GROUND BREAKING FOR NEW DIII EARLY HEAD START
The excitement is building as several Band members celebrate the ground breaking for the construction of the new Early Head Start facility in District III. Front: Memengwaa Aubid, Zoey and Allyza Knowlen and Mayson and Ambrose Kingbird. Back: Assistant Commissioner of Administration Maria Costello, Commissioner of Education Niiyo Gonzales, Commissioner of Administration Sam Moose, District I Representative Virgil Wind, District III Representative Harry Davis, Grants Director Brittany Wind, Chief Executive Melanie Benjamin. Photo by Michael LeGarde.
By Michael LeGrade, Sr. Communications Specialist
Chief Executive Benjamin, Band Commissioners, District Representatives, and community members attended the ground breaking for the new District III Head Start building August 3, 2023. The new facility is approximately one quarter mile south of the Meshakwad Community Center.
In attendance were Chief Executive Benjamin, District III Representative Harry Davis, District I Representative Virgil Wind, Commissioner of Education Niiyo Gonzales, Commissioner of Administration Sam Moose, and Commissioner of Natural Resources Kelly Applegate, Assistant Commisioner of Administration Maria Costello, architects, construction company representatives, several Millle Lacs Band early childhood staff, and other community members and their children.
Blessings were given by Skip Churchill and Bradley Harrington and a small meal of wild rice, venison, and blueberries was shared with those in attendance.
It was a warm afternoon to do the groundbreaking, but that didn’t stop several youngsters who helped with shoveling the dirt. One toddler was spotted wearing a hard hat, and who knows? He may be a future student in the new Head Start building.
In addition to the classrooms, there will be staff offices, a kitchen facility, and indoor and outdoor play spaces. The anticipated completion date is for summer 2024. The architectural firm for the project is Architectural Resources, Inc., of Duluth and Hibbing, Minnesota.
Mille Lacs Early Education currently provides educational services for Early Head Start for ages 0-3 and Head Start for ages 3-5. If you would like more information on the new District III Head Start Project, please contact Nancy Saboo, Mille Lacs Early Education Director, at 320-532-7590 or Nancy.Saboo@millelacsband.com.
