Brainerd Public Schools - Spring 2017

SPRING 2017 Service Dogs Lightning the dog goes to school each day with his eighth-grader

Educational

Assistants

A high demand for these highly rewarding jobs

Student Food and Supplies Volunteers create food pantries at Forestview and BHS

Volunteers�Worth Their Weight in Gold�

A Brainerd Dispatch Publication

Spring ‘17 CONTENTS

In The Spotlight 5 18 24

PUBLICATION

STAFF

Opportunity

Educational Assistants in High Demand

PUBLISHER

Educational assistants fulfill some of the most challenging, yet most rewarding positions in Brainerd Public Schools.

By Sheila Helmberger

Innovation

Pete Mohs

18

EDITOR

16

Jodie Tweed

ART DIRECTOR Lisa Henry

One-Stop Shop

COPY EDITOR

Volunteers develop pantries of food and supplies for students in need.

By Mary Aalgaard

DeLynn Howard

23

Success

Insight Program

Volunteers help to provide activities, social opportunities for adults with disabilities.

By Jodie Tweed

PHOTOGRAPHER Joey Halvorson

24 Brainerd Public Sc hools magazin e is prod u c ed by the Brain erd Disp a tch in coope ration w ith the Brainerd Public Sc hools.

Cover Photo

t Donna Benson Foster Grandparen sewing project. th a helps a student wi

Joey Halvorson takes pictures, tells jokes, takes tap dancing lessons, does water aerobics and goes to events. In her spare time, she eats pizza and watches sports and “This is Us.”

Features

8

Sew Much Fun....................8

Foster Grandparent Donna Benson teaches Fun ‘N’ Friends students how to sew.

By Sheila Helmberger

Nisswa Shows Support...... 11

advertising@BrainerdDispatch.com

Community volunteers show their support for Nisswa School.

By Jodie Tweed

Comments and suggestions: Lisa.Henry@BrainerdDispatch.com

A Winning Venture at BHS‑ WIN Time....................... 16

copyright© 2010 VOLUME 7, EDITION 1 SPRING 2017

Brainerd High School’s new block scheduling allows for personalized student enrichment. By Mary Aalgaard

21

Service Dogs................... 21

Lightning, a trained service dog, attends Brainerd Public Schools with his eighth-grader. By Jill Neumann

Brainerd Public Schools | Spring ‘17

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Advertising Support Opportunities: 218-855-5895

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506 JAMES STREET P.O. BOX 974 BRAINERD, MN 56401 (218) 829-4705

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Superintendent’s Letter

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rs a e e t n lu o V Schools

D L O G n i t h g i e W r i e h Worth t V O L U N T E E R S ublic Brainerd P

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teerin n u l o v r o f Thank you on, Superintendent Laine Lars

OUR MISSION In partnership with the community, Brainerd Public Schools will ensure all students achieve their individual potential by providing the highest-quality programs and resources to prepare learners for an ever-changing global society.

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Brainerd Public Schools | Spring ‘17

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Opportunity

BY SHEILA HELMBERGER Photos By JOEY HALVORSON

Educational

DeAnna Imgrund enjoys her job as an educational assistant.

Assistants !

In High Demand

E

ducational assistants fill about 250 positions throughout Brainerd Public Schools. They work with some of the most challenging students in the district but the positions are also some of the most rewarding. Willie Severson, Director of Schools, said the district needs substitutes to fill in for EAs on sick days and other times that staff cannot be at work.

“We are short every day. Our worst day was 15 people short. An average day is 5 to 6 people,” Severson said. The Aesop computer system makes it easy for substitutes, once they apply and pass a background check, to search for available spots on a given day and then choose days to work that fit into their own schedule.

DeAnna Imgrund and Terri Close are both currently EAs at Brainerd Public Schools, but their jobs are perfect examples of how different the positions can be.

Imgrund spends her mornings working with Early Childhood Special Education students at Washington Educational Services Building. When class ends at 10:45 a.m. she’s only temporarily done. She returns again in the afternoons to ride on the school bus with special needs students, including a student who uses a wheelchair.

Brainerd Public Schools | Spring ‘17

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“It is so gratifying and satisfying to watch students progress as they learn and mature.”

- DeAnna Imgrund

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After working for 30 years at the paper mill she said her sister, who was an EA at Garfield Elementary School, wanted someone to fill in for her when she needed a day off.

“She suggested I get on the substitute list and when I did they started calling me almost everyday for different spots,” said Imgrund. “I decided I might as well apply for a job.

So I did.” She has been with the district for seven years.

She says EAs in the district are incredibly dedicated.

“My husband always says I’ll go to work even if I’m sick. He’s right. The kids need me,” she said. She feels bad about the weight it puts on the teachers and other assistants in the classroom if she has to miss. “Everyone else has to pick up that slack and it’s hard on the kids. We have our routines. It’s one of the hardest jobs you’ll ever do but it’s one of the most rewarding.”

