By Teri Knight, News Director
The Northfield School Board held their 2nd socially distanced in-person meeting last night. They listened to a continuous improvement plan for High School Principal Joel Leer. It’s a little more challenging this year, but Superintendent Dr. Matt Hillmann said they’re looking back and reflecting on last Spring, “Mr. Leer talked about just that relationships are really important and how they’re planning to implement the hybrid option as they start the school year specifically looking at goals across the building. Of course learning outcome goals, goals about how we engage with our parents, with our students and with our employees”. And also establishing an anti-racism goal for
each building. ALC Director Daryl Kehler presented. The Area Learning Center takes a little different approach, Hillmann said, “rather than having four quarters they have eight grading to break that down so that students can gain credit in shorter stints. And Daryl shared some great plans they have for this year to try to make sure they leveraged what they learned last Spring during the pandemic to make sure they can serve those students”. Many of whom are at risk. Hillmann reiterated how the relationships that staff builds with the students is so important to their learning experience. Last year they had three quarters of the academic year to build those, the question for this year, as they start out with a hybrid model for secondary grades, they will work to build and rebuild those relationships and deliver the services required including meals. Hillmann’s full interview is on kymnradio.net.
Land Acknowledgement discussion highlights NHS new exhibit including Dakota Nation
The Northfield Human Rights Commission, along with the colleges student councils and C. Zweifel, have been in discussions for a land acknowledgement statement from the City of Northfield recognizing indigenous peoples living on this land. Council had been unanimously ready to move it forward until last March when the statement “ongoing injustices that we have committed” was added. During their August 11th meeting, Councilors Ness and DeLong and Mayor Pownell were not ready to commit the City, and it’s residents, to that statement. HRC member Mar Valdecantos, who spoke at the meeting, urged Council members to visit the Mdewakanton Sioux exhibit in Shakopee to learn more about the area. Northfield Historical Society Executive Director Cathy Osterman noted the exhibit right here regarding the Dakota people, whose land Northfield is on. While the museum and Northfield’s story is significantly impacted around the 1876 bank robbery, there’s much more to the story with other voices and those have been added. Osterman said the new exhibit, which has been in the works for a couple of years, is about the townspeople during the raid but starts with the story of the Dakota people who lived on this land. She writes: Yes, the facts are still unchanged, but the voices heard and those identified in the story is what has changed. There were setbacks to getting the exhibit open that included water damage to the building and a pandemic, however, it is now open to the public. Osterman said, Historical research builds a story from evidence and facts and many of the stories and perspectives we would like to tell are unknown. To speculate or report on things that are unknown is a disservice to the story and the people we seek to represent. Her full article: Cathy Osterman – Northfield Historical Society Executive Director August 2020. The Land Acknowledgement statement will come back to Council. The Colleges Board of Regents approved the original Land Acknowledgement statement. The full statement reads: We stand on the homelands of the Wahpekute Band of the Dakota Nation. We honor with gratitude the people who have stewarded the land throughout the generations and their ongoing contributions to this region. We acknowledge the ongoing injustices that we have committed against the Dakota Nation, and we wish to interrupt this legacy, beginning with acts of healing and honest storytelling about this place. The last section is what the debate is about.
NH&C Long Term Care visitor restrictions loosening
Northfield Hospital + Clinics is working on plans to allow some visitors to the Long Term Care Center. The Center has been closed to visitors since March 13th due to the pandemic. New guidelines from the Mn Dept. of Health will allow skilled nursing facilities to begin loosening visitor restrictions, starting Aug. 29. VP-Chief Nurse Executive and Hospital/LTCC Administrator, Tammy Hayes, said they’re using MDH guidance as a starting point as they set processes and policy and will be in touch with residents’ families when they’re ready to accept visitors in a safe way. The full press release is on our website under the Covid-19 page.
