The Star News asked Superintendent Mark Bezek to size up what’s in store in 2016 for the Elk River Area School District. Below is Bezek’s response, which is broken into categories.

Board governance: The School Board is developing a new governance protocol. The noticeable difference will be greater concentration on developing the roles of School Board and administration. The School Board will dedicate more time to policy decisions, budget, and the administration will handle all operational decisions that keep the district running on a day to day basis.

As the district continues to grow, separation of duties and accountability need to change. The School Board is working with a consultant to help them transition into a form of policy governance.

Bonded construction: With the passage of the $100 million bond proposal in November 2014, (construction) will be in full swing this spring. Most of our buildings will be under construction throughout 2016. The most notable will be Elk River High School and Zimmerman High School, the Otsego E-8 school facility and auditoriums in Rogers and Zimmerman.

Upcoming boundary changes: The impending boundary changes (are) due to the overcrowding at Twin Lakes Elementary. These changes will affect all elementary and middle schools in the center of the district.

Legislative issues: The upcoming legislative session will be very important for the Elk River Area School District. We are one of the lowest funded districts in the state, and with the $2 billion surplus, we need our local legislators to step up to the plate for our students and employees. Once again we are proposing legislation that will help us in our financial condition.

District growth: History is starting to repeat itself. We are starting to see the beginning of the explosive growth that put us behind the financial 8-ball. We are focusing on the housing developments that are beginning to surface again across the district. We are continually looking for land for future school sites.

Worlds Best Workforce: We are carefully watching and protecting our World’s Best Workforce progress and report. This report is really the district’s report card to its constituents.

Strategic plan: We have taken on 15 results for the 2015-16 school year. We are in the fourth year of a 5-7 plan. We are showing great strides/progress on our plan.

Budget deficit: We have roughly a $2 million structural deficit in our budget projections. We are looking at all options and areas to be more efficient. We are presently looking at several possibilities that could help us in better meeting the needs of our learners by reallocating resources. We are exploring privatizing some of our non-certified positions and we have contracted with the District Management Council from Boston. This organization looks at how to deliver educational services more efficiently and effectively to lower level learners.

by Sue Webber

Contributing Writer

The Elk River School Board on Dec. 14 approved a $39.87 million levy for 2016. The levy amounts to a 2.3 percent increase in the school portion of property taxes over last year.

The general fund revenue is projected at $134.6 million, according to Joe Primus, the district’s manager of finance.

A total of 83 percent of the general fund revenue comes from the state, 3 percent comes from federal grants and 11 percent comes from property taxes, Primus said.

The largest part of the district’s expenditure – 81 percent – is allotted to salaries, wages and benefits, he said. Another 12 percent is allocated for services, 3 percent for supplies and 4 percent for building inspections and equipment.

Primus stressed that each of the five counties in District 728 sets its own property market values.

“The district has nothing to do with that,” he said.

Zimmerman resident Wendy Kowalski, the only person to speak during the public hearing, said: “I will happily pay my portion. Schools offer the future. Education is important.”

In a report at the start of the meeting, Superintendent Mark Bezek said district officials “try not to affect the classroom” as they work to balance the general fund budget.

Reiterating comments he made at a meeting in September, Bezek said, “The Legislature is the only group that can help us out.”

He noted that the state has a $2 billion surplus and that Elk River remains one of the lowest-funded school districts.

“We are $12 million below the metro average and $7 million below the state average,” Bezek said. “We have no more rabbits in the hat. Our explosive growth has put us behind the eight ball.

“Shame on us if we’re not proactive. And shame on the Legislature if they don’t help us.”

Legislators who represent the cities encompassing the Elk River School District, “all have to be tapped,” Bezek said.

Celebrate 85 years of education at the Handke Center in Elk River on Tuesday, Jan. 12. The event, featuring free food, fun and refreshments, runs from 4-7:30 p.m. at the Handke Center, 1170 Main St., Elk River.

The Handke Center, formerly Elk River High School, opened its doors on Jan. 12, 1931.

Handke has served every age level possible since then, and now it is the heart of the Elk River Area School District’s early childhood, Community Education and alternative programs.

Student: Haley Yoder

Parents: Kenton and Stefanie Yoder

List the activities you have participated in and tell of your proudest accomplishments: I participate in the Elk River Math Team and I am also a member of NHS. My proudest accomplishments are getting in the top 10 percent at the St. Cloud State math competition three years in a row.

What is your favorite class and why? What is your favorite subject? My favorite subject is math, but my favorite class is photography because it’s very calming.

