By Megan Kelley
Editor
mkelley@mihomepaper.com
INDEPENDENCE TWP. — It’s been a busy summer for Clarkston Community Schools as the district continues with bond work, work to add more safety precautions and has over 40 new educators and several administrative changes.
Bond updates
Work on the new Clarkston Junior High school has continued throughout the summer. The school’s main entrance and office have been moved to what used to be the auditorium entrance and box office and the turf installation is on track for completion.
Construction on the new gymnasium will begin soon in the large courtyard in front of the school and will continue during the school year along with other site work.
“When developing the construction plans for the new junior high, district administration and AUCH Construction have kept the safety of students and staff at the forefront,” district officials said. “They have met multiple times with the State Building Inspector and State Fire Marshal to ensure all necessary measures are taken. Some of those measures include barricading the areas under construction with proper separation and protection and creating paths of egress for students and staff within the impacted areas.”
According to CCS, crews will also only have access to the construction area and will not be able to enter the main school where students and staff are throughout the day.
With all the construction and site changes, there will be both temporary and permanent changes to traffic flow on the Clarkston Elementary and CJHS campus.
“The ultimate plan will elevate congestion, separate school buses from the parent drop-off traffic and create safer pedestrian routes,” district officials said.
This process will also be done in phases and this year, changes are expected to be minimal.
The district is also on track with HVAC renovations and installations at Andersonville Elementary, Clarkston Elementary, North Sashabaw Elementary and also at Sashabaw Middle School with the exception of the sixth grade gym and upper fitness room.
Safety and Security
Over the summer, CCS has expanded its partnership with local law enforcement and local municipalities.
The district now has three school resource officers which allows one officer to cover the high school, one to cover the junior high and Renaissance High School and a new deputy that will cover all elementary schools and Sashabaw Middle School. They have also worked with Springfield Township to add a fourth resource officer for better coverage across all district secondary and elementary schools.
CCS has also appointed Beth Clark as district Security Director and she will start this fall.
“Ms. Clark will lead the district Safety Advisory Team, develop and implement security plans, coordinate cybersecurity and oversee resource officers,” the district said. “With extensive experience in law enforcement, Ms. Clark served as the Assistant Deputy Director of the Michigan State Police, providing leadership and administration to emergency management and homeland security divisions and Captain of the Forensic Science Division.”
Administrative changes
Some notable changes to the district administration include Jordan Stoyek being named Assistant Principal at Sashabaw Middle School and Mark Magni being named the new Dean of Students for CJHS.
Other changes include:
Lori Banaszak as Director of Technology and Instructional Services, Kevin Emmons as Technology Manager, Nichole Trzasko as Supervisor of Special Programs, Stephanie Simony as Assistant Supervisor of Student Support Services, Lorie Kaul as Administrator of Student Health Services/RN and Nancy Distelrath as Subject Area Coordinator for Elementary Science & Social Studies.