Cornell School Board; Trauma to kids can come in many forms
Cornell School Board clerk Eileen Sikora talked about the recent trauma training she went through, during a meeting June 27, asking fellow board members to consider taking the training, as well. Photo by Ginna Young
By Ginna Young
The loss of a pet. A teacher passes away. A country is at war with another country. A friend moves out of the area.
When people think of trauma to kids, those things might not be the first things that pop into their heads. For many, their concern about trauma is if the child is injured or sick.
“It’s not,” said Cornell School Board clerk Eileen Sikora. Sikora shared what she learned from a recent training on trauma to kids, during a regular meeting June 27, saying she didn’t realize what trauma looks like to kids before. For example, students witness school shootings across the country, causing them trauma.
“Just the fact that they see it and hear it,” said Sikora. Superintendent Paul Schley also plans to take the course and said several staff members have already been through the training. Sikora liked the information so much, she will have another one day training in August, in addition to the “super course” she just took.
“In January, I’m going to take the classes to be a trainer,” she said.
Schley also reported that summer school is done and the staff is already preparing for the upcoming 2022-23 school year. He said they hope work on the rubber surface on the track will begin next week, and to get the fences back up around the tennis/basketball courts.
For now, cleaning/maintenance crews are busy in the buildings, sprucing things up for the return of students in the fall.
“It’s kind of like farming, it’s never done,” said Schley. “But, it’s going really well. Life’s good.”
Middle/high school principal Dave Elliott thinks so, too, which is why the board approved his retirement after 20 years with the district, at the end of the 2022-23 school year, so he can focus on other things in his life. Elliott has been an educator since 1985, in three states and six school districts.
No district has put the needs of students first, more than the Cornell School District, wrote Elliott in his retirement letter. The best part of this job, has always been the students. I’ve looked forward to seeing them every day, and I will wholeheartedly miss each and every one of them.
Also saying goodbye to the district, is grant coordinator, speech language pathologist, mental health coordinator and middle school girls basketball coach Austin Hiess, who accepted a director of special education position with CESA 10. Hiess said he cherishes the time he spent in Cornell and will miss his colleagues, leaving with a great deal of respect for the district.
I have learned an invaluable amount of information…I’m very grateful for those opportunities, as they have propelled my passion for the field, as well as started my new career, he wrote.
With the resignation of Hiess, the board approved changing the assignment of grant coordinator to Craig Braaten; and of hiring art teacher Emily Johnson. They also approved Braaten for the soon to be open middle/high school principal position for the 2023-25 school year.
