Lake Superior students share lessons from France trip at school board meeting

Three Lake Superior students turned the May 12 school board meeting at William Kelley Schools in Silver Bay into a showcase for student enrichment, describing how a March trip to France pushed 18 juniors and seniors to use classroom French in the real world.

The presentation gave the Lake Superior School District a public example of what its student-centered messaging looks like in practice. The district serves the Two Harbors and Silver Bay communities, and its strategic plan says student success is a collaborative effort involving school, students, families and community. William Kelley Schools, at 137 Banks Blvd. in Silver Bay, describes itself as student-oriented and committed to meaningful educational innovation.

Students said the group visited Paris, Tours and Omaha Beach, and spent time studying art and history. They also said teachers urged them to use French throughout the trip, including when ordering food and asking for directions, turning everyday errands into language practice.

Christina Kaiser, a senior, said she was impressed by how classmates handled challenges on the trip. Stella LaPointe said for many students it was the first time they had left the country. Sierra Geatz said the students had studied French for three to four years before traveling abroad, underscoring how long the trip had been in the making.

The board was shown a photo reel from the trip, adding a visual record to a presentation that centered students rather than administrators. In a district that has also recently dealt with more difficult public discussions, including March 10 concerns over auditorium lighting, accessible seating hazards, HVAC noise, school safety policy and possible budget reductions, the France presentation offered a different signal about priorities.

Lake Superior School District #381 is governed by Superintendent Gina Kleive and seven board members whose terms run through 2026 or 2028, depending on the seat. That structure makes the board one of the most visible public forums in the district, and at William Kelley Schools it became a stage for students to show what international travel, language study and public speaking can look like as part of a public education in Lake County.

The district’s public calendar also showed other May events at William Kelley Schools, including a PTO meeting the day before the board session, reinforcing the school’s role as a regular civic gathering place in Silver Bay. The France trip presentation suggested that, alongside the day-to-day demands of facilities, policy and budgets, the district is still trying to make room for experiences that broaden students’ horizons beyond the classroom.