A SPECIAL SECTION OF THE
2018
GRADUATION
Canton • Chatfield • Fountain • Harmony
• Houston • Lanesboro • Mabel •
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Ostrander • Peterson • Preston •
Rushford • Rushford Village • Spring
Valley • Whalan • Wykoff
Chatfield Fillmore Central
“Do not go where the path may lead;
go instead where there is no path
“Together, we have experienced life.
and leave a trail.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Separately, we will pursue our dreams. -Anonymous
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Forever, our memories will remain.”
Houston Kingsland
“Learn from yesterday. Live for today.
“If you can imagine it, you can achieve
Dream for tomorrow.” -Unknown
it. If you can dream it, you can become
it.” -William Arthur Ward
Lanesboro Mabel-Canton “Be who you are, not who the world
“Send me adrift on a sea of hope,
wants you to be.”
“Where Fillmore County News Comes First”
and I’ll set my sails to a new horizon.”
Rushford-Peterson “Be a good human being.” - Mitch
Weekly Edition
Monday, May 28, 2018
Volume 33 Issue 36
Thompson
Graduation Special Section inside today’s journal
Kingsland thanks many for their service page
3
One Moment, Please... The words of graduates page
4
Lanesboro school board discusses community meeting page
Fillmore Central board visits possibility of e-learning days
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page
21
Canton • Chatfield • Fountain • Harmony • Houston • Lanesboro • Mabel • Ostrander • Peterson • Preston • Rushford • Rushford Village • Spring Valley • Whalan • Wykoff
Chatfield scholarships Local member of USA Gymnastics is a role model honor science teacher By M ary L. A llen
mary@fillmorecountyjournal.com
The Chatfield School Board met on May 22, 2018, in room 122 in the high school. Board members present were Scott Backer, Amy Jeffers, Katie Priebe and Matt McMahon, along with Superintendent Harris, Administrative Assistant Lorri Lowrey, Craig Ihrke, elementary principal, and Randy Paulson, high school principal. Also present were student council members, Megan Hopp and Bennett Gathje. Board members Lanny Isensee and Jerry Chase were not present.
There were no board committee reports. The student senate members said their year is winding down and that new officers have been elected for the next school year. Under principal’s reports, high school principal Randy Paulson had many items of congratulations for the student body and staff. First was the first place win of the Rube Goldberg National Competition by nine Chatfield students coached by Nora Gathje. The FFA chapter was named best in state and will attend the See HONOR Page 2
R-P coaching hire procedure creates problems Among other competitions, Skyler Check, 12, competed at Chows Invitational in Des Moines on January 11, 2018, and at Regional Gymnastics Championships in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on April 20, 2018. Photo submitted By Barb Jeffers barb@fillmorecountyjournal.com
her coach Kristen Brooks, usually one to two days per week for three hours at a time at TNT Gymnastic in Waukon, and travels to Prairie de Chien for special training in the new facility. The hours spent training, traveling to her training facility and traveling to competitions along with her studies as a member of the seventh grade in Lanesboro, Minn., and multiple other activities such as basketball, volleyball, JO volleyball, track, FFA, 4-H, band, choir, showing horses and occasionally participating in rodeos would be overwhelming for some. “It can be very challenging See CHECK Page 7
kirsten@fillmorecountyjournal.com
At the Monday, May 21 Rushford-Peterson School Board meeting, two items were pulled from the consent agenda for further consideration. One of these was the recommended hiring of a head girls basketball coach. Last month, a similar discussion occurred over the potential hiring of a head boys basketball coach. At that time, Board Director Julie Koop asked whether or not there was a written policy in place regarding the hiring of coaches. Superintendent Chuck Ehler indicated a procedure was in place, but it was not documented in a written policy. The initial interview of the candidates for the girls coach was conducted by Ehler and Athletic Director Dan Bieberdorf. Following interviews,
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administration’s initial recommendation was to hire R-P teacher Jake Dahl and a verbal offer was made from Ehler to Dahl. Following that initial recommendation, administration opted to create an additional step to the hiring process by creating a seven-person interview committee, made up of five staff members, four of whom are coaches, Ehler, and Bieberdorf. “After we reflected on the interview process, we felt it was imperative to give both candidates equal opportunity and therefore we decided put that additional step in there,” explained Ehler. Coaching candidates were interviewed a second time and the top two candidates for the position were Dahl and area resident Matt Helgemoe. See COACHING HIRE Page 2
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At a mere 12 years of age Skyler Check has become a role model. In this young stage of her life there are many reasons other young people look up to her. When she was three years old, Check was participating in dance classes and had taken a gymnastics class. She continued with dance classes until she was 10 years old, when she felt she wanted a new and different challenge. Having had some experience with gymnastics and enjoying it, she decided that competitive gymnastics may be just what she was looking for, and two months
later she was competing. She has been very successful in her gymnastics career to this point, with many accolades. Although the preparation to compete and her schedule are very demanding, she is determined to reach the goals she sets for herself. “Every week USA Gymnastics ranks athletes on events and levels. After her first meet she was ranked 19th in the World in USA Gymnastics for her level on balance beam,” states her mom, Ashley Rinn. Check trains at TNT Gymnastics in Waukon, Iowa, and travels to their new state-of-theart gymnasium in Prairie du Chien, Wis., when possible. Check trains year-round with
By K irsten Zoellner