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2006-07 News StoriesDiscovery Students Display School PrideStudents from Discovery Community School displayed their school pride to the community June 9 by participating in the annual Waite Park Spass Tag Parade. The parade entry was a partnership between Discovery School and Discovery Kidstop. Students, wearing Discovery and Kidstop t-shirts, walked the parade route with banners representing Discovery and Kidstop activities. Children along the parade route were delighted to receive the smiley stickers students handed out. Four parents assisted in walking the parade route with the group. View photos: photo 1 | photo 2 | photo 3. 06.11.07 Our Academic Top TenDistrict 742’s brightest senior scholars were recognized May 29 at the Top Ten Reception in Council Chambers, St. Cloud City Hall. The Top Ten at Technical High School are Clarence Cheng, Jacob Covey, Corey Dahl, Paul Davis, Terin Euerle, Benjamin Jakubowski, Allison Johnston, Rachel Koch, Reiko Koyama and Courtney Paulson. Apollo High School’s Top Ten are Megan Borgert-Spaniol, Micah Bot-Miller, Christina Brown, Jason Chen, Lisa Haviland, Kate Jacobson, Camilo Maldonado, Linh Nguyen, Colin Stanhill and Micki Sundheim. View Apollo's scholars. View Tech's scholars. View the reception program. 05.31.07 Thank You 2006-07 RetireesDistrict 742 salutes the women and men who retired during 2006-07. Forty-two retirees, many 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. 05.31.07 Building Engineers Receive Energy PlaquesBuilding engineers Dennis Roske, North Jr. High; Gerry Horsch, Apollo High School; Bruce Baumgart, Roosevelt ECC; Joe Symalla, Westwood Elementary; Maurie Miller, Talahi Elementary; Steve Keller, Madison Elementary; Dave Ertl, Clearview Elementary; Pete Daniel, Tech High School; Brian Labuda, Discovery Elementary; and Gary Glein, Oak Hill Elementary received plaques from Hallberg Engineering for achieving a greater than 10 percent energy savings in their buildings this year through the Schools for Energy Efficiency (SEE) program. Visit our SEE web page for information about the program. 05.31.07 Lincoln Students Are On the BallThanks to hard work and collaboration, students in Mr. Wolf's and Mrs. Jongeward's sixth-grade classes at Lincoln Elementary are sitting pretty. An idea was proposed that standard classroom chairs hinder student achievement in the classroom and should be replaced with stability balls. Through careful research, a grant proposal, and an amazing presentation, sponsors couldn't refuse the chance to help. The stability ball project was supported through the following donors: Youth as Resources - Central Minnesota United Way, Kiwani Partners, Michael Jordan Foundation - Inspirations Grant, Lincoln PTE and Lori Lockhart. View the photos: photo 1 | photo 2 | photo 3. 05.24.07 Students Recognized for Service ProjectsStudents from District 742 were recognized as Stars of the Community May 23 at United Way of Central Minnesota's Youth As Resources celebration held at Riverside Park. Youth as Resources is a service of United Way of Central Minnesota that encourages youth leadership and involvement by providing funding for youth-initiated, youth-led service projects that creatively address community needs through volunteer projects. View photos: photo 1 | photo 2 | photo 3. Read the full story. 05.24.07 Apollo Students Receive Student Service AwardThe Apollo High School ELL (English Language Learners) and ASL (American Sign Language) students were recognized May 17 at the Minnesota Student Service Award Ceremony at the State Capitol for their Languages of the World service-learning project. Since 1988, this recognition program has honored over 30,000 students who have touched approximately 180,000 people in communities throughout Minnesota. Students from the ASL and ELL classes taught each other ASL, Spanish, Somali and Vietnamese languages. Besides the learning of new languages, this project was also recognized for its effort in bringing different cultural backgrounds together and building connections between students. Read the full story. View a photo. 05.17.07 Clearview Receives Pursuit of Happiness AwardThe Clearview Elementary Media Center is one of 2,000 libraries nationwide to receive the "Pursuit of Happiness" award given by the National Endowment for the Humanities in partnership with the American Library Association. Clearview was recognized for promoting knowledge and understanding of American history and culture. The books, CD's, bookplates, bookmarks and posters are on display in the main hallway showcase at Clearview. View the Award Letter and the Award Certificate. 