Dowagiac Board of Education re-elected its 2010-2011 officers to new terms for 2011-2012 Monday night in the middle school cafeteria, including Larry Seurynck as president, Michelle Helmuth as vice president, Stacy Leversen as secretary and Mark Dobberstein as treasurer.

Deputy Superintendent Dr. Ed Yoder and new school board member Ronda Sullivan attended their first meetings. Helmuth and Claudia Zebell were absent.

The board decided to tweak Citizen of the Month and Superintendent Dr. Mark Daniel reported on cracks in the middle school tennis courts.

Board members also endorsed Celebration Graduation 2012 and talked about Band Director C.J. Brooks seeking host families for a Belgium band visiting in August, including a concert on Tuesday, the 9th, at the DMS Performing Arts Center.

For the annual organizational meeting, before going into closed session for a negotiations update, the board approved:

• Depositories for the 2011-2012 school year, Huntington National Bank, Fifth Third Bank, Michigan Liquid Asset Fund, 1st Source Bank, Dowagiac Area Federal Credit Union, Honor Credit Union, Flagstar Bank, CItizens Bank and United Federal Credit Union.

• Check signature authorizations, including Daniel, Finance Director Dawn Copley, board officers on certain funds and principals for their individual building activity funds.

• Named Thrun Law Firm of Lansing and Clark-Hill of Grand Rapids as legal counsel.

• Appointed Daniel or his secretary, Debbie Heeter, to post notices pursuant to the Open Meetings Act.

• Designated Copley as district coordinator for Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Educational Amendment of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

• Appointed Technology Director Randy Gross as copyright compliance officer.

• Maintained assignments on such standing committees as building and facilities, finance, personnel, ad hoc/curriculum, two Michigan Association of School Board voting delegates, Berrien/Cass School Board Association representative; and Legislative Relations Network designee.

Building and facilities consists of Julia Smith, Ronda Sullivan and Claudia Zebell.

Finance is Mark Dobberstein, Ronda Sullivan and Michelle Helmuth.

Helmuth, Smith and Leversen compose the personnel committee.

Ad hoc/curriculum consists of Zebell, Leversen and Dobberstein.

Dobberstein and Helmuth are MASB voting delegates, while Helmuth is the Berrien/Cass Board representative, with Seurynck as alternate, and Zebell becomes the LRN designee.

The board approved meeting dates for Aug. 15, Aug. 31, Sept. 19, Oct. 17 (Daniel’s evaluation), Nov. 21, Dec. 19, Jan. 17 (due to the Martin Luther King holiday), Feb. 21 (due to Presidents’ Day), March 19 (Daniel’s evaluation), April 16, May 21 and June 18.

Regular board meetings occur in the DMS cafeteria at 7 p.m.

Work sessions will also take place about once a month and will be determined later except for one set Aug. 15.

Board member Julia Smith reported on Celebration Graduation, since her daughter is a member of the Class of 2012.

“It’s an all-night, alcohol- and drug-free party after graduation,” Smith said. “It lasts until morning in a location that is a closely-guarded secret.”

Smith and other parent volunteers organize fundraisers seeking community support that hope to accumulate $25,000 by the end of October.

While the school district “endorses” the activity, it provides no direct financial support.

“Our kickoff fundraiser is this Saturday, July 23, during the inaugural Sister Lakes Triathlon. There will be a Mexican luncheon from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Sister Lakes Elementary School. Meals cost $7 and feature two tacos of either beef or chicken, nachos and a side of beans and rice. We’ll also be selling water and pop. Future fundraisers will include Drive for Your School in September, a reverse raffle in October and a casino night. Those dates and times will be announced in the Dowagiac Daily News,” Smith said.

“It’s a wonderful thing this community does,” Seurynck said. “I hear how other communities do it and I think you guys have it right with the secrecy. The kids have a great time every year.”

On the tennis courts, Daniel and Maintenance Supervisor Dave Daniels visited Farmington Hills to see a 10×10 interlocking tile surface. While it’s nearly “unique,” there might be some “dead areas,” so they are looking at repairing the hairline cracks.

“We’re struggling a bit,” the superintendent related, being unable to find any suitable polymers. “We’re anxious to put that behind us,” he added.

Citizen of the Month, the board wants to alter the format from monthly school lunches to less frequent, larger groups – four, two in the fall and two in the spring.