“You do have to have some skills. Each job is a little different,” she added. Imgrund spends a majority of her day on the floor working with her students. “You have to be able to help some of them go to the restroom. Sometimes you have to be creative and able to converse or convey what you want to a child. I’ve had children that didn’t speak. Then we use some basic signing to figure things out. It is so gratifying and satisfying to watch students progress as they learn and mature.”

Some students might only need help with a subject like math. Some have higher needs.

“One thing I like about Aesop,” she explained about the district’s scheduling computer program,“is you can enter what a sub for you will need to do. I can make comments about my specific position so they know what it entails and they can decide if it’s something they can handle.”

Terri Close has been an EA with Brainerd Public Schools for 10 years. She spends her

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days working with students who have to report to the Behavior Intervention Room, in-school suspension and lunch detention at Forestview Middle School.

“I process through what happened with them and get them back to a place so they can return to the classroom. This is a nice spot because I get to connect with the kids and do what I like to do.” Close admits sometimes it can be hard. “You have to be flexible. Your day is never the same as the day before and you have to be able to pick and choose your battles.

When they come to see me I know they’ve been in trouble. But, there’s always a reason behind a behavior. I really work at having them let me know what is going on. I have regulars that come in and I build a relationship with them, but that can be a fine line too, because I don’t want them to keep coming here either, because they’ve found that adult. This can be a tough age.

They worry about things going on at home, things going on here and peer relationships.”

My best day is when I have a kid that comes in here refusing to work and I can get them to turn around and get their things done,” added Close. “They’ll loosen up and talk. Then I can walk away feeling pretty darned proud.”

She said a big bag of Jolly Ranchers goes a long way in her position, too. “It’s unbelievable,” she laughed. “I make a deal with these kids. They don’t get candy from me if they come here and they’re in trouble. But if I haven’t seen anything about them for awhile, they know they can pop in and say hi and get a treat.

“It’s fun to see how they grow and change and to grow out of behaviors that might have gotten them in some trouble later on,” Close said. “We have so many fantastic and wonderful EAs in this

“...when [the kids] come to see me I know they’ve been in trouble. But, there’s always a reason behind a behavior...“ - Terri Close

district,” said Close. “You have to have a passion for kids and we are so lucky.

The amount of work our EAs do with these kids is really special. We have some one-on-ones, students with developmental delays and we have our kids with learning disabilities. But at the end of the day, you get a lot out of it, too.”

Sheila Helmberger lives in Baxter with her husband and their Springer Spaniel, Miller, who is named after a goalie. She has been a freelance writer for over 20 years and contributes regularly to several magazines. She enjoys writing about all kinds of topics, especially families (those that belong to other people, as well as her own).

Substitute Educational Assistant Applications available at the District office, Washington Educational Services Building.

• Small fee for a background check.

• Need a driver’s license or picture ID and social security card.

218-454-6900

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Planning ahead for the next 50 years

Sew Much Fun At Fun ’N’ Friends—

Foster Grandparent Donna Benson teaches Fun ‘N’ Friends students how to sew.

BY SHEILA HELMBERGER Students lay out materials for the day’s project, look for supPhoto By JOEY HALVORSON plies, and some of them, as young as kindergarten, are sewing.

Donna helps them problem solve, shares tips and lisrepare to be impressed when you Grandma tens as they come up with their own ideas on projects they’d walk into the Stitch-It room of like to tackle.

The Stitch-It program room recently made the exciting Fun ‘N’ Friends/Senior Leaders at move from the lower level at Washington to the third floor. It Washington Educational Services Building. has big windows with natural lighting, ample space to store the It’s a hub of activity and chances are Donna totes of supplies the students need and areas to lay out materials as they contemplate their projects.

Benson, or Grandma Donna as her students A home economics teacher and middle school teacher at Nay Ah Shing School for 22 years, Benson retired six years ago. call her, is right in the middle of it.

She didn’t much care for it.

“I sat at home,” she said. “And I was so bored. When you are used to doing lesson plans and grading and staying late to

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Four new sewing machines, purchased at Country Fabrics, are lined up along one wall. Six additional machines will arrive soon.

“These machines are really made well,” she says,“The kids can’t mess them up while they’re learning.”

More than just a way to spend time after school, the students are learning a lifelong skill. “The first time they sew is on paper. They sew lines and then they turn corners. The next one they have to do curves. They learn how to care for the equipment. They have to fold up the machine covers when they come off and put them back on when they’re finished.”

The first machine project is a boo-boo bag. Students apply everything they had just learned. They have to sew three sides and hand stitch the fourth after filling it with beans.

The bag can be kept in the freezer. Sometimes they design their own projects.

