Thanks to Mississippi Valley Montessori School for their support. Located in West St. Paul since 1967, they’re an AMI-accredited Montessori school serving children up to age 6. Email us for more info.
The ongoing presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) loomed over Monday’s school board meeting, but the focus was resolutely on the good things happening throughout the district, from the success of the cheer and dance teams at Two Rivers to Mendota’s plans for Black History Month. In addition to celebrating successes, the board also (finally) approved the upcoming academic calendar.
Statement Regarding ICE
Board Chair Sarah Larsen opened the meeting by reading a statement she prepared along with other board members. She acknowledged the anxiety, fear, and fatigue some people in the district community are feeling with the increased ICE activity, but focused much more on all the ways the community is responding:
- “Thank you. We see the many extra hours that you’re putting in and the quiet ways that you’re holding the community together. I’m deeply grateful. If you haven’t found a way to help, or you want to do more, please reach out.”
- Chair Larsen added that this situation is “not a sprint or a marathon, but a relay race,” emphasizing that it’s going to take continued community support to get through this.
- She finished by reiterating the district’s commitments: “Every child deserves an education with a safe place to learn and to grow and to dream, regardless of the chaos that is happening around us.”
Academic Calendar
Cari Jo Drewitz, director of curriculum, instruction, and assessment, brought the finalized 2026-2027 academic calendar for approval. This year’s calendar is being approved much later than usual and has three fewer school days than in previous years due to a state requirement to provide additional teacher training. Drewitz also presented multiple versions of the district calendar for public consumption that simplifies essential information about days off and the start and end of the school year. Drewitz introduced a draft version of the 2027-2028 calendar. This calendar will add three more school days, but will start late, due to how Labor Day falls on the calendar. This will, Drewitz noted, allow for an extra week of summer vacation in 2027. The board unanimously approved the calendar.
Recognitions With the Superintendent
Superintendent Peter Olson-Skog recognized several groups and individuals for recent achievements:
- Katie Stein, a junior at Two Rivers, won the 2025 Youth Stewardship award from Great River Greening for her work on finding natural, less-disruptive ways to clean local ponds.
- The Two Rivers High School cheer team was recognized. Cheerleading was revived at Two Rivers two years ago with only six participants, and now the team is up to 41 members. The team has had great success and is a fixture at other Two Rivers sports events. Board Member Morgan Steele mentioned enjoying seeing the team practice when she visits the high school, and Board Member Tim Aune actually stomped and clapped his way through part of a cheer routine when talking about how the team’s rhythm sticks with him.
- Garlough Environmental Magnet School’s Rodrigo Sanchez recently won KS95’s Teacher of the Week award. Olson-Skog praised Sanchez, an alumnus of ISD 197, as “an incredible relationship builder.” Sanchez has some help in the classroom from his dog, a husky/malemute mix. “This guy is more popular than I am,” Sanchez joked.
- Olson-Skog honored the Key Club for their fourth consecutive year hosting the MLK Day of Service at Two Rivers High School. The event has grown from fewer than 20 people in its first year to more than 700 this year, including at least one person who came from as far away as Kansas City for the event.
Mendota Elementary Site Report
Mendota Principal Steve Goldade was joined by students Ocean and Royalty and their families to deliver his site report.
- He opened by announcing the school’s plans for Black History Month, including a community luncheon on Saturday, February 21 and a performance by the Black History Month choir. Students and family members shared details about the event and thanked Goldade and the school board for providing such a welcoming community. Board Member Randi Walz thanked the parents specifically for their engagement and everything they do.
- Students also took an Indigenous People’s Day trip to Oheyawahi, also known as Pilot Knob Hill, where they participated in a walking field trip, learning about Native American drumming and history.
- Principal Goldade highlighted Mendota’s status as a top 10 elementary school in U.S. News and World Report.
- The school’s I Love To Read celebration is coming up again, and it will again feature live llamas. Principal Goldade noted that last year, he had 100% attendance from students and staff on the day the llamas came to school, calling it money well spent.
Heritage E-STEM Site Report
Heritage Principal Heidi Koury was joined by members of the Web Leaders for her site update. These students spoke about their experience at Heritage, all mentioning how they feel welcomed, accepted, and connected during their time there.
- Principal Koury made a note of the school’s rewritten mission statement: “We are an inclusive community that values respect and kindness while celebrating academic and personal growth.”
- Koury also emphasized the school’s many STEM connections, including their Garden to Kitchen program, where students grow food in the school garden and then learn how to cook it.
- Koury highlighted feedback about what students love about Heritage, including the variety of extracurriculars, many animals, and technical electives.
- The school held a probability challenge this year in the form of a single-elimination rock-paper-scissors tournament featuring everyone in the school.
- Koury thanked the school’s event manager for finding outside funding in the form of grants and fundraisers to support student activities and field trips.
- Multiple school board members praised the school for providing a welcoming community where their own children feel comfortable socially—something that isn’t always easy in middle school.
Other Items on the Agenda
- Committee report: School Board Member Marcus Hill shared an update from the Association of Metro School Districts (AMSD) committee meeting. This group includes districts that cover more than half of the state’s school districts and advocates for these districts at the state level. Hill met with legislators from across the state and learned about the association’s top priorities: school safety, stabilizing funding for staff compensation, modernizing permanent school fund distributions to help make budgeting more predictable. Superintendent Peter Olson-Skog shared a keynote speech with the group with a focus on dignity and respect.
- Superintendent’s report: In his regular report, Superintendent Olson-Skog focused on the many positive events, activities, and achievements throughout the district. He honored Black History Month and National School Counseling Week, shared photos from the recent MLK Day of Service, and highlighted the district’s annual Legislator Connect event. The district hosted legislators at Two Rivers high school, where students prepared a meal, student representatives made speeches about supporting the district, and the school orchestra played.
- Student representatives’ report: Student Representatives Rhys Walsh and Evangeline Fuentes provided a review of activities and achievements throughout the district:
- Students at Garlough sculpted and painted landforms and partnered with Culver’s on a fundraiser to buy pet supplies for the school’s many animals.
- Students at Pilot Knob elementary celebrated their paraprofessionals by standing in the hallways and cheering for them.
- Registration for spring sports opened on February 2. Fuentes encouraged students to sign up, reflecting on her own positive experiences in school sports.
- The Friendly Hills math team placed first at Southeast Metro Division meet, while Heritage placed second, with the two schools taking eight of the top 10 individual spots.
- Every school in the district is collecting and distributing essential supplies to support families affected by ICE activity, and Walsh and Fuentes thanked the community for their efforts.
Engage
- More: Agendas and minutes for ISD 197 School Board meetings are available online.
- Watch: You can watch this meeting online. You can also watch a video recap with Board Members Jon Vaupel and Tim Aune.
Once again we had to hire a contributor to cover both ISD 197 School Board and West St. Paul City Council meetings on the same night. We make local news freely available, but it’s not free. Join now to support local news and keep your community informed.
