Scouts ask for right to wear honor cords

By Kevin O’Brien

A Marathon City Boy Scout leader is asking the local school board to allow four graduating seniors to wear honor cords during graduation as a way to recognize their status as Eagle Scouts.

John Kindlarski, scoutmaster of Troop 458, spoke to board members at their April 10 meeting about permitting the four soonto- be graduates to break with school tradition and wear cords that honor something other than traditional academic accomplishments. Becoming an Eagle Scout takes years of dedication, he said, and earning the minimum of 21 merit badges includes a lot of educational components.

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“It means a lot to them to be recognized for their achievements, and it certainly does not detract from any of the other organizations that offer cords,” he said. “The cords would be purchased by us; there would be no cost to the district.”

Superintendent Rick Parks said it’s always been the district’s practice to allow honor cords only for academic honors, membership in the National Honor Society or completion of dualcredit courses at Northcentral Technical College. In checking with other districts in the Marawood Conference, Parks found that most of them have similar restrictions (Stratford also allows recognition for blood donors).

Though the district does not currently have a policy in place, Parks said he worries about setting a precedent for allowing cords that are not affiliated with school accomplishments.

“If we open it up beyond just the school academics, then who or what group might be next?” he asked the board. “We don’t know what else might be out there.”

In response, Kindlarski said Scouts need to have at least one school-related letter of reference to be eligible for Eagle Scout, and they are questioned about the involvement in academic and extracurricular activities. Kindlarski said he spoke to Scott Domino, director of the regional Samoset Council, who told him that 75 to 80 percent of school districts in northcentral Wisconsin allow Eagle Scout cords at graduation.

Kindlarski said Troop 458 has a proud tradition in Marathon, with 66 Scouts having earned their Eagle Scout status since 1975. Many of the Eagle Scouts’ community projects have benefitted the school district, he noted, including a dock at the school pond, a new sandbox at Marathon Elementary, mobile storage containers for the band, batting cages for the baseball and softball teams, and a ticket booth at the football field.

Board member Ted Knoeck said he has “a true appreciation” for what students need to do to become Eagle Scouts, “but we have a lot of kids involved in a lot of different things” and he worries about allowing the cords for anything beyond academics, such as students who are all-conference athletes or participate in extracurricular activities at the state level.

“They have a lot of time and commitment into that as well,” he said.

As the mother of a Scout, board member Paula Vesely said she can attest to how deeply related scouting is to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math).

“There’s so much learning and time, it is truly education based,” she said.

Board member Beth Seubert wondered if the board could decide on allowing cords on a caseby- case basis, without worrying about setting a definitive precedent for all future requests.

As an alternative to graduation cords, board member Lia Klumpyan suggested recognizing the Eagle Scouts during the high school’s annual awards night. Knoeck called that a “great idea.”

Ultimately, the board voted to table the issue until its next monthly meeting on May 8, which will be held at 4:30 p.m. at the elementary school because of the athletic awards night being held at the high school. Board members also plan to discuss the topic at a special retreat planned for Sunday, April 28, at 4 p.m

Other business

n The board awarded a $428,000 contract to Scherrer Construction of Wausau to build an outdoor classroom this summer near the pond at Marathon Area Elementary School. Scherrer submitted the lowest of two bids, with Eagle Construction submitting a $448,900 proposal.

With design and engineering expenses factored in, Parks said the project should cost about $483,000. The district has a total of $418,000 available from various sources, which would leave the district’s general fund share at $65,000 to $70,000, he said.

Parks also noted that Scherrer believes the cost could be reduced by as much as $30,000 if certain adjustments are made during construction, though that remains to be seen.

n The board approved a 4.12 percent salary increase (matching the Consumer Price Index) for the district’s teachers, administrators and support staff for 2024-2025.

n The board approved the purchase of a new flat top stove for $6,500 and another $67,144 for buying and installing a new dishwasher. Parks said the purchases will allow the district to spend down a $71,000 surplus in its food service fund, as required by the state.

n The board approved the hiring of Allison Wolf as a new English Language Arts teacher at the Marathon Venture Academy. MVA principal Max Wienke said Wolf previously served as a student teacher in eighth-grade and is also substitute teaching at the school, so she is familiar with the school and its students.

n The board accepted the resignations of choir teachers Cally O’Leary and Emily Cihlar. High school principal Dave Beranek said a couple of applicants are awaiting background checks before contracts are presented for approval.

Jon Kindlarski