Progress 2020 Arts & Education

Progress Arts & Education

Albert Lea Tribune

Saturday, February 29, 2020

Jacob Olson uses a modified potter’s wheel during an art class in December at Lake Mills High School. Colleen Harrison/Albert Lea Tribune

Going above and beyond for all at

LAKE MILLS School district does whatever it takes to help students at all levels succeed both in and out of the classroom

By Colleen Harrison

colleen.harrison@albertleatribune.com

Tribune Albert Lea

Lake Mills freshman Weston Menuey works on a cellphone speaker amplifier during art class.

L

“We want every kid to feel sucAKE MILLS — At the start of just about every cessful and feel belonging,” Chrisclass, Weston Menuey tianson said. greets art teacher Brook Olson, a senior, has been a student Christianson with a big of Christianson’s for about four hug. Jacob Olson then comes in, and years. Olson uses a wheelchair, but greets Christianson Christianson wasn’t with a smile or nod going to let that stop of his head. As other him from being able students filter into to participate in cethe classroom, each ramics class. greets Christianson Christianson, an art teacher in Lake in their own way Mills for about six before setting about years, found an old working on their art electric potter’s projects.

The best educawheel and took it to — Brook tion possible for the shop class teachChristianson every single stuer to see what could dent is what Lake be done to modify Mills school district staff hope to it for Olson. Thanks to students provide, no matter how above and Trae Butler and Drake Harnish, beyond the teachers, paraprofes- the wheel was adapted with a sionals and even the students have to go.

See SCHOOL, Page 2

“We want every kid to feel successful and feel belonging.”

What’s inside?

Meet the management team: Crystal Miller: Publisher 379-3420 | crystal.miller@albertleatribune.com Sarah Stultz: Editor 379-3433 | sarah.stultz@albertleatribune.com Melissa Goodwin: Circulation Manager 379-3421 | melissa.goodwin@albertleatribune.com Lisa Foley: Business Manager 379-4324 | lisa.foley@albertleatribune.com Terry Thissen: Pressroom Manager 379-9854 | terry.thissen@albertleatribune.com Offices: 808 W. Front St. Albert Lea, MN 56007 Phone: 507-373-1411 Fax: 507-373-0333 Website: albertleatribune.com Want to subscribe or moving?

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A 75-year legacy

Goals on and off the court

Albert Lea Civic Music has brought in musicians for over 7 decades. Page 3

Three Albert Lea coaches share the hopes for their teams. Page 4

Artists of the future See artwork from students at Southwest Middle and Albert Lea High School. Page 5

Page 2 | AlbertLeaTribune.com | Progress 2020 | ARTS & EDUCATION | saturday, February 29, 2020

School Continued from Front Page

switch on top to turn it on and off and was raised so Olson’s wheelchair could fit underneath.

While there was some hesitancy for Olson at first when using the potter’s wheel, according to Christianson, he eventually became more interested.

She said it now seems like working with the clay is soothing to him.

“Even though Jacob can’t talk to us, you can definitely tell that he feels part of it,” Christianson said.

Menuey, a freshman, is in his first year of school in the Lake Mills district.

Menuey was born with Down syndrome. Christianson said it seems like being task-oriented and using a timer helps Menuey thrive in school.

For example, he’ll come into the class and chop up dry clay for Christianson — one of his favorite tasks — for the first few minutes of class, before his timer tells him when to clean up and then get to work on his project.

The ability for Christianson and other teachers to better understand the ways they can help their students succeed and participate wouldn’t be possible without paraprofessionals like Tammy Hesse and Becky Hengesteg, Christianson said.

“They are exceptional helpers, and they are amazing,” Christianson said of the paras. “I throw out some ideas, but they do a lot of the work. They deserve a lot of credit.”

For Hesse, a para with Lake Mills for about 23 years, the school district’s efforts to include all students are always apparent in the ways they adapt equipment, lessons, projects and anything else they need to so that every student has the chance to succeed.

“I’ve worked with many students throughout the years, and every student is different. They have different needs and you

Christianson found an old electric potter’s wheel and worked with a shop teacher to modify it so it could be used by Olson. Colleen Harrison/Albert Lea Tribune

By the numbers

Lake Mills middle school and high school art teacher Brook Christianson works with Jacob Olson on a ceramics project during a December class. Colleen Harrison/Albert Lea Tribune have to adapt to what their needs are to make them successful,” she said. “I’ve learned a lot from working with these students.”

