Unit 5NORMAL – One might say Kingsley Junior High School put some weight and muscle into its “good news” report to members of Normal-based Unit 5 School District Board at the group’s regular meeting at district headquarters on March 22. Board members were introduced to a genuine wrestling champion.

Timmy Vaughn, an eighth grader at KJHS, was recognized for having been crowned champion in Illinois Elementary School Association’s State Wrestling Tournament in the 215 pound division. The event was held at Convocation Center on the campus of Northern Illinois University.

In just his second season participating in the sport, and under the guidance of KJHS Wrestling Coach Dave Lehr, Vaughn struck quickly when meeting challengers to achieve this accomplishment.

In his first round at State, Vaughn defeated Jason Farnham of Sterling Challand Junior High School with a fall at 1:58. To get to State, he was victorious in his quarterfinal match against Brody Esp of Joy Mercer County High School, outscoring his opponent, 8-0. He then pinned Jesiah Bradshaw of Quincy in 3:09 in his semifinal. But his championship match against Josh Woodrey of Forrest Prairie Central proved the most challenging, as it took an overtime to achieve a 3-1 victory. That win evened Vaughn’s record against Woodrey for the season.

When he is not wrestling, Vaughn has provided assistance to a student who was part of the English as Second Language, or ESL program. Lehr and KJHS Associate Principal and Athletic Director Eric Hadden introduced Vaughn to Board members. Vaughn is the son of Steve and Melissa Cooper.

Unit 5 mapPublic Comments Include Survey From Candidate: During the meeting’s public comment segment, Solomon :”Sol” Roberts-Lieb, a candidate for a Board seat, presented Board members with a brief recap of a survey he had conducted concerning current impressions of government. Among the findings he presented: Citizens want the governor and legislators to work to help educators; Class size reduction should be a priority; There should be less testing to determine students’ progress; More communication between parents and teachers; and more core subjects being taught should be related to students’ lives.

A second citizen who spoke, Emma O’Hara, a student teacher at Oakdale School, issued an invitation to Board members to attend the Oakdale School 5th Grade Science Fair. That event will be on Friday, April 7 from 9:30a.m.-10:30a.m., and then again from 1p.m.-2p.m.

Bids For Window Replacement, Chiller Work Approved: Board members approved a trio of window replacement projects to be done at district schools. First, the Board approved a contract to be awarded to J. Spencer LLC for work to be done at KJHS at a cost of $154,500. J. Spencer Construction LLC was one of two firms who bid on the project.

For a project involving the replacement of a chiller and related equipment at Fox Creek Elementary School, Board members unanimously approved awarding the work to Peoria-based O’Brien Brothers, Inc. for a bid cost of $118,000. O’Brien Brothers, Inc., however, was the second lowest bidder for the project. However, because the lowest bidder did not meet specifications required for the project, their lowest bid was rejected.

A similar bid circumstance occurred with bids submitted for repairs on a chiller at Northpoint Elementary School. The second highest bidder for the project out of five companies bidding, Springfield-based Henson Robinson, Inc., was awarded the job with their bid of $84,800. Again, as in the bid for the Fox Creek Elementary project, the company that submitted the lowest bid did not meet specifications required for the project.

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