Support New 

YorkMills School 

referendum

To the Editor,

When I got hired at New York Mills Public Schools to be the new 5th-12th grade band teacher, I uncontrollably burst into tears. Not because it was my forever dream to teach in New York Mills, but because this was the culmination of multiple years of applying to jobs in school districts of all sizes, just to end up without an interview. This meant a new opportunity for me and my future wife–a chance for us to move to a place we had never been before to immediately establish ourselves in the community. We were in our early twenties, buying a house, and finally settling down after constantly moving every spring since moving out of our parents’ houses. Upon arriving in New York Mills, we instantly fell in love with the small-town charm and welcoming community. “Oh, you must be the new band teacher?”

Before landing this job, my previous work experience brought me to classrooms all over northwest Minnesota and eastern North Dakota. Whether it was substitute teaching or delivering band instruments, I have stepped foot and spent time in probably 50+ different schools. I’ve also seen many band rooms, gymnasiums, science classrooms, administrative offices, football fields, and parking lots. I have seen band classrooms in huge school districts that can easily accommodate 90+ middle school band students (much to the chagrin of their teacher). I have also taught band lessons to students in a small storage room that also doubled as a conference room, simply because there was no room to spare.

After not even a week of being in my classroom, I felt it was in dire need of some personality. There was a perfect perimeter stripe that circled the whole room just under the ceiling, and it was the fourth shade of off-white that made up the room. Thanks to some trustworthy custodians and a father who knows his way around a scissor lift, an Eagles Blue stripe adorned my room within a few hours. The next Monday, every student’s eyeballs lit up as they walked into the band room. Now, that same shade of blue adorns the cafeteria and hallways of the high school. I don’t want to say I’m a trendsetter, but I won’t deny it either.

I learned quickly as a young first-year teacher that little acts of intentionally changing things up for the better of the students is not lost on them. They notice and appreciate “fixes” to make their learning spaces feel more comfortable, accommodating, or even just fresh. Research shows that a messy classroom does not equate to student success. Will leaving out some music from the last concert on a table for a couple months make my clarinet players sound worse? No, but it sets a standard of “eh, that can wait” that is conducive to the effort of the learners.

My students ask me frequently about the referendum and what impacts it may have on the band room and other areas of the school. They are not oblivious to the fact that a change is on the horizon, and they also know that it lies in the hands of the voters. I worry that a “no” vote on all three questions would decrease their morale. That blue stripe in my classroom was not a fashion statement—it was a gesture that said “I have your back.” If there is anything I can do to muster more inspiration and excitement for learning from my students, I would do it ten times over.

What’s great about band students is that they are involved in more things outside of my classroom than most other students. They are basketball players, a part of BPA, on the yearbook staff, and mentoring younger students through peer tutoring. A “yes” vote does not just affect what they do in my classroom. It also heavily impacts their abilities to become more well-rounded people and future engaged citizens. They will not only be a trumpet section leader, but they will also give speeches everyone can hear in the gymnasium, use equipment in the new science labs, run on the new track, and be safer, supported, and more bought in to their own education.

Music is often referred to as a universal language. I firmly believe that a “yes” vote would be a universal unspoken gesture to our students and staff that says: “we have your back.”

As we approach Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 3, I encourage residents to take time to understand the proposed improvements and how each of the three questions would affect our school. You can learn more about the plan, explore the proposed projects, and find voting information at EaglesForward.org.

Best regards and Go Eagles,

Mr. Cary Armagost

5-12 Band Teacher, New York Mills Public Schools