A PLACE TO BELONG...BRAINERD PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Wow, this winter season was quite different from what we’re used to in Minnesota! Despite the lack of snow, our Alpine and Nordic Ski Teams still had successful seasons and brought home state titles. Congratulations also go out to our Brainerd Kixters dance team on their Class 3A state title in High Kick. As I write this, the Forestview Knowledge Bowl Team, Brainerd Future Farmers of America (FFA) members, individual wrestlers, and individual boys swimmers are heading to their respective state tournaments! So many exciting things are happening inside and outside of our school walls!

Through the intensive process of developing a new Strategic Plan for the district, we received valuable input and feedback from the community. A revised mission statement was developed that we feel encompasses what we have always strived to do — EDUCATE and INSPIRE each student by providing innovative opportunities to create lifelong success. Several examples of this mission in action are highlighted in this issue of Brainerd Public Schools magazine.

High School to create a culinary program (Page 14). This program helps students develop essential skills such as problem-solving, time management and teamwork and provides them with practical experience in nutrition, food preparation and restaurant operations. It’s fun watching students in this class enjoy learning in the awesome new culinary classroom at the high school and even take their talents out to the community.

You will hear me say time and again that at Brainerd Public Schools we want every student, family, staff person and community member to feel like their school community is a place where they belong. Julia Fargo’s story truly puts an exclamation point on the partnerships that exist between our guardians and staff to ensure every student will thrive (Page 24). Through the support of her parents and her early intervention services team, Julia’s life was changed, and she, in turn, forever changed the lives of her educators.

Through the forward-thinking planning of the Forestview Middle School Forest Management Committee and the support of numerous business partners, an open-air classroom was made a reality (Page 28). From planting a tree seedling in the kindergarten forest to gearing up for a crosscountry race, learners of all ages experience the beauty of nature and learn the importance of preserving our forests.

Sparked by a need from local resort owners, the Brainerd Lakes Chamber of Commerce collaborated with Brainerd

Our students have boundless potential, and we owe many of our accomplishments to our strong partnerships within the community. Whether through donations to our food and supply pantries, volunteering in our classrooms, or simply providing encouragement to our students and staff daily — without it, our district wouldn’t be able to achieve all we do.

I encourage you to visit our schools to witness the remarkable community that draws our graduates back. There are numerous ways to get involved and appreciate all the amazing things happening in the district.

A Place to Belong—Brainerd Public Schools.

Pete Mohs SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS COORDINATOR/ COPY EDITOR

DeLynn Howard

DESIGN LAYOUT

Christopher Johnson

PHOTOGRAPHER

Joey Halvorson

Brainerd Public Schools magazine is produced by the Brainerd Dispatch in cooperation with the Brainerd Public Schools.

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Welcome Spring 2024

Superintendent’s Letter

By Heidi Hahn

Warrior Warehouses: Supplying support By

Jenny Gunsbury

Alumni Spotlight: Joey Halvorson: Breaking the barriers

By Sheila Dechantal

Move over, Home Economics By Sue

Sterling

Legendary Women

Julia’s Journey: Overcoming obstacles through early intervention By Jodie

Norquist

Sandy Loney’s Forestview students learn to help the less fortunate through H2O for Life program

By Jolene Zelenski

Growing trees while growing students

By Rebecca Flansburg

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Warrior Warehouses: Supplying support

BY JENNY GUNSBURY

PHOTOS BY JOEY HALVORSON

It may be a comment heard while students are passing between classes in the halls. Or it’s a request for help from a struggling parent to a teacher. Maybe a student overhears another on the playground saying they only eat meals at school and they tell a school staff member.

No matter the source or the situation, school staff know there are many needs in their classrooms. More than ever, students and families need help with food and other survival necessities. During the 2022-2023 school year, roughly 46% of Brainerd Public School students qualified for free and reduced lunches. This was an increase from the previous year of 31.6%. Even before this jump, there have been dedicated staff, community members and student groups who organize and support food pantries located within Forestview Middle School and Brainerd High School.

The Warrior Warehouse at Forestview Middle School got its start in 2011. Collaborative Worker Allison Van Vliet has been in charge of it since 2019 but she credits special education teacher Sara Lembcke for her work since the beginning.

