H-BC plans May 22 graduation for now

Hills-Beaver Creek School District is planning commencement ceremonies for its original date, Friday, May 22.
The H-BC School Board met in regular session Monday night via Zoom, hours after Gov. Walz announced that the state’s peacetime emergency declaration to fight the spread of the coronavirus is extended to May 13.
“I don’t know what it means (for school districts),” said Superintendent Todd Holthaus. “But, if I speculate, it means a push out into the future.”
The peacetime declaration allows the governor to also extend the state’s stay-at-home order, which directed schools to conduct distance-learning classes through May 4.
If the order is extended, H-BC officials agreed commencement ceremonies for the Class of 2020 would take place, but maybe not on May 22.
“We go day by day,” Holthaus said. “We take the information and then make changes.”
Secondary Principal Molly Schilling said a planned Zoom meeting with the district’s 17 seniors Wednesday discussed various options for activities including prom and commencement.
Due to the stay-in-place order, H-BC will not conduct prom activities later this month as originally planned. Potential rescheduling until May or this summer may be possible.
“It might look a little different but it will still be a memorable experience,” Schilling said. “Commencement is my No. 1 concern right now.”
Superintendent Holthaus agreed.
“We want to make sure we honor and recognize our ‘Super Bowl,’ which is our commencement.”
The district plans for students to return to the actual classrooms and normal activities and athletics on May 5.
In late March the Minnesota State High School League banned any activities or athletics by any member school until the governor’s stay-in-place orders are lifted.
MSHSL has suspended spring events but has not formally canceled spring activities.
 
In other business, the H-BC School Board approved:
•a 4-percent increase in health and hospitalization premium rates for the 2020-21 school year.
•NextEra Energy’s donation of $2,000 to purchase 25 Fire HD tablets for the elementary school.
•agricultural instructor and FFA adviser Katie Rogers’ resignation effective at the end of the 2019-20 school year.
•the next school board meeting on April 27 conducted via Zoom.