What are your future plans? I don’t have any concrete plans, but I hope to attend a four-year college in the future.

What are your hobbies and/or personal interests? When I have free time, I enjoy photography and reading.

Who is your hero, if you have one, and why? My hero is my grandmother. She has been through so much in her life and she continues to be one of the kindest and most generous people I know.

Tell of a most memorable experience that relates to school, personal interests or a hobby: One of my most memorable experiences is going to the state math tournament my freshman year.

How do you demonstrate leadership? I demonstrate leadership through example. It tends to have a greater effect when others have someone’s example to follow.

How do you approach academics to achieve success? I approach academics with an open mind. It helps to remember that I’m very privileged to be able to attend school and get an education.

What special projects have you done, in or out of school? I do service work with St. Andrew’s Church at places such as Feed My Starving Children and Second Harvest Heartland.

Why do you think you won this award? I think I won this because of my academic success and leadership qualities.

What does it mean to you? It means a lot to me. I’m thankful that all my hard work is being acknowledged.

Globe plans to consolidate three Minnesota School of Business locations in the Maple Grove area

by Jim Boyle

Editor

Globe University announced on Wednesday to its students and staff it will be consolidating its operations of its Minnesota School of Business campuses in Elk River, Brooklyn Center and Plymouth at a yet-to-be determined location in the Maple Grove area.

“We are excited to let you know we are in the process of securing a new site for a campus to best serve the needs of students and employers in the Northwest suburbs,” Michelle Knoll, a senior marketing and communications manager for Globe, said in a memorandum. “While the new location will be a change from your current campus and routine, we are hopeful the change will be very positive.”

The announcement comes on the heels of Elk River Area School Board’s decision on Monday to give the District 728 administration the authority to draw up a purchase agreement with Globe University for the 31,200-square-foot Elk River Minnesota School of Business building and its surrounding property located just off Highway 169 and tucked behind a SuperAmerica gas station on 193rd Avenue.

District 728 officials would like to consolidate the district’s administrative staff that is spread across several buildings, provide for a lack of meeting and conference space, and end a four-year search for a new district office in downtown Elk River to replace the office that the district has outgrown.

“We’d like to bring everybody under one roof,” said Superintendent Mark Bezek, referring to the district office staff, service center staff and technology center staff. “The Minnesota School of Business building is much newer, will require less maintenance and make us much more efficient.”

Bezek has been in talks with Globe since this summer, when he learned of its desire to consolidate and sell its Elk River campus site.

“This fell into our lap,” Bezek said. “It’s the closest thing we have found that would meet our needs. It would set us up for a long time.”

School officials have considered partnering with Sherburne County as it moves forward with plans for an expansion of the county government center in western Elk River. It was also previously interested in several buildings in east Elk River. The closest match was the former Maxsun lighting store that Sportech purchased.

District officials even considered shutting down Parker Elementary School a few years ago and reconfiguring that for a district office and other uses but shied away, knowing that the district would be on the grow again someday.

The Elk River business school is about 25 percent larger than what the district needs today, but it would provide room to grow and take on other desired functions, such as a district welcome center or an office campus technology and help center for its online program.

The Elk River Area School District has a $3.5 million capital fund balance, which it could draw down by $1 million and finance the rest of the costs with an annual revenue stream of about $600,000 that it has used to build the fund balance.

Bezek and Greg Hein, the district’s executive director of business services, said they believe they could fund a loan and still have a fund balance and have at least $400,000 to cover capital needs that arise.

Selling the buildings the district would vacate could be used to accelerate payoff, or leasing could be used to help provide a revenue stream for other things, such as the general fund.

“This is a recommendation,” Bezek said of drawing up a purchase agreement with a school district attorney and Globe. “We would like to move forward. This is something that the board has to feel good about. I can’t buy property. The School Board can buy property.”

Most of the School Board members said to go for it, including Shane Steinbrecher, who has crunched the numbers to compare buying this facility to building new space. He concluded the district can get more space this way and have room grow. The other option would be to build onto a building or build its own building and get less space for the money.

Jane Bunting, the former board chairwoman, said her preference would be to look for a building that’s the right size and conserve as many dollars as possible to put more Chromebooks in the hands of students.

Holly Thompson, the new board chair, said she was not in favor of pursuing the business school.

“I have some concerns,” Thompson said. “I was at Sauk Rapids-Rice High School, and they have a district office tucked into the high school. We’ve had construction going on. We could have tucked in a D.O.”

