Dakota Booster GENERAL Membership Meeting

March 9, 2009

Meeting called to order at 7:10 p.m.

Minutes from February General Membership Meeting were approved by Mary Ann Couto (1^st) and Angie Tiseo (2^nd).

Guest Speaker:

Stephanie Lange discussed the following:

· A flyer was distributed for “Family Night Out—The Psychology of Stress” scheduled for March 18, 6:30-8:30. Discussions will include solutions and how to cope with stress. Dinner will be included. RSVP required. This is the last Family Night Out presentation of the year.

· A flyer was also distributed explaining the Dakota High School Teen Council, which is new for the 08-09 school year. They meet each month with the Coalition for Youth, and their next meeting is April 8. They receive training with CVHS teens regarding media literacy and create public service announcements for middle schoolers. The council consists of 12 students from each grade level representing many different groups at Dakota, which were invited to participate from teachers and administrators and chosen by Stephanie Lange. Teen Council Members Sarah Pard and Robert Kirchhoff were present to talk about their involvement.

Treasurer’s Report:

Checking Balance: $32,743.51 Savings Balance: $4,494.72

Donations Pending: $8,992.55 Balance Remaining: $28,245.68

Report was approved by Kim Zuchora (1^st) and Angie Tiseo (2^nd).

Student Report:

· Introduced Kelsi Steinberger as his replacement for next year’s student representative.

· A college fair for Juniors only is scheduled on March 13 at CVHS. March 11 is last day to express interest.

· Xtra Credit Union is accepting scholarship applications until April 24.

· Inclusive Underground is collecting original student works for its magazine.

· The Ecology Club is sponsoring the recycling containers around school. A suggestion was made to also provide recycling containers at the 9^th Grade Center.

· Glow Dance is on April 3. For $5, students receive a t-shirt, which admits them to the dance.

· STUGO is sponsoring a new fundraiser, Mr. Dakota male pageant, on April 6 in the auditorium, which will include talent and Q&A portions. Tickets will be available soon. Tuxedos are sponsored by Wesner.

Administration Report:

· The following report was provided by Mr. Heethuis:

o The new cafeteria tables are neater looking and provide more space to clean the floors, which saves 2 hours a day in custodial time.

o Curriculum Night was last week. Over 900 current 8^th graders and 250 current 9^th graders attended. The topics of curriculum and class selection were presented, and a curriculum fair was set up in the Atrium. Forty-one percent of our staff attended.

o Scheduling materials have been distributed to students and are due back during the week of March 16. Due to state requirements, less electives are available.

o MME testing begins tomorrow, with the ACT (including writing portion) administered from 7:15 to 11:30. Water and granola bars, donated by the boosters, will be distributed to students half-way through the testing. Students will be disqualified if they bring a cell phone into the testing area and will be denied access if they arrive late. Scheduling changes during testing days were explained.

o Parent-teacher conferences are scheduled Wednesday and Thursday from 6:00-8:30 in the Gym and upstairs track area.

o The musical, Les Miserables, is March 26, 27, and 28.

o Applications will be available at the end of March for local scholarships.

o A Senior Information link has been added to the website, which provides graduation and all night party information.

o On March 16, the school board will vote whether or not Integrated Math program will be eliminated. If eliminated, no integrated classes will be offered to next year’s freshmen.

o Counselors will be calling on students not on track to graduate. All students must have 22 credits to walk during graduation ceremony. All students have received a credit-check report.

· The following questions/concerns from parents were discussed:

o Integrated math program will meet state requirements. A letter will be sent to current freshmen enrolled in the integrated math program.

o CVHS has the same parent-teacher conference schedule.

o A snack will only be distributed during tomorrow’s testing.

o The writing portion of the ACT will be administered to all students.

o Busses will run 3 ¾ hours later during the adjusted testing schedule.

Service Report:

· The Ecology Club is preparing to teach Ojibwa students about Earth Day. They are also in the process of implementing a plastic recycling program at Dakota.

· NHS is fundraising during the month of March for this year’s charity, Relay for Life, by selling candy bars. They are still collecting used cell phones for soldiers.

· Key Club will have a bake sale during conferences.

Fine Arts Report:

· Band – Dancing with the Stars Fundraiser is now being televised on CV Cable every day at 11:30 and 6:00. All three concert bands received Division I ratings at the MSBOA Festival on March 7 at Anchor Bay HS. Pre-Festival Concert was February 26. Rehearsals are ongoing for Les Miserables Pit Orchestra. Upcoming events are: MSBOA District XVI Honors Band at Avondale HS March 21 and 24. State Solo & Ensemble at Port Huron North HS on March 28. Les Miserables performances on March 26, 27, and 28. Additional information can be found on the band’s website: www.dakotabands.com.

