Members of the Lawrence Elementary School Facility Vision Task Force have been working for months to “recommend a community vision and plan for the school district’s elementary facilities that reflect the varied community and educational values and how to best reflect those values given the restraints of current and anticipated district resources.”

That’s the charge, essentially: Find ways to save money while best meeting needs.

The district’s website for the effort includes information about the process, including one document that just recently popped up on the site: a chart detailing the per-pupil costs for each school, calculated by adding up each school’s expenses and dividing that by enrollment.

According to the chart:

• The district-wide average for cost per student is $3,998.

• Wakarusa Valley School has the highest average cost per pupil at $4,877, or $889 above the average.

• Deerfield School has the lowest average cost per pupil at $3,399, or $588 less than the average.

The document is just one item being used by task force members to formulate their recommendations, due to the Lawrence school board by the end of February. Other reports and background data are available in the “resources” tab on the task force’s webpage.

The task force’s next meeting is set for 5 p.m. Monday at district headquarters, 110 McDonald Drive. Meetings are open to the public for observation.

•••

Students in junior high and high schools, and their parents, are encouraged to attend an upcoming presentation of “Bullied,” a documentary that event organizers describe as chronicling “one student’s ordeal at the hands of anti-gay bullies” and offering “an inspiring message of hope to those fighting harassment today.”

The event also will include a panel discussion, “Next Steps: Making a Difference in Our Community.”

The event is set for noon to 1:30 p.m. Feb. 5 in the auditorium at the Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vt.

Sponsors at the library and Headquarters Counseling Center.

•••

In case you missed it, I’ve embedded two fun photos from recent celebrations at two Lawrence elementary schools.

Full frame for a half century at Kennedy School.

The first is a shot of students, teachers and staffers at Kennedy School, 1605 Davis Road, as they celebrated the school’s 50th birthday.

Woodlawn School aligns for celebration.

The second is a photo of students, teachers and staffers at Woodlawn School, 508 Elm, as they celebrated their National Blue Ribbon School Award by aligning themselves as — that’s right — a blue ribbon.

— The First Bell e-mailbox is always open: mfagan@ljworld.com.