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GRANADA-- The Granada-Huntley-East Chain (GHEC) school board discussed two possible student trips which the district could facilitate during its meeting on Thursday.
The first trip the board discussed would be for high school juniors and seniors. According to a survey of potential participants the most popular option would be a week long trip, followed by a three to five day trip if a week long trip is unavailable. Students also said they were more interested in visiting a farther away destination rather than a regional one. Currently the most popular option would be a trip to the Eastern Seaboard which would take students to New York City and Washington D.C., similar to previous junior-senior trips. This trip is still in the early stages of planning and would take place in 2024.
The second trip is also in the early stages of planning and was proposed by high school Spanish teacher Leah Rode-Mulder. This trip would be a 10 day visit to Costa Rica for Spanish students. During the trip students would spend multiple days in the capital city of San José before traveling into the countryside to visit parks and agricultural communities. The trip is currently expected to cost approximately $3,200 to $3,500 per student, depending on the number of students participating. This would cover most of the trip's major expenses with the exception of baggage transport.
Costs would be reduced by a possible series of fundraisers and by GHEC partnering with St. Clair public schools in Blue Earth County to send their students on the same trip, improving group rates.
If the trip is ultimately approved it would repeat every two years with the first such trip taking place in early June of 2024.
Current first and second year Spanish students would be eligible to go on the trip; at that point they would be going into their senior year or would have recently graduated. The board gave Rode-Mulder authorization to develop the proposal further.
The meeting was the first to be attended by Sarah Popp-Langford, GHEC's new student representative. Popp-Langford is a high school junior who is a member of National Honor Society and student council. In her report to the board Popp-Langford stated student-organized programming during homecoming week was successful and discussed some upcoming student activities.
Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Keri Murphy, reported that GHEC has introduced a new standardized test; the Social, Academic, Emotional Behavior Risk Screener (SAEBRS). All students in grades K-8 took the screener which assesses their social and emotional needs. The results of the test should allow the school's support staff to better direct their resources.
Murphy also noted the school will be holding another Trunk or Treat event later this
month. Organizers are currently planning for the event to feature food, cookie decorating, visiting equipment from emergency services, and a bouncy house. The event will be from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Oct. 28 in the school parking lot.
The board also approved employment contracts for paraprofessionals Melissa Engel and Jenn Schaal for the 2022-2023 school year. Afterwards they accepted the resignation of assistant cook Dru Egeness, who was replaced by Diana Mosloski.