CASS LAKE — Cass Lake-Bena district leaders opened the doors of its new Elementary School on Thursday, May 15, after a lengthy process with two referendum votes.
Cass Lake-Bena elementary students weren’t shy about sharing their excitement during the open house, with a few on hand to help with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the new gymnasium. After a few speeches, community members lined up for tacos in a bag in the new cafeteria.
The new elementary school is near Cass Lake-Bena's middle and high schools, nestled in the Chippewa National Forest. Chase said the move will allow the district's youngest learners to also get outside and explore.
“We have other classes that go outside and look for different berries and different things, and so now, our elementary students are going to be able to do that as well,” Chase said.
The new school will be ready to host summer sessions in a few weeks, with a move planned at the end of the school year from Cass Lake-Bena's existing elementary school, an aging building right off Highway 2.
That building, according to Superintendent Sue Chase, will be converted into a space for Cass Lake-Bena's older students in alternative education.
Those students currently share an even older building with the Boys and Girls Club in Cass Lake — a facility that has asbestos-tiled floors, and with multiple levels and no elevator, does not meet compliance for accessibility.
As the district shares geography with the Leech Lake Reservation, Chase emphasized the Ojibwe influence not only in the curriculum, but in the design of the new space, with circle of life and medicine wheel motifs throughout the building.
“We've got two dedicated classrooms for Ojibwe language. We've also changed up our art program this year,” Chase said. “We have someone who has the credentials to teach Ojibwe language and those credentials to teach art, so it's all going to be embedded in what we do.”
Elementary Principal Josh Grover said the state-of-the-art building is designed for a 21st century learner. The facility features wood grain and a lot of natural light, and Cass Lake artists are expected to begin painting murals in the hallways soon.
“I think the biggest thing that we have going for us now is that we have lots of office spaces for ancillary people,” Grover said. “Psychologists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, school supports personnel, like Leech Lake Behavioral Health is going to have more office spaces here. So a lot of more child therapeutic support services.”
The district's new school qualified for more than $16,000 in energy rebates for LED light fixtures, the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, and its appliances, according to Beltrami Electric Cooperative.
The district attempted a referendum for a new school in 2017 which failed, going back to the voters in 2022 who then approved the nearly $40 million in construction bonds.
