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Newton tops Knoxville, loses to DCG in road meet / 1B
DAILY NEWS FRIDAY, JAN. 27, 2017 • WHERE TO GO WHEN YOU NEED TO KNOW
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Principals discuss parent involvement at school board meeting Next year’s school calendar, Berg construction also discussed By Justin Jagler Newton Daily News Newton Community School District’s principals were invited to Monday’s school board meeting to discuss parent involvem e n t a n d what the schools are currently Peters doing to promote it. At Newton High School, Principal Bill Peters said any way to get parents involved is necessary and good. He said keeping parents engaged as kids get older can be challenging. In addition to traditional parent-teacher conferences, NHS has an abundance of after-school clubs and other ways to get parents involved. Heavy equipment day, clean-up day after prom, blood drives and choir performances are all examples of activities designed to get parents involved, Peters said. Berg Middle School also engages parents in a variety of ways. Principal Lisa Sharp said the school has a handful of volunteers who come in to help with fifth-grade reading on a weekly basis. In addition, BMS has
Jamee A. Pierson/Daily News Members of the Preserve the Pride Committee receive the Key Award during the 119th Annual Chamber Dinner on Thursday. The committee worked for more than a year on plans, education and marketing for the recently approved new school building for the Newton Community School District.
Growth and Gratitude
119th Annual Chamber Dinner celebrates Newton By Jamee A. Pierson Newton Daily News The 119th Annual Greater Newton Area Chamber of Commerce Dinner celebrated a year of firsts on Thursday. Area business people and members of the community gathered to celebrate the work accomplished in 2016 and handed out several awards to various sectors of business and education in Newton. Chamber Executive Director Amanda Price, who is in her first year in the position, started off the evening by welcoming everyone and introduced emcee for the night Craig Armstrong, development specialist for the city of Newton. “It was a year of growth and collaboration for our community,” Price said. “There has been amazing things done here in our community, amazing progress.”
Mayor Mike Hansen, Sen. Chaz Allen and U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack also spoke to the crowd about challenges facing them this year, work that Price is coming and how Newton and its businesses continue to make an impact locally, statewide and throughout the country. Following dinner, Lonnie Portner spoke for outgoing board chair Frank Buckley, who could not attend, and introduced incoming board chair Miranda Kulis. “We have an extraordinary two years that we are looking forward to,” Kulis said. “Truly this has been an extraordinary year where I have learned so much
City seeks animal review committee members Newton Daily News The City of Newton is seeking volunteers to serve on the Animal Review Committee as public and animal professional representatives. The committee was established as part of the city’s vicious and problematic dog ordinance and consists of at least one member of the public, one animal professional and one city employee. Animal professionals are required to have experience or education in a profession that primarily involves handling, maintaining or training animals. This would include veterinarians, veterinary techs, animal trainers, groomers, boarding professionals and others in the animal field. There is no special knowledge or experience requirements for citizen representatives, but an understanding of animals and their behavior would be helpful. The committee convenes only when there is an appeal to a vicious or problematic dog declaration. The committee is tasked with COMMITTEE | 3A
and made so many friends and I am looking forward to having a fun next couple of years.” Serving two-year terms, a change from one year terms voted on and approved at the meeting portion of the dinner, are board members Toni Peska, Julia Prendergast, Jessica Deutsch and Heather Dawson. Several individuals, including a large group, were honored at the dinner for work they have accomplished in many areas of the community. Receiving the Key Award was the 30-member Preserve the Pride Committee, which worked for more than a year to bring the new Berg Middle School build to fruition through the recent bond vote. “These continuously focused members were expressing the need for the new building and CHAMBER | 3A
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Internet safety professional offers tips Newton Public Library hosts technology professional By Kayla Langmaid Newton Daily News The Newton Public Library hosted a technology professional Thursday evening to inform residents on how to keep their personal information safe in the world of the web. Craig McClanahan, of Ames, has been the Newton Public Library’s technology consultant for at least 20 years. McClanahan works in Ames on a regular basis, helping Iowa State University and its students. A handful of Newton residents attended McClanahan’s forum, which of-
Kayla Langmaid/Daily News Craig McClanahan, a technology professional, of Ames, speaks to a handful of Newton residents about how to protect personal information on the internet. McClanahan spoke during a public forum at the Newton Public Library Thursday evening.
fered tips on how to keep personal information hidden. The internet is a dangerous place, but McClanahan’s easy and effective tips can help anyone protect themselves. “There are people out there making a fortune off
of people’s naivety,” McClanahan said. One of the biggest things that must be protected is email, McClanahan said. “I would recommend having at least two different email accounts, one
for important emails and one for spam only,” he said. “Only trust when it’s been proven to be real, if you get an email from someone that looks fake, reply back to see if it is actually them.” SAFETY | 3A
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WHERE IT’S AT Astrograph......................5B Calendar..........................5A Classifieds......................4B
various guest speakers and a food pantry that is open to the public every week. Newton’s elementary principals outlined parent involvement, too. Emerson Hough Principal Jolene Comer said the school has community-based organizations that come and volunteer, such as RSVP and Kiwanis. “Looking at all the schools, we are fortunate to have so many volunteer hours,” Comer said. “It’s really awesome how much support we get.” Woodrow Wilson Principal Todd Schuster credited the support of the school’s PTA. He said part of the school’s goal is reaching out to the families that do not typically come out to events. This week’s school board meeting also featured a brief discussion of the district’s transiency report. Newton schools have seen a net increase of 22 students since Oct. 1. NCSD gained 75 new students, and 53 students left the district so far this school year. Updates on the new BMS construction were delivered by Superintendent of Schools Bob Callaghan. He reviewed the building designs, which are nearing completion. The board will vote to approve a final construction document in March. Callaghan said everything is going according to schedule. The School Improvement Advisory Committee (SIAC) presented
Comics & Puzzles...........6A Dear Abby........................6A Local News......................2A
Obituaries.......................5A Opinion............................4A State News......................7A
Building on lip sync success
Berg brings back popular competition / 2A
Volume No. 115 No. 176 2 sections 16 pages
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