ÍáÍáÂþ»­

The holiday season is one of my favorite times of the year. This wonderful season represents family traditions, spending time with loved ones and making incredible memories.

While I enjoy so many things about the holidays, what I enjoy the most is watching the effect that the holidays have on how we relate with each other.

During the holidays, people take more time and care in their interactions. We stop to greet others and we take more time to listen to each other. The pettiness of our overly busy lives seems to slow ever so gradually as we celebrate this special time of year. We are more generous, we are more hopeful and we have more patience with others.

During the holidays we are able to, even if only momentarily, suppress our selfishness and embrace selflessness. Every year I am left thinking about what our world would look like if this spirit of selflessness and hope was a little more present in our world.

Here are a couple of highlights that I would like to share with the community.

Thank you: I would like to sincerely thank the many people who have made donations to a wide range of projects to help our students such as the Angel Fund, donations for winter apparel, support for the arts, and most recently a donation towards all-terrain wheelchairs.

These donations are not taken lightly and I want to extend my thanks to our donors for making this happen. Our kids are our future and I am proud to say that Bemidji is a generous community that truly cares about kids!

Bemidji Career Academies: The communities of Bemidji Area ÍáÍáÂþ»­s have been incredibly supportive of the Bemidji Career Academies as our long list of partners attests to. Our businesses have come alongside the schools to create 15 career academies and 22 pathways for students to explore.

This career exploration can be done while enrolled at Bemidji High ÍáÍáÂþ»­ which allows our students the opportunity to find and connect with their passion. High school needs to be relevant to our students, they need to see the connection between the curriculum and how this will add value.

Students need to be exposed to and understand the value that high school and career academies bring to their life. College and post-secondary education are expensive; therefore, we need to help students find their passion before they start paying out of pocket for further education and/or training.

This is a tremendous opportunity that is available to Bemidji High ÍáÍáÂþ»­ students as we prepare students to be successful upon graduation. Our business partners receive the opportunity to develop relationships with and recruit students whose passion and preparation align with their business.

Bemidji Career Academies benefits our business partners, is good for our kids who receive valuable training and practice, and is beneficial for the school as we exist to prepare our students for an ever-changing world.

ÍáÍáÂþ»­ calendar for 2023-2024: We are in the development process for the 2023-2024 school calendar. I am hoping to have this developed and out to parents in March 2023.

As we get ready to close out the 2022 calendar year, I wanted to invite you to all of the Lumberjacks events that happen on a nightly basis. We have some incredibly great events happening throughout the district.

You are welcome to attend and support our kids as they continue to hone their skills on the court and in the rink. I also would like to remind residents of Bemidji Area ÍáÍáÂþ»­s who are 65 and older that they have the opportunity to pick up a free activities pass from the district office. Go Lumberjacks!

Jeremy Olson is the superintendent of Bemidji Area ÍáÍáÂþ»­s. He can be reached at (218) 407-9645 or dr_jeremy_olson@isd31.net.