05.11.07 Fun in the Sun Day at North Junior HighMay 10 was Fun in the Sun Day at North. The day is dedicated by the Nutritional Services Staff at North to the students. The main goal is to create a day that students can have fun. The cafeteria is transformed into a tropical paradise. A special menu, decorations, limbo, music, invited guests and prizes are all part of the fun. Nutritional Services Staff use the day as an opportunity to say goodbye to the eighth-graders and welcome seventh-grade students to their new role as upper classmen. Local businesses and the nutritional service staff donated all prizes, decorations and time. 05.11.07 Oak Hill Prairie Burn a SuccessA big "thank you" to the over 70 students, parents and staff who showed up May 8 to help with the controlled burn of parts of the Oak Hill prairie. A special thank you to Paul and Jack Kosloske for bringing their old fire truck out to help with the burn. The purpose for the burn is to help control the spread and growth of woody plants like sumac, cedars, elms and poison ivy and the cool weather grasses and weeds that compete with the warm weather native plants that have been planted on the Oak Hill prairie. The fire also returns nutrients to the soil. View a photo slide show. 05.09.07 Tech High School Counselor Receives AwardGretchen Van Hauen, counselor at Tech High School has been named the 2007 Secondary Counselor of the Year by the Minnesota School Counselor Association. Van Hauen has worked as a counselor for ten years and currently serves on the Central Minnesota Counselors Association Board. She received her award May 7 at a Recognition Gala in Brainerd, MN. 05.08.07 Kennedy Groundbreaking CeremonyGroundbreaking for the "new Kennedy" school in St. Joseph was held May 3. Kennedy students and staff were bused to the construction site at Jade Road and Stearns County Road 121, south of St. Joseph for the groundbreaking and then returned to Kennedy Elementary for a short ceremony. Construction is expected to start this month and the new school should open Sept. 2008. View a photo slide show of the groundbreaking. 05.04.07 Kennedy Designed to Earn ENERGY STAR®GLTArchitects' design for the new Kennedy Community School in St. Joseph, MN, has received the designation "Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR®" for estimated energy performance for the new, PK-8 school, currently under construction. The recognition is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s designation for building designs with superior energy design intent. The completed facility will be eligible to earn the ENERGY STAR® after one year of operation. Read the full story. 05.04.07 Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame InductionTech High School inducted 10 new members to its Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame April 26 at the Holiday Inn. The 2007 inductees are Lawrence Brammer 1940), Mark Dahl (1969), Gerald Eilers (1935), Alfred Grewe (1944), Kent Lovelace (1975), Terry Pladson (1967), Jim Rhode (1954), Diane Rotnem (1966), Florence Ruhland (1943), Kathryn Sikkink (1973). View the biographies. 04.27.07 Tech Students Place in Speech TournamentFour Technical High School students placed in the Class AA State Speech Tournament April 21 at South St. Paul High School. Rachel Koch placed second in informative speaking; Abby Carl was third in humorous interpretation; Tiana Otto placed fourth in serious interpretation-poetry; and Karthiga Veeramani finished fifth in great speeches. 04.22.07 USAT Teams Succeed at State MeetDistrict 742 teams performed admirably at the U.S. Academic Triathlon (USAT) State Tournament April 14 at Minnetonka High School. The Oak Hill Elementary sixth-grade team of Caz Novak, Zoe Novak, Brooke Swanhorst, Andrew Eisenreich and Natalie Kronebusch captured first in the Challenger Division Yellow Meet. A sixth-grade team of students from Westwood Elementary took first place in the Challenger Division Green Meet. Team members are Kendra Butkowski, Alisha Knutson, Allison Reichl, Madison Schiller and Emily Thornton. 04.16.07 Academic Activity Student RecognitionsOn April 14 St. Cloud Area School District 742 had thirteen teams of students from Discovery, Madison, Oak Hill, Talahi, Westwood, North, South and Apollo participate in the Minnesota State Future Problem Solving Competition at Armstrong High School in Robbinsdale and six teams of students from Kennedy, Oak Hill, Westwood and North participate in the United States Academic Triathlon Minnesota State Competition at Minnetonka High School. View the results. 04.15.07 Kennedy Student Competes in Spelling BeeThe 2nd place winner of the Regional Spelling Bee, Leah Neff, a fifth grader from Kennedy Elementary, participated in the Multi-Region State Spelling Bee, March 22, at the Holiday Inn, St. Cloud. Neff finished 12th out of 26 spellers and was the highest finisher among Central MN students, making it to the sixth round before missing the word "homogeneous". 03.23.07 Discovery Receives Target Field Trip GrantAndrea Coulter and Marilyn Stanley, fifth-grade teachers at Discovery Elementary, secured a $1000 Target Field Trip Grant. The grant money will be used to take 200 students to St. Cloud State University for a field day in May. Target awarded 800 educators across the country grants up to $1000 to fund a field trip. Criteria for selection included the description of the field trip and its objectives, the benefits to students, the tie-in to school curriculum, the number of students who be impacted and the proposed use of the funds. 