A special moment for the nearly 160 students and staff of the East Ridge College of Technology and Science. iron.
On Friday, they celebrated the completion of their brand new 24,000-square-foot space. It includes features such as wall-to-wall whiteboards and a new computer lab.
A drum circle and a traditional smearing ceremony kicked off the event. 10% of the students are Native American, so they wanted to include that.
Land was donated to the school after Rock Ridge had to move from their location while they were building a new school at Eveleth.
ERATS for short, broke ground in 2021 and moved back in April. But the school wasn’t fully completed until September.
“It’s a beautiful building. The students feel at home, the staff feel at home. The community has always welcomed us,” Tara Lere shared with us. She is the principal of the school.
The building is dedicated to one of their founding members, Cindy Thiel, who passed away a few years ago.
They focus on individuality and tailor programs for children in grades 9-12. It’s free and open to anyone.
You can enroll for Semester 2, which starts in January. https://www.mnerats.org/