Students learning here, there, everywhere this school year

LAUREL - Laurel-Concord-Coleridge students will be meeting here, there and everywhere.

Or so it seems as the school prepares for an academic year like no other as its main building undergoes major construction.

Portable classroom units to the north of the school will be set up next week. Three portable classroom buildings will house six high school classrooms - two English, and one each for social studies, art, Spanish and business education.

Each of these mobile classrooms has its own entrance and is equipped with plumbing, electricity, Internet and a bathroom, said Superintendent Jeremy Christiansen.

Laurel’s city auditorium will transform into LCC’s downtown campus with four classes there - two science, ag education and family consumer sciences.

The former Laurel fire hall will be used for LCC’s industrial technology classes.

Even the back room of the VFW will be used for show choir rehearsals throughout the year.

“The school donated an acoustic piano to the VFW and will have the riser set up in the back space for rehearsals,” Christiansen said.

The school will be busing students to and from campus locations with all students parking in the Presbyterian Church lot.

This year’s orientation set for Wednesday, Aug. 10, will be especially helpful this year as students will be able to tour and visit classrooms at all campus locations.

As far as new construction, concrete work has begun on the north side and will continue throughout the next few weeks, Christiansen said. Footings and steel beams will be erected in early August on the northwest side of the school for the future multipurpose room/storm shelter and fitness center.

At its meeting last week, the LCC School Board approved audio-visual equipment for the new band and vocal classroom. The system was researched over several months and cost more than $28,000.

“The new system includes recording and playback capabilities of both sound and video within the music classroom,” Christiansen said. “The system is also designed to be portable so that we can choose to shift major components of the system to other locations within the school for special functions or purposes.”

One of two practice rooms will also be equipped with the audio-visual equipment, which will be beneficial when preparing student audition recordings to be sent in for all-state, honor and other select music group competitions.

The practice room with audio-visual equipment will be set up with a green screen to support digital media class students as they prepare promotional and informational videos, as well as commercials for broadcast, Christiansen said.

At its last meeting, Christiansen expressed some concern about the district’s inability to hire for a custodian position.

“This has been the most challenging period of time filling a classified staff position in the past four to five years,” he said. “We believe that this is an excellent employment opportunity offering competitive pay and benefits. We simply need to find the right person for the job.”

The school district will continue to advertise for the position and also listed it on the Wayne State College job board.

In the meantime, Christiansen is researching and considering hiring high school students to assist with custodial duties if the position remains unfilled.

Christiansen said he’s not aware of any school districts in the immeiate area employing students for custodial duties but the practice is emerging at school districts across the state.

The school board also discussed online registration and purchasing for families to deposit funds into student meal accounts, purchase milk or snack tickets as well as activity passes.

The board also approved an expanded learning opportunity through Bright Horizons starting this academic year.

The program is open to any student in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade to engage in a variety of hands-on learning activities in science, technology, art and literacy, as well as hobby and special interest topics. Students pay a fee to participate and the program is also funded by a federal grant.