MONROE — With a modern, new Monroe High School taking shape on the edge of town, school officials are rushing to lock in sponsors for various facilities and services and they recently landed two major contributors: Faith Engineering, Inc. of Monroe will sponsor the MHS Metals Classroom and SSM Health of Monroe will sponsor the ticket booth for the new football stadium.

The metals sponsorship is a 10-year sponsorship agreement with Faith, securing naming rights. That donation includes a $50,000 investment that will directly support career and technical education programs for students.

The SSM Health deal is a lifetime, $25,000 agreement, and both sponsorships went before the district school board during its June 9 regular meeting. 

“As a Lifetime Sponsor, SSM Health Monroe Hospital’s name will be prominently displayed on the stadium ticket booth, welcoming fans and families to countless athletic and community events for years to come,” said an SSM news release. “The support from this sponsorship will help ensure the continued upkeep and enhancement of Monroe’s athletic facilities, while reinforcing the vital connection between health, wellness, and student success.”

That sentiment was echoed June 9 by board members and Interim Supt. Joe Monroe.

“The reason we are doing this work is we feel it’s important to look for opportunities for our community to be a part of this project...” and to perhaps allocate funds for ongoing support, he said.

Jim Faith, CEO of Faith Engineering, also emphasized the partnership between local businesses and education as vital to strengthen.

“At Faith Engineering, we believe in the value of hard work, craftsmanship, and community,” he said. “It’s critical that students have access to modern tools and learning environments, but it’s equally important that they can step into real-world settings to see how their skills apply in industry.”

The link between education and health also weighed in to the decision by SSM Health to be a lifetime backer of the Cheesemakers at MHS. 

“Education is one of the strongest influencers of lifelong health,” said Jane Curran-Meuli, President of SSM Health Monroe Hospital. “By supporting the School District of Monroe, we are investing in both the well-being of students and the health of our entire community today and for generations to come.”

Toward that end, Monroe said the high school project, funded by most of an $88 million referendum-passed bond issue, was proceeding apace.

“To be clear, the high school building project is on track, on schedule, and on budget,” he added.

In other business, at the same meeting, the board learned about an effort by the administrators to create a Community Engagement and Communications Plan for the district.

Such a plan, which is common in large institutions and in the corporate world and typically seeks to streamline communications, better involve and target audiences or “stakeholders;” and unify around a common message. That effort is just beginning but they are gaining momentum on a completed plan to eventually present to the board, he added.

Monroe said the plan is one of many efforts to “rebuild the connection and the trust in our community,” following several years in which members of the community may have felt “disconnected” from the district.

Clear communications, he said, will go a long way toward rebuilding trust. Monroe said he and his staff are going to spend the next 90 days gathering feedback and input from as many sources as possible to guide the plan.

“Many of the board members have noted that … and some of you that have been here for a number of years know, this isn’t something that’s really existed in our community or in our district,” said Monroe. “We have to be clear in our messaging, we have to be consistent, we have to be intentional with our communication…”