The Northeast Range Nighthawks will launch into another school year with an impressive slate of student opportunities for leadership development, vocational preparation, arts programming and even snow fort construction.
With just 18 seniors in last year’s graduating class, Northeast Range may be small in number, but the school finds strength in its size.
Northeast Range Principal John Vukmanich said small classes allow teachers to provide students with one-on-one potential and maximize every child or teen’s potential.
“We’re small enough to where we know our kids, we know our families and we really try to be attentive to the gifts that all our kids bring in,” Vukmanich said.
Northeast Range offers numerous student leadership opportunities, programming that Vukmanich said draws participation from a broad cross-section of the school’s population.
The school’s one-of-a-kind outdoor education curriculum has provided students with opportunities to build their own canoe paddles and construct quinzhees, which are a type of domed snow fort traditionally created by Canada’s Athabaskan Indigenous peoples.
Nighthawks ice fish on Birch Lake, ski, snowshoe, canoe and take a trip to Camp Widjiwagan.
Students took a DNR-led field trip into the woods last year with foresters to learn about logging and forestry, and a Voyageurs National Park educator also visited to bring students on an outdoor excursion.
High school students have access to classes on forest field skills and outdoor adventures, while Northeast Range hosts a dedicated elementary outdoor education teacher the school shares with Tower-Soudan.
These offerings are just the tip of the iceberg for Northeast Range’s hands-on learning opportunities.
Carpentry class students built and installed half pipe ramps at Babbitt’s skate park. The school also previously brought in a portable sawmill so students could make lumber, which will be used for shop class projects.
Nighthawks can sign up for college-in-the-schools classes like language arts, technology, welding and social studies.
Partnerships with Minnesota North College and Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College allow students to pursue nursing and education courses.
Students may partner with area businesses to receive work-study credit. The school also hosts a college and career fair every other year, providing high schoolers the chance to talk with potential future employers.
The 2025-2026 graduating class was awarded nearly $40,000 in scholarships for vocational or college programs.
The Nighthawks maintain a strong arts curriculum, as well.
Approximately 50 student marching band participants walked in this year’s Peter Mitchell Days parade - a substantial percentage of the school’s middle and high school-age population.
“They do such a great job representing our school,” Vukmanich said. “For a small school, we have a marching band that’s larger than most area schools that are multiple times our size.”
A school-sponsored art contest has even opened career opportunities for students whose art or photography has been noticed by employers in the field, Vukmanich said, while elementary students write and publish their own books through the Author’s Tea program.
Vukmanich said last year’s switch to a four-day school week improved student attendance and behavior while providing benefits for staff well-being as well.
Administrators will re-launch the Seven Mindsets program for the 2026-2027 school year, which provides a framework for mindset- based learning and character- building.
Vukmanich said the curriculum boosts career readiness and can apply cross-culturally, linking to the Seven Grandfathers Teachings in Anishinaabe tradition.
Vukmanich would also like to extend a thank-you to the Babbitt Ambulance Department for a school supply drive, which provided school supplies for all grade levels and any families that needed them at Tuesday’s open house event. The ambulance department worked with the Itty Bitty Babbitt Pantry and other community volunteers to put together the drive.
“The response from our community was overwhelmingly positive,” Vukmanich said. “Northeast Range is truly thankful and appreciative of the community’s generosity, and to Babbitt EMS for putting this together.”
Students will be back on campus for the first day of classes on Tuesday, Sept. 8.
“It’s always very exciting to be starting the school year. It’s a busy time, but an exciting time,” Vukmanich said. “We love welcoming the kids back.”