“The Brainerd Jaycees generously donated $10,000 from their Run for the Lakes event after Sara advocated for supporting middle school students with a food program. Elementary schools already had a snack-pack program in place that provided students with food for weekends and school breaks but nothing existed at the middle school level,” notes Van Vliet. “Sara’s still very involved, as well as fellow Collaborative Worker Kaitlyn Cook and educational assistant Lonna Rozinka.”

How does the pantry work at Forestview?

“Students just simply need to show up,” explains Van Vliet. “Open hours are announced during morning announcements and kids just come as they need. If a parent calls asking for help, a Collaborative Worker will get a pre-packed bag of groceries and call the student down to the main office for them to take the bag to their locker to bring home.

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The pre-packed bags vary in size based on whether the students will be out of school for the weekend or for a school break. Some bags include food that parents can cook on the stove and other bags are packed for students who might be preparing their own supper and rely on a microwave. These bags are given to students who are experiencing housing insecurity and temporarily housed at a hotel. Van Vliet estimates that over 150 bags have been distributed this year; along with countless backpacks, school supplies, winter gear, toiletries and clothes/shoes.

All items in the Warrior Warehouse at FMS are donated to the school or purchased with cash donations. Community food drives, school food drives and contributions from local churches, such as South Long Lake Church and Brainerd Seventhday Adventists, help to fill the warehouse. Other area nonprofits, service groups and businesses also contribute cash or goods. “Staff gives freewill donations for day-old bread and bakery items donated by Costco. Those monies go to the Warrior Warehouse,” says Van Vliet.

The idea for the Warrior Warehouse at BHS was a result of touring Chaska High School by a group of ISD 181 administrators and community members several years ago while researching design concepts for the

It’s open anytime the school is open. They shop on their own and take what they need. We have a Google form linked to a QR code they can scan to request items. We don’t keep track of names. All they do is hit a button by the door that keeps a number count.

- Jessica Wales, special education instructor and Warrior Warehouse at BHS coordinator

Blueprint 181 referendum. Principal Andrea Rusk saw what Chaska was doing and thought it would be a good addition at BHS.

“It’s moved around several times since opening over five years ago,” explains Jessica Wales, special education instructor and Warrior Warehouse at BHS coordinator. “It’s now centrally located by the cafeteria in a larger space than before.”

Wales got involved several years ago when her students were in need and she offered to help. Now, her students also get to learn valuable skills in the Warrior Warehouse. “My students work on job skills and use the Warrior Warehouse to practice by picking up donations from the main office, stocking the shelves, and keeping the room organized. Other students working on their vocational skills also help keep the space clean,” she explains.

It operates a bit differently than the food pantry at Forestview. “Students can grab a key from my room, the guidance office, nurse and many staff have a key,” says Wales. “It’s open anytime the school is open. They shop on their own and take what they need. We have a Google form linked to a QR code they can scan to request items. We don’t keep track of names. All they do is hit a button by the door that keeps a number count.”

Items are arranged much like a grocery store and include pastas, canned fruit and vegetables, peanut butter, canned meats, Brainerd Lakes Outreach Program meal packets, mashed potatoes and pancake mix. Personal hygiene items and some clothing are also available. “Drawstring bags are provided for carrying groceries to lockers. It’s not obvious to classmates that it’s filled with food,” notes Wales. “One of my goals is to have no stigma attached to using the Warrior Warehouse.”

Like Forestview’s Warrior Warehouse, it’s also funded and stocked entirely by generous donations from community organizations, churches and student-led food drives like the We Scare Hunger event every October. Lakes Printing donates stickers for donors to show their support for the Warrior Warehouse. Cash and gift cards are especially useful so Wales can buy what is needed most by students.

So far this year, there have been over 1,000 visits to the food pantry. Wales has seen the needs expanding from food to items like toilet paper, laundry detergent and blankets. “The economy and Covid are probably the biggest reasons for this increase,” she says.

Both Warrior Warehouses offer community resource information for students and families about food distribution sites and local food pantries, especially for during the summer and longer school breaks. They also each have copies of the “Warrior Cookbook.” Wales and Van Vliet collaborated with Crow Wing County 4-H Ambassadors and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed, a U of M extension program) to write it. Written for people of all income levels, it includes easy recipes that can be made with items from the warehouses or a discount food store like Dollar Tree.

For those in ISD 181 navigating food insecurity, the Warrior Warehouses at Forestview and BHS are there providing food and other necessities for student success. They’re also demonstrations of support from our generous community and caring staff members.