“I still learn,” said Grandma Donna. “The kids teach me things they come up with. I wake up at night thinking about things we can make.”

The next project is a pillow. “I do a nine patch because that is the beginning of quilting. They learn how to sew it and stuff it and then you have to sew that shut. We build from one skill to another to another.”

She is also helping some of the students create cookbooks made with recipes they’ve brought from home and cut out of magazines.

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work at concession stands, I was just too bored.” She is more than pleased with the new way she occupies her time. “I love this,” she says.

She loves showing the students how to sew and watching them complete their projects, but as much as anything, she loves watching students who have been around awhile teach newcomers the skills they need to complete their projects.

Grandma Donna keeps index cards with students’ names on them, listing the projects they’ve completed and the dates. Several students have already completed enough items to have two cards stapled together.

“We look at their card, see what they’re working on and they pull their projects. I do a one-on-one with every youth and if someone is waiting, another student will step up to help them.”

She says she can handle about a dozen students in the room working at a time. Some days she has to turn away students telling them they’ll have to choose another activity for the afternoon and come another day.

The first projects students complete are hand sewn. They start with a bookmark made out of felt. Next they make a pin cushion. After that it’s on to coasters, wallets, purses, dish towels, microwave bags for potatoes, bottle holders and a portable Tic-Tac-Toe game with a carrying bag made entirely out of material.

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Grandma Donna Benson teaches students how to sew simple bookmarks then they move on to advanced sewing projects, like purses and dish towels. Last year’s students made a quilt.

Twenty-one cancer quilts will be bag and explains he’s pretty happy Lisa Stawarski, Youth Programs Coordimade by the students in the Stitch- with the way it turned out. Caleb is dis- nator for Brainerd Public Schools, says It class and donated to the hospital appointed that he’ll be picked up early. it’s a treat having someone who is so for cancer patients and those going He’d like to have more time to work on passionate. “Never did we dream we’d through dialysis and other treatment. his projects. have a whole sewing room. We’ve alOn a Monday in January the ways had sewing and hand sewroom is humming with activity. ing but not to this level and with Second-grader Lyndsey shows Grandma Donna’s level of exoff a set of coasters she has made pertise.” Stawarski said over 500 “If anyone has a passion for and the bag she keeps them in. students participate in the Fun something, we would love to have She’s already completed a purse ‘N’ Friends/Senior Leaders afterthem check with us and come and a wallet and said next she’ll school program in the district. make a Tic-Tac-Toe board of her Classes are held at WESB and volunteer or serve as a staff memown. She loves going to Stitch-It Nisswa. Offerings include STEM ber like Grandma Donna.” class and likes using the sewing programming, cooking club, as ~ Lisa Stawarski machines. “I was scared at first,” well as health and wellness and Donations of materials and she said, “but it’s really fun.” team-building activities. supplies are also welcome.

Maureen and Miley work Sheila Helmberger lives in Baxter on tying their cancer blankets. with her husband and their Springer Span“Mine is turquoise and has little owls “We don’t have discipline prob- iel, Miller, who is named after a goalie. She on it,” said Maureen. “Mine has hearts,” lems up here,” says Grandma Donna, has been a freelance writer for over 20 years added Miley.

“They’re too busy to get in trouble. And and contributes regularly to several magaIsabelle, Ari and Adrianna said they what more satisfying thing can I say zines. She enjoys writing about all kinds of are just getting started in the Stitch- than that I taught kids to teach each topics, especially families (those that belong to other people, as well as her own).

It room. They are still training. Kaiden one another?” shows Grandma Donna his boo-boo

“

Share your skill

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Brainerd Public Schools | Spring ‘17

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We’re All-In! Nisswa Shows Support

BY JODIE TWEED

N

Photo By JOEY HALVORSON

ISSWA — Walk around Nisswa School and you will notice the many ways community volunteers help make the school day a bit brighter for students and staff.

You’ll find several parent volunteers helping out in the classrooms or assisting with an art class while a dad or grandpa is spending the day as a Watch Dog. Media specialist Janet Haeg enlisted the help of a few friends — Cindy Terwilliger, Jeff Behr, Lilja Behr and Terry Watman — who come in during recess to teach students how to crochet and knit. Once a week volunteer Gail Mueller checks out books for students in the library.

But there is a lot happening behindthe-scenes that may not be so obvious.

The entire community of Nisswa is invested in the school, which has about 320 students in preschool through fourth-grade. The Nisswa Chamber of Commerce organizes a Halloween parade for students each year. Black

Nisswa Foster Grandparent Eleanor Rice enjoys helping students with math and reading.

Ridge Bank creates a haunted house for them. The nearby A&W restaurant donates ice cream for every student at the beginning of the year and before the turtle races. Rafferty’s Pizza supplies pizza incentives for teachers to give to students.

