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HomeUncategorizedLake Superior School Board Meeting; Sept. 12, 2023

Lake Superior School Board Meeting; Sept. 12, 2023

2023-24 School Year Off to a Good Start

Administrators and staff, joined by com-munity volunteers, came together in the last weeks of summer to get district buildings ready for the return of students. A hard working cadre of folks moved materials and furniture from storage back into classrooms, cleaned surfaces dusty from construction work and spent the Labor Day weekend scrubbing and waxing floors. By all accounts, those efforts paid off and, as Two Harbors High School Principal Julie Benson commented, The “start of the school year was close to normal.” 

There are several initiatives that Lake Superior District administrators and teaching staff will be focusing on as the term gets underway. With the acquisition of new math curricula, there will be training happening to support teachers as they get familiar with the new materials. The primary grade levels will be using Bridges Math while middle and high school students will be using a program from Carnegie Learning. Come October, on site coaches from Carnegie will be providing training to teaching staff and Bridges training will be offered to teachers virtually.

Additionally, staff are studying MCA test data and are working to address deficits in learning brought on by Covid disruptions. While math and reading scores have improved over the past year, they are still below where they should be. All teachers will be working collaboratively in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) throughout the year to target specific areas of deficit and increase instructional effectiveness through best teaching practices. The district’s World’s Best Workforce goals call for doubling student proficiency scores in the next year and a half and teachers will be working to meet that goal.

Minnehaha Elementary School will be hosting an Open House on September 21st. The public is invited to come see the results of the renovation work that was done over the summer. Homecoming will be held on Friday, September 22nd at Two harbors High School. The football game starts at 7:00 with a dance to follow. There is a shortage of special education staff and administrators are working to address this situation. There also continues to be a need for bus drivers for district routes.

District residents are encouraged to check out the Community Education opportunities and can do so by visiting the district website or by reading The Ripple when it arrives in your mailbox. There are many learning opportunities for all ages being offered this Fall including a Babysitting Clinic, Deep Water Aqua Fitness, Belly Dancing for Beginners, Guitar For Hopelessly Busy People and workshops on Health Care & Retirement and Estate Planning.

The next School Board meeting will be held on October 10th at Two Harbors High School and will commence at 6:00 p.m.

Rick Evans
Rick Evans
My wife, Marsha Kinzer (a proud DEHS Greyhound, class of ‘77) introduced me to the North Shore on vacation in 2012. It became our regular escape when the stress of our careers in education became overwhelming, and it didn’t take me long to fall in love with the breathtaking scenery, the nice people, and “salad” containing Jell-o and marshmallows. So you can either blame or thank my loving wife for my being here, because when we needed to choose a retirement hometown, Marsha advocated hard for her beloved Duluth, and here we are, six months later. Yes, this will be my first northern Minnesota winter. Yes, I welcome thoughts and prayers. Government, public policy, and social justice weighed heavily in the curriculums I taught at the high school level over a thirty-eight year career. In addition, we were a laboratory school focused on critical thinking in conjunction with technical and scientific writing. So when I found myself adrift on the great ocean of retirement and spied a raft, I jumped at the chance to take up what I’d left behind…minus the bad teachers’ lounge coffee. My position at the NSJ allows me to combine my passions for government and writing, and it’s helping me to feel less out of touch in new surroundings. When I’m not being “Cubby” (Marsha’s favorite new nickname for this green reporter) I enjoy pointing at eagles and saying, “Look, honey. There’s an eagle.” I’ve had an active side hustle as a professional musician for almost as many years as Charlie Parr. As a guitarist/singer/songwriter, I graced the stages of clubs and festivals around southern Wisconsin, including an appearance on A Prairie Home Companion. Should I even mention A Prairie Home Companion, or am I the only one here old enough to remember what that is? Look! An eagle!
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