ISD 166 board chair Mary Sanders presents retiring school board member Leonard Sobanja with a plaque announcing the establishment of a new scholarship fund in his honor at a school board meeting December 20. She thanked him for his service to the school district—spanning seven decades—as a teacher, principal, school board member, and champion of the industrial arts program.
The cement bleachers inside the old Cook County High School gymnasium are gone. Demolition of the west wing of the school complex is in full swing in preparation for the construction of the Cook County Family YMCA.
At the December 20 school board meeting, Superintendent Beth Schwarz said she was working hard on maintaining communication with the county’s owner’s rep, ORB Management.
Demolition of the bleachers was done outside school hours, Schwarz said. Hauling away the debris would be done over Christmas break.
One glitch was that a portion of the building was temporarily warmer than usual because of the way the system was being managed during construction. Another issue has been that some students have lost their assigned parking spaces after going off-campus during the lunch break.
The meeting began with a moment of silence after the Pledge of Allegiance to remember those affected by the recent school shooting in Connecticut. Schwarz said she has been polling other schools about their security measures, in particular, how much access people have through unlocked doors. She is investigating numerous security mechanisms such as the ability to close off portions of a building during a security risk.
After school supervision
With one of the school’s three gymnasiums out of commission during the construction of the new community center, after-school sports practices are being staggered, leaving some students at school until 7 p.m.
School board member Deb White reported on a discussion at a recent Local Indian Education Committee meeting regarding the needs of Grand Portage students at school until evening when the late bus picks them up. They are hungry and sometimes need help with their homework, White said.
Grand Portage has been paying for the late bus, but they need some adults to watch over them, White said. The school had tried to put a plan together in which teacher volunteers would provide supervision, make sure the kids had food, and help with homework as needed, but needs were still falling through the cracks.
White said Grand Portage requested that the school hire someone part-time for 10 weeks during the basketball season to oversee all the district students in this situation. The staff of the Anishinabe Academic Center had been taking turns staying late with students who were at school after hours.
In response to this need, Superintendent Schwarz had drafted a proposal for a Student Resource Center. “A plan using volunteers was developed and implemented on 12-10-12,” the proposal stated. “Unfortunately, the volunteer model did not meet the needs. … We decided the only way to ensure consistent resource support would be to pay a coordinator.”
The proposal called for hiring a Student Resource Center coordinator 10-14 hours a week during the winter sports season at $13 an hour – just under $1,500 for 115 hours. In addition, the district would provide snacks, expected to cost another $1,000. A tutor and additional supervision would be provided by the Anishinabe Academic Center staff and Grand Portage would continue to provide a late bus for East End students. A grant application for $1,800 has been submitted, and the remaining $700 would be provided through donations that have been made to the district.
The new program would require students to either be in the Anishinabe Academic Center, in a practice with a sports team and coach, or getting help from another teacher in the building.
The board authorized school staff to advertise for the temporary position.
Snowshoes for sled dog race
School board member Mary Sanders reported that the ISD 166 Education Foundation had just awarded a grant of $1,000 for a project that would enable students to help out with the upcoming Gichigami Express Sled Dog Race, wearing snowshoes of their own making.
Ojibwe teacher Tom Jack and industrial arts teacher Sam West will be helping students make their own snowshoes before the race, which they will be able to wear when they help out during the event and then take home afterward.
The race will take place in stages January 6-8, starting in Grand Portage with stops at Hungry Jack Lodge on Sunday, January 6 and Devil Track Landing on Monday, January 7 and taking off from behind Cook County High School for the last leg on Tuesday, January 8.
Out with the old, in with the new
Mary Sanders recognized Leonard Sobanja for his support of the district as a teacher, principal, school board member, and industrial arts advocate over the last seven decades. Sobanja started as a teacher at CCHS in the 1950s.
A scholarship fund has been set up in Sobanja’s honor. He did not seek re-election as his term was coming to an end this year.
Sanders also thanked school board member Terry Collins for his service to the district. He fulfilled the position vacated by Rod Wannebo but did not run for the office as the term came to an end.
Sanders especially thanked Collins for helping the board think through difficult and complex issues. He has a long professional background in higher education.
Sissy Lunde, replacing Sobanja, and Ed Bolstad, replacing Collins, took their oaths of office. They will officially begin their duties in January.
The board accepted Kathleen Johnson’s resignation with appreciation for her 28 years of service to the district. She worked in the superintendent’s office. Her last big project was sorting through decades of old records and materials in the old band room.
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