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Volunteer-led Project Graduate calls on Beltrami County residents to 'adopt' a student and promote 100% graduation
Summary
A local educator and school-board member gave an annual Project Graduate update, describing business alliances, an advocate network and outreach tactics (PSA, bookmarks, social media) aimed at boosting high-school completion across Beltrami County; commissioners welcomed the outreach and suggested stronger social-media targeting.
John (first name only), a local educator who said he serves on the Voyagers school board and teaches at Red Lake High School, gave the county an update on Project Graduate and urged commissioners to help promote a countywide goal of 100 percent high-school graduation.
"If every citizen in Beltrami County identify just one individual and took it upon themselves to remind that student... we could get the job done," John told the board, urging a persistent, community-wide effort that could include PSAs, business partnerships and school visits.
John described a business alliance that includes about a dozen prominent local businesses that have agreed to promote graduation in varied ways — from posters and stickers to certificates at events — and an advocate program that he said now includes volunteers in multiple states and countries from his Peace Corps network. He also pointed to data in the board packet showing varying graduation rates across area schools (examples cited in the presentation included Clearbrook at roughly 90 percent and Cass Lake near the high 60s) and said the county could support outreach by recording a new PSA with commissioners, the Red Lake Tribal Council and local city councils.
Commissioners thanked John and discussed tactics to reach teenagers, including more active use of social platforms such as Instagram and TikTok and adding a short blurb to the county's quarterly newsletter. One commissioner volunteered to help with PR outreach. John said he posts information on Facebook, maintains a Project Graduate website and distributes bookmarks and posters in area schools and businesses.
The update was informational; commissioners expressed support for continued outreach but did not take formal action. John said he will continue school visits, business engagement and coordination with local councils and tribal leadership.
The board thanked him for the presentation and for his longstanding community work.
