Meeting Minutes March 2, 2015

 
Sault Ste. Marie Rotary Club
Meeting Notes
3/2/2015
 
The meeting was called to order by President Dan Dasho, followed by a prayer from Wendell Davelaar.
 
Guests:
  • President Dasho asked the Jr. Rotarians to introduce themselves for the club and share their plans for their upcoming Spring Break
  • Dave Jahn introduced Teresa Dwyer-Armstrong to her 3rd Rotary meeting as a guest, and she will be up for nomination next week
  • Josh Billington from the morning club and the EDC was present
 
Announcements:
  • President Dasho announced that FERC agreed with Cloverland that costs from the Presque Isle power plant should be distributed to those who benefit from it, which is promising news for Eastern U.P. residents
  • Tim Hall gave announcements for Sault High girl’s basketball districts beginning tonight and for Sault High hockey playing in Cheboygan. Dr. Hall discussed enrollment drops occurring all across the state of Michigan are leading to budget issues that will be discussed in the coming weeks. Finally, Dr. Hall discussed the guidelines for shutting down the schools to dispel myths and rumors. Dr. Hall reiterated that there is considerable effort among area officials that take into account current conditions and the weather forecasts at various times of the day to determine if school should be closed. Generally, 30 to 40 degrees below zero, either by air or wind chill, for sustained periods of time in the morning are benchmarks to consider closing schools. Schools are mandated to have 1098 hours and 175 days of instruction by State law.
  • Tracey Laitinen announced that large Rotary Auction ads will run in The Evening News on 3/8/15 and 3/15/15, with smaller ads being run on 3/13, 3/15, 3/17, and 3/19. The auction currently has 129 items, and time slots are still open for volunteers.
 
Fines/Happy Bucks:
  • Dr. Pete fined all Cloverland customers
  • Brent paid a happy buck for his 3rd anniversary
  • Jen and Tracey paid for a good wrestling tournament the past weekend
  • Jon MacLeod paid for his 51st wedding anniversary
  • Tom Ewing paid for LSSU basketball playing Northwood on Wednesday for the chance to host the GLIAC tournament this weekend
  • Dave Martin paid a happy buck for getting his mother back from California
 
Program:
Tracy Menard, a teacher at Sault High and wife of Varsity football coach Scott Menard, came to give a presentation on Challenge Day. This is a new initiative that Tracy has brought to Sault High that gathers 100 middle or high school students and at least 25 adults from the community to participate in an event that promotes communication and acceptance of social issues that are often not discussed. This event features two facilitators from California that come and lead activities and games designed to promote openness regarding issues such as racial diversity, abuse of various types, and other types of conflict that individuals tend to internalize. Two such activities are called “If You Really Knew Me” and “Crossing the Line” which promote sharing and discussion about feelings and personalities.
 
Tracy brought two students who recently participated in the Challenge Day this past year to share their experience. Both students echoed the typical thoughts of students that this is a hugging and crying event that most students shy away from. They indicated that they thought the same things going in, but that the event was so immersive and engaging with the activities that they did not even realize they were opening up and sharing as much about the issues being discussed, and that the day was life-changing.
 
Tracy shared statistics regarding the event such as that 97% of adults recommend the event, 90% of participants feel the skills learned will help them in their life, and 90% felt they became more away of social issues and the impact of certain actions and bullying. This is the second time they have held a Challenge Day, with the first being 4 years ago. Tracy hopes to get enough support to have one every 2-3 years going forward.