LCC seeks more community engagement
LAUREL – The Laurel-Concord- Coleridge School board would like to be more engaged with the communities it serves.
At its regular meeting last week, the board discussed developing a community engagement process to consistently seek input and feedback as they develop a strategic plan.
“With the conclusion of the facilities study and resulting construction project, the district is at a natural crossroads of assessing needs and establishing future goals,” said Superintendent Jeremy Christiansen.
The district already conducts periodic surveys as part of continuous school improvement efforts, and welcomes public input at board meetings. There are several staff and community organizations that share input and support with the school also such as the parent-teacher organization, Booster Club and Alumni Association, among others.
More in-person learning and feedback with patrons including small group discussions is something the board hopes to implement in the future.
Christiansen reached out to the Nebraska Association of School Boards and its board leadership team to develop suggestions of community engagement to be tailored locally.
A subcommittee of the board will meet with NASB staff on Sept. 3 to continue with the community engagement planning process.
Construction projects Christiansen was pleased to report to the board that the last temporary classroom cottage was removed from the Laurel campus and the construction project is in its final stage. All that remains is some interior work and then completing exterior and landscaping.
A dedication ceremony and open house for the new Laurel campus will be scheduled this fall with opportunities for tours.
While one major project finishes, another - albeit, smaller one - begins with the construction of a greenhouse at the Laurel campus.
The greenhouse, named Ernie’s Place, was made possible by a $75,000 donation by the late Ernie Swanson’s family as well as other financial gifts large and small.
Students in LCC’s Building Construction class will help pour concrete and ensure proper drainage. The ground work will be performed by Detlefsen Construction, Laurel, while the greenhouse structure is being built by Stuppy Greenhouse, based in Kansas City, Mo.
Ernie’s Place will be a learning space for several different program areas.
LCC students of all ages will benefit from agricultural knowledge and learning opportunities including cross-grade and content area collaboration with industrial arts, business, digital media, marketing and entrepreneurship, math, biology, chemistry and environmental science.
The LCC greenhouse project will also provide opportunities to extend current learning initiatives including the community-supported Farm Test Plot and a growing partnership with the Nebraska Northeast Agriculture Science and National Resources Education Compact which encompasses the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Northeast Community College, Wayne State College and Haskell Lab.
Currently, Christiansen is awaiting a revised engineering plan for columns and footings for the greenhouse with construction slated to be completed prior to the start of the school year.
Other agenda items At its last meeting, the board also approved its student and staff handbooks and made policy updates related to legislative action.
The board’s next meeting will be on a new date - 7 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 13, at the Coleridge Middle School location.
The board will also be holding a special meeting and budget workshop at 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 27.
The public is invited and encouraged to attend both meetings.