03.01.07 District 742 Awarded Math and Science GrantThe Minnesota Department of Education announced that District 742 would receive a $618,714 grant over the next three years. This grant is one of five given to educational institutions in the state to improve teacher professional development in math and science. Read the full story. View a photo. 02.14.07 Oak Hill Teams Succeed at USAT CompetitionOak Hill students took first and second place at a United States Academic Triathlon (USAT) competition Feb. 9. First place team members were Andrew Eisenreich, Zoe Novak, Caz Novak, Natalie Kronebusch, and Brooke Swanhorst. The team is coached by Trish Novak. Second place team members, coached by Susan Roberts, were Joe Roberts, Joe Stender, Alex Kendal and Daniel Yao. 02.12.07 Damhof, Praetorius Top District 742 Spelling BeeMatthew Damhof and Matt Praetorius were the last students standing at the District 742 Spelling Bee Feb. 8 at South Junior High. Damhof, a fifth-grader at Clearview Elementary, won the elementary division by correctly spelling ramification and Praetorius, an eighth-grader at South, won the junior high division by correctly spelling embezzlement. The top three students in each division advance to a regional bee Feb. 27 at St. John's University. 02.09.07 Tech Wins State Music Listening TitleTech High School's Music Listening Team captured the state championship at Augsburg College in Minneapolis. Team members are seniors Clarence Cheng, Ben Jakubowski and Kevin Kay. Their coach is Tech orchestra director Michal Lang. The contest requires students to memorize material contained in a 100 page study guide with three CD's containing excerpts of music featured in the guide. Each team works together to answer questions in a five round test. Regional contests were held Jan. 19 throughout the state. The program had 72 schools with 203 teams competing for 18 state contest slots. 02.08.07 Oak Hill Team Takes First at USAT CompetitionAn Oak Hill team of sixth-grade students took first place at a United States Academic Triathlon (USAT) competition Jan. 12. Team members were Zoe Novak, Caz Novak, Natalie Kronebusch, Brooke Swanhorst, and Andrew Eisenreich. The team is coached by Trish Novak. 01.13.07 Board Reorganizes, Elects LeadersBruce Mohs is the Board of Education's new chair. Mohs was elected by fellow board members at the board's annual reorganization meeting Jan. 4 at the District Administration Office. Debra Lalley is vice-chair. Ronald Seibring is clerk. Gerald Von Korff is treasurer. Learn more about our board members. 01.05.07 North Students Raise Money for Local Charities"A penny saved is a penny earned" never meant more to the students at North Junior High School. Students and staff raised over $2550 for local charities. Anna Marie's Alliance, Cystic Fibrosis, Catholic Charities and the Tri-County Humane Society were chosen by students to be the recipients of the money raised. View a photo. 12.22.06 Apollo Receives Jeffers Foundation GrantApollo High School has been selected to receive a $5000 Jeffers Foundation Grant award for the 2006-07 school year. Apollo was one of 12 schools in the state to receive an award. Erich Ziegler, science teacher at Apollo and Lynn Hanson, service learning coordinator at Apollo, worked together to obtain the grant. The project, Understanding Waterway Ecosystems, will have Apollo biology students contrast the biodiversities and qualities of three waterways in Stearns County, including the Sauk River, Watab Creek and Ninah Creek. 12.20.06 Grant Provides Staff Service-Learning TrainingThanks to a three-year Learn and Serve America grant a group of District 742 teachers attended a training session Dec. 12 on the teaching method of service-learning. Service-learning gets students involved with their communities by integrating service projects with classroom learning. Read the full story. View the photos: photo 1 | photo 2. 12.13.06 Talahi Takes 1-2 at Final Southside K-Bowl MeetTalahi teams swept the top two spots at the final southside elementary Knowledge Bowl meet Dec. 12 at Talahi. A Lincoln team captured third place. Winning teams were:
Kennedy and Oak Hill Teams Finish First at USAT MeetsA Kennedy sixth grade team took first place at a U.S. Academic Triathlon (USAT) meet Dec. 8 at St. Boniface School in Cold Spring. Kennedy team members are: Katy Evenson, Luke Teigen, Jeff Witthuhm, Erin Nelson, and Marti Reisinger. An Oak Hill sixth grade team took first place at the Dec. 8 USAT meet that was held at Westwood Elementary. Oak Hill team members are: Connor Amundson, Andrew Eisenreich, Natalie Kronebusch, Caz Novak, and Brooke Swanhorst. 12.08.06 Kennedy Finishes 1-2 at Final Northside K-Bowl MeetKennedy teams swept the top two spots at the final northside elementary Knowledge Bowl meet Dec. 7 at Discovery Elementary. A Westwood team captured third place. Winning teams were:
