Becker High School will be hosting its annual open house for parents and students Wed., Sept. 2 from 4:30 - 6:30 p.m., according to Principal Sandy Logrono.  The events will include opportunities for families to tour the facility, find classrooms, meet staff members and take care of the usual “housekeeping” items such as lunch accounts, parking passes and setting up media access accounts.

 

The program also includes a special meeting for freshman students and their parents in the old auditorium at BHS, which will take place at 5 p.m. and will provide parents the opportunity to ask questions and get more information on the high school program, Logrono said.

 

Staff members are particularly excited about the planned debut of the new “Wellness Center” at BHS, according to Asst. Principal Mark Kolbinger.  Construction at the site is proceeding at a rapid pace this week, Kolbinger said, and the plan is for the facility to be available on the night of the open house.

 

The mission of the new facility is as follows: “Ensuring the physical, social and emotional well-being of all students.”

 

The center will be used by school staff members and several outside providers to “deliver quality programming and therapies to Becker students,” Kolbinger said.  The presence of the facility on campus will also greatly increase student access to provided services, and will help to decrease the wait time that often is a part of seeking out these services.  The center will also provide educational seminars and presentations aimed at prevention strategies and support services.

 

Among the current service providers who will be taking part in the Wellness Center program are the Sherburne County Truancy Intervention program, Recovery Plus Chemical Health Education, Sharon Kuhlmann Counseling, Chemical Health Consultant Jennifer Kenning and the Youth Intervention Project.

 

Other services will include a school-based food shelf to assist with family support, brought about by a partnership with the Becker Backpack Buddies program, Kolbinger said.  The center will also be the home of a mentoring program which will have senior class members reaching out to younger students on a very informal basis.  The program is titled, “Let’s Do Lunch,” Kolbinger said, and will have the student volunteers joining with students to share conversations about personal development, goal setting and making a personal connection to the school.

 

The project is aimed at students who have had problems making the transition to high school, seek more involvement in their own education, are new to the school and are still seeking their own place in the school, Kolbinger said.

 

The center has already received “generous donations” from a number of sources, including Becker Furniture World, which supplied designers, paint and furnishings for the Wellness Center site, and the Dylan’s Hope Foundation and the Clear Lake Lions, Kolbinger said.

 

Classes for BHS freshmen only will begin Tues., Sept. 8.  The day will include a shortened classroom instruction program in the morning followed by a number of orientation activities in the afternoon.  All students will report for class at BHS Wed., Sept. 9, a day which will also include a “Welcome Back Kick-Off” program featuring activities and a motivational guest speaker, Logrono said.

 

To learn more about the annual open house, the first day of school or the new Wellness Center, visit the ISD 726 web site, or contact the BHS office by phone at 763.261.4501.