Bezek said he’s not sure where the district could have done that and encouraged board members to consider that the district is likely to grow  its enrollment another 1,000-2,000 students in the next 10 years.

“There are huge advantages to having administrators under one roof,” he said. “We have people scattered because we never took care of the core business,and we’re going to grow. This will set us up for a long time.”

“Based on these numbers, I support this,” Steinbrecher said.

The next step will be working with an attorney to draw up a purchase agreement for district officials and Globe University officials to consider.

The business schools Glove University runs, like many college campuses across the country, have been experiencing a decline in enrollment. The Elk River campus had 500 students at its peak in 2011. There are 127 students currently enrolled at the Elk River business school.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota School of Business will be working to secure land in the Maple Grove area and to work with students currently enrolled to help them finish their programs.

With a new facility taking on three locations, Globe University believes the Minnesota School of Business can create a more robust experience for future students.

School officials there hope that by the end of 2016 or the beginning of 2017, they can move into a new facility.

Classes will be phased out at each of the other campuses as they march toward that date.

“Staff will work with students to develop plans to finish their program,” Knoll said. “Most will be able to finish it at the campus they are currently.”

Knoll said Globe is now in position to have open talks with the Elk River Area School District about its intent to sell.

“It’s a win-win,” she said.

by Jim Boyle

Editor

Members of the Sandhill Photography Club, a local photo club,  were recently asked by Handke Center’s 85th anniversary event planners to photograph the facility in preparation for the big celebration on Tuesday.

The Handke Center, formerly Elk River High School, opened its doors on Jan. 12, 1931. The event, featuring free food, fun and refreshments, will run from 4-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 12, at the Handke Center, 1170 Main St., Elk River.

“It was really exciting and interesting to create images of Handke Center because it is a fantastic historical building in Elk River and so well maintained,” Jay Grammond, the founder of the photography club, said. “There are so many architectural features inside and outside of this building that a person could really spend hours photographing it.”

Every age level has roamed the halls of the facility, whether it was original Elk River High School students who graduated in the 1930s, children at the turn of the century who came with their parents for early childhood special and regular education classes or seniors in their 90s taking a community education class to learn something new on computers or some topic of interest.

Grammond calls the building an amazing blend of old and new, from the old original boilers, pipes, coal storage rooms and controls in the infamous boiler room to the beautifully preserved main hallway and gymnasium in the original building to the fantastic year-old main entrance, offices and new classrooms in the newly constructed wing of the building.

He said his club members were honored to shoot the building and do something to give back to the community.

Among the photographers were Jay Grammond (http://www.jgrammondphotography.com), Patricia Nelson (http://www.nelson-arts.com) and Katie Raivala (http://raivala.com). Some of their photos of the education facility are featured here on this page.

“The work the club did in photographing the building adds to the historical legacy for future generations to celebrate this gem of a building,” Grammond said. “In 15 years, when people celebrate the 100th anniversary, people will be able to look at these images and see what things looked like, ‘back then.’”

In addition to club pictures that will be displayed, there will also be historic photos on display.

Event organizers also plan to “collect memories” at the event.

“Anyone who has a story to share of the their time at the Handke Center is invited to participate in a recording session,” event coordinator Erin Sweet said.

Grammond imagines many people will come to reminisce about their walks down the halls as students or teachers and the memories they made in classrooms while attending the school.

“Once the stroll down memory lane is done, a person could head down to the new Early Childhood Family Education wing to see all the wonderful changes that were made there to provide an even greater experience for our community’s youngest learners,” Grammond said.

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Photo by Jay Grammond “Catch The Kindness” is a project implemented by students of the Compass program at Handke Center. A new ring is added with a kindness written on it each time someone notices someone else doing a kindness to another person.

by Jim Boyle

Editor

The Elk River Area School Board members believe proposed boundary lines – to be unveiled Monday at their regularly scheduled business meeting – are on target.

That was the sense administrators walked away with after a work session to see how the proposal from an advisory committee is taking shape.

“We’re close,” Joe Stangler, the district’s administrator of research and assessment, said. “Unless something really different or unique comes up that we missed, we’re pretty close to the final product. I think we thought of everything.”

Stangler applied proposed changes to the current student enrollment to see what the student population would have looked like if new boundary lines were in place today.

What it comes down to is about 25 open-enrolled students would be asked to go to their nearest school or school of their choice that has room.

Another 53 interdistrict transfers would be reassigned to their home school based on boundary lines or use the district’s transfer policy to go to a different school of their choice where there’s available space.

