Students at Stanley-Boyd don’t come into the high school library, district superintendent Jeff Koenig told a citizen concerned about the potential COVID risks of holding on-site instruction during a break between the regular school board and budget hearing meetings on October 26, held in the high school library. Instead, district learners made requests for library materials which are then conveyed to them “outside the doors,” with returned library materials being quarantined before being restocked on school bookshelves. Prior to the assurance by Koenig regarding library check out policy at Stanley-Boyd, the school board heard a student council update from Council President Emily Flaaten, near the start of the board’s regular monthly meeting.

“5.0, Effective Curriculum and Instruction, Student Council Report,” school board president Bob Geist announced as the cue for Flaaten to give her report to the board, being answered in turn.

“Hello, I’m Emily Flatten and I’m the Stanley-Boyd Student Council president this year,” she said while standing before the board near the east wall projector screen. “So I just wanted to talk to you guys on the things we’ve done in the past couple months and what we’re planning on doing in the upcoming months,” she said. Included in Flaaten’s report to the school board was the pushing back of a fundraiser to better space things out given the ubiquity of such fundraisers this time of year. For homecoming, each homeroom had made a poster.

“Each homeroom made a poster, and then we hung it up at a local business around town,” she said, saying it was a way to try and get the community involved, with students being split between A/B days and other covid measures in play.

“Students really enjoyed it,” Flaaten said of the homecoming- related activity. “And we hope to make this more of a yearly tradition, just to keep the community involved with the things that we’re doing,” she said. For dress-up days meanwhile, students were only on-site at the school for two days a week, and Flaaten reported to the board that the student council had done Class Color Day and Oriole Pride Day, “like we do every year,” she said. “Not as many kids dressed up this year but it was still nice to see kids being involved,” Flaaten said. Meanwhile, early winter weather had postponed some things.

“Make a Difference Day was supposed to be this past Saturday, but because there’s snow we cancelled it,” Flaaten reported to the school board. “We’re hoping to reschedule it for this Spring. Hopefully it works out to do that.” November, meanwhile, had a “Turkey Teacher” promotion wherein feathers were sold to raise money for the food pantry.

“The teacher that has the most has to wear a turkey costume,” she said, saying they were still hoping to do this “even though it will be different with A/B days.” The Student Council would take part with the National Honor Society in decorating Chapman Park with Christmas lights, while the council meetings have gone “all virtual.”

“That’s different and it has ups and downs,” she said. “Kids aren’t as involved or interested being on computers, but it’s better than not having them at all,” Flaaten said. “So it’s nice that we still get to do that. And that’s about it,” she finished out her report. Being thanked by several school board members in attendance for the update, Flaaten yielded the floor, and it was on to other board business.

Photo by Joseph Back