The Nisswa Legion is one of the school’s biggest supporters, explained Principal Molly Raske. Each year Legion members teach fourth graders about the American flag by involving them in a flag disposal ceremony where they also learn how to fold the flag and show respect. Legion members also host a writing contest each

Amanda Cline, Nisswa PTO president.

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Greg Carlson, “head dog” of the Nisswa Watch Dog program, spends some time in gym class at Nisswa School.

“Everybody is willing to help, and I think it’s because you see it makes a difference.

You feel the impact.You experience it through your children.” ~ Christy Ramler

spring and the winners not only get prizes but they have the opportunity to read their essays at their Memorial Day ceremony. The Legion also uses money from its raffles to sponsor projects at school. They recently purchased a new drop-down screen and projector in the gym. They’ve also paid for Smartboards, iPads and more. The school’s Future Problem Solvers team, which made it to internationals last year, is entirely run by a volunteer, Sheila Johnston.

For months the Nisswa Parent Teacher Organization, or PTO, plans for its 12th annual Bloom Fool’s Auction Benefit, a fundraiser held at Grand View Lodge which raises money for the many classroom materials, field trips and educational enrichment opportunities provided to students throughout the school year.

The fundraiser last year provided flexible seating for two full classrooms.

“Bloom,” as it’s often called, is Nisswa PTO’s biggest fundraiser of the year. It was held April 1, but six weeks

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Brainerd Public Schools | Spring ‘17

before the event, it was already sold out. The event hosts about 250 people.

“People almost seek us out to donate to this fundraiser,” explains Amanda Cline, Nisswa PTO president.

Nisswa PTO volunteers, including its board, which includes Cline; Christy Ramler, vice-president; Kari Carlson, secretary; treasurer Heidi Skaaland; and volunteer coordinator Charlene Kronstedt, are active throughout the school year.

The PTO is responsible for scheduling volunteers at the school, but it usually isn’t a problem getting volunteers when teachers need them.

An email is sent out and parents quickly respond. Hollie Garry visits the school once a month to teach art to students with volunteer support from parents.

Funds raised through Bloom also allow the school to bring in Prairie Fire Children’s Theatre for its annual third-grade play experience. Grand View Lodge donates rooms for Prai-

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rie Fire Children’s Theatre troupe members, as well as the space to host Bloom each year.

Raske, who has served as Nisswa principal for the past 2-1/2 years, said the level of investment by parents at her school is unique.

At previous schools, she was often the one running the fundraisers, volunteering for school events and picking up anything that needed to be done.

“Here, I’m not alone,” Raske said. “They support what we’re doing and they support our philosophy. They’re the reason Nisswa is Nisswa. It wouldn’t be Nisswa without these people.”

Eleanor Rice, Merrifield, is serving in her third year as a foster grandparent at the school. She can be found in many different classrooms three days a week working with students struggling in either reading or math.

“This is a well-loved school,” said Rice.

“I like it. It’s a great age group. I don’t have grandkids yet, so I get my grandkids fix.”

Christy Ramler, vice-president of Nisswa PTO.

Nisswa School has also become a community resource. The Nisswa Children’s Community Library was built with the financial support of the Cote family, in memory of Brownlee and Julia Cote, longtime Nisswa residents. Their five children donated $575,000 for the library in their memory.

The library is open after school hours and during the summer to allow residents and Nisswa area visitors to use the facility. The library’s community room hosts book club meetings — book club members donated many of the chairs in the room — and yoga

“

“

“The library is an example of what happens when a community rallies behind the school.” ~ Molly Raske

classes. Nisswa Parks and Recreation utilizes the school gym and its fields.

Nisswa PTO is constructing a new outdoor learning space in its empty courtyard this summer. The space will allow teachers to bring their classes out there if they wish, and it will become a calming environment for students with sensory issues. The courtyard will feature a boulder bird bath, planters for students to plant flowers in each spring and outdoor checkerboards. PTO members will work alongside a builder to install the pavers and rocks.

Kari and Greg Carlson are also donating a pavilion on the school playground in memory of Greg’s mother, Leanne Carlson. The 16-by-30-foot roofed structure to be built this sum-

mer will allow students to eat lunch outdoors or do arts and crafts projects. The Fun ‘N’ Friends program uses the school in the summer, and the new pavilion will give them a shaded place to play games and eat lunch. The Carlsons are active school volunteers.

Kari is on the Nisswa PTO board while Greg is the “head dog” of the Watch Dog program.

“There’s a lot invested in us,” added Raske. “It’s not just fiscal, it’s time.”

Jodie Tweed, editor of Brainerd Public Schools magazine, is a former longtime reporter for the Brainerd Dispatch. She is now a freelance writer and editor who lives in the Brainerd lakes area, along with her husband, Nels, and their three daughters.

