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2003-04 News Stories3 Elementary School Principals NamedAt the June 24 Board of Education meeting, Dr. Jim Lee, superintendent, announced the names of the 3 elementary school principals to fill vacant spots at Lincoln, Madison and Oak Hill elementary schools. Named were:
Bruce Watkins: Preferred Superintendent CandidateThe Board of Education made Bruce Watkins the preferred candidate in the search to replace retiring Superintendent Jim Lee. Board members unanimously chose Watkins over Debbra House, assistant superintendent of teaching and learning at Stillwater Area Schools. Board members praised both candidates as they compared their skill sets to criteria developed by community, staff and the consulting firm of Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates. Said Dr. Bill Attea, consultant: "The community gave plaudits to both candidates." Watkins, 53, who is director of school operations for Duluth Public Schools, will advance in the search process. Up next is a criminal background check, an examination of references, a site visit to Duluth and contract negotiations. "I like his passion," said Penny Zook, board member. "He was emotional at the right time with the right intensity," said Bruce Mohs, board member. "I thought he was a strong, inspirational person." 6.17.04 Sale of Jefferson and Washington SchoolsThe Board of Education has authorized the sale of Jefferson and Washington schools. Click here for more details and a timeline of the sale. Contact Debbie Grant, director of purchasing, 320-202-6840, for specifications and purchase agreement forms. 6.17.04 Board of Education Names Four Superintendent FinalistsDr. Bill Attea presented St. Cloud school
board members with four finalists for District 742 Superintendent
this morning at a meeting at Radisson Hotel and Suites.
Interviews, which are open to the public, are scheduled at 9 a.m. and noon today at the Radisson and 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday at the Kelly Inn. Board members plan to narrow the field to three Saturday and will bring each candidate in for a full day of events starting Monday, June 14. Each day's schedule includes a public reception and a two-hour interview. The public receptions will be held from 4:00- 5:30 at Discovery Community School on June 14, 15, 16. There will be an opportunity for community members, staff, and others to meet and interact with each candidate on separate days. A prepared presentation with limited questions from the audience will occur between 4:30 - 5:00 p.m. on each of the three days. 6.11.04 Somali 101: Get to Know Your NeighborsOn June 29, at the Whitney Center, St. Cloud, District 742 in collaboration with the United Way will host a forum called Somali 101: Get to Know Your Neighbors. From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. parents and interested community members are invited to learn about Somali culture, customs and history. 6.9.04 Oak Hill’s Newsletter Named MN PTA’s Newsletter of the YearThe Minnesota PTA has named the Oak Hill ACORN, Oak Hill’s PTSA/Site Council newsletter, Newsletter of the Year. The ACORN is published weekly during the school year and sent home in the student’s backpacks. You can view it online at isd742.org/~oakhill. Congratulations to the Oak Hill PTSA/Site Council. 6.8.04 Thank You 2003-04 Retirees District 742 salutes the women and men who retired during 2003-04. Forty-four retirees, some of whom labored more than 30 years, leave our service, but not our hearts. We deeply appreciate their work on behalf of children. View our Retiree Wrap publication. 6.4.04 Westwood Says Goodbye to Sixth Graders Melissa Gray stepped to the microphone at Westwood Elementary School’s sixth-grade graduation Thursday and began reciting the Gettysburg Address. The graduates seated in rows to Gray’s right told the sixth-grade teacher she was reading the wrong speech. Undeterred, Gray flipped forward in her legal pad and declaimed: “And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your . . . " Read the story. View the photos:
