by April Scheinoha
Editor
The Thief River Falls School Board approved a sports cooperative Monday, Sept. 22 as district leaders continue to consider how to approach cooperatives in the future.
Board members approved a cooperative with Stephen/Argyle Central for wrestling.
Activities Director Chris McLean explained a Stephen/Argyle Central eighth grader has been involved in the Thief River Falls youth wrestling program since second grade. He has the potential to participate in wrestling as a varsity wrestler this school year. To do so, the wrestler has to be a part of a cooperative if his school doesn’t offer wrestling on its own. Such an agreement needs to be in place at least 30 days before the start of the season.
The district continues to have cooperatives for wrestling with Red Lake County Central and Goodridge.
For about a month, the district has been considering the basis on which it approves and denies cooperatives. McLean said a subcommittee within the Coaches Association has been formed to develop a policy regarding cooperatives. The subcommittee would recommend a cooperative policy to the district.
Superintendent Dr. Chris Mills said the goal is to provide a document to the full school board at the end of the year. He noted such a policy would provide criteria and wouldn’t be based on emotion. If the policy were approved, it would take effect with the 2026-27 school year.
Michelle Westerman, a board director, asked whether the district would reevaluate a cooperative if there were too many participants from outside of the district. She said she had one sport in mind, but she didn’t name the sport.
McLean replied that he thinks all cooperatives are up for evaluation. With regard to the wrestling cooperative with RLCC, McLean said RLCC has a strong wrestling tradition and it was Head Coach Kenny Geiser and former Activities Director Mike Biermaier’s belief that the district could support RLCC wrestling until the latter district could support a wrestling team on its own. McLean said the RLCC School District may get there, but it’s not there yet.
If it so chooses, the district may dissolve a cooperative, especially if there are no students participating from the other school district. The district could also decide to reinstitute a cooperative if it so chooses. However, McLean said the district needs to have a plan in place, especially if the district decided to eliminate a cooperative serving many out-of-district students.
Meg Kolden, community education director, provided an update to the board.
Community Education offers classes for adults and kids throughout the year. This past summer, enrollment in the adult summer classes was up. Kolden noted the senior defensive driving class saw a significant spike. In the past, Community Education offered such a program through AARP; however, that program ceased here due to COVID-19. Community Education continued to field calls for the program and now offers a defensive driving class for ages 55 and older through St. Cloud State University. Kolden said enrollment may be higher than in the past since it has been some time since such a program was offered here.
Attendees receive a 10% discount on insurance for attending the four-hour class. In order to continue receiving the discount, they need to complete the four-hour refresher course every three years.
Another type of defense – a self-defense class – will be among Community Education’s offerings for the first time in years. Kolden said the class will be offered this fall.
Community Education also offers classes for kids. Many people are familiar with its swimming classes for youth. Kolden said 291 kids took swimming classes, a decrease of 53 kids from a year prior. Kolden was unsure why there was a decrease; however, she noted some people prefer taking swimming lessons at an outdoor pool. The pool continues to offer lap and open swimming throughout the year.
Community Education also offers Junior Golf during the summer. Kolden said 60 kids, on average, attend Junior Golf every year. However, this summer, that number was 23. She said it could be a fluke.
Besides those opportunities, Community Education offered some new classes for kids this summer. New offerings included a birthday camp class and a LEGO Challenge. Both will be offered again in the future.
Community Education also provides services for the youngest Prowlers. Prowler Preschool is under the purview of Community Education. Prowler Preschool provides classes to 3- and 4-year-olds. Classes are offered mornings twice a week for 3-year-olds. Various options are available for 4-year-olds, including Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings; afternoon five days a week; and full days five days a week. “We know all day, every day isn’t an option for all 4-year-olds,” Kolden said.
Those kids and their families may also participate in Early Childhood Family Education, which provides programs for children birth to age 5 and their families.
For older students and their families, Community Education provides Latchkey for those times when daycare is needed. Latchkey is offered before and after school as well as during the summer at Challenger Elementary School.
For those kids needing additional caring adults in their lives, Community Education offers the Little Brother Little Sister Program. Kolden said the program currently boasts 15 matches. As part of the program, adult mentors and their mentees spend a minimum of four hours a month together.
The program is always looking for mentors ages 18 and up. Mentors must pass a background check to participate in the program. Kolden said LBLS tries to match adults and children based on their interests.
Danielle Spiten, science teacher at Lincoln High School, presented a request for permission to offer a STEM and forensics trip to London. Attendees would be able to meet forensic analysts, visit Scotland Yard and participate in fingerprinting analysis at Stonehenge. The trip would also include the opportunity to attend a Shakespeare play performed in a traditional manner at Globe Theater. If approved, Spiten anticipated the trip would occur in June 2027. The cost is estimated to be $4,800 per student. The board is expected to consider the trip in the future.