Hoffman-Bram, Wallner Honored with AwardShawn Hoffman-Bram, director of Community Education and Scott Wallner, program manager of Adult Basic Education were recently honored with the distinction of National Community Education Association (NCEA) Fellow award. The award is presented to member practitioners who have successfully demonstrated the highest degree of professional competency in the field of Community Education. Read the full story. View photo. 12.05.06 Construction Technology Class to Hold AuctionThe Construction Technology class at Apollo High School has designed and built several items to be sold on Dec. 8 at the Apollo/Alex 7:30 p.m. boys' basketball game via silent auction. Bidding will be open from before the game through the end of halftime. Items to be auctioned include two playhouses and three concrete benches. Items will be on display in the commons or near the entry to the gymnasium. Starting bids will be $450 for each playhouse and $50 for each bench. The final bid includes the cost of the item, delivery and setup. Profit from the sale will be used for material costs and the rest will be put back into the program for tools and equipment. View the photos: photo 1 | photo 2 | photo 3 | photo 4 | photo 5 12.04.06 Kennedy Takes First at North Side K-Bowl MeetA team from Kennedy Elementary finished first at the Nov. 30 north side Knowledge Bowl meet at Madison Elementary. A Westwood Elementary team finished second and a Discovery team finished third. Winning teams were: 1st place: Kennedy 2 - Ethan Carlson, Noel Teigen, Brandon Bloch, Luke Teigen, Marti Reisinger, Samara LaFrentz, Katy Evenson Oak Hill Takes First at South Side K-Bowl Meet Teams from Oak Hill Elementary finished first and third in a south side Knowledge Bowl meet at Lincoln Elementary Nov. 28. A Talahi Elementary team finished second. Winning teams were: 1st place: Oak Hill 2 - Mariah Petschen, Aria Wolinski, Katie Hellar, Caz Novak, Daniel Yao Talahi Takes First at Knowledge Bowl MeetA Talahi Elementary team of Jay Kedrowski, Diego Brito, Naomi Widstrom, Dominic Wocken, Jerry Akubue and Rajahna Schneekloth captured first place at the Nov. 21 Southside Knowledge Bowl meet at Oak Hill Elementary. Teams from Clearview and Oak Hill schools finished second and third, respectively. 11.22.06 ALC Students Attend Leadership ConferenceNine students from Area Learning Center (ALC) Wilson and ALC West attended the Minnesota Association of Alternative Programs (MAAP) Stars two-day fall leadership conference. The conference was held Nov. 16 and 17 at the Holiday Inn, St. Cloud. April Lahr, from ALC Wilson was elected one of six MAAP Stars officers. Read the full story. 11.18.06 Talahi Takes First in Southside K-Bowl MeetThe first Southside Elementary Knowledge Meet was held at Clearview Elementary Nov. 14. The winning teams were: 1st place - Talahi 2 - Kate Brancel, Rajahna Schneekloth, Karl Christensen, Jay Kedrowski, Dustin Homsombath, Dominic Wocken Kennedy Takes First in Northside K-Bowl MeetThe first Northside Elementary Knowledge Meet was held at Kennedy Elementary Nov. 9. The winning teams were: 1st place: Kennedy 1 - Katy Evenson, Breanna LaRue, Aren Gerads, Joey Luder, Hannah Kalla, Maria Hammerlinck, Brandon Fowler Kennedy Receives Honor for ExcellenceKennedy Elementary, St. Joseph, has been named one of six Schools of Excellence (SOE) by the Minnesota Elementary School Principals' Association (MESPA). SOE honors schools that demonstrate the desire to improve the quality of education by completing a recognized school improvement process of self-study, development of a school improvement plan and implementation of the plan based on demonstrated results. Since the program's inception in 1986, 118 schools have earned this validation. Kennedy's principal is Diane Moeller who was also named the 2006 Minnesota National Distinguished Principal by MESPA. View the press release. 11.10.06 North Students Perform Murder by IndecisionNorth Junior High students will perform Murder by Indecision, a spoof on the writings of Agatha Christie, Nov. 10 through Nov. 12 in the school's Little Theatre. The Friday and Saturday shows are at 7 p.m. The Sunday show is 3 p.m. Tickets are available at the door. Adults are $6. Seniors and students are $4. View the flyer. 11.06.06 Summary of the Special Education Finance StudyA summary of the Special Education Finance Study recently completed by SchoolFinances.com was presented at the Oct. 26 Board of Education meeting. The information provided by the study will now go to the Board Finance Committee and be used to help identify parameters to ensure we are providing optimum care to our students in a fiscally responsible way. View the summary. For more information contact Dr. Elisabeth Lodge Rogers at 320-202-6800. 