At Monday night’s Blue Earth Area School Board meeting, BEA activities director Rob Norman provided analytical data to show the percentage of student activity participation during the 2017-2018 school year.

According to these figures, out of an enrollment total of 493 students from grades 7-12, 371 of those students, or 75 percent, participated in at least one school activity.

In addition to team sports, activities which qualified for the study included cheer leading, band and choir participation, art club, speech and play performances and robotics.

As part of Norman’s report, he cited the importance of interscholastic athletic and fine arts participation within the student population.

“Decades of research prove that students who participate in high school activities tend to have higher grade point averages, better attendance records, lower dropout rates and fewer discipline problems than non-participating students,” Norman said at the meeting. “This is largely because participating students have learned better time management skills.”

Additionally, Norman mentioned in past years, Blue Earth Area has been able to secure grant funding which has been made possible by the Minnesota State High School League. These funds have been used to cover transportation costs and other fees associated with extra curricular activities.

“We will be applying for some grants next year to help out with some of the activity expenses,” he added.

Other items from the meeting included:

The School Board accepted a donation from the Blue Earth Lions Club of scoreboards for Pemberton Auditorium, an approximate value of $8,500.

The board also accepted a donation from the Faribault County Development Corporation of $74,000.