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CIRCLE PINES: Council expresses concern with simultaneous projects PAGE 5
Centennial Fire District considers options for future BY SHANNON GRANHOLM LEAD EDITOR
TROOP 136 | SUBMITTED
Outdoor time–honored tradition Webelos from Pack 432 and Scouts from Troop 136 recently joined other Twin Cities area Scouts for an outdoor time-honored tradition. The winter relay race, called the Klondike Derby, is modeled after the Klondike Gold Rush and has been part of Scouting since 1949. See more photos on page 12.
Changes may be in store for the Centennial Fire District. Last spring, the Centennial Fire District (CFD) Steering Committee authorized Fitch & Associates to complete an operations study to evaluate options for organizational structure and how to provide the best coverage for the best price. The study was necessary to plan for the future of the district after both Assistant Chief David Bruder and Chief Harlan Lundstrom retired. Fitch & Associates, a consulting company that specializes in emergency services and serves clients around the world, began the study in August. A firm representative presented the company’s findings and recommendations to the committee at a special meeting held Feb. 11. Bruce Moeller, a senior consultant with Fitch & Associates, said that CFD has a unique situation in that the municipalities of Circle Pines and Centerville are 7.4 miles apart. “In between the two stations is a large area that you don’t protect. You have got a big donut hole, and that’s a challenge for you.” When CFD was established in 1985, it served and was funded by the three cities of Lino Lakes, Circle Pines and Centerville. In 2014, the city of Lino Lakes decided to leave the district and form its own public safety department. SEE FIRE DISTRICT, PAGE 6
Centennial steps up mental health resources amid pandemic Although mental health has long been a focus at Centennial Schools, the district has ramped up its resources available to students and their families during the pandemic. Navigating distance learning has been a challenge, and even students who have been consistent academic achievers are struggling. “Mental health is so vital. We have posters up that say, ‘I
care more about how you are doing than your grades.’ We try to let kids know that. It's really hard, because parents are so invested in their kids’ grades, but we see the other side of it when kids are struggling,” said Heather Trettel, a counselor at Centennial High School. Counselors and teachers can usually detect when a student just doesn’t seem quite like themselves when they are in person, but distance learning has made that more difficult.
“We are blind more than we have ever been.” Heather Trettel Counselor at Centennial High School “We are blind more than we have ever been,” Trettel explained. “I think the fact that we can't see kids every day and discern their mental health
has been really hard, so we just implore families to do lots of check-ins with their kids.” One of the newest resources the district has launched is the “resource locker” on the district’s website. The locker includes a variety of resources for mental health and well-being, medical and health care, learning and enrichment from home, technology, equity and more. At the middle school, counselor Mary Macken
SEE MENTAL HEALTH, PAGE 3
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explained that the school uses a “team” approach. On a weekly — sometimes bi-weekly — basis, a group of teachers and staff meet to discuss any concerns. “It really allows us to get a picture of the whole child,” Macken said. At the high school level, students were surveyed about their needs and struggles. Trettel said the overarching theme was that students were nervous about their grades and the future. District staff
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BY SHANNON GRANHOLM LEAD EDITOR