Action of the School Board Action of the School Board 04/27/15 | Page 5

Crossroads West renamed

Jeff McGonigal, associate superintendent for high schools, and Nancy Chave, principal for
Crossroads West and Crossroads Main high schools, presented a proposal to rename Crossroads West. The program, which serves young adults ages 18 to 21 who need additional
time to complete their high school diploma, is now in leased space at a Champlin shopping
center. It will move to the west end of the campus of Anoka Technical College before school
opens next September.
The move will give students the opportunity to take courses at the technical college and
make an easy transition to post-secondary work once they have completed credits necessary for their high school diploma.
Mary Olson, director of communication and public relations, described the process she
used with a group of Crossroads West students to come up with recommendations for a
new name for the high school. The recommended name, Anoka-Hennepin Technical High
School, was selected because it describes the areas served by the new school and honors the
technical college where it will be located.
The board is expected to approve the name change at the next meeting.

Anti-bullying/Anti-harassment Community Task Force reviews recommendation
two

Members of the Anti-bullying/Anti-harassment Community Task Force presented plans
for implementing recommendation two of the task force report that had been presented to
the board last June and August. Recommendation two asks the district to “increase adult
presence in unstructured common places in middle schools through the use of volunteer
school ambassadors.” This recommendation was modeled after a program already in place
at Anoka Middle School for the Arts. It received support of 100 percent of Task Force members.
Dr. Jennifer Cherry, Title IX coordinator, said the recommendation emerged from nine
broad recommendations the community task force made in 2013 and refined in 2014. Recommendation two follows up on the original recommendation from the first year of the
task force to promote a positive culture in schools and to “explore specific programs and
strategies that include student leaders, family and community.”
When the task force subcommittee working on this recommendation heard about the program at Anoka Middle School, they felt it would serve as a good model for other schools.
Task force member Simone Simon, a parent and teacher in the district, said it’s important to
have adults in the hallways to build positive relationships with students. “Being a teacher
in a middle school I see the need for more adults in the hallways. There are only so many of
us (teachers). We notice that when adults are present, student behavior improves. ” She described the role of the volunteers in this program to be “a cross between a Walmart greeter
and a speed bump.”
Linda Rodgers, parent involvement consultant and a member of the task force, stressed
that this type of volunteer work fits well with the district’s School, Family and Community
Partnership Policy. She indicated the project has the potential of drawing new volunteers
into the district.
Dr. Jinger Gustafson, associat e superintendent for middle schools, said the district would
continue to use a systemic focus while providing individual opportunities for school sites
to address their unique needs.

Music Task Force response

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ACTION

The district’s three associate superintendents reviewed the conclusions and recommendations of the Music Task Force, which presented its formal findings to the School Board on
Dec. 8, 2014.