by David Hill
Editor
On Monday, Jan. 13, Kelsey McLean, health careers instructor, K-12 adaptive physical education and unified physical education instructor and DAPE teacher at Lincoln High School, presented an update to the Board of Education in Thief River Falls on Unified Special Olympics activities in the District.
Ever since she became acquainted with Unified Special Olympics, McLean has been a spirited supporter. Unified Special Olympics is dedicated to promoting social inclusion through shared sports training and competition experiences. It pairs kids with disabilities with kids who don’t have disabilities.
(Developmental Adapted Physical Education, or DAPE, means specially designed physical education instruction and services for pupils with disabilities who have a substantial delay or disorder in physical development.)
Some of the activities undertaken by McLean and Unified Special Olympics have included a track meet, bocce ball tournament, snowshoeing, and bowling. Last fall, 14 K-12 teams in the region, competed in a Unified Special Olympics bowling tournament in Thief River Falls. It was such a big event, it had to be held over two days. In all, 280 athletes participated in the event.
Thief River Falls has hosted Special Olympics track events before, and now, as a Unified Champion School, hosted Unified Special Olympics track meets. McLean said another track meet will be held in Thief River Falls on May 14.
These wonderful events, said McLean, would not be possible without the support of many organizations and volunteers.
School Board Chairman Ryan Walseth recalled participating in a bowling event when he was a student more than 30 years ago. “It was super rewarding for the kids,” said Walseth.
Superintendent Dr. Chris Mills said the kids have a great time and are really focused.
Superintendent’s Report
In his superintendent’s report, Mills said the finance committee will continue to focus on next year’s budget. He said the target for cuts is still $300,000. While necessary cuts must be made, he added that they will also focus on branding and marketing the school district.
Mills praised Luke Stavos for his efforts in bringing Terrence Talley to schools in Thief River Falls. Talley goes around the country and shares his gift for story to all who will listen. A graduate of North Cental University, Talley combines knowledge and experience with a big heart and a humorous view of life that will impact anyone.
Mills also praised the decision to bring students to Lincoln High School on Dec. 20, which was the last day of school before the Christmas break, to watch a varsity boys basketball game between the Prowlers and Warroad Warriors. Mills said it was a great environment and experience for the players and students. He said staff had some initial concerns, but it really worked out well. He said they’ve talked about doing something like this with other sports, such as wrestling and girls sports.
Misty Hempel, vice chairman of the Board of Education, also praised the activity. She said the kids were really engaged and respectful.
Mills said a lot of the success for this exciting activity goes to Chris McLean, activities director, and Ronnie Skallet, transportation director.
Safe Routes to School
The Board of Education approved a letter of support from Mills to develop the Safe Routes to School Plan, which the District has been developing for some time.
In the letter, Mills notes that the amount of community traffic, distance from the north end of the community to the school buildings and nature of the rivers in the community create challenges for children to travel to and from school and community events.
A Safe Routes to School plan would benefit the District’s efforts to address traffic-related safety concerns at Challenger Elementary School.
The Board of Education also approved a recommendation to submit an application to MnDOT Safe Routes to School for improvements at Challenger Elementary School.
Pennington County Board of Commissioners and the Thief River Falls City Council have written letters of support for the project.
Special Services
The Board of Education approved a contract with Agape Therapies and Educational Services Corporation for Speech Language Pathologist Virtual Services and necessary equipment.
Donation
The Board of Education also accepted a $20,000 gift to the Little Brother/Little Sister program.