By Dave Hoeger
Montezuma Schools Superintendent
We have had a very exciting summer and early fall with building improvements.
Our custodial and maintenance staff did a great job this summer completing several projects. They moved the playground equipment from the southeast corner to the area with the other playground equipment. We now will fill the hole that was created with dirt and plant grass in that area.
We added some new cabinetry and a sink to the preschool room which is a big improvement for them.
The big project that we are working on is the renovation of the auditorium. It is looking great and on schedule to be ready for students in early October. We are very excited to have you see the renovations at the fall musical which will take place on November 9th and 16th at 7 pm and November 10th and 17th at 3 pm.
Over the summer, we worked on updating our safety plans for our school district. We met with teachers on several occasions this fall to discuss the procedures and are practicing some of these. When appropriate, we will be discussing some safety procedures with our students so they understand their role and how best to stay safe in the event someone is attempting to harm them at school. The principals will have more information to share with you in the near future on this topic.
Last year, we updated our welding lab and had a very successful program for our students. Unfortunately, our instructor had to move out of our community and so he cannot teach this year. Iowa Valley Community College and Montezuma Schools searched for a new welding instructor for this fall but could not find one. We are still looking for an instructor for either second semester or for next year. This teacher will be hired by Iowa Valley and needs to have been a certified welder for at least 2 years. They do not have to have a K-12 teaching license. Please help us search for a great teacher to instruct our students 2 hours per day so that we can bring back this very valuable program for our community.
We are off to a great start this school year. All the staff at Montezuma is working hard to ensure our students have a very successful, engaging school year.
(Editor’s note: This letter is from the school’s website.)