Alumni spotlight: Joey Halvorson: breaking the barriers

BY SHEILA DECHANTAL

Joey Halvorson is pretty much a household name in the Brainerd lakes area. She loves her hometown of Brainerd and the community within. Her parents were Gerald “Gerry” Halvorson and Bernice Wilkins. Gerry was the owner of HalvorsonJohnson Funeral Home and her mom was a kindergarten teacher in the Red Wing area until she met Gerry at a football game.

A Brainerd High School graduate of 1961 (Joey notes that year being the same upside down as right side up), Joey says she always absolutely loved school. She lived only a few blocks from Lincoln Elementary School in her early academic years.

One of Joey’s early memories in grade school was an incident on the playground. She and a group of other children were picking on another child. Out of that whole group, Joey was the only one that was called into the office. The principal, she recalls, talked to her about what she was doing and the wrongness of it. He told her, “Joey, you are a leader, and leaders don’t act like that.” This stuck with her, and not only did she see the error of her ways, but she became great friends with the other child, still connected to this day. This was a life-changing moment in how she viewed others and the world around her.

Joey always had a love for sports (installed in her early by her dad). In the years before Title IX, there were no after-school opportunities for girls’ team sports. In gym class, she would often organize a group of fellow students to play basketball, one of her favorite sports. After school, Joey would play basketball outside Lincoln as they had a hoop. At home she played in the basement with a tennis ball and a coffee can. She would be the first one up in the morning and the first one outside. The kids of the neighborhood always knew they could gather at the Halvorsons and Joey would have a team activity planned.

As Joey made her way to Franklin Junior High School, while after-school sports were still not available, she found other ways to entertain herself. She jokingly shared a story of some friends deciding to break into the school one evening — not to vandalize, just to say they did (honestly, a woman after my own heart). Earlier in the day they made sure that one of the windows to the library was unlocked. Returning to the school that evening they climbed into the window and walked around feeling like they had conquered the world. When they heard a noise within the school they all quickly left the way they came in and as far as Joey knows, no one was the wiser. There may be another story about a pulled alarm — an evacuation of a play in progress — you get the idea. Joey had and has many skills including a few great pranks as well.

For reference, Title IX is the most used name for the landmark federal civil rights law in the United States that was enacted as part of the Education Amendments of 1972. It prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other education program that receives funding from the federal government.

In high school, Joey took Latin and discovered she loved the language. She was also part of the German Club and the Current Events Club. In this good-sized group of like-minded people who talked about the events happening in the world, Joey found her desire to be “constantly curious” about the works around her and furthered her great love of books, reading and soaking up knowledge. She was also a part of the yearbook, student government and the National Honors Society.

She joined the band in the hopes of playing the trumpet but was handed a flute instead. She played this instrument all through high school and still owns that flute today.

With her born-to-be-outdoors and be-active-DNA, following her college graduation in 1965, a group of six including Joey, decided to travel and hitchhiked their way to Germany. They went from Amsterdam through most of upper Europe. The group split up and three of them, including Joey, purchased a car and drove to Switzerland, Italy, Spain and Greece, as well as took a ferry to Mykonos Island. While south of Paris, they were involved in a serious car crash where all three were in the hospital for several days with cuts and bruises. Thankfully, they were all released without serious injury. Joey recalls the total bill for this hospital stay was $17. They hopped on a train to Paris to continue their adventure.

In the years that followed graduation, Joey went on to teach sports at Augsburg University in Minneapolis and in 1992 was named in the Augsburg Athletic Hall of Fame for her role in women’s basketball, softball and volleyball. Finally, women’s sports were a reality.

Among her other many skills, Joey’s love for photography and capturing this community that she loves has been a part of her life. She takes photos for many local magazines and also offers her skills to many local nonprofits and nonprofit events at no cost.

Joey has been a Brainerd YMCA Activities Director, Community Action Director, a nanny and involved in the development of the Kinship Program. She also founded the Brainerd U.S. Co-Ed Tennis Team, served as the Brainerd Title

IX Representative and co-created Brainerd History of Women In Sports day.

Past awards include:

• Brainerd Area Arts Alliance Photographer of the Year (2008)

• Woman Making Waves Award from the Brainerd Lakes Area Community Foundation (2018)

• Sertoma Service to Mankind Award

• Brainerd Public Schools Distinguished Achievement Hall of Fame 2024

Joey cannot say enough positive things about her Brainerd school experiences. She feels our teachers excel in their attention to students and student needs, as well as helping families who have students with learning disabilities.

