Annual meeting highlights recent school successes

TOWER- This year’s annual meeting of the Vermilion Country School in Tower, held Feb. 17, gave school director Sam O’Brien and the board a chance to review the school’s remarkable success this year and discuss goals for the future.
While the school had experienced enrollment ups and downs in its early years, enrollment has stabilized over the past two years thanks to the school’s focus on student-centered learning practices. “The school has taken bold steps to build a program that meets students’ needs,” said O’Brien.
The school is currently at capacity and is not taking new enrollments for the final quarter, though new students are being enrolled for the 2025-2026 school year. The school serves students in grades 7-12 across a wide area, ranging from Ely to Nett Lake, to the Iron Range.
“Our ability to provide an environment that meets the needs of our students, and supports them to move forward to independence, continues to be the key to enrollment stability,” O’Brien said. “Focusing on meeting student needs will continue to be the foundation of our program.”
And while students have been joining the school throughout the first half of the year, not one has left so far, a marked change from previous years, said O’Brien.
The school has 41 students attending in person, and another 22 students enrolled in the the school’s personalized learning program, where they meet weekly with teachers off-site, work online, and also participate in group school activities. This program meets the needs of older high school students who have part-time jobs, family responsibilities, or other reasons they were not able to attend school on a regular basis. The school also has three seniors doing full-time PSEO.
Additional funding through state grant programs has allowed the school to provide the staffing needed for students who were struggling in their previous school environments. VCS has three full-time special education teachers, a full-time school social worker, special ed paraprofessionals, and mental health and chemical dependency staff. This has allowed the school to provide intensive academic and social support to students who have special education needs, often on an individualized one-to-one basis. The school’s Alternative Delivery of Specialized Instructional Services, or ADSIS, program complements the special education services, working with students who are not quite on grade level and need extra help and support, but who do not qualify for special education. The school has also worked to identify students who qualify for special education services, but who weren’t receiving them at their previous schools.
The school’s student-centered learning model has attracted staff who want to be part of an innovative teaching environment, O’Brien said. The school also works with a teacher-powered-schools model, which gives teachers the tools they need to make decisions on how the school is run. The school staff has been mentored throughout the year by educational professionals from three different organizations, helping to build and maintain the school’s new programming.
Of the five seniors enrolled at Vermilion Country School this year, at least four have been accepted at the University of Minnesota- Duluth. One student, O’Brien reported, wasn’t even considering college last year, and has since received multiple merit scholarships to attend the four-year university. Three of these students have been doing full-time PSEO (post-secondary enrollment option) at area community colleges. In total, eight VCS students were doing either full- or part-time PSEO this year. Some students are taking these college classes online during their regular school day, which means their teachers can help them, if needed, and make sure they are on track with their classes.
“Students gain confidence through their PSEO classes,” O’Brien said. “It really helps them realize they are ready for college.”
The school is looking to build on its personalized learning program next year, and possibly adding an Ojibwe language-based program. The school is also seeking a grant to offer an after-school program for junior and senior high school-age students in cooperation with Waawaate (www.waawaateprograms.org) and the Bois Forte Heritage Center.
Students at VCS have had a busy winter: volunteering at the Tower Food Shelf, participating in first aid and CPR training with Breitung Police Chief Dan Reing and his wife Yvette. They were treated to a special performance of “Romeo and Juliet” by the Northern Lakes Arts Association, and are participating in numerous field trips, including ice fishing and the trampoline park in Duluth.
Science students are working with a small-scale aquaponics system they built, and art students have been taking a pottery class, and waiting for the new kiln that has been ordered which will enable students to produce functional pottery like mugs and bowls. The school is also purchasing equipment for maple syrup harvesting, wild ricing, and fish-smoking.
Finances and staffing
The school’s finances are stable, with a fund balance equal to about 15 percent of its annual budget even though school spending has increased with the additional staff. This year’s budget calls for adding additional cushion to the fund balance, which is currently on track. The school’s financial success is in marked contrast to neighboring school districts, many of which are struggling financially in the post-COVID environment.
The school’s staff is expected to see a few changes for next year. One teacher is retiring, and another will be leaving to attend graduate school full-time, so the school will be recruiting a few new staffers, and expects to be posting positions soon.