Colfax school referendum update: Viking could have elevated status
By LeAnn R. Ralph
COLFAX — If you have visited Colfax High School for an event in the gymnasium, you have probably noticed the Colfax Viking in the commons.
The nearly life-sized statute of a Viking could be elevated to a new level after the commons area is remodeled to include a new entryway and a new high school office, the Colfax Board of Education learned at the February 20 meeting.
Bill Yingst, district administrator, reported he has been meeting weekly, or sometimes twice a week, with representatives from SDS Architects on the construction projects that will be completed this summer as part of the $7.2 million referendum voters approved last November.
One of the construction projects will include moving the high school office to the east side of the building and constructing a vestibule that will channel visitors to the high school in through the office before they gain access to the remainder of the building.
The existing doors in the commons area by the gymnasium will become windows.
The idea for the new entryway is to include a mezzanine above the lobby to help “open” the area and provide more natural light, Yingst said.
The Colfax Viking statute could then be placed in the mezzanine above the vestibule, he said.
The portion of the mezzanine above the doors would have additional windows that would bring more light into the commons area, which tends to be rather dark, even when the lights are turned on, Yingst said.
SDS Architects has provided two options for the windows above the vestibule.
One option keeps the second-story windows flush with the doors, and the other option creates an overhang outside of the second-story area above the entrance.
Several school board members wondered about the top of the overhang and how many problems it would create with objects being tossed up there, such as hats, balls, shoes and anything else that could be thrown.
Yingst said as soon as he saw the concept, he experienced the exact same thought and noted he had asked the architect whether the overhang would have enough structural integrity to support a custodian walking across it periodically to retrieve the numerous items that would likely end up on top of it.
Trophies and tickets
The plans for the commons area by the gymnasium include making the trophy cases larger.
The trophy cases will not be wider, but they can be extended up toward the ceiling and down toward the floor to make more room for trophies, Yingst explained.
Jodi Kiekhafer, school board member, wondered about the ticket window that had been included in the previous referendum update drawings but was now missing from the current drawing.
When other schools have remodeled their entryways, or have built new school buildings, they have eliminated the ticket window and instead set up a table in the lobby to sell tickets for games, Yingst said.
“We are spending more than $7 million. I think we should have more than a table,” said Andrew De Moe, school board member.
Playground
The elementary school playground on the north side of the building will be modified as part of the construction project to add more classrooms, a therapy area and an art room.
Somewhere between two-thirds and three-fourths of the playground will have to be moved to the east, Yingst said.
Construction also will include installing drain tile at the back of the playground, he said.
The existing playground collects water in the bottom of the wood chips around the play equipment, Yingst said, adding that the existing playground does not drain very well, especially during periods of heavy rain or during the spring when the snow is melting.
SDS Architects has found a match for the brick used on the exterior of the elementary, middle school and high school.
“They are able to match the brick, so it should all look seamless,” Yingst said.
The early bid package for materials was a priority, and the bid packages were sent out the previous week, Yingst said.
Chromebooks
Yingst reported that since December, he has ordered 225 additional Google Chromebooks.
The school district now has a total of 675 “devices” for 850 students, he said.
All students above third grade will be able to have a Chromebook computer, so all students will be able to take the standardized tests without swapping computers with other students or waiting for a computer, Yingst said.
“We are close to one to one on devices for students,” he said.
A future consideration could include assigning a laptop computer to Colfax High School freshmen and then allowing the students to use the same laptop computer throughout high school, similar to the way that UW-Stout provides laptops to incoming freshmen, Yingst said.
WASB
Only one resolution at the Wisconsin Association of School Boards convention in January did not pass, said Ken Neuburg, school board member, who was selected to be the delegate from the Colfax Board of Education to vote on the resolutions.
The resolution on gender identity was debated for 45 minutes, and the debate turned into an anti-Milwaukee debate, he said.
Neuburg said he was disgusted by the discussion at the convention because “transgender students deserve non-discrimination.”
The January issue of National Geographic is about gender and is well worth reading, he said.
The transgender issue “is real, and it is here to stay. It’s in the courts right now. We will do what we can to support students,” Yingst said.
The resolution that did not pass stated, “The WASB encourages each member school board to take the initiative to assess whether its policies and/or practices deny equal opportunities for students and/or school district employees as a result of the person’s sex, including transgender status, change of gender, gender identity, gender expression or gender nonconformity.”
Other business
In other business, the Colfax Board of Education:
• Received a request during the public comments portion of the meeting from the Colfax Sno-drifters for a snowmobile trail easement on school district land near Colfax Evergreen Cemetery. The Sno-drifters are planning to submit a grant application to the state Department of Natural Resources for snowmobile trail bridges and would need the approval of the Board of Education for the easement. The grant applications are due April 1. Because the item was not on the agenda for the meeting, the school board could not act on the request for an easement. The Board of Education is expected to consider the matter at the next meeting March 20.
• Learned that in the Accelerated Reader program at Colfax Elementary, students have now passed 17,352 quizzes, and the average percent correct is 90.7 percent. Students have read a combined total of 81,190,112 words. All together, 14 students have read over one million words. Two students have read over two million words. And one student has read more than three million words.
• Learned that the curriculum committee at Colfax Elementary has been reviewing four different math programs and expects to make a recommendation to the administration in the near future. The new math curriculum will be part of the Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) portion of the $7.2 million referendum approved by voters in the school district last November, said Trevor Hovde, elementary principal.
• Learned that summer swimming dates will June 5 through June 16 at the Elk Mound High School swimming pool.
• Learned that summer school dates will be June 19 through June 30 at Colfax Elementary.
• Learned that the second Friday in January student count was 837.
• Approved hiring Ryan Krall as the girls golf coach.
• Approved hiring Michael Dombrowski as the boys golf coach.
• Learned that the 2017 Colfax track and field coaching staff will include Ryan Krall as head coach for the boys and girls; Tina Rothbauer as assistant coach (throws); Brittany Rothbauer as assistant coach (distance); Lexi Hennen as assistant coach (jumps); Dannielle Dachel as assistant coach (jumps/distance); Alycia Dickensen as assistant coach (general team assistant); and Jamie Buchholtz as volunteer coach (pole vault). This year, 60 students have signed up for track, which is the largest number of sign-ups ever, said John Dachel, high school principal.
• Accepted a donation of $500 in memory of Richard Emmert, the father of Jan Fehr, Colfax High School administrative assistant. “Dad loved music and had an excellent singing voice. He sang at church, my brother and my weddings, and our children’s baptisms. He also enjoyed coming to the school’s music concerts. My family wanted to set up a scholarship for someone going into a music major, but after talking with Carrie Christensen and Mrs. Bowe, we thought two $200 scholarships to a summer music camp would help two students be able to attend, and the extra $100 could go toward sheet music for the high school spring concert.” The letter was signed by Jan Fehr and the Emmert Family.
• Learned that the family of Marlene Johnson had donated $50 toward the athletic fund in memory of Marlene.
• Learned that Yingst is still in the process of obtaining bids for LP buses.
• Approved a retirement request from Ronald Swartz, maintenance supervisor. According to Swartz’s letter dated February 16, he is planning to retire on September 15. Yingst said he was recommending that the Board of Education hire a replacement to work with Swartz before he retires to insure a smooth transition. “There is a lot to learn and a lot to know,” Yingst said.