Molly Raske, Nisswa Principal.

IN THE WORKS BY PTO Outdoor Learning Space Calming environment, teaching area

Playground Pavilion Arts, crafts and lunch

Brainerd Public Schools | Spring ‘17

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A winning venture at BHS

WIN

What I Need

TIME

BY MARY AALGAARD

Photo By JOEY HALVORSON

WIN

stands for What I Need. It is a built-in 45-minute intervention/study time each week on block days. Students may go to the teacher or classroom where they need extra help, to make up assignments, attend club meetings, do enrichment or even exercise.

Brainerd High School changed to a modified block schedule this school year. Previously, BHS had a six-period day with an early bird class option for students who were willing and able to get to the school by 7 a.m. The modified block includes a seven-period day on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays. The block schedule occurs on Wednesdays and Thursdays. On Wednesday, the even-numbered classes meet during second, fourth and sixth period. On Thursday, the odd-numbered classes meet during first, third and seventh periods. Fifth hour classes meet every day because that’s when lunch occurs and you don’t mess with lunch.

“At first I thought I’d hate it,” said BHS Senior Marissa Rahn. After she got used to it, however, she started to see its benefits. “I actually like it, now. I have extra time to get work done or go into the band room and work on my flute solo for competition and scholarships.”

Rahn noticed her classmates have benefited from the extra time they’re given during the day.“It’s easier to focus when you can break up the classes,” she explained.

With the modified block, students get a break from the homework, tests and deadlines of half of their classes on one day or the other. WIN time allows them to make up tests and assign-

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ments during the day, as well as have classroom time with the teacher during those 45 minutes.

“Changing the schedule gives more options for all students,” said Principal Andrea Rusk. “It also provides academic interventions during the school day.”

The former schedule might have been working for some students, but it wasn’t meeting the needs of everyone. Trying to come in before school or stay late was not always an option for many students and teachers. Students may have transportation issues.

Some always ride the bus and no one is available to drive them in early or pick them up late. Many students are in af-

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“I have extra time to get work done or go into the band room and work on my flute solo for competition and scholarships.”

- Marissa Rahn ter school activities that are coached by teachers who are unable to offer extra help after school.

During the 2015-2016 school year, Rusk formed a problem-solving team of teachers, administrators and counselors to look at options for the school day schedule.

They wrote and received a Best Practices grant to further investigate what would work best for students at BHS. They found their model at Chaska High School. Teachers and students there gave them positive feedback, stating that it’s a system that works well for them.

Of course, with any change comes some challenges. Not everyone is open to change, and it’s hard to adjust to having students 47 minutes one day, 87 minutes another day, and not at all one day of the week. Some of the teachers have expressed that the new schedule lacks consistency. Some weeks are

shortened due to holidays, school breaks or early out, but a plan is in place to adjust the schedule as needed.

“Both students and teachers have worked hard to adjust their instruction and learning time for the new schedule,” Rusk added.

Some teachers view the modified block schedule as a decrease in teaching time with their students. This time can be made up when the student chooses that class for WIN time.

Some students need the extra time with a certain teacher, others do not.

Students can also get labs done during the longer class periods or do more detailed work on them during the WIN time. Teachers get priority on scheduling students for WIN time. Guidance counselors can also send requests, and parents can get involved by talking with their children or visiting with their student’s teachers and counselors. When students are all caught up on their coursework, they have the option to choose something outside their normal classes like yoga, swimming, art, or attending club meetings.

BHS science teacher Nicole Harmer volunteered to be on the team to look at options for the new schedule.

“I saw it as an opportunity,” Harmer said. “I think this has been one of the most progressive ‘systematic’ changes to happen at BHS since I started here 20 years ago. It makes the playing field more even for all students and gives kids some opportunities that would not be there otherwise. But, I am comfortable with change and I like progressive things and trying new ways to do things.

Might be the scientist in me! Did it come at some cost, such as reduced minutes in class, or cutting out some content or great learning activities, or having to rework my plans from previous years? Yes, but, I feel the benefits for my students have outweighed those costs.”

Mary Aalgaard is a playwright and piano/ theater teacher. She writes theater reviews and supports the arts through her blog Play off the Page, PlayoffthePage.com. She teaches youth theater workshops in the Brainerd lakes area, writes articles for regional magazines, and works with both seniors and youth in multi-generational programs to enhance quality of life and build community.

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Brainerd Public Schools | Spring ‘17

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Innovation

BY MARY AALGAARD Photo By JOEY HALVORSON

Student Council members on the Warrior Warehouse committee.

One-Stop Shop Volunteers develop food pantries for BHS, Forestview students in need The Brainerd lakes area community is generous in many areas, donating to the Coats for Kids drive and the Salvation Army Food Shelf, for example. Still, Brainerd teachers, administrators and school counselors saw a need to make these items more accessible to their students, a one-stop shop, if you will.

