MUSCODA - The Riverdale School District met Monday evening both virtually and masked and in person Monday evening, Feb. 8 for their regular monthly meeting.
District Administrator Jon Schmidt shared with the district that he contacted Grant County Health in regards to an update on staff vaccines for COVID-19.
“They are still planning on coming the first week in March, give or take a week, to vaccinate all the staff who want to be vaccinated,” Schmidt noted. Adding that at the last survey of staff there was about 60-70 percent who wanted to be vaccinated.
It was also shared that the State Wrestling Tournament would be a one day event this year. The WIAA would not be refunding room payments, but the district would be covering that cost.
A COVID 19 update was also shared with the district.
Schmidt shared that the district was seeing a small spike in COVID cases in the elementary.
“We do not feel as though it is spreading with in the school,” Schmidt noted. “It seems to be contained within a few families.”
On that topic, elementary principal Shari Hougan shared that the number of students learning virtually has increased to 73 students or about 20 percent. However, she expected that number to drop by Thursday or Friday as quarantined children would be cleared to come back to class.
High School Principal Jeff Campbell shared the high school was awarded a grant to start pollinator friendly plantings. He noted they would receive 640 seedlings, 642 pots to plant in and $1,000 to use towards expenses.
Campbell also shared that 49 percent of high school students were named to the first semester honor roll and 39 percent to the junior high, down from previous years numbers.
It was shared at the meeting that the ACT Testing was planned for Tuesday, March 9. The plan at this time would be to have a virtual learning day for students to accommodate extra space needed for social distancing.
Perhaps the most exciting topic of the evening was that of the impending prom. As many may remember the previous years events were canceled due to the raging global pandemic.
However, as things continue to move forward and the world figures out ways to conduct things safely, the idea of hosting prom once again has been brought back to the table.
The suggestions for the evening were to host the event at Memories on Maple, a wedding and event barn in rural Boscobel. The Grand March would be live streamed, everyone would be required to wear their masks and no one outside of the district would be allowed to attend.
It was shared that Memories on Maple was chosen as the venue verses the traditional event being hosted at the school, in an effort to do something special for the students after so much had been dissolved with COVID.
“I’d like to try and give our kids something,” Campbell noted. “I think it’s a nice thing. They lost a lot of things and I want to make it work.”
In the end a motion was made to allow the junior and seniors to prom with sophomores and freshman to come as dates.
It was also suggested that a bus be available for transporting students to and from the venue for safety reasons.
In other news:
•It was decided that for games that two spectators for home and two spectators for away would be allowed to be at games and should be family, and that four spectators for home players and two for away for high school players. Masks will be mandated and social distancing will be strongly encouraged.
