NTC celebration will highlight Tiefort View

YERMO - The 25th anniversary celebration of the National Training Center at Fort Irwin today and Friday will include tours of Tiefort View Intermediate School for visiting dignitaries.

School liaison officer Kate Nelson said at Tuesday's Silver Valley school board meeting that the event will be an opportunity to highlight the base's new school. Tiefort View principal Jason Moore and Col. Chris Philbrick will lead tours, she said.

As some Fort Irwin units prepare to deploy, Nelson is distributing information to school staff about helping kids cope with family members going on tour. There will be deployment briefings after the school year starts this fall, she said.

Nelson will leave the district on May 18. The district is interviewing candidates for the school liaison officer position.

Also at Tuesday's school board meeting:

* The board eliminated the 30 cent co-pay for reduced-price breakfasts. Donna Trofa, the director of food services, said that only 16 percent of eligible students eat the reduced-price breakfasts. At lunch, 65 percent of eligible students participate.

* Recent parent complaints about students' cell phones being confiscated led the Silver Valley school board to evaluate the district's cell phone policy.

The board voted 4-1 (with Linda Lingren absent) to uphold the current policy, which allows phones at school but requires them to be shut off during class. The policy also prohibits students from having phones or other devices that take photographs.

Board members agreed on the need to enforce the policy. Karen Gray, the president of the board, asked that the administration talk to staff about what type of support is needed in enforcing the rule. administrator through June 2008. Katie Kolbly agreed to continue and said she would like to see the resolution of projects she is involved in. Kolbly's position initially focused on coordinating projects at Tiefort View and was scheduled to expire with the Fort Irwin school's completion. However, her role expanded, and she said she has worked on projects such as roofing, asphalt/concrete and

Chris Samuel of the Silver Valley Education Association commented and said a student who causes continuous disruptions with a phone in class should eventually be told not to have the phone at school.

* The board extended the position of construction grant administrator through June 2008. Katie Kolbly agreed to continue and said she would like to see the resolution of projects she is involved in. Kolbly’s position initially focused on coordinating projects at Tiefort View and was scheduled to expire with the Fort Irwin school’s completion. However, her role expanded, and she said she has worked on projects such as roofing, asphalt/concrete and repair work at various Silver Valley sites.