How could students get the food and supplies they need right in their schools?

The answer at Brainerd High came from student council members and their advisors Beth Bastian, Ann Stenglein and Principal Andrea Rusk. They all agreed; BHS needed a food shelf.

During fall 2015, they created Warrior Warehouse. Student council and other service groups wrote grants 18 18

Brainerd Public Schools | Spring ‘17 Brainerd Public Schools | Spring ‘17

and received support from the United Way of Crow Wing and Southern Cass Counties, as well as area business, churches and individuals, enough to fill a classroom at BHS. Students went out on Halloween in an effort called “We Scare Hunger,” trick-or-treating for food shelf items instead of candy. www.isd181.org www.isd181.org

The Art Club contributed artwork for the walls and other organizations like FFA, Key Club, Interact and the class cabinets also added to the success of the Warrior Warehouse.

“Warrior Warehouse includes so many facets of the school,” said Bastian.

>>>

11%

MINNESOTA HOUSEHOLDS BELOW THE POVERTY LINE.

Estimates:

7,100 people in Crow Wing County 700 FORESTVIEW MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS

41% OF DIST. 181 STUDENTS QUALIFY FOR FREE AND REDUCED LUNCHES

Secretary Chris Ramey and Assistant Principal Tom Cooper (kneeling) organize items at the Forestview Middle School food pantry.

Rachel Cleveland, a 2016 graduate, helped organize the room and kept a list of items and visits. Currently, Hannah and Nicole Rud head up a dedicated team that works for the Warrior Warehouse. Emma Pederson and Patrick Kennedy started a coat drive, along with help from Mid-Minnesota Federal Credit Union. Marina and Deb Cruz of Adirondack Coffee in Nisswa helped the school start up a coffee shop, 5th Street Brew, which provides the funding for Warrior Warehouse.

Last fall alone, Warrior Warehouse received over 150 visits, with students needing a variety of items, including food, school supplies and warm coats. Students can access the warehouse anytime by asking a teacher, one of the advisors or school administrators. Students can come in before or after school or during the new WIN time (scheduled study hall time) to get what they need.

This school year at Forestview Middle School, Assistant Principal Tom Cooper quickly formed a team to get a food/supply pantry set up for middle school students. Dan Huebsch, a collaborative worker, and Sarah Lembcke, a special education teacher, jumped on board. In the past Forestview Middle School utilized Second Harvest, a national food supply program, to pack food bags for kids who might go home to empty cupboards.

Middle school students needed the food and school supplies, plus personal hygiene items and some clothing,

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especially warm outerwear for our harsh winters. Again, area businesses and churches stepped up to the plate with generous donations. Costco has supplied backpacks and food, any damaged boxes that couldn’t be sold, although the individually packaged foods, such as granola bars, were perfectly fine. Students are given backpacks for their food and supplies and can bring them back anytime to be refilled.

“They look like a regular backpack,” says Lembcke. “If you lined them up in the hall, you wouldn’t know which one held school books and which one was from us.”

Students who come to Fuel Up Forestview, the name for their supply room, are not singled out in any way. None of the students know who gets free and reduced lunch or who comes in for supplies. Teachers might refer a student whom they think has a need, and several kids have referred friends because they want to help them. And, of course, students can advocate for themselves and their siblings when they are experiencing food insecurity at home by talking with a teacher, counselor or administrator.

Supplies for Warrior Warehouse and Fuel Up Forestview are for anyone, no questions asked. Sometimes support comes in the form of monetary donations, gift cards and tokens for the Dial-a-Ride bus service.

Some of the students might be cooking for themselves or their siblings, so the team provides easy-to-make food and recipes.

Anything that can’t be used by the students is donated back to the community.

WARRIOR WAREHOUSE VIDEO Produced by BHS students: bit.ly/2mlM4Qm www.youtubecomwatch?v=gS9yMMQsMNI

Advisors for both Warrior Warehouse and Fuel Up Forestview are grateful to the businesses, churches and community members for their generous support.

It’s hard to learn when your stomach is growling, you don’t have the supplies you need or you’re worried about what you’ll be eating for dinner, on the weekend or when school isn’t in session.

Mary Aalgaard is a playwright and piano/ theater teacher. She writes theater reviews and supports the arts through her blog Play off the Page, PlayoffthePage.com. She teaches youth theater workshops in the Brainerd lakes area, writes articles for regional magazines, and works with both seniors and youth in multi-generational programs to enhance quality of life and build community.

REACH OUT FOR HELP OR DONATE: Contact your child’s school if you need help applying for free or reduced lunch, to receive food backpacks or supplies, or to make a donation.

