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Vote yes on the Bond Referendum for the Ely Addition

By Staff | Nov 6, 2021

Kari Hill, Rugby

I encourage everyone in the Rugby Public School District to vote yes on the bond referendum for the Ely Addition. I presently teach band and work with EL (English Language Learner) students at Ely Elementary. I would like to share my personal experiences with the lack of space issues at Ely.

Fifth and sixth grade band rehearsals are held in the cafeteria. This has several disadvantages. The kitchen and custodial staff are pushed to clean up quickly so that I can set up in time for class. Depending on what the lunch was for the day, this is often difficult. I have students entering the cafeteria at 1:35. Mrs. Cargo (Speech Pathologist) has her office in the cafeteria and because of the loud volume of the band students, I can only imagine how disruptive we are to her and some of the closer classrooms on the lower level of the building. Also, during our rehearsals students will frequently come in to get milk or return their snack containers for the day. My band students can be easily distracted with staff or students trying to move around the cafeteria. It would be beneficial to my students to have a space that is theirs, and it would allow us to focus on our music without as many distractions.

Furthermore, I have worked with EL (English Language Learner) students in a variety of places over the last several years because of space issues. Three of the places I have worked with them are the conference room, sensory room, and in the hallway. Sometimes the sensory room was needed by other staff and students and sharing the space was difficult. As you may imagine, the hallway is not a quiet place to work most of the time, and the conference room can easily be needed for meetings, other staff etc,.

These are only examples of what I have experienced, and the need for more space is an issue for everyone. Please feel free to contact me at the school if you have any questions, and I would be happy to answer them. Please vote yes to the bond referendum.

Thank you.