ISD 166 plans for future projects, hires math teacher, and receives bountiful community support for strength & conditioning equipment

Although the school year has come to an end, the school is bustling with summer activities and maintenance projects. 

School District 166 held its June meeting on Thursday, June 15, to discuss summer projects, long-term infrastructure planning, and the shuffling of staff for the following school year. 

This summer, the school has over 20 students taking a driver’s education course, numerous students participating in a fitness and weight training program, YMCA day camps & childcare programs, and rehearsals at the Playhouse. 

“School is not quiet, that’s for sure,” said Chris Lindholm, superintendent at ISD 166. 

In addition, the building and grounds team are cleaning classrooms and performing annual updates to the facility. 

Long-term updates to the facility and school property were a topic of discussion during the June 15 school board meeting. Representatives from SitelogIQ, a project management firm based in Minneapolis, gave a comprehensive introductory presentation to the school board members. 

Lindholm said the school board requested to hear from two consultant companies to do a complete facility, building, and grounds analysis for ISD 166 as they create a strategic plan for the future. During the May 4 work session meeting, ICS, a company focusing on K-12 education settings, gave a presentation. 

“So now it’s on the board and myself to analyze which vendor actually is going to deliver best for Cook County Schools,” Lindholm said. 

The main area of long-term planning interest for ISD 166 is developing a track field for the growing number of track students. “All of our track competitions are away because we don’t have facilities to house it,” Lindholm said. 

The school is also considering upgrading the baseball and softball fields by adding lights and improvements to the turf. The discussion about moving the softball field from the Grand Marais Recreation Park to the school property has circulated. 

Lindholm also said ISD 166 would like to improve the front entryway and add a more formal main entrance. “I would say that when you enter Cook County schools in the main entrance, you don’t enter into a facility that looks like most high schools that are built today.” He added, “There’s no commons area; it’s kind of chopped up and dark, rather than a commons area where students gather and find a sense of space.”

Another suggested update to the school building is adding a cafeteria media center and updating bathrooms. “Some of the talk right now is about upgrading our bathrooms and making sure that we have more private facilities for students. So they’re more comfortable in both our locker rooms and our bathrooms all throughout the building,” Lindholm said. 

The board is expected to discuss the two project management firm’s presentations during the July school board meeting. Lindholm said he hopes the board will make a decision during the July meeting. 

Math 

Following the retirement and resignation of a few ISD 166 teachers, the school hired and shuffled a few teachers around in preparation for the next school year. The school recently hired Sarah Anderson as a math teacher.

“As of next fall, (we) have three full-time secondary math teachers, a middle school teacher, and a couple of teachers that will serve our middle school and high school,” Lindholm said. “We haven’t had that in years here in Cook County.”

Lisa Vanderbilt, the high school math teacher, and Steven Anderson, the middle school math teacher, will remain in their positions for the upcoming school year. “We’re really excited to be able to offer in-person math instruction,” he added. 

Strength & Conditioning Fundraising Update

Mike Theismann, the physical education teacher and a football and junior high basketball team coach, approached the school board on March 16 for approval of a fundraising proposal. Theismann sought to raise funds to purchase strength and conditioning equipment for use by Cook County Athletics and the Cook County physical education department. Funds would be raised by seeking sponsorship from local businesses, families, and individuals.

Theismann explained during the meeting the need for a more developed strength and conditioning program for students and athletes. Currently, many of the students and athletes use the YMCA for strength training and conditioning. The purchase of the equipment would benefit athletes but also allow for programming in the summer and a fitness-focused physical education class during the school year. 

Upgrading the equipment would cost approximately $16,109.50 and include power racks, barbells, hex-bars, resistance bands, bumper plates, storage equipment, and weights. 

Lindholm provided an update on the fundraising efforts.

“They’ve actually raised close to $20,000,” he said. “Which is mind-blowing to me that our community is that generous.”

Theismann has gone ahead and purchased about $17,000 worth of equipment and has started hosting fitness programs in the refurbished weight room. 

WTIP’s Kalli Hawkins spoke with Chris Lindholm, the superintendent of ISD 166, following the June 15 school board meeting. The audio from the interview is below. 

Kalli Hawkins June 28, 2023