Forestview Middle School 218-454-6000

Brainerd High School 218-454-6200

ADDITIONAL SERVICES IN CROW WING COUNTY: Women, Infants and Children 218-824-1140 • www.fns.usda.gov/wic Supplemental Nutrition Program 218-824-1250 • www.fns.usda.gov/snap Bridges Of Hope — connecting people to services 218-825-7682 • www.bridgesofhopemn.org

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BY JILL NEUMANN

Photo By JOEY HALVORSON

Service Dogs Lightning Goes To School

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ervice dogs have become more commonplace all over America and the same is true at Brainerd Public Schools. Commonly known as service dogs for the blind, these animals are becoming useful in many other ways for human needs, while also giving love and acceptance.

The Americans with Disabilities Act states that service dogs can go wherever their people go: parks, stores, boats, hotels and schools.

An eighth-grade student at Brainerd Public Schools has Lightning, a trained service dog. Lightning is a golden lab (half-Labrador, half-golden retriever) and is 2-1/2 years old. Lightning was 14 months old when he was placed with the eighth-grade son of Teresa and Marty Christiansen.

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7 Brainerd Public Schools | Spring Spring ‘1 ‘17

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Brainerd teacher Erin Hubbard (left) says having Lightning in her class has been a wonderful opportunity.

500+ hours of training

Lightnings’ extensive program before being placed with the Christensens.

PS I T FOR PARENTS:

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Patience: Don’t be deterred by the fundraising component or wait time. It takes time to effectively raise and train a quality service dog.

Learn: There are differences in service dogs, therapy dogs, and emotional support animals. Learn all you can. Only service dogs are protected by the ADA. Research: Find the agency that meets your child’s needs.

Be aware: There are many scams out there that don’t deliver what they promise.

Brainerd Public Schools | Spring ‘17

Lightning is trained in search and rescue tracking, behavior disruption, calming strategies and tethering. He provides stability to someone who has a difficult time understanding the world and navigating life. Having the service dog helps the student when he gets overloaded with sensory input. Lightning helps keep him safe by being able to track him if he runs from a location. Lightning helps the student with social situations by providing a helpful common ground to begin a conversation. Lightning also helps him feel secure and less anxious and makes it possible for him to go more places successfully, thus, expanding his experiences in the world.

Many parents wonder how a service animal is located and funded. The Christiansens worked with 4 Paws for Ability, www.4pawsforability.org, an agency in Xenia, Ohio, that specifically places service dogs with children.

They completed the fundraising portion of the cost to raise and train a service dog for 4 Paws and approximately 18 months later, Lightning www.isd181.org

was placed. Lightning was born, raised and trained through their extensive training program which includes puppy enrichment, prison programs where puppies learn basic obedience and housebreaking, traditional foster raisers and college foster raisers and advanced training at 4 Paws for Ability that is child specific.

Lightning had over 500 hours of initial training before being placed.

The Christiansens traveled to Ohio for two weeks of training with the dog and their trainers to learn his commands, to learn the laws about service dogs and how to handle public access and pass a public access test, and how to keep up his training. The Christiansens wish they would have taken the leap in getting a service dog when they first learned about 4 Paws for Ability when their son was in kindergarten.

They learned a great deal about the ADA and service dogs and shared that having a service dog is a lot of work but it is also a great blessing.

Service dogs are the only ones protected by the ADA. They are not the same as therapy dogs or emotional support animals.

www.4pawsforability.org

The Christiansens had suggestions for parents who think their child may need a service dog (left sidebar). For educators, the Christiansens said not to be afraid of an appropriately trained service dog being a disruption in your class. An appropriately trained dog is there to do his/her job and should not be a disruption. Their family found that students react positively but they don’t

have much interaction with Lightning.

Other students have said they would like to be able to interact with Lightning but that is not his job. Petting him or interacting with Lightning can distract him from doing his job and can put his student’s safety at risk. During the day, Lightning has his own “place,” a mat that he lays on unless he is performing a task that he has been trained for.

“Having Lightning in our class was something that was both exciting and nerve-racking at first,” explained Erin Hubbard, a Brainerd teacher. “It is a responsibility that I do not take lightly.

However, with planning and communication with student and parents, having Lightning has been wonderful.

Teachers, do not fear the opportunity.”

Lightning is still a regular canine, too, and lives at home with his family. When he is at home, he is still working but has more opportunities to get to play and be a goofy young dog. He likes to play ball with his boy. He likes to play with other dogs and get his ears scratched and his tummy rubbed.

Jill Neumann, former Foundation Director/District Communications Manager for Brainerd Public Schools, enjoys community involvement, including Brainerd Noon Sertoma, Alpine Ski Race Team, Rotary Lobster Committee, and The Crossing Arts Alliance.