Apollo Grad Heads to Mexico for Archeological Dig Nathan Meissner, a 1999 Apollo High School graduate, will work an archeological dig in the Mixteca region of Oaxaca, Mexico this summer. Meissner was awarded a Master’s fellowship to study Mayan archaeology at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, where he just completed his first year of graduate study. Meissner graduated Summa Cum Laude from St. Cloud State University in May 2003. 6.1.04 Board of Education Seeks Input on Goals A study of special education services, an updated facility plan, increased enrollment and programs to narrow the wealth-achievement gap are among the goals being developed by the Board of Education. View a draft of the board's goals document. 5.28.04 SS/HS Sponsors Restorative Justice Training in June The Safe Schools/Healthy Students Partnership (SS/HS) is sponsoring a three-day workshop called Facilitating Restorative Justice Conferences. The workshop will prepare participants to lead restorative justice conferences that focus on healing the wounds of victims, offenders and communities. The workshop runs 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. June 8 through June 10 in the media center at Discovery Elementary. There is no registration fee. Lunch is provided. To register, contact Don Belmont, SS/HS restorative justice coordinator, at 252-2231 x-3416, or don.bellmont@isd742.org. View SS/HS's restorative justice brochure. 5.27.04 Somali Forum at Tech High Set for June During the last week in June, Tech High School will host a forum for parents and interested community members regarding Somali culture, customs and history. The forum will be facilitated by the United Way. The exact date will be announced. Letters of invitation will be mailed to Tech parents. 5.26.04 MCA Test Results: District 742 and Statewide Results from the 2004 Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA) are available as Acrobat PDF slide shows. The MCA, which is a test of academic skills, is used to calculate progress toward mandates in the federal No Child Left Behind legislation. View a summary of District 742 test results. View a summary of statewide test results. Use your keyboard's arrow keys to navigate through a show. You may need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader. 5.26.04 Discovery and Oak Hill Students Win Art Contest Second-graders from Discovery and Oak Hill elementary schools are among the winners of the Kids Color St. Cloud art contest. Their art was chosen by the St. Cloud State University Aviation Department for display at St. Cloud Regional Airport. Oak Hill's exhibitors are Lakota Watson, Brady Roden, Brooke Nikolas and Adam Struffert. Their teachers are Catherine Bautch, Barbara Koenig and Linda Baker. Exhibiting for Discovery are Lexie Cao-Huong, Dexter Miller and Leah Slonski. Their teacher is Dawn Swanson. Students drew pictures of a destination to which they'd like to fly. The art will remain on exhibit through April. Art from Hillside Elementary, Sauk Rapids, was also chosen. View the students. View the art. 5.25.04 Top 10 Ceremony Honors Students The Top Ten Reception, which honors the leading scholars at Apollo and Tech high schools, was May 25 at the District Administration Office. Tech's ten best are Jesse Godding, Julianne Heath, Stephanie Keller, Sten Langsjoen, Marcus Miller, Karin Newstrom, Katherine Nies, Emily Poster, David Schnettler and Jordan Stracke. The top ten students at Apollo are Caron Barnowsky, Kelsey Hanks, Daniel Klein, Kayla Klimek, Matthew McDonell, Kim Nelson, Ryan Schoepf, Heather Schwitalla, Anh C. Tran and Christopher Welle. View Apollo's scholars. View Tech's scholars. View the reception program. 5.25.04 Apollo Alumnus Wins Fulbright Scholarship Robin Bot-Miller, a 2000 graduate of Apollo High School, has been named a Fulbright Scholar. Bot-Miller is expected to graduate from Stanford University in June with a major in Economics and a minor in Spanish. He will begin his year-long, fully-paid, Fulbright experience in Mexico in August, studying International Business and working for an international corporation. He is the son of Sandy and John Bot-Miller, St. Cloud. The Fulbright Program is managed by the U.S. Department of State and the Council for International Exchange of Scholars. Since its inception more than fifty years ago, 255,000 scholars -- 96,400 from the United States and 158,600 from other countries -- have participated in the program. The Fulbright Program awards approximately 4,500 new grants annually. 5.24.04 TARGET Students Burn 10,000 Tobacco Advertisements Tech and Apollo high school students May 15
burned more than 10,000 tobacco advertisements. Joined by St. Cloud
Mayor John Ellenbecker, the students put a blazing-hot exclamation
point on their two-month campaign to highlight the dangers of tobacco
use and second-hand smoke, and focus attention on how tobacco companies
