Owensville Elementary School (OES) Principal Scott Davidson asked the Gasconade County R-2 Board of Education June 24 to approve a child dutchman mascot and allow him to upload it to Jostens’ School Spirit Store.

“I would like to set up a school spirit store through Jostens, which would allow our school to receive 12 percent proceeds on every item purchased,” Davidson said. “This is an easy way to promote our Dutchmen Pride and receive funds to continue to enhance our elementary.”

Davidson included a picture in his report of the “elementary friendly” Dutchman. Director Nona Miller said she loved it.

“I didn’t know if I needed the board’s approval to Gerald and OES to use that for some of the publications we send out,” Davidson said. “We’ll still continue to use the district’s logo as well, but we are kind of looking at something similar to a flat Stanely Wilson, I think Dutchy Junior is the name of this guy.”

Garner asked the board if anyone had issues with using Dutchy Junior (DJ)? Miller asked if they were going to make one with a skirt.

“That one, to me, went gender neutral,” Davidson laughed.

Miller and the board agreed, and thanked Davidson for thinking of it.

“The other thing I wanted to talk to you about is sending it to Jostens,” Davidson said. “They can set our school up on their spirit store, and we would get 12 percent of the proceeds and automatically get a check cut to us.”

Davidson said he could upload the school’s logos to them and anyone who orders hats, sweat shirts, hoodies t-shirts, flip flops, cups, glasses, etc., the school would receive 12 percent of the proceeds.

“They handle all of the purchasing, shipping, returning if something’s not right,” he said. “We don’t touch anything, we just promote it and then get a 12 percent return on it. I didn’t know if the board would also mind approving that. I think it is a great way of promoting what our school has going on in the summer. “

Davidson said it was a good way to raise some funds for schools if they wanted to plant trees or buy new Chromebooks.

“Did you happen to check with any of the local vendors just to check and see what their prices were?” Miller asked Davidson.

He said the local vendors will go lower, but anything they do through them, the school has to make a purchase order, get the money and it is a one time deal.

“This way someone can buy a dollar’s worth of stuff, we get 12 cents, they buy $100 worth of stuff, we get $12,” Davidson said. “This could be anytime throughout the year, so we don’t have to handle money or anything. They can pull our logo off, they can design it, pick colors, sizes, and order it and send it out for Christmas.”

Davidson said he spoke with people, it is hard to come up with $300 because it is only one time during the school year versus if they spread it out.

Miller said she thinks it is the first question that will come out, and asked if it is available to all the buildings. Davidson said Jostens could set it up with anyone.

Board President Glenn Ely said Miller hit the nail on the head.

“I think the only push back you are going to get is from the people who sell a similar item,” Ely said.

“I guess if they wanted to take on the whole thing, like you are saying, which I don’t think the could —,” Miller began.

Ely interrupted and said he didn’t know of any that could or had one-100th of that capacity of support and flexibility. It would be tough for the local vendors.

Director Molly Steinbeck said if people want to support a local business, they will. It is just another option.

“Now when we do building t-shirts or anything like that, we will put bids out there and do it that way, but if people just want to order something, they can,” Davidson said.

Steinbeck said it is just like the high school purchasing the class hoodies.

“So any time we do that one order, we have to put that money together though, for that one order,” Davidson said.

Garner said to clarify that when school organizations are taking orders for shirts and what not, it would still fall under the policy to get local vendors to get their prices and go that route,” Garner said. “This is for a single individual to go out and order a single item. If our staff was going to put an order together, they would still go by the board policy of getting local prices and going through that process.”

Davidson agreed.

“This is just a way to get promotional stuff out there, if there are grandparents in different states, or somebody that wants to support the school,” Davidson said.

The board approved both items by a consensus.