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Board hears plan for overnight and out‑of‑state student trips, including Dakota and Ojibwe immersions and Chicago arts visit
Summary
District staff presented proposed extended field trips for 2025–26 — two Native American cultural immersion trips (Dakota sites and Mille Lacs Ojibwe) with no student cost, a Chicago arts experience planned for 2026–27, and other athletics/competitive travel. Formal approval is scheduled for May 27.
Columbia Heights Public Schools staff presented May 13 an informational overview of planned overnight and out‑of‑state student experiences for 2025–26 and beyond, including two cultural immersion trips tied to Native American Education programming and a multi‑year Chicago arts visit.
Superintendent Stenvick described the Native American program’s move toward "cultural place based learning," saying the district and its Native American parent committee sought trips that connect students to Ojibwe and Dakota histories and landscapes. One proposed trip focuses on Dakota sites in southern Minnesota — including Jeffers Petroglyphs, Pipestone Quarry, and Mankato — timed to align with the Mankato powwow; the district plans to open that trip to middle and high school students and cover travel, lodging, meals and activities at no cost to participants.
A second immersion would visit Mille Lacs and include hikes in Kathio State Park, presentations by the Minnesota DNR and tribal officials, visits to the Mille Lacs Museum and Trading Post, and traditional drum and dance; the Mille Lacs trip is planned over the MEA weekend and is limited to high‑school students, again with no student cost.
Staff also discussed a Chicago arts experience (targeting band, choir, AP arts, juniors and seniors) proposed for February–March 2027 to allow time for fundraising; staff reported successful fundraising and donor support for prior trips. Extended athletics and activity travel (tennis, Synchro, Key Club, speech and debate national competition in Boston previously approved) were listed as anticipated items; the district noted some dates in presentation materials needed correction.
Coordinator Sarah Matosovic described the field‑trip approval process and said instructional trips are aligned to academic standards and board policy; extended trips are brought forward for governance review. The item was informational; the board will consider governance approval of overnight field trips at its May 27 meeting.
