Keystone Academy staff holds going-away lunch for custodian

After 16.5 years of keeping Keystone Academy sparkling clean, Deb McComb is retiring to travel with her husband.
At the June 1 meeting of the Keystone Academy Board of Directors, Principal Jorvanna Drain said there were so many people who wanted to come to a party to send their head custodian off that they had to limit the party to staff members only, who brought dishes to pass.
Some Keystone Board members said they were disappointed that they weren’t included because they know and love McComb, as well. Principal Drain said they had to limit it because she has so many friends in the district and it would get out of hand.
Drain said, “Deb is loved by anyone who is fortunate to know her, not only for her work ethic, but because of her huge heart.”
Drain said McComb has been the Site Coordinator, which is leader of the custodial staff.
“It has been under her leadership that Keystone Academy has maintained the highest rating for cleanliness on our staff and parent surveys,” Drain said.
Drain said National Heritage Academy has always given Keystone high marks for cleanliness.
McComb works for a firm contracted by NHA and it doesn’t allow workers to work part-time. That information came as the board members asked if she couldn’t come in now and then to keep things going right.
“She’s going to be greatly missed,” Drain told the board.
In other business at the 40-minute meeting on June 1, the board:
• Approved $2,500 from the board’s fund to help pay for Family Fun Night, which will be from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Aug. 23. The event invites school families to gather for a variety of free activities to support the school’s attrition and enrollment efforts. Drain said the PTO will pay $2,000 and the rest of the $62,000 cost will come from the principal’s budget. The event will include food, carnival rides, a rock wall, wipe outs, inflatables, Hungry Hungry Hippo, a huge inflatable slide, outside laser tag, special face painting, and other things;
• Approved the 2022-23 final amended budget. NHA representative Andrew Roth reported enrollment was a little lower last year, so the costs were less. Drain said every single dollar of federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds will be spent. The original budget for 2022-23 was $7,525,812 and amended to $7,314,874. The proposed budget for 2023-24 is $8,294,360;
• Adopted the Continuous School Improvement Plan as mandated by the state, which is a pathway for districts to improve student outcomes by assessing whole child needs to develop plans and coordinate funding;
• Heard Drain report that the school had 4,560 fewer absences this year, 40% less than last year. There also were 43 fewer suspensions this year;
• Heard NHA representative Andrew Roth tell the board that because of the high scores Keystone had on the Spring Employee Engagement Survey Summary, Drain has been asked to give a 90-minute presentation at an upcoming NHA training session on how to have a high school culture. The employee survey had a 100% response rate and scores in all the categories were at 90% or above, with Employee Engagement (How happy are you working at NHA?) at 89%. Drain said they got the highest scores ever and in addition to the Parent Satisfaction Survey, that averaged 94% approval, they are doing very well;
• Was informed all of the third graders passed the state test in reading, so there are no retentions necessary;
• Learned Ms. Chuang and the National Junior Honor Society members painted 150 kindness rocks with various saying, images and words of encouragement and placed them around the playground for students to find. Students could keep the rocks or pass them on to others. Drain said the rocks were a huge success as students spent their recess excited to find them;
• Was advised Keystone will have a sand art table at Belleville’s Lake Fest from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on June 24, where information on Keystone will be passed out;
• Heard Drain report that she and her sister are leaving June 19 on a vacation to Brazil and Argentina, where they have signed up for hang gliding, a tour of a rain forest, and a tango show. The board agreed she deserved a rest; and
• Was reminded that 8th grade promotion is at 6 p.m., June 8, and June 9 is the last half-day of school where Kindergarten promotion is at 9 a.m. and the 8th graders are clapped out by the rest of the students as they walk the halls for the last time with their parents. Drain said she is providing cow bells and noise makers this year because last year the clapping and shouting students had lost their voices by the time the last of the 60 promoted students walked by.