Adrian Board of Education looks at ways to revamp athletics and arts offerings
ADRIAN — Like so many things over the past couple of years, plans to update both athletics and the arts at Adrian Public Schools have run into delays because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, the district is resuming work on revamping both its athletics game plan and its Playbill arts plan in an effort to increase enrollment and encourage more student participation.
Athletic director Chad O’Brien said the focus would be on Adrian’s strength and conditioning program. Since 2018, the district has partnered with Mission Sports Performance and Personal Training to provide opportunities for student-athletes to enroll in strength conditioning and weight-lifting courses. However, O’Brien said, there appears to be a continued lack of buy-in for the program from students and coaches after reviewing progress of the program since 2018.
There are currently 26 varsity sports at Adrian High School, he said, and anywhere from six to eight coaches actively utilize the strength and conditioning program for their teams. Because the district outsources the services of the program to the Adrian fitness company, O’Brien said, Adrian student-athletes might not be receiving the same attention as if the program were operated internally. His vision, he explained to the school board at its meeting June 13, would be to have a district employee who would operate the strength and conditioning program while being present daily throughout the school year, keeping in constant contact with students, staff and coaches.
The hiring of an in-district strength and conditioning coach, he said, would become a major benefit for the district as it would improve the health and well-being of students while also positively affecting a student’s academics.
The proposed base pay for the position, he said, would start at $35,000 with a benefits package. The position would be full time, and strength programs would be offered throughout the school year, before and after school and with a full session of lifting during the summer. Students would be able to enroll in athletic classes as elective courses. O’Brien said it would be possible for Springbrook Middle School students athletes to make use of the program.
Adrian’s athletic advisory committee reviewed the position proposal and gave it their support, O’Brien said. If the board should approve the creation of such a position, the individual could begin employment with the district as soon as July 1.
“Our athletes deserve something like this,” he said.
Adrian is a member of the Southeastern Conference. Of its fellow conference member schools, O’Brien said, Chelsea, Jackson, Pinckney and Tecumseh each have an in-district strength and conditioning coach.
“But we don’t want to be like Chelsea or these other districts,” O’Brien said. “We want to be better than Chelsea and all the others.”
As for the district’s Playbill plan, fine arts coordinator Annie Howard said an arts advisory committee has begun examining the districtwide arts offerings at Adrian Public Schools. The first method to gauge the importance, strengths and weaknesses would be through a community survey.
At the core of Playbill’s mission, Howard said, is for the district to develop and nurture successful student-artists.
Other priorities of the program’s plan include:
• Newly adopted kindergarten through 12th grade curriculum.
• Recruiting, training and retaining professional staff.
• Investigating the possibility of creating a districtwide arts director position.
• Providing safe, well-maintained and well-equipped facilities.
• Building positive relationships, and collaborating with local businesses, higher education institutions and local government to promote Adrian schools’ arts offerings.
Howard said the arts at Adrian Public Schools are supported by a “dynamic, hardworking and passionate group of individuals.”
“We do have really good stuff being offered here and we want the community to know about our arts programs,” she said.
Board vice president Jon Baucher said Adrian’s arts programs are the most diverse among the other Lenawee County school districts.
Superintendent Nate Parker said arts and athletics offerings at school districts exist to support the academics. In Adrian’s case, he said he wants to have programs that bring students into the classroom, keep their engagement through after-school programs and extracurriculars, and engage with knowledgeable instructors.
In other business
The Adrian Board of Education at its meeting June 13, also:
• Heard three good news reports. One of the reports was for senior Jonah Shananaquet, who was one of five Lenawee County students to graduate April 30 from Jackson College with a welding certificate and a certified production technician certificate through the Lenawee Intermediate School District Tech Center. Additional graduates were Blaine Pifer, Blissfield; Gavin Cornett and Edward Barbour, Madison; and Kraig Cole, Tecumseh.
• Katelyn Iott was another student recognized by the board for being one of 25 students in the state to receive the Michigan 2022 Breaking Traditions Merit award for her accomplishments in a nontraditional career and technical education program. She received her award during a May 12 ceremony in Lansing.
• Two of the high school’s equations team were recognized for their performance in state competitions during the 2021-22 school year. The competitions resumed this school year after being on hold because of COVID-19.
• Approved the retirements of physical education teacher Marc Comstock, effective June 3, and of elementary paraprofessional Betty Bundy, effective July 1.
• Approved the resignations of teacher Andrea Gallatin, effective June 3; Head Start employee Amanda Perry-Rienstra, effective June 9; and teacher Nolan Peterson, effective June 3.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Adrian schools looks at ways to revamp athletics and arts offerings
