DeKalb School District 428 welcomed a new addition to its board Monday evening when a new member was appointed to fill a vacant seat.

Andy Small, former 1st Ward Alderman, was appointed to fill the vacant spot left when former board member Susan Barshinger resigned Sept. 22.

Small worked with the school district’s Finance and Facilities Advisory Committee and said he was honored to be able to take a spot on the board.

Scott Kubelka, principal of Tyler Elementary School, also was approved to be the principal of the new partnership school beginning next fall.

Kubelka was on hand to announce the contest to name the school of which he will be principal. The contest is open to district students enrolled in pre-kindergarten through fourth grade. Kubelka explained the guidelines and considerations for appropriateness when submitting names.

Students and staff from Jefferson Elementary School also were given a standing ovation for their achievement in becoming an Illinois Spotlight School. Principal Merri-Lynne Seaburg thanked her staff for their continued hard work and dedication and thanked the board for their continued support.

In other news, the board publicly thanked those that had a part in helping build the DeKalb High School baseball walkway, an 8-foot-wide paved walkway from the Barb Boulevard curb to the bleacher area at the baseball field, making the park handicapped-accessible. Baseball parent Bill Vassilogambros contacted local contractors Eliott and Wood, Elmer Larson Quarry, Curran Contracting and Royer Paving to donate the materials and work needed to complete the project.

The school board also accepted more than $16,000 in grant money from the DeKalb Education Foundation at the meeting. The money will be used for specific projects and supplies that were previously approved by the foundation.