Principal Tom Harmas works on his computer. Harmas said he is currently working on new Culture of Care programs, including school-wide bonding activities and mental health awareness training for teachers.

March Madness activities are the next school-wide activity planned as part of Culture of Care, according to Principal Tom Harmas. In addition, suicide prevention and mental health training for CHS staff members started this week and will continue throughout the semester, also a part of the Culture of Care program. In addition, Harmas said construction on the school after the Dec. 26 explosion is progressing and will hopefully be completed before next school year.

Harmas said teachers will participate in a spirit week the week of March 18 as well as other staff bonding activities during March Madness as part of Culture of Care.

“We are going to have a Culture of Care March Madness week for our teachers for them to all dress up and so forth, and we’re going to have a pitch-in in March. Mrs. McDaniel’s Culture of Care committee is in charge of that,” Harmas said.

Student body president Tim Metken said March Madness activities will also extend to students as well as teachers.

“Usually it’s a school wide thing, but this year we’re going to try to make it district-wide. They did this at Clay Middle School and it actually sounds really fun. Each SRT will be assigned a (college) that’s in the tournament, and they will get to decorate like a door,” Metken said. “Whenever that team loses, they will get to go over and take down their door (decorations). It should be pretty fun.”

In addition to bonding activities, Culture of Care is also providing new training for staff members. According to Harmas, Question-Persuade-Respond (QPR) training started yesterday, Feb. 25 as an effort to educate CHS employees about suicide prevention.

“It’s training to help understand and hopefully prevent any suicide, whether it be kids or adults, or whatever that looks like,” Harmas said.

As far as construction progress after the explosion, Harmas said Door 17 is now open, allowing sectionals to take place at CHS as previously planned. He also said that since all boilers are now effectively replaced, locker rooms are receiving hot water.

“They built semi permanent walls down at the entrance of the fieldhouse and also the walls that blew out by the stairs by the coaches office; those are done. We’ve opened Door 17, which had been closed all during the explosion, and that will allow us to host sectionals, because we needed to have that exit and entrance open for the number of people who will be here for sectionals,” Harmas said. “We have hot water again in the locker rooms, which is a great thing. The construction is coming along very very well and we’re hoping by the beginning of next year, all of it will be completed and we’ll be ready to go.” By Carson TerBush