HUMBOLDT After entertaining pitches from three architectural firms in a special meeting last week, the Humboldt board of education voted Monday to hire the Wichita-based firm DCS/GLMV to oversee a comprehensive evaluation of the districts facilities and to help determine a master plan for best practices moving forward.
What were wanting right now, explained Superintendent of Schools Kay Lewis, is for [DCS/GLMV] to look at our buildings structurally and mechanically in terms of HVAC, electric, plumbing and then what Im wanting is some type of capital outlay plan so that way we can look at our facilities and have an idea of how to plan for the future. There might be some opportunities for us to look at doing some renovations, but a lot depends on what comes out of this.
USD 258s current bonds will be paid off by September 2021. Any necessary renovation or new construction, said Lewis, would be delayed until after that date.
But if it turns out our buildings are in good shape, continued Lewis, then I dont see building just to build. What we want is to really, thoroughly, get an idea of how we can use our facilities in a better way to benefit students and their learning.
HIGH SCHOOL science teacher Teri Shaughnessy briefed the board on the many successes of Humboldts robust health-care-related job shadow program.
The initiative currently includes a handful of students, each of whom are using a small, designated portion of certain schooldays to pursue real-life work experiences in the field of health care. Dentistry. Physical therapy. Pharmaceutics. Nursing. Radiology. Orthopedics. Veterinary medicine.
We thought that it would be good for kids to see first-hand what they do in certain careers, said Shaughnessy, what the expectations are, what situations they might encounter. And to see if this is something they really want to go into.
She gave the example of a senior who, prior to entering the job-shadow program, had her heart set on becoming a dental hygienist and was already applying to certain colleges with that goal in mind.
However, after spending only one day shadowing a local hygienist, she realized it wasnt the life for her. Shaughnessy encouraged the young woman to give it another shot but repeat observations only confirmed the students antipathy.
Shaughnessy then helped this senior obtain a shadowing position in the nursing department at Neosho Memorial Regional Medical Center in Chanute. She took to it immediately and is scheduled to complete her CNA license next month. She is now shopping around for a good nursing college.
Were trying to get more of our kids interested in job shadowing, said Superintendent Lewis, just to make sure that what they want to go into is truly what they want to go into, so that when they go to college theyre not wasting any of their money.
Plus, added Shaughnessy, were showing them that they can go away to school but they can come back here and make a decent living.
BOARD MEMBER Josh Wrestler updated the board on the districts newly launched trapshooting team.
