By SARAH PARKER | County Line Reporter
Brookwood’s athletic participation numbers exceed that of any other Scenic Bluffs Conference school, according to figures presented to the Norwalk-Ontario-Wilton Board of Education at its meeting Jan. 11.
Superintendent Kelly Burhop wrote in his district administrator’s report, “I understand that we are one of the largest schools in the conference, but our participation numbers compete against and at times are higher than some Division 1 schools.”
More than half of all high school and junior high school students played fall sports this year. Last year, more than one-third played spring sports and more than 40 percent played winter sports.
Of all sports, football has the highest level of participation (42 students), followed by track (36 students). Junior high football brings in 33 students; girls basketball, 31; boys basketball, 25; volleyball, 25; junior high boys basketball, 23; baseball, 22; cross country, 22; junior high girls basketball, 21; junior high track, 19; softball, 18; junior high cross country, 18; junior high volleyball, 17; and junior high wrestling, 14.
Additionally, 120 children take part in youth basketball, and Burhop projected that about 30–50 children participate in youth wrestling.
Other business
• The school’s Special Olympics basketball team will play La Farge at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 27, at Brookwood.
• The board hired Natasha Thompson as a special education teacher.
•The board approved the 2016–17 school district calendar, changing the Monday after Easter from a snow-day make-up day to a vacation day.
• To bring district policy in line with new legislative requirements, the board changed its board-vacancyrules. If a board member resigns, the board will determine the replacement by taking a roll-call vote in open session. In the case of a tie vote, the board will do a roll-call vote again within 60 days. Ifthe vote remains tied, one of the two candidates’ names will be drawn from a hat.
A partisan, deadlocked election in the Racine School District prompted the state legislature to create the new rules.
• The Brookwood FFA will takea trip Chicago, visiting the Federal Reserve Bank, among other sites, in late January.
• The Brookwood Diversity Club recently collected more than 500 items for Syrian refugees who have been located to the Twin Cities.
• The school also recently raised $825 for the Salvation Army, including $522 from the junior high alone.
• Five Brookwood industrial technology courses now can be taken for dual credit with Western Technical College in La Crosse, according to Principal Brad Pettit.