target Minnesota youth. Few Seats Remain for Ruby Payne Presentation Ruby Payne, a national authority on how poverty and class affect school success, presented May 12 and 13 at the St. Cloud Civic Center. Payne's workshops were sponsored by an alliance of 10 public, private and non-profit organizations, including District 742. 5.13.04 Apollo Academic Team Goes International A Future Problem Solving (FPS) team from Apollo High School has advanced to international competition. Participating June 2 through June 6 in Lexington, Kentucky will be Micah Bot-Miller, Kate Jacobson, Joshua Kiley and Micki Sundheim. The students will be accompanied by coaches Judy Boraas and Marilyn Stanley. The team will be fundraising to cover some $4,500 in costs, including lodging and air travel. The 2004 FPS International Conference is on the University of Kentucky campus. View a photo of the team. 5.12.04 Madison Meets the SEE™ Energy Hog Staff from the State Energy Office warned Madison Elementary students May 6 that energy hogs may be lurking in their homes. “Every time you turn on a light switch or TV your parents have to pay for the electricity,” said Wendy McKellips, information officer with the State Energy Office at the Minnesota Department of Commerce. “It’s important to use energy wisely and not waste it.” Minutes later the Energy Hog waddled into the school’s media center, his bulging waist line, fat feet and enormous head symbolizing wasteful use of energy. Beneath the elaborate costume was Chris Gilchrist, another information officer. View the full story. 5.6.04 Talahi Students Score Big at Academic Meet A team of Talahi Elementary sixth-graders won first place at the United States Academic Triathlon state competition May 1 at Minnetonka High School. Competing for Talahi were Katie Benson, Parul Kapoor, Bailey McPherson, Jordan Nelson and Emily O'Brien. The team is coached by Sharon Benson. Also competing from District 742 were teams from Discovery, Kennedy and Oak Hill elementary schools and North and South junior high schools. 5.1.04 Westwood Kids Give the Earth a Gift Mike Ashwill tamped the loose soil with the butt-end of a shovel, compressing earth around the young tree. “When we plant the tree we’re actually giving a gift to the Earth,” said Joan Elton, second-grade teacher at Westwood Elementary. “It’s a present.” Ashwill, 8, and three second-grade classes at Westwood joined members of the business community in planting a maple tree April 30 near the northwest corner of the Waite Park school. The activity marked Earth Day, April 22, and Arbor Day, April 30. Read the full story. View photos: planting the tree | shoveling from a wheelbarrow| tamping loose soil. 4.30.04 High Schools Set Commencement Ceremonies The Technical High School graduation is 8 p.m. May 27 at the National Hockey Center. Mark Scharenbroich, an award-winning motivational speaker and 1973 Tech graduate, will give the commencement address. The Apollo High School graduation is 8 p.m. May 28 at the National Hockey Center. Robert Gardner, Apollo language arts teacher and alumnus, will be the commencement speaker. View the news release. 4.27.04 Night of the Stars 2004 The Night of the Stars fundraiser was April 25 at the St. Cloud Civic Center. The annual event raised money for District 742 activities, from fine arts to athletics to clubs. The funds are managed by Local Education Activities Foundation (LEAF), a non-profit organization that disperses the money through an application process. The Silent Auction was one of the highlights of the evening. 4.25.04 TAC Educators Deliver Strong Message The sound of BBs bouncing into the cooking pot
was loud and irritating. But the third-graders listened intently,
knowing each BB represented the death of someone who used tobacco. Tech Hockey Web Site Debuts A Tech High School hockey web site went live April 22. The site, which is nearing completion, provides information on girls and boys hockey, including rosters and game results back to 1972-73. The site is managed by Roger Carstens, retired Tech teacher and coach. Watch for more stats, photos, game results and Tech hockey booster information in the coming weeks. Contributions from former athletes and parents are welcome. 4.22.04 ALC Wilson Students Place in Regional Business Competition Kory McClelland, Tony Mishow and John Klinkner of Area Learning Center-Wilson teamed up to win the consolation round of the regional Junior Achievement (JA) Titan Business Challenge April 20 in Richfield. Ten teams from Minnesota and western Wisconsin competed head-to-head in an interactive, web-based, business simulation that introduces students to critical economic and management decision-making. The event was sponsored by Best Buy and the Best Buy Children's Foundation. JA educates young people about business and economics. Visit the Titan Business Challenge demo site. View the news release. 4.20.04 Community Light Award Recognizes Hidden Heroes The Safe Schools/Healthy Students (SS/HS) collaborative awarded its Community Light Award winners April 20. The recipients are:
