Eyes that see the good in things: Sept. 30, 2019

The story on the news last night was one of those “feel-good” stories that I love so much. East Grand Forks Senior High School football players, according to the news report, chose not to work out in their fancy new fitness center on Tuesday, Sept. 24. Instead, they put their muscles to work carrying wet rugs out of the basements of East Grand Forks residents affected by flooding after the recent torrential rainfall.

It is a project the team chose to tackle as a way to say “thank you” for their new facilities, which were approved by a public vote a few years back.

“Earlier, we just helped a lady move a small rug, and she was so grateful for us. It was cool to see that,” said Nathan Willett, a wide receiver in his senior year.

“We feel like it’s kind of our job to go and help them after they helped us,” said Willett, who encouraged others in the community to volunteer as well. “Whether it’s just moving something for your neighbor or cutting their whole carpet in their downstairs basement like we are, anything helps.”

“A lot of people are happy to see us there. So, it always feels good,” said senior Evan Pederson, a middle linebacker.

The team was responding to a call for volunteers from the Salvation Army and other community organizations to help residents remove wet rugs and sheetrock before they mold in the wet homes.

After reading that the team was working so they could give back to the community who gave so much to them, I was curious and had to see for myself what kinds of facilities they had to be thankful for. It turns out that, several years ago, the East Grand Forks taxpayers approved almost $21 million for a building and renovation project at East Grand Forks High School. For the first time, with the new school year starting, the students get the opportunity to enjoy the new facilities that have been under construction for the last 16 months.

An addition to the high school houses a new gym, weight room and fitness center, two locker rooms, band and choir rooms, two art rooms, and a new area for drama students, with new dressing rooms, makeup rooms and bathrooms.

The new space also includes a lab for science, technology, engineering and math – or STEM – education and an administrative wing with a conference room as well as offices for the principal and superintendent.

Renovation has affected, to some degree, every part of the school. Their principal said that every room has gotten something from the renovation. Bathrooms, science labs, locker rooms and the FACS room were all renovated.

Just inside the north entrance to the new addition, are two large video screens will be installed to promote upcoming events. Using interactive technology, anyone can view such things as historic photos or past yearbooks. If you walk a little farther, you’ll find the new concession stand and the “pep shop,” which sells school-themed apparel.

Inside the gym, a second-story running and walking track will be available for public use during after-school hours. The gym can be divided into two regulation-size basketball courts, allowing for two games to be played at once. Two scoreboards are situated on each side of the gym.

The art rooms – equipped with sinks, cupboards and a kiln –are bathed in natural light from tall windows. The band and choir rooms were relocated to space that is much closer to the Performing Arts Center. The band room has an exterior door which gives musicians easy access to the football field. The choir room is wired with a new sound system, speakers and a drinking fountain. Several smaller rooms nearby stand ready for individual and ensemble practice sessions. A music common area, where students can lounge in their free time, is painted bright orange and furnished with high-top tables, lending a kind of collegiate vibe to the space.

Updated wireless access points and more technology are helpful in the classrooms. More spaces for students to work together provides for better collaborative educational opportunities.

School officials stress that the project was meant to improve all aspects of the high school experience, not just athletics. Voters approved the project, in large part, because everyone in the school would benefit from the improvements, which affected academics, arts, athletics and all of the students.

So, yes, the football players and students of East Grand Forks High School have much to be grateful to the taxpayers for. But wait, there’s more… the school district had built a metal building in 1997, after the flood resulted in a need for more classroom space. With the new project plans, they planned to demolish the building.

When Green Wave football coach, Ryan Kasowski, heard that the building was slated for demolition, he had a better idea. Once the building was torn down, the school board planned to plant grass in its place. Rather than green space, he saw the space as a home for Green Wave football.

Kasowski had a vision about what the football team needed, and he and his coaching staff believed they could accomplish the project without any help from the school district. Once their project received approval from the school board, they got to work.

Funding was the initial objective. Kasowski said the football team raised about $30,000 in donations from approximately 85 entities – businesses and individuals – to pay for the locker room. Many people who cared about the football program helped out. When donors found out there was no taxpayer or school funding going to the project, they seemed to be more willing to help.

The biggest expense was the player lockers-— 0 of them at $360 per unit for a $25,200 expenditure. Chairs, carpeting and televisions also were donated. The finished, all-carpeted facility now includes:

• A head coach’s office;

• A coaches’ meeting room with a television where game films are broken down;

• A large locker room with two large TVs. The name of the donor is on a plate on the top of each locker;

• A team meeting room with rows of chairs, each with the Green Wave logo embroidered on the seat;

• A Green Wave football mural painting covering a 25-foot hallway.

Much of the work was done by Kasowski, assistant coaches Matt Palmiscno and Dane Kjono, with some help from other coaches, the athletes and the school’s buildings and grounds crew.

Kasowski hopes the football program can grow with the new facility.

“It’s all about getting kids to come out and play,’’ Kasowski said. “We wanted to show kids we’ll go the extra mile for them. I think this will be huge for our football program.’’

It’s a story where the good has come full circle from the taxpayer to the school, to the coaching staff, to the football team back to the taxpayer. That’s pretty awesome!

We would love to share local stories about the good things your eyes are seeing.

Stop in to share your stories with us, give us a call at 947-2417 or e-mail us at [email protected]. Or send a letter to Eyes That See the Good in Things, c/o Allison Lindgren, The Transcript 6 8th St N., New Rockford, ND 58356.