Four new teachers start at Troy schools

By GWEN ALBERS Western News Reporter

When Troy Public Schools students return on Wednesday, Aug. 30, they will be greeted by four new teachers.

In addition, kindergarten students for the first time will spend the entire day at school instead of the traditional half day.

New teachers are:

* Troy DeBoard, who will instruct Troy High School social studies and replaces Tony Smith. Smith took partial retirement.

* Denikka Miller, who will teach junior and senior high English. She replaces Dave Henderson, who resigned to work on his doctorate.

* Brandon Miller, who replaces Sherry Hingley at W.F. Morrison Elementary School. Hingley took a job in Alaska.

* Stephanie Foos, who replaces Dan Garber at the elementary school.

Troy during the second semester of last school year experimented with all-day kindergarten, said Superintendent Brady Selle.

"It went very well," Selle said. "We just find there's so much kindergartners need to be ready for for first grade."

Staff "was juggled around" to handle kindergarten teaching duties, he said.

In other business, the summer cleanup of asbestos at the high school has been completed. Contaminated vermiculite insulation above the entrance to the auditorium and in one hallway ceiling was removed.

The asbestos there did not threaten the building's "breathing space," which meant students were not being exposed.

The asbestos was a contaminant in vermiculite mined near Libby from the 1920s until 1990. Studies have shown that exposure to asbestos can cause life-threatening diseases, including asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma. About 1,200 Libby-area residents have suffered some kind of asbestos-related abnormality. More than 200 have died.

The exterior of W.F. Morrison Elementary School was repainted over the summer. The school also is getting a $350,000 wood pellet heating system, Selle said. The building is currently heated with oil and electricity, for which costs have doubled.

The new heating system should be operational by early October, he said.

"We should break even the first year and within 10 years, the system will be paid off," Selle said.

Troy Public Schools again expects about 460 students in kindergarten through 12th grade for this year.

"We're getting a few (new students) registered," Selle said. "They're coming from all over. Some are coming back (to the area) and some are new to the area."

School official won't know until after school starts how many students moved away from the district.

Also new, classes focusing on Montana Indian tribes and their history will be taught at the high school.

Lunch prices will jump by 25 cents. At the elementary school, lunches will cost $1.50 and at the high school, $1.75.

School begins at 8:15 a.m.