· Choir – Festival Concert was March 3. Varsity Choir appeared on Detroit Public Television on March 4. All Choirs received excellent ratings at District Choral Festival at Stoney Creek HS March 6. Rehearsals for Les Miserables continue daily from 2:30-4:30; tickets available to cast, staff, and parents for $10. Upcoming events are: Les Miserables performances March 26, 27, 28. State Solo and Ensemble Festival in Flint on April 1 or 2. Additional information can be found on the choir’s website: www.dakotachoir.com.

· Winter Guard – Competed at Troy Athens HS on February 14. Upcoming events are: Competition at Milford High School March 14. Competition at CVHS March 21. State Finals at Saginaw Valley State University March 28. Additional information can be found on the band’s website: www.dakotabands.com.

· Winter Drum Line – Competed at Troy Athens HS on February 14. Upcoming events are: Competition at Milford High School March 14. Competition at CVHS March 21. State Finals at Saginaw Valley State University March 28. Additional information can be found on the band’s website: www.dakotabands.com.

Sports Report:

· Congratulations to the Varsity Girls Basketball for winning our District Championship. They move on to play Grosse Pointe North Tuesday at 7:30 at L’Anse Cruese North.

· Track has scheduled a Shields Pizza fundraiser on March 25 at the restaurant located on 23 Mile and Romeo Plank. A flyer is needed to get credit and can be obtained from any track member or Coach Timpa.

· Dakota JV Bowling won 1^st place in the Michigan JV Championship on February 22, 2009.

· Varsity Ice Hockey won back-to-back championships in MAC Red.

· Varsity Dance won 3^rd place in Large Varsity Pom and 7^th place in Large Varsity Jazz in Orlando.

· Boys Swimming won 3^rd place in MAC Red.

· Congratulations to Mike Wranosky. After this weekend’s regionals, he qualified for State Championship in Wrestling.

· Anyone interested in working concessions for booster credit should e-mail your name, phone number, and dates available to Larry.

· Upcoming events:

o Football Golf Outing May 31 at Sycamore Hills.

o Baseball Bowling Fundraiser March 6 at Imperial Lanes.

o Softball Bowling Fundraiser March 27 at Premier Lanes.

Craft Show Report:

From the 453 applications sent out last month, 16 responses have been received so far. Twenty-one tables have been sold. Still receiving calls for the Spring Craft Show.

Web Site Report:

The main page has been updated with meeting dates, and minutes have been loaded.

Donation Requests:

· The following donation requests under $500 were approved by board members at their meeting on March 2:

o Wrestling requested $212 to purchase replacement bulbs for mat sanitizer.

o Administration requested $500 to purchase granola bars and water for snacks during MME testing.

o Junior Class requested $500 for prom.

· The following donation requests were approved by General Membership:

o Miss Belanger requested $1,000 to purchase 550 Dakota sports bags for Freshman Orientation.

o Baseball requested $1,335.60 to purchase two Pro-Screens.

o Baseball requested $1,520 to purchase 40 Mizuno bat bags.

o Softball requested $1,649 to purchase a pitching machine.

o Band requested $3,365 to purchase an 18-foot trailer.

o Administration requested $5,000 for 10 $500 scholarships.

CAC Report:

Mary Ann Couto, our CAC representative, provided the following report from the CAC meeting she attended on February 26:

· Security systems installed during mid-winter break will be up and running soon. They can view all day long from any computer in school (which are double password protected) and can record images. Monitors outside can pin point intruders.

· Arial shots of both high schools will be available for purchase.

Old Business:

None.

New Business:

· Election for booster board positions will be in May. Nominations will be accepted during next month’s meeting.

· Canned good donations will be accepted at all booster meetings and can be left at front table when signing in. They will be transported to the 9^th Grade Center food pantry for the needy.

Motion to adjourn at 7:57 by Priscilla Cobello (1st) and Mary Ann Couto (2^nd).

Next Meeting Schedules:

· Board Meeting is Monday, April 6, 7:00 p.m. in the Community Room.

· General Membership Meeting is Monday, April 20, 7:00 p.m., in the Atrium.

Respectfully Submitted:

Chris Liptak (DHS Booster Secretary)