Scholarship Recipients Honored at HSD Board of Education Meeting

The final  Board of Education meeting of the regular school year was delayed more than half an hour Tuesday night, due to an executive session meeting that began an hour before and ran long. 

But once the , it proved to be a night of emotional acknowledgements, honors, and awards, as several students, teachers, and staff were recognized for their achievements during the school year.

Hazelwood National Education Association Scholarships

 senior Brittany Schuff, and Hazelwood East High School senior Arnella Balley, were recognized as $1,000 scholarship award winners for their entries the Hazelwood National Education Association (HNEA) art contest.

HNEA president Diane Livingston presented each graduating senior with her scholarship certificate.

Schuff, who will attend  next fall, won her award for what Livingston described as a "brilliant drawing" and depiction of a zebra. Its stripes represent the different aspects of Schuff's life.

Balley, who will attend Saint Louis University, created a self-portrait she said represented her transformation from a “lost and confused” ninth-grader to her current status as a first generation college student. She thanked all aspects of HSD staff at East High School for getting her to the graduation finish line, some of which attend to show her support.

Outstanding First-Year Teachers

HSD also recognized two teachers as "Outstanding First-Year Teachers."

Lindsay Negwar, a kindergarten teacher at , was the recipient of the award for educators at the elementary school level.

Eliza Rivas, a Spanish teacher at , was the award winner in the secondary school classification.

Both were nominated by their respective school principals, and were selected for their stellar achievement in the classroom this past year.

Bid Awards

The baord approved three bid awards during the meeting: one for equipment, one for field improvements and one construction.

Initially Morrissey Construction was reccomended for construction work at Hazelwood East High School, but during the voting period, an amendment was in which the board voted and approved awarding the bid to Wright Construction.

At the , three other construction contracts were also awarded to Wright Constrctution.

Diana Gulotta, HSD assistant superintendent for communications, said the board approved selecting Wright Construction for work at East High even though it was not the lowest bidder because the Board felt it was the most responsible bidder for the following reasons:

• HSD wanted to go with a Missouri company
• HSD has had a positive record of working with Wright Construction
• HSD had reservations going with the lowest bidder due to concerns about that company being able to complete the work in a timely and satisfactory manner

HSD will purchase five new buses through Midwest Transit Equipment, who won the transportation bus bid. for $352,425.

Byrne & Jones will perform track and field event resurfacing improvements at all three high schools for $447,000.

Patron Participation

The patron participation portion of the board meeting included four speakers who approached the board for various reasons.

• Coleasha McMorris, a parent whose children attend Hazelwood West, served as the spokesperson for several concerned individuals that wanted to know why a person they deemed a "popular basketball coach" at West High, was dismissed, and also wanted to know about his replacement whom she felt might be someone that “hasn’t connected” with the players.
• Russell Demein, of Demein Construction expressed disappointment with the board for not being awarded a bid for which he felt his company qualified. As stated earlier in the article, the bid went to Wright Construction.
• Chris Bay, a custodian at the Hazelwood School District building was suspended from his job and approached the board to see if his grievance packet had been received.  did acknowledge that the information packet had been received and said it would be discussed in an executive session following the end of the public portion of the meeting. Personnel matters can be discussed in private without public presence.