Mickelson principals outline teaming, ELL growth and daily wellness at Brookings school board meeting

At a Brookings School District 05-1 board meeting, Todd Foster and Matt Christie, principals of Mickelson Middle School, reviewed the school's enrollment, programming and supports, saying the middle school model emphasizes teaming, daily wellness and expanded English-language learner services.

Foster told the board the school's current enrollment is about 778 students: roughly 263 sixth-graders, 262 seventh-graders and 253 eighth-graders. He said the building now serves 39 English-language learners and that the district recently approved a full-time ELL teacher, Cheryl Harming. Foster said the school expects to lose eight eighth-graders and gain 18 incoming fifth-graders next year, which would bring the ELL total close to 50. "We have 14 different languages that are spoken as their main language at the middle school," Foster said.

Why it matters: Board members pressed for concrete details on enrollment and supports while principals sought to illustrate how Mickelson's structure addresses adolescent academic and social-emotional needs. The presentation emphasized that staffing and scheduling choices support student engagement and reduce the chance of students "sliding through the cracks," as one board member put it.

The principals described four features they called central to the school: teaming, the "Bobcats Back to School" program, a new student orientation/tiered support process, and the "Bobcat Grotto," a restorative in-school support room. Foster described teaming as a smaller-school-within-a-school model: teams of about 35 students who share five core teachers, and for the current year an added special-education teacher participates in teams to increase inclusion and coordination. "Each team has roughly about a 35 students, and it's our five core teachers," Foster said.

Foster and Christie described "Bobcats Back to School" as a seven-day, start-of-year sequence that focuses the first days on relationship building and procedures to help students and teachers form teams. For new students, the school uses a tiered intake and orientation process that principals said is applied whenever a new student enrolls; Foster estimated the school receives "about 20" new students a year and later described "at least two a month" as a typical arrival rate. He characterized those counts as estimates and said time to full transition varies by student needs.

The principals also highlighted that Mickelson provides physical education/health every day and employs five wellness teachers to support that schedule. Foster said that feature was uncommon among middle schools in the state and that other principals "were always very jealous" of the daily wellness offering. On behavior supports, the Bobcat Grotto is used as a place for students to step away and work toward "earning our way back out;" the presenters said the first year used an eight-point system and that some students have shortened their stays by demonstrating progress.

Board members asked whether students learn about the school's namesake, George S. Mickelson, and Foster said the entryway plaque and displays are used to teach students about the history. Several board members thanked the principals and complimented the school's programs and staff.

No formal board actions were taken as part of the presentation; the item was informational. Foster and Christie offered to provide additional detail on scheduling and to meet with board members who want a deeper briefing.

The presentation included requests for continued support for staffing that serves ELL students and the middle school's wellness and teaming approach; board members said they expect to follow up in committee and in future work sessions.