Lamar School Board has lengthy discussion about a potential new sport at monthly meeting November 10, 2025

At the regular November meeting of November 10, Vice-President Jake Chamberlain conducted the meeting due to the absence of Lanie Meyers-Mireles.  Dave Tecklenburg gave a financial update which included telling the Board that the recent audit went well as well as explaining the detailed financial sheet (this reporter did not have financial information available) and that there were no concerns with any funds.

Present at the meeting were four of the students participating in this year’s new Mentorship class, which is an elective.  The goal of the class is to have these students (juniors and seniors) provide mentorship to elementary students as well as giving support to the elementary teachers.  As such, the student mentors work one-on-one with students needing extra help and can assist the teacher with tasks such as helping with small learning groups.  The four students present spoke at the meeting, each giving a brief summary of what they enjoy about the class and the students they mentor.  Some of the things they said were “the kids love it when we come in and like the one-on-one help”, “this class gives me real-world experience in how to manage my time” (referencing fitting the elective class in which includes travel time between LHS and the elementary schools), “I enjoy being a helper and it is rewarding helping the kids feel more comfortable in class”, “these kids brighten my day and I smile all day after returning to the high school”.  They all expressed how often they find themselves interacting with some of the younger students at sporting or other events and that they enjoy getting to know the younger kids as individuals.  The interaction between the school’s younger students and the high school students also reinforces the “One Thunder” theme the District has embraced this year.

Student board members Giada Nieschburg and Lucas Andrade spoke to the board about their visits to the schools they visit and what they learn from those visits regarding concerns the younger students have. A recent visit to Parkview Elementary revealed that students were concerned about the condition of some of the playground equipment which are broken or damaged.  Another topic was that the younger students were desiring an art program similar to what Washington Elementary now has, which has proved to be very popular with students and staff there.  Other things they were told were that the younger students were interested in elective classes, life skill classes and intramural sports.

Superintendent Dr. Chad Krug gave a brief update on Capital Projects, saying the district is in a “holding pattern” with Performance Services.  The district is working with Performance Services on planning a potential realignment of schools in the future, which would involve locating all schools on the same campus. Questions still arise about how much space would be needed for such a project based on current and predicted class sizes among other considerations. Work will continue on the proposed project as the learn more.

Kenny Davis, Principal of Washington Elementary, had several students present in the audience at the meeting along with Washington music teacher Christi Ludwig, who led the students in singing an original song they titled the “Thunder Theme” song, which was recently sung during morning announcements at the school.  Davis said the school continues its morning routine, which includes the morning motto, the kindness pledge, the Golden Rule, while also reinforcing the “One Thunder” theme to the students.  He said they also want to start playing the National Anthem the first Monday of each month. The school is helping families with a food bank, assisted by National Honor students.  Money collected from this year’s school fundraiser was a “bit less” than last year, but will still allow the students to participate in field trips as well as funding playground updates, school t-shirts, etc.  The students recently had a field trip to the “Pumpkin Patch” which they enjoyed immensely.  He said all students were well-behaved. Money from the Bachman Trust funded the Mobile Ed Skydome Planetarium’s visit to the school.  The inflatable planetarium allowed students to learn about constellations, planets and the wonder of space and the students loved it.

Mat Bizak, Parkview Elementary Principal, also gave the board an update on his school.  The students will be having a Veterans Day lunch on November 11 to honor all who served and board members were invited to attend.  Students continue to learn about composting with the addition of the school’s composters. Students had a field trip to the Pumpkin Patch, with 200-plus students qualified to attend.  He spoke about a visit from Mrs. Ward, who brought her two chickens to the school.  The students learned about chicken behavior including habitat, diet, egg laying and the positive impact of music to their well-being.  He said the students loved the chickens visiting the school.

Rachel Dunning, Principal of the Lincoln Alternative school said that the school has the usual challenges of student attendance and said the school works continually to build relationships with parents and encourage attendance.  Behavior issues are “low” and she said the students are learning to work through problems in the right way.  They had 95% parental attendance at teacher conferences. Students took field trips to Camp Amache, John Martin and attended the LCC Career Fair.  Some students are hoping to graduate in December, but may be kept longer if teachers feel it is best for them.

The meeting then moved to a lengthy discussion about the possibility of adding a boys volleyball team at the high school.  Girls volleyball coach Darren Robbins said he was approached by several male students asking about starting a volleyball team.  Robbins said the team wasn’t his idea; he was merely at the meeting representing those students and told the board he would be willing to serve as the coach if such a team was formed.  The ARC (Athletic Review Committee) members met previously to discuss this and recommended that the Board consider the possibility of adding this sport.  Also present at the RE-2 meeting and speaking against the idea was Austin Adamson, LSH Head Baseball Coach.  Athletic Director Chris Medina was also at the meeting and active in the discussion.  Concerns discussed throughout the meeting were whether adding another sport would “dilute” the participation in other sports, the need for travel since no other local schools have this sport, how many athletes would actually participate (at this time, about 13 students have shown interest), potential bussing issues, etc.  Since there are so many variables involved in a decision of this scope, the board voted to schedule a special meeting for all sides to be present to hold a more in-depth discussion and possibly make a decision at that time. That meeting will be held on November 18 at noon in the Administration building.

By: Barbara Crimond