10.27.06 Educators Receive LEEA AwardFifteen District 742 teachers were honored Oct. 25 at the 15th Annual Leadership in Educational Excellence Banquet and Awards Ceremony (LEEA). The award ceremony was sponsored by Resource Training and Solutions for its member districts, with Superintendent Bruce Watkins presiding over the event. Teachers receiving awards included Julie Barkley, Kirsten Bechtold, Erin Bloch, Virginia Gammell, Christine Grams, Karen Ingeman, Melanie Jiskra, Deb Johansen, Gary Loch, Sheila Nelson, Mary Parent, Shelly Smith, Shara Stone, Mari Walker and Lori Proulx. View a photo. 10.25.06 Phy Ed Teacher Honored for ExcellenceLuann Palmquist, Developmental/Adapted Physical Education (D/APE) teacher at Discovery and Kennedy schools, received the Teacher of the Year award Oct. 12 by the Minnesota Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. Palmquist serves as a leader in D/APE and physical education activities at the district and state level. View a photo. 10.13.06 Students Named National Merit SemifinalistsFive District 742 students have been named semifinalists in the annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Less than one percent of each state's high school seniors qualify as semifinalists. National Merit semifinalists rank among the top 1 percent of high school seniors nationwide and are eligible to compete for the more than 8,200 merit scholarships, totaling approximately $33 million, which will be awarded next spring. The five National Merit semifinalists from District 742 are:
First Lady Mary Pawlenty Visits Lincoln ElementaryMary Pawlenty, first lady of Minnesota visited with fifth-graders at Lincoln Elementary Sept. 29. The first lady frequently visits elementary schools to teach students about our democracy. She focuses on expanding school children's knowledge and understanding of the three branches of government, with a special emphasis on the judiciary branch. 9.29.06 Literacy Event at Discovery a Huge SuccessApproximately 150 students and their families participated in Reading Rocks, a literacy event hosted by Discovery Elementary staff Sept. 25. Activities included Reader's Theatre, Coffeehouse Poetry, a Dr. Seuss rap, making bookmarks and make and take reading activities. Student received a free book and parents received information about programs offered through Community Education, Mobile Wellness and KIDSTOP. View a slide show of the event. 9.26.06 Message from Superintendent Bruce WatkinsOn Sept. 19 at 1 p.m. there was a 911 call made from a cell phone inside of Tech High School with reports that a weapon had been observed. Local law enforcement was called. The building went into lockdown mode for 1 1/2 hours. Six teams of officers searched the building. Ultimately it was determined through interviews that the call was not valid. At approximately 2:30 p.m., students were released from lockdown to attend their last period class. Law enforcement, students, and staff performed admirably during the lockdown. 9.19.06 K-12 Enrollment ChangesAs of Sept. 15, District 742's K-12 enrollment was 9,588. That represents an increase of 93 students compared to the same period in 2005. View more enrollment figures. 9.16.06 Voters Pass Bond ReferendumOn Sept. 12 voters passed both building and improvement bond referendum questions with 65 percent voting yes to Question 1 asking for $33.5 million for a new St. Joseph school and improvements to existing buildings and 59 percent voting yes to Question 2 asking for $2 million for the acquisition of land for future school sites. The new school will house preschool through grade eight students and be located on 71 acres District 742 owns at Jade Road and Stearns County Road 121, south of St. Joseph. Election results were were canvassed at the Sept. 13 board meeting. View the official results. 9.13.06 Thank You Lincoln Playground ContributorsStudents, families, community members and staff from Lincoln Elementary School along with Superintendent Bruce Watkins celebrated the completion of Lincoln's new playground at a Ribbon Cutting event Aug. 24. The $70,000 playground project is the result of years of planning and fundraising. View a photo of the event. 8.25.06 72 Students Recognized at Board MeetingAt the August 24 Board of Education meeting, 72 students were recognized for their participation in the Challenging Reading Program. Students who read and completed 8 or more book reports were invited by the Board of Education to a special recognition event and reception. 8.25.06 DAO Moves Offices July 24-28The District Administration Office (DAO) will be moving to Apollo High School July 24-28. Telephone and e-mail access will not be available during this time. If you have an immediate need please leave a message at 320-253-9333. Messages will taken by Media Services staff and relayed to DAO staff throughout the day. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience. 7.7.06 |
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