First Bell: Learning lessons from a summer of school movements; ‘Taste of Lawrence’ set for Wednesday; earlier report a victim of mistaken identity

With sixth-graders becoming middle schoolers, and ninth-graders becoming high schoolers — and teachers and other employees making moves to accommodate all such reconfiguration-related adjustments — dozens of Lawrence school district employees and movers certainly had plenty to do this past summer.

And after hearing a report Monday night about all the movements, members of the Lawrence school board found themselves impressed.

“Obviously, you were well organized,” said Mark Bradford, board president, to move-overseeing administrators Paula Murrish, Ron May and Chantel Nicolay. “We’re proud of everybody who participated in the move.”

Murrish, who is the district’s division director for food services and purchasing, provided example upon example of efficient operations devised and accomplished by district employees. Among the finest: Folks at the Lawrence Virtual School, who had loaded the bulk of their workplace belongings onto 18 pallets, enabling movers to load up items that had been in the former Centennial School and move them over to the former Wakarusa Valley School with relative ease.

That move took a mere 12 hours, Murrish said, “because they had palletized the majority of their items.”

Hearing such stories prompted a suggestion from board member Randy Masten, who had dealt with such logistical issues when he served as an officer in the U.S. Army: create an After-Action Report, one that documents details regarding successes and failures and what everyone could learn from the latest moves.

Because such moves could happen again.

“I think that’s a great idea,” Murrish said, noting that people involved already had compiled their own notes.

“Consolidating those notes would be a great,” Masten said.

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The Lawrence Chamber of Commerce’s annual “Taste of Lawrence” mixer is set for 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on the grounds at Meadowbrook Apartments, at Bob Billings Parkway and Crestline Drive.

The chamber’s description: “For more than 30 years, the Taste of Lawrence has been held annually to showcase our community to new educators as well as highlight the Lawrence Education Achievement Partners and celebrate the start of the new school year. Always a great time, the event is aptly named as the wide variety of local food and beverage vendors truly offer those in attendance a ‘taste’ of the Lawrence community.”

For more information about the mixer or how to purchase tickets, see the invite online or call Adam Handshy at 865-4427.

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For anyone who happened to catch Monday’s edition of “First Bell,” please be aware that I updated — or changed or, better yet, corrected — its first item Monday afternoon.

That’s what happens when you say one person said something, when it actually was another person sitting on the other side of the table.

So please be aware that Alison Nye, a teacher at Pinckney School, did not — repeat did not — voice any questions Wednesday evening regarding the role of the chairman of the Central and East Lawrence Elementary School Consolidation Working Group.

Such questions came instead from fellow working group member Kelly Jones, a representative from the Cordley School community.

My apologies to all for the mix-up.