined by the need for delivering controlled power and fluid technique, the nation's girls prep high jumpers successfully negotiated a 6-foot attempt only 10 times collectively this spring. Karsyn Leeling owned half of those clearances. Within the state, her ledger was even more dominant. Having won the last two state titles in the event, she also owns the 10 best marks in state history-all at 5 foot 11 inches or higher. That type of consistency in such a technically precise event is just uncanny."

Next, Sidney City Manager David Scott addressed the Board about a planned donation of new playground equipment designated for Northside Park. he said that the City of Sidney was in the process of applying for a $600,000 matching grant for the equipment, which includes a climbing wall, slide, and jungle gym. The equipment would be handicapped-accessible, as part of the grant requirements. There was a brief discussion by the Board about the proposed location of the equipment and Scott said the City of Sidney would be flexible on where it would be located depending upon circumstances at the time of the grant award, if Sidney can secure the grant. Scott said the application deadline is in the beginning of September, and if the grant is awarded the equipment would most likely be delivered in the Spring of 2025.

The Board then reviewed a group of District Policies, with little discussion and agreement on most policies. For Student Fees, there was a discussion about making Raider Activity cards available to students who can't afford them so they can attend games and other functions. The main topic of discussion on the policies revolved around the District Cell Phone and Electronic Device policy. A change was proposed that would mandate students keep their phones in their lockers or cars during the school day, however many of the Board members objected to such a change. The current policy of students not using their phones during class time has seemed to be working, and most of the Board members felt that as long as the phones stayed out of sight during class, the policy was sufficient. There was also a discussion revolving around what constituted an "electronic device", and if the Chrome Books assigned to the students would fall under the policy. Making student keep their phones in a locker or their cars would be too disruptive, as most of the Board members agreed. The Board decided to review the proposed changes before updating their policies on cellular phones and electronic devices.

The Board also announced a new Ag/FFA Coordinator for the Sidney school system. Chrissy Befus has agreed to accept the role and will be working with Agricultural students and FFA members in the upcoming school year. The Board also thanked the Rotary Club for donating four bus passes for students in need.

It was also announced that the Board will hold a Special Board Meeting on August 28 at 5:30 p.m. in the District Office. The next regular Board meeting is scheduled for September 9 at 5:30 p.m. in the District Office.