Read about St. Francis Area Schools staff changes Pages 3, 4, 24
St. Francis Area Schools Retiree Recognition Page 11
Area Summer Celebrations & Events Page 15-20
Page 32
WWW.THE-COURIER.ORG | NEWS@ISD15.ORG
JULY 2018 | VOLUME 25, ISSUE 11
The Courier
Class of 2018 Commencement
St. Francis Area Schools Communications Department St. Francis, Minnesota Serving the communities of Andover, Athens Township, Bethel, East Bethel, Linwood Township, Nowthen, Oak Grove, St. Francis and Stanford Township
Building Our Future Together Update for July 2018 LISA RAHN
ST. FRANCIS AREA SCHOOLS COMMUNITY EDUCATION DIRECTOR BOND OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE
St. Francis High School stadium bleachers and track resurfacing projects are underway. The track project is funded from long-term facilities maintenance revenue, not bond-related dollars. The improvements to the stadium bleachers will bring this facility into accessibility compliance, which was part of the November 2017 approved bond referendum. The school district benefits from efficient use of resources and coordinated timelines when projects occur at the same location, at the same time. These projects will wrap up before the start of school in the fall. The community’s patience is very much appreciated as the stadium facility is closed during construction.
PHOTOS BY KARL LEE, ICS CONSULTING, INC. PROJECT MANAGER
As we head into the summer months, school is out, students and most of the staff have left the buildings and work on bond referendum projects continues. The design process with user groups set a goal of getting staff involvement completed prior to the end of the school year and worked diligently to do so. Once planning was completed in these groups, updated concept plans were distributed to all user group members before the school year ended. Concept designs were presented to the school board on May 29 for St. Francis High School, St. Francis Middle School, St. Francis Elementary School and East Bethel Community School. Wold Architects partner Vaughn Dierks along with Chris Ziemer, project director for ICS Consulting, Inc., provided a packet of information from each location outlining renovations and additions, including a site map and floor plan. These designs are available on the district website at www.isd15.org/bond. All St. Francis Area Schools are scheduled to be updated and design submittals will be coming in the future for the remainder of the schools. Districtwide, schools will have one secure entry, interior spaces will maximize natural light and air quality will be improved. Renovations are being designed so that all St. Francis Area Schools will feel modern, clean and updated. Interior circulation and connectivity will be improved, utilizing signage and logos to help orient building occupants. A cohesive color scheme will be uniform across the district, displaying school pride and creating a sense of branding. Flex spaces throughout classroom areas will be versatile and common areas will be
easily supervised. The passing of the $80M bond referendum in November 2017 is funding the safety, security, accessibility and educational space needs across the school district. The timeline for completion of all projects is 2021. The first project to be completed is bleacher replacement at the high school stadium, which will be in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements. Over the summer, plans will be developed from the schematic design phase to design development phase and then to construction documents phase. Upon completion of each phase, plans and estimates will be reviewed with the Bond Oversight Committee and school board. Other progress you will be seeing over the summer is the Long Term Maintenance Facility Revenue projects, which are not funded by of the November 2017 bond referendum. The high school track resurfacing project started June 11, beginning with the removal of the old track surface. During construction this area will be off limits to unauthorized personnel. The middle school tennis court reconstruction began June 18. Look for before and after pictures on our district website. Thank you to St. Francis Area Schools residents and stakeholders for passing the bond referendum in November 2017. We hope you are excited to see the progress as we build our future together.
Inside Schools in Action..................................... 2 School Board Highlights...................... 11 Community & Business........................ 13 Sports & Outdoors................................ 22 Community Education......................... 24 Meetings, Events & Benefits................. 26 Life........................................................... 27