And roughly another 75 to 125 students would be placed into a new attendance zone for either Parker or Lincoln elementary schools.

Fourth-grade students and their parents who decide they still want to attend Twin Lakes next year can, provided they provide transportation to the school.

With the board’s consent, Stangler will now apply the boundary line proposal to students as it would be this fall when the 2016-17 school year begins. Stangler will take into account that there are 45-50 fewer kindergartners than outgoing fifth-grade students making their way to middle school.

This next draft will be presented at the 7 p.m. Jan. 11 meeting at Elk River City Hall. There is a listening session at 6:30 p.m., but the purpose of the meeting is for the School Board to provide public feedback at the meeting and on cable television.

There will be a meeting on Jan. 26 to gather public feedback. Letters will go home to Twin Lakes parents advising them of this.

After that meeting, the 4004 Committee who recommended shaving 200 students from Twin Lakes enrollment next fall to prepare the school for the next five years will have one more look at it to consider any suggested changes or tweaks. Then it will go back to the School Board on Feb. 8 with final action expected on March 14.

School Board members discussed Monday the handling of open-enrolled students and two divergent concerns. One is whether an open-enrolled student would be allowed to stay and squeeze out somebody who has previously been within the school’s boundary.

Another concern was whether students being squeezed out by the changes would cause a loss of revenue for the district.

Ultimately, the board did not direct any changes to administration but will have a chance to comment again on Monday.

District officials and the committee want the changes to stick for five years and to be able to handle expected growth and avoid future overcrowding.

Superintendent Mark Bezek said 40-50 new homes a year are expected from one housing development alone that’s being platted for 1,700 homes.

“Eventually, we’ll need a school in the Ramsey area,” Bezek said.

Elk River City Council members voted to grant a conditional use permit for the Elk River Area School District to add a new gymnasium space and weight room on the north end of Elk River High School, east of the hockey arena.

Public voters approved that expansion as part of a districtwide bond referendum in November 2014.

Mayor John Dietz and Council Member Jennifer Wagner were looking ahead to future football seasons, noting the planned expansion will close off driveway access between the football stadium and a northeast parking lot on the campus.

“I presume they (the district) are ready to handle that communication with the public,” Wagner said.

The northeast parking area still could be used during events. The mayor said maybe doors toward the southern end of the expansion will be unlocked during football games to allow fans a direct path to the stadium rather than needing to walk around the new gym space’s exterior walls.

by Trevor Hass

Sports Reporter

The final math meet for the middle school league took place Jan. 11 at Salk Middle School. There were 65 students from the four district schools at the meet.

The hosts ended up winning the final meet, but season honors went to second-place Rogers and first-place VandenBerge. In many cases, students were pressed to learn previously unseen material at a pace that would be unheard of in a normal classroom.

Sixth graders were at the biggest disadvantage, as the vast majority of what was tested on was new to them. Because of this disadvantage, the top three sixth graders in the league were recognized for their efforts. The top scoring sixth grader was Lyndsey Redepenning from VandenBerge, with second and third place going to Rogers students Zach Mink and Giana Seminari, respectively.

To close the meet, awards were handed out to the Top 10 finishers in the league for the year. First place went to eighth grader Joshua Bauer from VandenBerge. There were five other students from VandenBerge in the Top 10. They were Sam Orgon (second), Mya Yoder (tied for third), Adam Eldredge (tied for fifth), Sophia Tobin (seventh) and Gabe Livingston (ninth).

Micah Kafka (tied for third) and Noah Paulsen (eighth) were award winners from Salk. Isaac Mize (tied for fifth) and Ritvik Kosuri (10th) represented Rogers in the Top 10. Mize’s finish was especially impressive as he was only present for four of the five meets.

All in all, Curt Michener, who was in charge of the league, said the first season went very smoothly.

“Much of that was because of the numerous Elk River high school math students who were willing to help run the meets,” Michener said. “Their help was truly appreciated by the coaches of the four teams.”

by Nate Gotlieb

Contributing Writer

The Elk River Area School District staff is recommending the School Board reassign about 140 Twin Lakes Elementary School students who live in the southwest corner of the school’s attendance zone to Parker and Lincoln elementary schools for next fall.

The committee is also recommending the School Board reassign about 85 open-enrolled and in-district transfer students from Twin Lakes to Parker and Lincoln.

The recommendations would bring Twin Lakes under its official capacity of 775 students, after the building reached more than 900 students this school year. They would allow the district to eliminate the assistant principal and third secretarial positions at the school, cutting about $150,000 in expenses.

