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Weathersfield BOE honors student
By Mary Smith
MINERAL RIDGE
Weathersfield Board of Education honored Trumbull County Technical Center and Mineral Ridge High School senior Michael Cornelius,18, second runner-up in the Bill of Right’s Institute’s “Being an American” essay contest.
Cornelius was among 15,000 national entries, and he and his parents won a free trip to Washington, D.C., as did 27 other students selected for their essays.
They toured the Capitol and met with their Congressional representatives.
At a banquet, Institute officials announced that Cornelius, the son of Richard and Laura Cornelius took second place for his essay: “What It Means to be an American,” and also received a $1,000 cash award.
Cornelius is a National Honor Society member and “an outstanding young man,” schools Superintendent Damon Dohar said. He has enlisted in the Marines, effective in June.
The Institute’s goal is to encourage knowledge and understanding of the Bill of Rights and the country’s founding fathers and their ideas.
In other business Wednesday night, the board issued one-, two- or five-year contracts to 16 teachers.
John Hontula, school nurse for all three district schools, was given a new, three-year contract, with a 2 percent increase to bring his salary to $31,110. Hontula has been working under a four-year contract.
The board also approved a two-year contract for Valerie Infante as a six-hour assistant account clerk, at $13.50 per hour. She has been employed in the position for one year at the same rate.
The board also approved a new state-required revision to the schools policy manual which adds a half-credit computer class as a requirement for graduation, starting with the class of 2015.