With seven weeks until the start of school and one month until the start of fall sports practices, the Mt. Lake Public School Board was asked to consider a pair of pairing proposals submitted by the Butterfield-Odin district at Monday’s meeting.
The first concerned opening Mt. Lake’s ag education programs to Butterfield-Odin students, which would allow those students to participate in the FFA program.
The second was an invitation for Mt. Lake to pair with Butterfield-Odin in the development of high school boys and girls soccer programs.
Citing space constraints in the classroom and time constraints in forming a sports pairing agreement, the board opted to table both proposals.
High School Principal Michelle Larson told the board that she did not have an exact number of Butterfield-Odin students that would be interested in ag classes or FFA.
The issue, she said, is that ag is a required class for sophomores in Mt. Lake and that the space in the ag lab is limited.
The board opted to ask Butterfield-Odin for more specific numbers, with the prospect of looking into an agreement beginning in the 2022-23 school year.
As for soccer, Butterfield-Odin informed Mt. Lake that it was working with the Minnesota State High School League to develop both boys and girls soccer programs. Butterfield-Odin would serve as the host school and handle administrative duties.
The logistics of putting together a pairing on short notice were a concern, though.
The board ultimately tabled the request until it can survey students and would look into options for the 2022-23 school year if interest warrants.
