Humboldt Community Schools Collaboration leads to students' success

By BILL SHEA bshea@messengernews.net

HUMBOLDT — At the Humboldt Community School District, the approach to teaching is guided by a handful of questions, according to Superintendent Jim Murray. He said those questions include: n What do we want students to know? n How do we know that they know it? n What are we going to do to help them know it?

Using those questions as the framework for education has been successful, he said.

“Through those, we’ve strengthened our collaboration within the faculty,” he said. “We’re seeing a lot of success.”

“We’re seeing less Fs,” Murray added. “We’re seeing more students pass all of their classes. We’re just seeing kids improving their skills.”

He said the 1,425 students of the district “just excel a lot.”

Those students continue to have the support of mental health therapists through an agreement between the school district and Humboldt Memorial

Community Hospital.

Murray said the hospital provides three therapists, at least one of which is in the schools on every school day. The program began in 2021.

The district has a couple of building projects in various stages of completion.

An addition to the high school building is expected to be done by Sept. 1. Murray said that expansion will add a new practice gym. It will also double the size of both the weight room and the wrestling room.

The district has also awarded a contract to Sande Construction and Supply Co. Inc., of Humboldt, for an addition at Taft Elementary School. Murray said the addition will provide two classrooms and a gymnasium.

Taft students had been walking across the street to the old middle school building for music and physical education classes. The addition to the elementary school will eliminate the need to do that, according to Murray.

“We think it’s safer,” he said.

The district will seek bids in March for the construction of a new security entrance to the high school.