BLUE EARTH– A report from the students who participated in the American Exchange Project was top of the agenda at the Blue Earth Area (BEA) School Board meeting on Monday.

Community Engagement/Workforce coordinator Brenda Millmann and a group of four BEA seniors, including Lulu Frank, Abby Murphey, Jemima Hecker and Jackie Martinez, presented the School Board with a report of their experiences and comments about the American Exchange Project.

“This is BEA’s third year participating in the American Exchange Project, which was founded in 2019,” Millmann explained. “This year, we had eight students from BEA that traveled as part of this program, and we had 10 students from across the United States come here to Blue Earth, which is the highest number we’ve had since we joined the program in 2021.”

Several of the students shared that they had made lifelong friends as part of the program, and planned to meet up with the people they had met during their time with the American Exchange Project.

“I’m grateful that this experience is 100 percent free to participate in – it never would have been in the cards for me otherwise,” Hecker shared. “It offers such an amazing experience for everyone, and all of the expenses are covered so you never have to worry about the cost.”

“I traveled to Palo Alto, California, and I plan to meet up with one of the other exchange students I met while I was there over winter break,” Murphey commented. “It was my first time flying, but everything was totally fine, and I had an amazing experience there. This is a huge opportunity that everyone should take advantage of.”

Other business discussed at the School Board meeting included:

— Activities Director Travis Armstrong presented the school board with more information concerning plans to create a gymnastics co-op team between BEA and United South Central. While no action was taken on the issue at the meeting, a recommendation was made to add an item to the next meeting’s agenda on Sept. 8 to approve the creation of a gymnastics co-op team.

— Board Member Ted Armon presented the board with a Minnesota School Board Association (MSBA) legislative platform resolution, seeking to amend some language to help protect the identities of applicants and finalists prior to being hired by the School District. Following some discussion, a motion was made and seconded to approve the resolution. The resolution was passed 5-1, with Mark Franta in dissent.

— The list of athletics coaches for Fall 2025 was approved 5-0. Board Member Ted Armon abstained from the vote.

— The updated elementary, middle school and high school handbooks were unanimously approved.

— A MOU agreement to hire retired teacher Roger Schoenfelder for a full-time position was unanimously approved.

— A membership agreement with the South Central Service Cooperative for Fiscal Year 2026 was unanimously approved.

— The resignations of paraprofessionals Leanna Casias, Carter Bell and Amber Lein, and of high school social studies teacher Paul Nienaber were unanimously approved.

— The hirings of Carter Bell as a full-time guest teacher; Sara Arbeiter, Kathy Engelby, and Megan Asmus as paraprofessionals; Terry Kreps as a high school social studies teacher; and McKenna Dutton as a media paraprofessional were all unanimously approved.

— The contracts of bus stop supervisor Gary Gack, ECFE/school readiness coordinator Kayla Hassing and adult basic education coordinator Sue Vogelsang were all unanimously approved.