The recommendations, presented in detail at Monday’s School Board meeting, would reduce overcrowding at Twin Lakes. District policy 4004 requires that a committee develop an action plan for the next year if a building exceeds its capacity by 15 percent or more, as Twin Lakes does this year.

The attendance-zone changes would impact three areas of the current Twin Lakes zone:

•A section bordered by Highway 169 on the west, Twin Lakes Road on the east, 171st Avenue on the south and 181st Avenue on the north. This area, predominately a townhome development, would be rezoned to Parker.

•The Pullman Development, which is at the southern end of the current Twin Lakes attendance zone. This area would be rezoned to Lincoln.

•The Northfork Development, which is the southeast corner of the Twin Lakes attendance zone. This would be rezoned to Lincoln.

The plan also recommends the district allow upcoming fifth-graders to remain at Twin Lakes through open enrollment and in-district transfer if their parents provide their own transportation.

The 4004 committee included parents, teachers and administrators from Twin Lakes, Lincoln, Parker and Meadowvale elementary schools. It met twice in November and recommended that the district reduce Twin Lakes’ enrollment by redrawing school boundaries.

Boundary lines     developed

The district last redrew its boundary lines before Twin Lakes opened in fall 2007. Enrollment at the school became an issue this year because of the addition of districtwide all-day kindergarten and a larger-than-expected increase in enrollment.

The number of students at Twin Lakes would increase to nearly 950 by 2019-20 if the district did nothing, according to Director of Research and Assessment Joe Stangler. In addition, the district is expecting developers to build more housing in the Twin Lakes attendance zone, leading to more potential crowding.

“This is not a one-year problem,” Stangler said. “The amount over capacity is only going to get worse in the future.”

Stangler presented the recommendations to the School Board on Monday, along with Director of Community Engagement Charlie Blesener and Twin Lakes teacher, parent and committee member Becky Herbert.

The recommendations would increase enrollment at Lincoln and Parker next school year, though both would remain under their official capacities. Lincoln has a capacity of 700 and about 500 students enrolled this year; the recommendations would bring its enrollment to 617 next school year.

Parker has a capacity of 600 and 488 students enrolled this school year. It would have an enrollment of 564 next school year.

Changes to last, but not forever

The 4004 policy requires that students not transfer schools more than once during their elementary-school careers. Stangler said he feels comfortable the proposed boundary changes would fulfill that requirement.

“(The developers) weren’t looking at building 120 homes in the first year,” he said. “They’re talking 30 to 40, and whether or not they achieve that remains to be seen.”

The recommendations would not change the number of full-time classroom teachers. Stangler said the need for specialists could increase because of the plan, leading to the worst-case scenario of an additional $20,000 in costs.

Attendance zone changes next year would apply only to elementary schools, not Salk and VandenBerge middle schools. The district will phase the changes into the middle schools.

The district is planning a first-class mailing to families who would be affected by boundary changes. It will hold a community input meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 26, at Twin Lakes.

The committee will present its final recommendations to the board on Feb. 8, and the board will take action on the final recommendation by March 14.

Visit http://www.elkriver.k12.mn.us/news.cfm?story=1872& school=0 for more information and a link to a presentation on the proposed changes.

District 728 Community Education has several speakers coming up in the James C. Church World War II History Series at the Handke Center in Elk River. Here’s a rundown.

•Sally Sudo, internment camp prisoner: 1:30-3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 17.

•Albert Takeshi Yamamoto, American teen stuck in Japan when war breaks out: 1:30-3 p.m. Sunday, March 6.

•Robert Wieman, U.S. Army A-26 attack plane occupation duty over Japan: 1:30-3 p.m. Sunday, March 13.

Cost for each event is $9 per individual or $15 per pair. To register, go to www.728communityed.com or call 763-241-3520.

This year students in Rana Nestrud’s Elk River High School Drawing 2 and 3 class drew portraits of children living in an orphanage in Madagascar.

The portraits are part of The Memory Project, a program started by Ben Schumacher, of Wisconsin.

The Memory Project is a nonprofit organization that invites art teachers and their students to create portraits for youth around the world who have faced substantial challenges, such as neglect, abuse, loss of parents and extreme poverty. It is a way of showing concern through artwork.

The portraits will be delivered to the children at the end of January.

“It’s important for students to give back to the community, whether it’s local or global,” Nestrud said. “It doesn’t have to require money — we can give back through our time and actions. My students used their skills in shading to complete the portraits. I am really proud of their work and commitment to the project.”