She is employed by United Healthcare as a Senior Financial Consultant. She and her husband, Rob, have two boys, Mitchell, 13, and Joseph, 9.

Westgate Mall Brainerd/Baxter www.brekkens.com

Brainerd Public Schools | Spring ‘17 www.isd181.org

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Lightning made many things possible for the family that they avoided in the past because of sensory overload and the resulting behaviors.

23

Success

By Jodie Tweed Photos By JOEY HALVORSON

Insight Program Insight volunteers Jodie Brendara (left); her daughter, Julianna LaVigne; Insight Program Coordinator Brian Reynolds; his son, Nolan Reynolds; and Allison Townsend volunteered at a dance in February at Cragun’s.

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Insight volunteers help provide activities, social opportunities for adults with disabilities

ulianna LaVigne may only be 15, but she says there is a special place in her heart for people with disabilities.

Last semester the ninth-grader served as a student mentor for special education students at Brainerd High School South. Twice a week she would

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Brainerd Public Schools | Spring ‘17

visit their special education classroom to volunteer, often playing games and having fun. But she wanted to do more.

When LaVigne learned that the Insight program needed volunteers to help with the many weekly activities and monthly dances that are hosted

by Brainerd Community Education for adults with disabilities, she jumped at the opportunity. She also enlisted her mother, Jodie Biendara, to help out, too. Sometimes her dad, Jay, and sister come, too.

“I just have a love for them,” LaVigne explained, of people with disabilities. “I also like helping.”

“We always have fun,” added her mother.

The Insight program offers adults with disabilities opportunities to have fun with friends, whether they are playing basketball, making a craft or attending a monthly dance at the Legacy at Cragun’s Resort. Activities are scheduled twice a week at various locations. www.isd181.org

There are about 70 Insight events held throughout the year. In February, about 25 adults, many of whom live in group homes, spent an evening together at BHS South Campus making Valentine’s Day cards for family and friends. Each activity has a small fee, which helps pay for the program’s costs.

Brian Reynolds, Insight program coordinator, said the dances, in particular,

can have as many as 300 participants who travel from as far as Walker and Little Falls. Bingo nights are also popular, which draw about 50 people.

“For a lot of individuals, they live in a group home and work together. This allows them to meet others. It’s a chance to get out of the house and hang out with friends,” Reynolds said.

Reynolds said there are a few Brainerd families, like LaVigne and her mom, who volunteer to help at Insight activities. At a February crafting night, the mother/daughter team helped participants decorate Valentine’s Day cards.

Insight volunteers provide a great opportunity for adults with disabilities to connect with others in the community, people they may not interact with on a regular basis.

Reynolds’ son, Nolan, 13, helps out regularly with his dad.

“I love being around the people,” the Forestview eighth-grader explained. “I like being able to help out. It’s fun to see them learn new things.”

Ashley, 28, who lives in a Brainerd group home, said the Insight program has lots of activities to choose from. Her favorite is Bingo.

“I really like Bingo because I like to win prizes,” Ashley said with a smile. “It’s nice to come here. It gives me a break.”

Regular activities include gym nights, pizza parties and game nights.

At the end of the year, a picnic at Lum Park typically has anywhere from 75100 participants. Most Insight activities are held on Monday and Thursdays throughout the school year.

Brian Reynolds said he is always searching for volunteers. He would love to find community members who would like to teach a class. If you have a talent or special interest that you would like to share with adults with disabilities, contact Reynolds at 320-469-0039 or insight@isd181.org.

Jodie Tweed, a former Brainerd Dispatch reporter, is a freelance writer and editor who is proud to serve as editor of Brainerd Public Schools magazine. She lives in Pequot Lakes with her husband, Nels, a Brainerd High School graduate, and their three girls.

Thank You ISD 181 for the opportunity to help build your Future!

— Some of Our Projects Include —

Save the Date!

Brainerd HS Pool Doors & Steps at Pool Riverside School Addition Magnet Entryway Forestview BHS Greenhouse Reno Washington Elevator Elementary School Hardware 1991 Renovations Fire Code & Washington & Franklin BHS Gym Reno Gymnastics Garfield Reading Room Learning Center BHS Wrestling Room Sidewalks Franklin Girl’s Restrooms South Campus Stairs Magnet School BHS Student Success Center Tornstrom Auditorium Doors BHS South Entry Concrete Franklin & BHS Music Rooms Washington Middle School Sign AEC House 2016 Summer Misc. Projects

2017 JUST FOR KIX DANCE CAMP Designed for K-9th graders

Forestview Middle School July 20 - 22 001533190r1

Commercial and Residential Construction Architects and General Contractors

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Proud to Support

BHS Construction Trades & Warrior Robotics

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Call Us To Discuss How BHS Students Could Build Your Home Next Year

Warrior Robotics Brad & Matt Wadsten 218-821-2721

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