Jefferson BOE

The Jefferson C-123 school board held its regular meeting on December 21.

Jefferson’s school board approved its audit which received good reviews.

Tyler Pedersen shared some of the ways he helps students engage their brains. His students begin each class with “brain gym” warm-ups. Students participate in brief exercises that involve their mind and body. Board members were given bean bags and engaged in a brain gym activity.

Pedersen said that schools across the nation are seeing a decline in students using their peripheral vision. Students struggle to read from left to right and have difficulty driving due to extended periods of screen time which train them to have tunnel vision.

Cree Beverlin shared activities in which his social studies classes have participated. One activity was holding a mock election complete with heated debates. The social studies department received new textbooks. Beverlin stated they challenge students to apply critical thinking skills and he is pleased with the material.

The district received a positive food review during its evaluation.

Board members discussed making changes to the district’s use of textcaster to alleviate duplicate texts and incorrect information.

The board discussed ways to reduce clutter in the school hallways and brighten the space for visitors. One idea considered was moving the painted ceiling tiles to the student hallway and replacing the old tiles.

The school has purchased a $1,000 basic package from the national website Krossover. The site takes girls and boys basketball game film, analyzes it, uploads it to the site and provides in-depth stats. Coaches and students can filter the site to look at specific information. For example, if they filter the site for a specific player, the site finds every play made by that player throughout a game. Coaches believe it will be a valuable tool.

During his construction report, Superintendent Tim Jermain said the building will be erected before the flooring is installed to keep equipment from driving over it and the basketball hoops will be adjustable from 8-10 feet. Electrical work will be completed before students return from Christmas break.

The board discussed a problem with a water line reconnection that left the high school with insufficient water pressure. The board reviewed options, with the possibility of hooking the school up to rural water. Jermain is negotiating fees, but believes that since it was a plumbing error, the school should not have to pay full price.