The Community Light Award recognizes unsung community heroes. Winners received their awards at a reception at the American Heritage National Bank, St. Cloud. CentraCare, Stearns County, St. Cloud Police Department and District 742 are partners in the grant-funded SS/HS. View the news release. View Joyce Foster receiving her award. 4.20.04 Simpson and Bendix Earn State Speech Tournament Gold Matthew Simpson, Apollo High School, and Elizabeth Bendix, Tech High School, won first-place gold medals at the 2004 Class AA State Speech Tournament April 17 in Circle Pines. Simpson, a junior, won in the original oratory category. Bendix, a junior, was champion of the serious interpretation of drama category. Other Tech and Apollo students placing in the Class AA event were:
The Technical High School girls lacrosse team beat Lakeville 10-4 April 17, raising its record to three wins and a loss. Sophomore Lindsey Adelman and senior Heidi Urbanski led the way with four goals and three goals, respectively. The three-year-old Tech team plays at the club level, competing in the North division of the Northcentral Schoolgirls Lacrosse Association (NSLA). Lacrosse, which is popular in the eastern United States, is relatively new in Minnesota. Only 11 school districts in the state field teams sanctioned by the Minnesota State High School League. Another 26 teams compete at the club level in four NSLA divisions. Tech is coached by Sara Johnson and Rachel Aiken. View the team schedule. The game was played at Oak Hill Elementary. Photos: game action | tri-captains | sticks and ball. 4.17.04 Basic Skills Test Scores Continue Upward Trend The Basic Skills Test (BST) results released in early April suggest this year's eighth-graders are continuing a six-year upward trend in test performance. Dr. Bernice Berns presented test results to the Board of Education April 14. The BST, which was administered in January and February, measures competencies in reading, math and written comprehension. View three slides from Dr. Berns' presentation in Acrobat PDF. 4.14.04 District 742 Salutes Our Volunteers Our heartfelt thanks go to the women, men and children who volunteer in our schools and buildings. View a list of 2003-04 volunteers who registered with District 742 Volunteer Services. Tech Student Wins Grant From Recording Artist Katrina Molitor, a sophomore at Tech High School, was named a Clay Aiken ABLE to SERVE Award winner by the Bubel/Aiken Foundation and Youth Service America. Molitor is one of 25 award-winners receiving up to $1,000. She is spearheading a project to make no-sew fleece blankets for families at the Housing Coalition’s Community Shelter. View the news release. 3.31.04 Lee Announces 2004-05 Administrative Assignments Dr. Jim Lee today announced administrative assignments
for the 2004-05 school year. Three-Year Plan to Guide Technology Use District 742's 2004-2007 Technology Plan outlines how technology will be used to support learning during the next three school years. The 129-page report, which was submitted to the Minnesota Department of Education, is the work of 52 women and men, led by Dr. Marjorie Hawkins, director of communications and community outreach, and Gary Ganje, supervisor of instructional technology and media. Six district-wide committees also played roles in developing the plan. 3.5.04 Leadership Profile Will Guide Hiring of New Superintendent A Leadership Profile Report, developed by the consulting firm Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates (HYA), will guide the search for a new superintendent. Superintendent Jim Lee retires Dec. 31, 2004. Interviews for his replacement are expected in June. Among the report's findings: the superintendent should be open-minded and inclusive, have the ability to create consensus and have the skills to build an efficient and effective administrative team. HYA staff met with various school district and community groups to develop data for the report. 3.3.04 Two Students Will Join Central Minnesota Spelling Bee Nicholas Grossman, a Talahi Elementary fifth-grader, and Kaitlyn Heisick, a South Junior High eighth-grader, will represent District 742 at the Central Minnesota Spelling Bee Feb. 24 at St. John's University. View the District 742 bee results. Two spellers from the elementary division and two spellers from the junior high division will advance from the Central Minnesota Spelling Bee to the Multi-Regional Spelling Bee March 30 in Fergus Falls. View a news release from bee sponsors Resource Training & Solutions. 2.17.04 SAR Report Outlines Shift Away From Profile of Learning The 2003 Legislature repealed the Profile of Learning and established new, credit-based, high school graduation requirements. Under these new requirements students must complete 21.5 credits in a variety of subjects in order to graduate. These new requirements are effective 2007-2008, applying to students who enter ninth grade one year from now (2004-2005) and thereafter. Read these and other curriculum stories in our annual SAR Report (System Accountability Report on Curriculum, Instruction and Student Performance). 9.22.03 |
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