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POSTAL PATRON
“Where Fillmore County News Comes First” Weekly Edition
Commissioners discuss upcoming legislative priorities with legislators page
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Spring Valley ambulance page
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Monday, February 29, 2016
Fillmore Central offers extended school year page
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Volume 31 Issue 23
Options for vacant liquor store site page
Advanced refunding of bonds
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Canton • Chatfield • Fountain • Harmony • Houston • Lanesboro • Mabel • Ostrander • Peterson • Preston • Rushford • Rushford Village • Spring Valley • Whalan • Wykoff
The life of Kaitlyn By Jason Sethre jason@fillmorecountyjournal.com
The Kindergarten Me I am 5 years old. I like to eat pizza. My favorite book is Cinderella. My favorite color is pink. I would like to visit Arizona. When I grow up, I want to be cheerleader. My favorite sport is volleyball. My pet is dog & fish. I am special because my parents love me. My favorite T.V. show is Aladdin. What I like best about me...just me. One thing I would like to learn to do is play volleyball. Within a dark blue spiral-bound midnight-bluecovered book contains 13 pages scripted by a young lady who was born on February 26, 1999. These were Kaitlyn Helene Hansen’s words when she was five-years-old while attending Mabel-Canton Elementary School. There were so many things Kaitlyn looked forward to in
her bright future. Memories Kevin and Georgeanne Hansen, her parents, have held onto this 13-page book as
a memory of Kaitlyn. There are many memories of Kaitlyn present in the house. Her cheerleading uniform hangs in the living room. Her
dog, Tiny, sleeps on a doggy bed by the television. “Tiny would always listen to Kaitlyn,” said Georgeanne. At the age of 16, she was a cheerleader and a very talented musician. While attending Fillmore Central High School, she played the clarinet, flute and piccolo instruments. She also sang in the choir. And, she worked with other students to assist with the Meals on Wheels program. She was a caring and giving person. At the age of 16, Kaitlyn was living up to many of her ambitions expressed at the age of five. Her father, Kevin, recalled a violin missing one string that they had at their home. Kaitlyn took the violin See LIFE OF KAITLYN Page 2
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Photos above left to right, clockwise: Kaitlyn Hansen’s Fillmore Central Class photograph, the backside of a shirt prepared by boyfriend Joe Ellringer, her Kindergarten book cover with an inside page about her interests and aspirations when she was five-years-old, a medallion in recognition of her organ donation, and her Minnesota Driver’s License indicating her distinction as an organ donor. Photos submitted
Lanesboro students rank well in PSATs By H annah Wingert hannah@fillmorecountyjournal.com
The Lanesboro School Board met on February 18 at 7 p.m. All board members were present. The minutes of the January 21 meeting were reviewed and approved. The treasurer’s report was read by Lolly Melander and approved. The current bank balance for the district is $301,771.11. Athletic director Jody Peterson was present at the meeting to give her report to the board. Peterson said that the high school seniors
have been actively asking her about scholarships. She has been helping them find information and applications, as well as directing them to look for more opportunities online. The PSAT results came back for the 10th and 11th grades. The 10th grade was ranked at 65% compared to other 10th graders across the country, and met the benchmarks for both reading and math. The 11th grade was ranked at 82% and also met the benchmarks for See PSAT Page 7
R-P Board approves principal contracts; teacher termination By K irsten Zoellner kirsten@fillmorecountyjournal.com
At the Monday, February 22 meeting, the Rushford-Peterson School Board debated several items of new business related to contracts and evaluations, but the most contentious discussion was in regard to the non-renewal of the Career Tech/Vocational Agriculture Teacher position. First up for the board was approval of both the Superintendent Evaluation and School Board Self-Evaluation forms. Both forms were developed and reviewed in the last years, coming as a recommendation from the Minnesota School Board Association (MNSBA). Board Director Dean Mierau questioned whether soliciting anonymous student or
teacher input on the superintendent’s role would be beneficial. Board Director Val Howe, who attended the MNSBA conference with Director Joyce Iverson and brought back the evaluation recommendations, noted that doing so may prove problematic. “It opens up a can of worms. The MNSBA doesn’t recommend it.” Howe also indicated the reasoning stems from a he said/she said scenario that can consume substantial investigative time. Director Julie Koop stated that the board had looked into allowing the input, but in looking for comparative data and guidance from other boards within the state that the ratio of those that allowed it was 50/50. “There was See TERMINATION Page 10
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