“We have not canceled school because of COVID,” Johnson said. “That’s a testament to our staff, parents and students wanting to be here and wanting to be safe.”

Johnson said school began Aug. 20, even though the first day of class wasn’t supposed to be until Aug. 24.

“It was our staff’s idea to start a couple of days earlier even though those couldn’t count as student hours,” Johnson said. “To me, having a dedicated staff, dedicated to the needs of students is the best thing we will accomplish all year.”

Students have had the choice of learning in-person, remotely or hybrid.

-Submitted photo
The Southeast Valley High School gym in Gowrie is undergoing an expansion. It will allow for more attendance at school events.

“Any remote learning has been done by family choice and not school choice,” Johnson said. “Or it was because of quarantine. Those two weeks (in November) they were out, they were doing remote learning. But that was Public Health’s choice, not the school’s choice.”

Southeast Valley has school buildings in four different communities in Webster County. Pre-kindergarten through fourth-grade is located in Dayton. Another pre-K through fourth-grade school is located five miles north of Farnhamville. Fifth-grade through eighth-grade is in Burnside. The high school is in Gowrie.

About 1,100 students are enrolled in the district.

Two notable infrastructure projects have been undertaken throughout the past year. Both elementary schools have received upgrades to the entryways.

“We have added safety secure entryways with multiple sets of doors,” Johnson said. “You can come inside the lobby, but that’s the furthest you can get without being admitted in by staff.”

-Submitted photo
The gym at Southeast Valley High School is undergoing an expansion.

Both of those upgrades were completed prior to the start of the school year.

“Student safety is our utmost concern all of the time,” Johnson said.

Another major project has been the expansion of the high school gym in Gowrie.

“We have added space — we are going to turn the gym floor 90 degrees, so it will now run north and south instead of east and west,” Johnson said.

The reconfiguration will allow the school to increase seating capacity for athletic events, graduations and other events.

That project began Sept. 1. Anticipated completion is March 1.

Johnson said there were some setbacks with deliveries of certain materials being delayed because of COVID.

The south wall has been knocked down and extended about 35 feet, Johnson said.

The remodel has also added ramps that are Americans with Disabilities Act approved.

At the middle school in Burnside, asbestos has been removed from the tile of classroom floors, making it asbestos free.

Now in his fifth year as superintendent, Johnson said he’s been pleased with the progress of the district. “I couldn’t be more thankful for the dedication of our staff and our communities,” he said. “And we just have really great kids. To work in that supportive environment, with great kids, there’s nothing better.”