Christianson, the art teacher for Lake Mills middle school and high school students, said elementary school art teacher Gretchen Kingland has provided adaptive art classes for students as well.

The inclusion efforts also extend outside of art classes, including into the music department.

While Lake Mills band teacher Nate Sletten said Olson isn’t able to attend regular practices or band class due to his school schedule, he has regularly performed with both the marching band and the concert band. A drum pad was created to fit on Olson’s wheelchair, and Sletten said drumsticks were modified so they could attach to Olson’s wrists.

“We love having him along, because he

obviously loves music,” he said. “When we’re playing in concerts or when he’s sitting in the front line playing his drum pad, he’s just got a big smile on his face.”

Sletten, a teacher for about 12 years — three of them in Lake Mills, said when Olson is passing the band room with one of his paras, he sometimes stops in to play some music as well.

“He loves music, so he should be able to participate,” he said. “That’s what we do here at Lake Mills, is we allow students that want to participate to participate.”

The Lake Mills marching band welcomes every student to participate, even the athletes competing in the same game the marching band is attending. It is not uncommon to see marching band members in football pads or cheerleading uniforms during the band’s halftime performances, Sletten said.

In addition to music and

6

Years Brook Christianson has been an art teacher in Lake Mills

4 Elijah Steene, a wide receiver and defensive back for the Bulldogs football team, performs with the marching band during halftime during this year’s Homecoming game. Lory Groe/For the Albert Lea Tribune

art classes, both Olson and Menuey are involved with Special Olympics.

Olson has participated in track, while Menuey will try basketball and track this year after taking part in bowling at his previous school. Menuey is also in Student Council at Lake Mills.

Christianson said the overall goal is to give each of their students the tools to continue to succeed and learn, and to teach them to be better, even and especially after they graduate.

“The staff as a whole, especially in the arts, are able and willing and wanting to provide extra,”

she said. “It is for those students, so that they can learn new things and learn new skills, but it’s also good for the other students to see that inclusion and be open to students who are different than them.”

The school district’s efforts are also ever-expanding, as in December Christianson was planning to meet with the town’s parks and recreation department about developing a community art program to pair up people living with disabilities with others to work on regular projects.

“I think these kids have

Years Jacob Olson has been in one of Christianson’s art classes

23 Years Tammy Hesse has been a paraprofessional with Lake Mills

inspired me to do more,” she said. “There’s other people in the community, and when these kids graduate, I don’t want it to be the end of it. I want them to still be able to do things with others and do things like others, meet new people, because they are part of our community.

“I think Lake Mills is a really cool town in that way, that we accept everybody in the community and we want them to be successful.”

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saturday, February 29, 2020 | ARTS & EDUCATION | Progress 2020 | AlbertLeaTribune.com | Page 3

Scrapbooks from Albert Lea Civic Music at the Freeborn County Historical Museum showcase entertainment brought in during previous years to the community. Sarah Stultz/Albert Lea Tribune

A 75-year music legacy in Albert Lea Community organization brings in international talent to the community The women said Albert Lea Civic Music partners with similar organizations in Clear Lake and Austin, allowing people who pay for a season ticket to not only attend the Albert Lea concerts, but also the concerts in those communities as well.

Jorgensen and Ness said the $45 cost for the season ticket, which gets a person into all 12 concerts

By Sarah Stultz

sarah.stultz@albertleatribune.com

For 75 years, Albert Lea Civic Music has focused on bringing quality, professional music from all over the world to Albert Lea. The organization has brought in a variety of artists to the community, ranging from American violinist Isaac Stern and the Chicago Opera Ballet to the Shanghai String Quartet and the Glenn Miller Orchestra, to name a few.

Board member Sue Jorgensen said Civic Music was started by a group of local residents who had an appreciation for classical music. Concerts were held in the former Albert Lea High School auditorium off of Clark Street, selling out all of the 1,800 seats. When the old school was demolished and the new school built, concerts were moved to the new school’s auditorium, which has about 750 seats.

Jorgensen said the concerts bring in people not only from Albert Lea but also from the surrounding area to view the entertainment.

“It’s wonderful, international talent that is live and within touching distance from you to see and hear and enjoy,” Jorgensen said.

The organization, which is operated by a board of directors with 15 members, selects the musicians each fall for the following year, working with talent vendor Allied Concert Services.

Ticket sales pay for bringing in the artists.

This year’s selection includes a Big Band, a classical jazz ensemble, a pop

in the three communities, is a great bargain. The cost for all 12 concerts is likely cheaper than if you had to travel out of town to Rochester, Mankato or the Twin Cities for even one concert, adding in the cost of gas, parking and often eating out of town, too.

