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Minutes 12-04-08 MINUTES OF THE EDUCATION AND YOUTH ADVISORY BOARD MEETING HELD ON THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4 , 2008, AT 7:00 P.M. COMMISSION CHAMBERS, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA PRESENT: Steven Waldman, Chair Mary Morera, Vice Chair Carol Lundquist Robert Chiste, Student-Regular Voting Member Lisa Pierre, Student-Regular Voting Member ABSENT: Pamela Camel Lesha Roundtree Lori Wilkinson Luis Rodriguez, Student-Regular Non-Voting Member I. Call to Order Chair Waldman called the meeting to order at 6:58 p.m. II. Pledge of Allegiance/Moment of Silent Reflection The board recited the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, followed by a moment of silent reflection for the men and women in the Country’s Armed Forces. III. Approval of Minutes of October 23, 2008 Motion Ms. Morera moved to approve the minutes. Mr. Chiste seconded the motion that passed unanimously. IV. Approval of Agenda Chair Waldman requested Item A, “Request from the Principal of Boynton Beach High School” be added under VII. New Business. Motion Mr. Chiste moved to approve the agenda with the addition. Ms. Morera seconded the motion that passed unanimously. 1 Meeting Minutes Education and Youth Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida December 4, 2008 V. Announcements/Presentations/Correspondence Ms. Claude announced it had been mentioned at a prior meeting that the Board’s attendance policy differed from that of other City Boards. As such, she prepared an agenda item for the January 6, 2009 Commission meeting. The appropriate section of the Code of Ordinances would be amended so that the Board would have the standard attendance policy. The amendment would be more lenient, allowing three meetings to be missed in a year. Chair Waldman sent a letter to Carrie Hill in appreciation of her $300 donation. This sum was reflected in the Budget Summary at the bottom of the agenda. Chair Waldman also sent letters to Robert Kanjian and Shelley Vana requesting donations of unused campaign funds. The Sand Sifters would have their monthly beach cleanup this Saturday at Oceanfront Park from 8:00 a.m. through 10:00 a.m. At that time, the Sand Sifters will be collecting new, unwrapped toys for the Community Caring Center. Ms. Claude provided a flyer for the Sand Sifters’ January event, “Beautify for a Slice of Pie.” January was “National Pie Month” and pies would be provided to individuals attending the event. VI. Public Audience None VII. New Business A. Request from the Principal of Boynton Beach High School Chair Waldman reported that Mr. Oswald, Principal of Boynton Beach High School, had requested the Board provide a donation of $300 for the basketball program. Ms. Pierre pointed out she was a member of the School Improvement Committee (SAC) and as a result of budget costs and lost revenues, she believed the Board should donate $300 or more. Ms. Lundquist and Ms. Morera believed, as a City Board, the Education and Youth Advisory Board should agree to the donation. Chair Waldman believed the Board would also be requested to send a student to “Presidential Classrooms.” Last year the Board donated $1,000 for the “Presidential Classrooms.” He suggested donating $500 to the High School and if additional funds were needed, the issue could be revisited. 2 Meeting Minutes Education and Youth Advisory board Boynton Beach, Florida December 4, 2008 Motion Ms. Lundquist moved to give $500 to the High School to be earmarked for the basketball program. Ms. Pierre seconded the motion that passed unanimously. VIII. Old Business A. Greenmarket Chair Waldman noted he was advised the Board could sell baked goods or other items at the Green Market only on one or two occasions. A commitment would be required. He pointed out he would be away from December 17-28, 2008. The event would be held in the parking lot as the tree lighting and concert were scheduled for that night. Ms. Morera suggested delaying this until after the holidays. The Board concurred. B. League of Cities Youth Conference Report Ms. Pierre attended the conference. The attendees had the opportunity of meeting people of differing backgrounds from all over the country. They also met Mayors from other cities and notables such as author and columnist, Thomas Friedman. The students had the opportunity to express themselves as future leaders of America. Ms. Pierre thanked the Board for its support and advised the group would be sending a thank-you letter to Ms. Barnes, one of the chaperones. Chair Waldman added the students interacted and networked with students from Palm Beach County and 30 other states. They students also interacted well with Mayor and Mrs. Taylor and the Commissioners and discussed various initiatives. Chair Waldman was pleased to have participated in the conference. The Board previously discussed donating $100 each for two Boynton Beach High School students who attended the conference. The parents of the students had been asked to contribute $100, but were not obligated to do so. He inquired whether the Board still wished to contribute $200 to defray the costs for the two students who attended. The $200 would be reimbursed to the Palm Beach League of Cities. Motion Mr. Chiste moved to expend $200 to give to the League of Cities. Ms. Lundquist seconded the motion that passed unanimously. C. Proposal to Reward Academic Achievement at Boynton Beach High School 3 Meeting Minutes Education and Youth Advisory board Boynton Beach, Florida December 4, 2008 Chair Waldman advised the proposal was going forward at the ninth, tenth, eleventh and senior grade levels. To date, the board had not been approached for funding. If any funds were requested, they would be provided only to the graduating seniors. The Board may be requested to provide a plaque. The Social Studies Department was on board with the proposal, as was Mr. Oswald, the school’s Principal. The Schoolhouse Museum would be moving forward with interviewing World War II veterans, a project for Boynton Beach High School. Janet DeVries, Library Archivist, would be training the students to interview the veterans. Linda Friedman, teacher and Chairman of the Social Studies Department, would be assisting in the coordination of the project. it was hoped the interviews could be taped. D. Youth Volunteer Bank Ms. Claude noted, over the past month and a half, she had added eight to ten new members, mostly from Poinciana Elementary School. To date, there were a total of 73 members in the Youth Volunteer Bank. She advised none of the students had turned in their hours. Volunteer opportunities, particularly for the Sand Sifters, were provided to the students via email. Ms. Claude advised the flyer for the Borovy Award had been revised slightly to provide a fresher appeal. A press release had gone out and information would be aired on BBTV, Channel 18. Informational packets were available at City facilities and had gone out to the Library and Museum, as well as Boynton Beach High School, Lake Worth Christian High School, South Tech Academy, Atlantic Community High School and Park Vista Community High School. She will also send flyers to Santaluces Community High School. Discussion ensued as to the judges for the Borovy award. Three judges were needed. Chair Waldman suggested Debbie Majors, Gary Solomon (Founder of the Sand Sifters), and the winner from the previous year be asked to serve as judges. There were no objections from the Board. Applications for the scholarship were available on line and three letters of recommendation were required to be attached to the application. E.Fundraising Chair Waldman reported on two websites, “goodsearch.com” and “goodshop.com,” which donated a penny each time the web was searched for a cause or favorite charity, or each time a purchase was made through the website. He signed onto the site on behalf of the Board. Chair Waldman would provide further information on the process. IX. Future Meeting Dates: January 22, 2009 February 26, 2009 4 Meeting Minutes Education and Youth Advisory board Boynton Beach, Florida December 4, 2008 There were no objections to the meeting dates. x. Adjournment Motion Mr. Chiste moved to adjourn. Ms. Morera seconded the motion that passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 7:30 p.m. ~if/~"<-"- Q.c--- Stephanie D. Kahn Recording Secretary 122208 5