Pictured are Warsaw School Board members Superintendent Dr. David Hoffert; Andy Streit, physical education teacher at Eisenhower; Dena Lancaster, WACC Professor of Family and Consumer Sciences; and therapy dogs Champ, Maya and Sawyer. Photo by Jackie Gorski, Times-Union.

By Jackie Gorski
Times-Union

WARSAW — The Warsaw School Board heard about a partnership with Grace College to help students become literate during their meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 12.

Megan Smith, director of programs and partnerships for the Center for Literacy and Learning, said the center came about through a Lilly Endowment grant.

One way the center helps students is through a literacy lab at Jefferson Elementary School. It serves as a training ground for Grace College teacher candidates. The literacy lab started over the summer, she said.

A guidance center has also been established at Grace to support students in the community. Teacher candidates at Grace volunteer at the tutoring center.

Smith said the tutoring center currently has five tutors and serves students at Washington STEM, Jefferson and Lincoln elementary schools. They currently have 36 third graders using their services.
Smith said guidance isn’t always affordable.

Superintendent Dr. David Hoffert said WCS was able to obtain free tutoring services for students through this partnership.

Smith said Washington and Lincoln students are bused to the Grace campus after school and picked up by parents when the students finish.

Smith said tutors meet with students three nights a week for an hour, working on things including phonics.

Earlier in the meeting, the school board learned about therapy dogs within the school corporation.

Hoffert said WCS has six therapy dogs and one drug-sniffing dog in the school system.

Lucy is at Harrison, Alucard is at Edgewood, Chap and Clifford are at Leesburg, Sawyer is at Warsaw Area Career Center, and Maya is at Eisenhower.

Andy Streit, physical education teacher at Eisenhower, said he believes Maya was one of the first, if not the first, therapy dog ​​at WCS, and this is Maya’s fourth year with WCS.

Board Vice President Randy Polston owns the Champ. He said when he picked Champ up from the breeders, he got a call from his son, Nathan Polston, principal at Leesburg Elementary. Nathan said that Randy Leesburg’s therapy dog ​​at the time was retiring due to age and wanted to know if Randy would train Champ to become a therapy dog. Randy said his answer was yes because he dedicated his life to helping students, so this was just another way to do that.

Nathan told Randy that he would have to cover basic housing and potty training for Champ and that there were funds Leesburg could use to get Champ through training to become a therapy dog. Champ turned 1 in July and is now full-time at Leesburg.

Dena Lancaster, family and consumer sciences teacher at WACC, said having therapy dogs in the school makes a difference. She noted one student interaction where an autistic child had a tantrum and stormed out of the classroom. Sawyer went after the child and was able to calm the student down.
Hoffert said the dogs have a calming presence in the schools.

Randy said the stories of students making connections with therapy dogs are amazing.

In other business, the board heard WCS has a $2,000 sign-up and referral bonus for bus drivers. CFO April Fitterling said there are several bus drivers retiring at the end of the year and the school corporation wants to make sure those positions are delayed.