They encouraged people to share their ticket with others for concerts they are not able to attend.

Tickets can be purchased on the Civic Music website at albertleacivicmusic.com or at the box office the day of a concert.

Jorgensen and Ness said the Civic Music board is still considering a special celebration for the organization’s 75th anniversary, and people can expect more information about that later in the year.

A few ballets have been brought in as part of the Albert Lea Civic Music organization. singer, a classical women’s program and two Broadway singers, she said.

In addition to the concerts, the organization has grown to also sponsor a scholarship competition for young musicians and live broadcasts of The Metropolitan Opera to the Marion Ross Performing Arts Center, Jorgensen said.

For the scholarship competition, students audition in the spring, and then a year later the students awarded scholarships perform for the community and the board of directors in another concert, she said.

The scholarships are funded through the interest earned on several endowments that have been given to the organization.

Board member Eileen Nelson Ness said Civic Music partners with Albert Lea Community Theatre for the opera and used part of an endowment to fund

People who formed the corporation for Civic Music Maclay Lyon Grace M Cay Sadie Bliss Cox J. John Halverson J.F. D. Meighen upgrades to the projector, screen and sound system at the Marion Ross Performing Arts Center.

Civic Music also typically sponsors one master class a year geared toward Albert Lea High School students with one of the musicians coming to town to perform, said board member Eileen Nelson Ness.

“It’s an exciting organization to have as part of this community,” Jorgensen said. “It has been a fabric of this community for a long time, and we hope it continues for a long time.”

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The American Piano Trio was one of dozens of entertainers brought into Albert Lea through the Civic Music organization over the years. Sarah Stultz/Albert Lea Tribune

2301 Myers Rd. Albert Lea, MN 56007

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Luther said he became a coach to be a positive impact on the athletes in the same way that his coaches were to him. Tyler Julson/Albert Lea Tribune

Setting goals on and off the court

Coaches share what led them to coach and what they hope to achieve Zac Luther Albert Lea Head boys’ soccer coach, assistant boys’ track and field coach Q: How long have you been coaching and what sports have you coached?

A: This is my third year coaching soccer here at Albert Lea. I’ll be starting my fourth year coaching track here at Albert Lea. Overall, this will be my ninth year of coaching in a head or assistant coach role. I coached in Wisconsin at the club level for a few years. I coached a U-15, U-16, U-17 team there, and I also helped assist at the high school I was working at in Wisconsin.

Q: What made you want to become a coach?

A: It’s very similar to why I wanted to become a teacher. I had some wonderful experiences playing soccer growing up, and part of that was made by the coaches. I thought my love of the sport, combined with my wanting to go into teaching, I thought it would be a natural next step for me because I can share my knowledge and excitement for the sport with others and hopefully give them a good experience, too.

Q: What are some of the goals you set for yourself as a coach?

A: Obviously, there’s win/loss goals that I try to keep to myself, that are just benchmarks that I want to hit, but my overall goals for coaching are to try and get more guys out for the sport. I want more guys to enjoy it. Whether it’s track, soccer, anything, I just want people to be able to have that positive experience of being in athletics.

I also try to put goals out there for my athletes behavior-wise, academic-wise, making sure they’re getting to classes on time and doing well in classes. Looking at that next level of what they’re doing beyond high school, meeting with seniors and trying to get them to think bigger picture than just the sport, but using that sport to start that relationship and move forward with it.

Q: What is the most rewarding part about being a coach to high school athletes?

A: I really enjoy just seeing the excitement on the guys’ faces — whether it’s the first practice of the year or after a big win. When they reach a milestone, they’re proud of their accomplishment.

Being able to see that moment and share it with them is really cool because I know how hard they work for it, and to see them being rewarded for it is really meaningful to me.

and moved on. Seeing them around town, seeing what they’re up to, seeing what they’ve gone on to accomplish and the chance to get to meet and talk with them, I enjoy those moments a lot.

Sean Gaston

Jason Thompson

Albert Lea Head baseball coach

Albert Lea Head girls’ basketball coach

Q: How long have you been coaching and what sports have you coached?

Q: How long have you been coaching and what sports have you coached?

A: This will be my ninth year coaching, and all I’ve coached is baseball. I coached in Kirksville, Missouri, a town the same size as Albert Lea in northeast Missouri.

Q: What made you want to become a coach?

Zac Luther is the current boys’ soccer coach at Albert Lea. He has spent eight years coaching soccer and track at a variety of levels.

