Iola Middle School’s new assistant principal wants to bring a Humboldt tradition to Iola.
Scott Brady, former social science teacher for Humboldt, has joined IMS this year as assistant principal and athletic director.
While at Humboldt, Brady organized an annual trip to Washington, D.C., for eighth grade students. The popular trip has taken place for about five years.
Brady proposed a similar program for IMS eighth-graders, starting this school year. He outlined his plans at Monday’s school board meeting.
Technically, the trip isn’t affiliated with the school district. Brady works with a tour company and will have planning meetings at IMS for students and parents. The trip is all-inclusive, so students pay one price for their flight, lodging, meals and admission to sites during the tour.
The trip costs about $2,300 per student and nearly $2,700 for adults. Brady said parents are also invited and he typically brings a few adults to supervise.
Most students will do fundraising throughout the year to raise all or part of the cost. One year, Brady said, a Humboldt student sold biscuits and gravy at Iola’s Farm City Days and raised $800.
Financial assistance may be available for those who qualify, which will reduce the cost by a couple of hundred dollars.
Brady usually starts the process in March for the next year’s trip, which takes place right after the end of the school year. That gives students more time to raise the money.
But with the job change from Humboldt to Iola, IMS students will have less time to plan. He also had already talked to Humboldt students and about five of them plan to participate.
If a district brings at least 35 students, they qualify for their own tour bus and guide. However, Humboldt never reached that number and had to share with a district from elsewhere in the U.S.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Humboldt brought around 30 students. After the pandemic, numbers have been around 25.
Superintendent Stacey Fager supported Brady’s plan. He said the district had few opportunities in the past to send students to visit major U.S. cities. A government class traveled to DC for a national contest one year, and the band has made a few trips including to St. Louis last year.
SAFE BASE, the afterschool program, organized out-of-state summer trips for several years but now visits more regional locations.
School board members also indicated their support.
HVAC update
Last week’s heat wave challenged cooling systems in the district, particularly in buildings with new systems.