Breaking the barriers has always been Joey’s claim to fame and thank goodness for that. Her desire to color the world outside the lines, testing boundaries and making changes has created positive experiences for so many. And for that, we can all be thankful for Joey.

Move over, Home Economics

BY SUE STERLING

PHOTOS BY JOEY HALVORSON

Brainerd High School goes beyond the Home Economics classes of years gone by. Students in grades 9-12 have the opportunity to learn the skills and thrills of pursuing a career in the hospitality industry. The Chamber of Commerce and resort owners asked for a program such as this to fill the staff positions at the many resorts and restaurants in this area. There are three instructors in this Family Consumer Sciences Program — Andrew Freeman, Heidi Anderson and Emily Neistadt.

The Culinary Arts Program was started in 2017 with Emily Neistadt. Andrew Freeman, the current Culinary Arts instructor, started teaching this course in 2020, the year the Covid restrictions were implemented. Teaching this course remotely was a challenge. Students had the option to prepare food at home or do a research project. Those who chose to prepare food would go in for 50% of the classes, staying six feet apart wearing masks and doing the cooking. Everything was mapped out for the kids and all the food was pre-cut to prevent injuries.

Three basic courses offered before getting into Culinary Arts Classes

Culinary Arts is an extension of three classes previously offered: Exploring foods, Creative foods, International foods all offer basic cooking skills.

• E xploring Foods allow students to learn about red meat, poultry and nutrition, to name a few things.

• Creative Foods allow kids to dive into cake design, cooking with chocolate, and provide a deeper dive into spices.

• International Foods allow students to learn about different foods and customs that are not their own.

All students are taught basic skills in these classes, including food safety, sanitation, knife skills and kitchen safety before cooking begins.

Students learn to work together in teams of 3-5. Problem solving, time management and a good attitude are all needed to succeed in making a meal or dish. They also learned to clean up and wash dishes as part of the curriculum. The International Food classes rotate through the cuisine of different countries. Weekly cooking plans are based on ingredient availability, and all food is purchased from local stores using only reputable, certified suppliers.

Culinary Arts Classes are in high demand

Students have a hard time getting into these classes due to their popularity. Students must take at least two of the basic classes to gain entry into Culinary 1. Then once they take and pass Culinary 1, they can take Culinary 2. These two classes are geared more toward the industry. They take students down the path of joining the hospitality industry after graduation. They learn everything from the five mother sauces to building and costing out a menu.

Emphasis is placed on the importance of adapting to the changing culinary landscape and making cooking fun and engaging for kids. They learn how to put together a menu, work up a cost list of what to buy and determine what it would cost for meals from many different cultures. This program is a veritable adventure in worldwide cuisine.

Inspiration and personality chefs

The kids often tell stories about cooking personalities like Gordon Ramsey with his shock and awe factor, and Guy Fieri from “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.”

Female chefs, such as Julia Child, have played a significant role in the industry, and incorporating industry experience is crucial for kids to learn valuable skills. Local industry professionals volunteer their time to teach the students important skills. Chef Mike from Chef Mike’s Catering has taught knife handling skills and the CLC Culinary Instructor James Olson has shown them how to break down a chicken as well as how to debone it. Grand View Lodge chefs have also volunteered hours throughout the years, lending hands-on experience and knowledge.

Kitchen Warriors Club

Like the Culinary Program, the Kitchen Warriors is a new club on campus and is becoming a growing presence in the community. They recently participated in a fundraising event to help send the ProStart winning team to the national cooking competition. Students also recently helped celebrate the national school board by making a special dessert and presented it to them at the last meeting. The Kitchen Warriors are looking for new members at the high school.

ProStart Curriculum

These two culinary arts classes are taught using the industry-based National Restaurant Association program, ProStart. Some of the top students are part of the new

Kitchen Warriors Club, and will be competing in the annual ProStart Culinary Competition fundraiser. The jewel in the crown of the students who succeed in all the courses is the opportunity to earn the much prized ServSafe Food Handler Certification from Capstone to Culinary. These students are truly passionate about cooking and are career focused.

Why these classes are important

These classes give each student new tools for their toolbox of life, from how to handle a knife and making sure the room is spotless, to creating exquisite dishes. Students who take these classes are prepared for running a household or becoming a chef extraordinaire. Now that is something even parents will envy.

ScottMoser BHSClassof‘84 SeniorEstimator