A: It actually started with my wife. I had just finished playing myself and moved to Missouri, and she was basically like, ‘You need to find a hobby, you’re driving me crazy.’

And I met with the high school coach there, and to be honest I had no interest in coaching post playing. I had a hard time reconciling how much effort and time I put in and thinking, ‘Will I go crazy expecting that from high school kids?’

I met with the coach in Missouri, and he became a mentor, and within a month I was already in school to become a teacher, and off I went.

Q: What are some of the goals you set for yourself as a coach?

Q: What made you want to become a coach?

A: When I got the head coaching job here, the big thing that I really want to strive for is consistency as a program, that we have a chance to compete for championships every year.

That’s always the goal. It’s tough in high school because you only have kids for four years, so you sort of go through cycles. But trying to build a program where the floor is raised to the point where we know we can compete all the time, that was the performance goal.

I think the other side is I wanted to have as big of an impact on kids as my coaches had on me. I look back, and when I think of the most influential people in my life, three to four of the 10 most influential people were baseball coaches. I hope I can repeat that in some way.

Sean Gaston is the head coach of the Albert Lea baseball team. Gaston has been coaching baseball in some capacity for nine years.

Q: What is the most rewarding part about being a coach to high school athletes?

Jason Thompson has been a girls’ basketball coach for around 15 years. He is in his second year as head coach of the Albert Lea program.

A: There would be two things. One, on the field, is when you see effort pay off, when you see guys who have been working on

A: I’ve been coaching for probably 15 years between youth all the way up to high school here. I’ve coached girls’ basketball primarily.

I coached my son’s youth team back in the day. Otherwise it’s been strictly girls.

I’ve coached in Elmore, in the youth, Owatonna, in the youth and the high school program, Cleveland in the high school program and then here in Albert Lea.

A: I always wanted to major in education in college, but that’s not the path I went down. I went into marketing. So it’s just a good way to stay connected with kids along with teaching and developing. For me it’s giving back a little bit.

Growing up being in sports, there was always somebody coaching me, giving me their time, so that’s what I want to do. I like making those connections with players. There’s nothing better when former players come back and talk with you and want to be a part of your practice or say hi to you in the streets.

Q: What are some of the goals you set for yourself as a coach?

A: Just for every player to progress, make connections with each participant and then develop their basketball, leadership and life skills so they can use those the rest of their life.

Q: What is the most rewarding part about being a coach to high school athletes?

a skill or on part of their game that’s been a struggle and they finally break through. Or seeing someone who’s been having a rough time come through

in a big moment.

One that sticks out in my mind is over in Winona with Carson Goodell. In a situation where he was struggling and then gets

that big hit, and you just see the joy that guys feel in seeing their effort pay off.

The other real fulfilling moment is interacting with guys who have graduated

A: It’s just the daily interaction with the girls. No matter how my day is at my normal job, I can come here and they just give me that boost of energy because they have it every day. They have their ebbs and flows as well, but then just seeing what you work on everyday in practice and seeing that glimmer of improvement in a game situation where you know a light bulb just clicked on and that’s the most rewarding thing.

saturday, February 29, 2020 | ARTS & EDUCATION | Progress 2020 | AlbertLeaTribune.com | Page 5

Eh Thaw, seventh grade, Southwest Middle School, sculpture in acrylic painted ceramic. Merecedez Coleman, sixth grade, Southwest Middle School, art fundamentals glazed ceramic Provided

Albert Lea

Atziri Amador Torres, 12th grade, Albert Lea High School; woven drawing using pencil, India ink and paint

artists of the future

Ruby Mykkanen, seventh grade, Southwest Middle School, drawing in graphite

Deana Wyant, sixth grade, Southwest Middle School, art fundamentals mixed media

Mackayla Udermann, 12th grade, Albert Lea High School, watercolor study

Ally Rasmussen, 11th grade, Albert Lea High School; India ink, watercolor and acrylic paint. See more art on Page 6.

Page 6 | AlbertLeaTribune.com | Progress 2020 | ARTs & EDUCATION | saturday, February 29, 2020

Macy Taylor, 10th grade, Albert Lea High School, woven drawing in pencil

Makayla Hannegrefs-Dahlen, ninth grade, Albert Lea High School; pencil, watercolor and Sharpie

Clara Chapek, seventh grade, Southwest Middle School, sculpture in glazed ceramic

Grace Bartz, 10th grade, Albert Lea High School, woven drawing in pencil