BOE forms partnership with Bluecoats marching ensemble
Bluecoats CEO Mike Scott, left, Fairless Band Director Elizabeth Barkan, and students Ashton Haney and Noah Barkan give a presentation to the board of education.
The Fairless Board of Education approved a Memorandum of Understanding to form a Bluecoats/Fairless Education Partnership during a meeting held Oct. 15 in the high school.
The Bluecoats Drum & Bugle Corps is a marching ensemble made up of 165 young brass and percussion musicians and color guard performers.
The district will create a strategic partnership and officially name the school district as a Bluecoats Community Partner. Fairless Superintendent Mike Hearn, Bluecoats CEO Mike Scott, Band Director Elizabeth Barkan, and students Ashton Haney and Noah Barkan presented the partnership plan to the board.
“The partnership will create an educational home for the group to hold audition camps at the high school. The two-year agreement is renewable and provides Fairless a revenue stream from facility rental agreements, and Bluecoats access a first-class facility,” Hearn said. “The Bluecoats would hold camps on the weekends, and they would camp overnight in the access gym.
“The agreement works for both groups who have similar strategic goals. At Fairless we are aiming to make our district the community where families want to learn, live, work and grow. Access to world-class performing arts for our community is one way to do this.”
Hearn said camps will bring hundreds of student-musicians from across the nation and even from other countries to compete for a place on the Bluecoats roster. There will be many community performances held at Fairless.
The board also did the following:
—Entered into an agreement with Early Childhood Resource Center to provide evaluation services for the SPARK program, effective July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025, at an estimated cost of $4,080.
—Entered into a three-year agreement with Parchment LLC for services from Dec. 3, 2024, to Dec. 27, 2027. It deals with student transcripts, and they will be able to go to the district’s website to get the transcripts immediately.
—Accepted the resignations of Timothy Vick, middle school teacher, effective Oct. 1, and Chase Jefferies, tutor, effective Sept. 25. Jefferies was then hired with a long-term substitute teaching contract for the reminder of the school year, effective Sept. 26.
—Approved Serena Martin, permanent substitute, for the remainder of the 2024-25 school year, effective Oct. 15, and Tyler McGonagle as a 5.75 hour per day certified tutor, effective Oct. 1.
—Issued one-year supplemental contracts to Laura Johnston, Theresa Lemus-Santos and Kari Miller, all resident educator mentors; Karin Cibella, fall drama assistant; Joshua Witting, head baseball coach; Ben Russell, head track and field coach; and Wes Yoder, wrestling volunteer.
—Granted one-year supplemental coaching contracts to nondistrict teachers Glen Schering, freshman girls basketball; Seth Peterson and Jordan Jennings, freshman boys basketball (split stipend); Adam Bucher, assistant varsity wrestling; and Julie Tull, head softball.
The next meeting will be held Nov. 19 at 6:15 p.m. at Fairless High School, 800 Seventh St., Brewster.