Lake Holcombe School Board; The start of the school year and what it will look like

A tour was given for those present at the Lake Holcombe School Board meeting Aug. 16, to show the newly installed boilers. The three new units freed up a huge amount of space, eliminating some of the pumps needed to operate the system and the need for a wood chip area. Now, the district plans to fi ll up those areas to the foundation level, so the area can be used as a space for the snowplow, while two sections will be utilized as a storage and laundry room. Tom Hayden, head of maintenance, said the new boilers should last 35 years for sure, and that the system can be used with either LP or natural gas. “It’s way more efficient,” said Hayden. Photo by Ginna Young

By Ginna Young

It’s been talked about and questioned for some time now – how will this school year look at Lake Holcombe? At the regular school board meeting Aug. 16, superintendent Kurt Lindau tried to address those concerns during a public hearing at the meeting, as part of the Forward Plan 2021.

While they are not required as of the meeting, face coverings are highly recommended in the school.

“Certainly, face coverings will be encouraged and allowed to be worn, as parents and guardians see fit,” said Lindau. “Of course, this is all subject to change.”

Lindau says they should know a week or two into the school year, what COVID activity is around the area. Lindau also mentioned that those vaccinated and unvaccinated are getting the virus, as well as those who wear face coverings and those who don’t.

“I’ve thought long and hard about this, even as the dynamics and metrics have changed, just certainly in the last three weeks,” he said, “but I think this is our starting point for the school year.”

Transportation of the students will be assigned by the bus company and drivers, with masks required on the buses.

“As of today, there is still that federal mandate for face coverings to be worn on public transportation services, which includes school buses,” said Lindau. “I have to believe that that’s going to be extended past Sept. 13, but I haven’t seen anything at this point.”

The school building will be open to visitors, as long as they sign in at the office, and parents are asked to drop their kids off in the classrooms and exit the building.

“We like the fact that students reported directly to their classrooms upon arrival at school,” said Lindau of last year’s protocols.

Grades pre-k through fifth will be served in a breakfastin- the-classroom style, and the remaining grades will eat in the cafeteria, while lunch will be served for all grades in the cafeteria.

In the classrooms, desks and tables will be set up in pods, but students can move from classroom to classroom. Cell phones will not be permitted during classes, nor will the wearing of hats, but backpacks can be stashed in lockers.

Lindau said the district will encourage frequent hand washing and cleaning protocols, and will work with any staff member who requests more extensive measures. He also wants to use water bottles and wrote a grant that was funded to install a couple more water filling stations.

“They’re pretty easy to swap out,” said Lindau.

In addition, Lindau says he understands and supports families who feel that virtual learning is their best option, through home schooling or the eSucceed consortium, but only those quarantined will be allowed to join the classroom in a virtual setting.

Jamie Tester Morfoot asked what virtual learning will look like. Dale Mahalko, technology coordinator, says last year, he had technology set up so the teacher could remote control the smartboard from home, in the event they were quarantined. That can again be set up this year, as necessary, as the students “learn better” from the teacher they see every day.

“We learned a lot of things in the last 12 months,” said Lindau. “It will forever change how we do some things.”

Lindau then asked the board to approve the Forward Plan as presented, but Morfoot made a motion for an addendum. She says that the district is unique, in that Lake Holcombe is a K-12 school, which causes more exposure for everyone.

“Half of our student body can’t be vaccinated, even if they want to be,” said Morfoot. “And that’s what concerns me.”

Morfoot says that if masks help prevent sickness and the school wants to keep kids from missing school, which in turn, makes parents miss work, she feels masks should be mandated.

However, her motion died without a second and the original plan was approved.

“I think we can always go to the mask mandate – and I hate to say this, but I think that may be coming – but right now, I don’t want to say that we’re going to require masks,” said board president Brian Guthman.

He says that could change tomorrow, depending on COVID cases in the district, but for the moment, no mandate is best for the district.

“I think at this point, we’re doing the best we can,” said Guthman.

The board also granted permission for Kent Dorney, ag teacher to go ahead with plans for the school forest. After he accepted the position couple years ago, Dorney wanted to update the school forest plan and get it registered, which gives the district free trees for planting, DNR forester access and scholarships.

The forests are in two locations – one that equals 80 acres in the Birch Creek area, and one off Lakeshore Drive that is 79 acres. With DNR help, Dorney established a Forest Stewardship Plan, which is a step-by-step plan of what trees are on the land and which ones are healthy. It also involves a step-by-step process of when the trees should be harvested and how to give the forest longevity.

Primarily, there is red pine on the land, but there is white pine, as well, and some birch, red maple, ash, aspen and black spruce. The DNR forester stated the Birch Creek area is recommended for harvest first.

“I guess the next plan of suggestion would be whether or not we start to get bids for the future on moving forward harvesting some of this timber that’s out there,” said Dorney.

Members gave their blessing, and agreed that Dorney should work with Lindau and the DNR, and keep the board updated on progress.

The board also approved the hire of assistant football coach Kaden Crank; and the resignation of assistant girls basketball coach Megan Lechleitner, as she is returning to college; and of Amanda Norberg, family and consumer education teacher, and assistant forensics adviser.

Norberg said that Lake Holcombe was a great district to be part of, but that she has accepted a position in the Bloomer School District where her own children attend.

This was not an easy decision to make, on my part, wrote Norberg.

As a notice to the public, the next board meeting was moved to the Tuesday, Sept. 28, because of a conflict.