High school art program has its best year yet in the 2016 Minnesota Scholastic Art Awards

by Trevor Hass

Sports Reporter

Rogers High School students earned a total of 66 awards at the 2016 Minnesota Scholastic Art Awards. There were approximately 4,500 individual artwork entries. Rogers students claimed 28 of the 314 gold keys, 17 of the 304 silver keys and 21 of the 650 honorable mention awards.

Students who received gold key awards will have their works of art on display at Regis Center for the Art at the University of Minnesota from Feb. 2-20. The awards ceremony will take place Feb. 20 at the Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis. Best of Show and scholarship awards will also be announced at the ceremony, and gold key winners will advance to nationals.

Here’s rundown of the Gold Key winners from Rogers High School:

-Kayla Bolster, Drawing and Illustration, “2:00 AM”

-Kayla Bolster, Drawing and Illustration, “Dog Tired”

-Sophia Broz, Drawing and Illustration, “Agri King”

-Lucas Burney, Drawing and Illustration, “Scuba”

-Olivia Carlson, Painting, “Holding On To Fall”

-Taylor Dunleavy, Painting, “The Kid”

-Madeline Gruys, Drawing and Illustration, “Willow Trees”

-Emily Hanford, Painting, “A Pink Bug”

-Courtney Henderson, Painting, “Hwy 54”

-Rachel Hinz, Drawing and Illustration, “County Property”

-Marissa Kranitz, Drawing and Illustration, “Chinatown”

-Paige Larrabee, Painting, “Autumn”

-Kaitlyn LaVine, Drawing and Illustration, “Autumn”

-Jordan Maki, Jewelry, “Veined”

-Emma Navratil, Drawing and Illustration, “The Pier”

-Jessica Olson, Painting, “Chevrolet”

-Megan Otten, Drawing and Illustration, “Step After Step”

-Sydney Pettis, Drawing and Illustration, “Blue Chevy”

-Kaitlyn Reynolds, Drawing and Illustration, “43-57 Davis St.”

-Morgan Rgnonti, Painting, “Skurfing”

-Morgan Rgnonti, Drawing and Illustration, “Venice Beach”

-Mary Rooney, Painting, “Red Dodge”

-Breana Stang, Painting, “Taco Truck”

-Breana Stang, Painting, “After The Fire”

-Allsion Teasdale, Drawing and Illustration, “The Old Cab”

-Allison Teasdale, Drawing and Illustration, “George”

-Renisa Thielges, Painting, “Subway Ride”

-Savannah Wedell, Painting, “Beware the Snow”

 

VandenBerge Middle School held a career day last week, which featured professionals from 15 different career fields who students had the opportunity to question.

The first-time event on Jan. 8 was the culminating event on a unit for students researching careers and colleges. The eighth-grade students involved in the unit, who are preparing to register for high school, were asked to figure out how they are going to reach a job or career they desire.

They created a road map and discussed what events they will encounter along their journey from high school, through postsecondary education and ending with their career. The students also had to develop an understanding of the terms associated with colleges and then choose a college of their choice to research. They were to present on their college to classmates this week, allowing students to see a variety of colleges, both near and far.

“The students have been very inquisitive about high school and college, it has been great to see them start putting plans together for themselves and seeing their futures take shape,” social studies and AVID teacher Cindy Sykes said.

Students were able to sit in on presentations from area professionals who volunteered their time to share their expertise with them.

by Jim Boyle

Editor

Jane Bunting closed out her three-year run as chairwoman of the Elk River Area School Board on Jan. 4 with a tear in her eye and a crack in her voice.

The second-term member of the School Board decided on her own not to seek the post from her colleagues, having decided such a leadership position had to take a backseat to her and her husband Jay Bunting’s burgeoning business.

Wayzata Bay Spice Co. grew like crazy in the previous fiscal year, and it is already on target to surpass sales this fiscal year. Plus, there’s a new machine to fetch in China and a new product line that will package spices in packets rather than bottles for certain applications.

“That’s great news, but that also means you have to invest time and capital and a lot of senior management decisions,” Bunting said. “At some point, I had to decide to shift some of my attention elsewhere.”

Bunting, of Rogers, nominated Holly Thompson for the position of chairwoman at a Jan. 4 organizational meeting, and fellow School Board members followed her suggestion with a unanimous vote. The Zimmerman woman presided over her first televised meeting as School Board chairwoman on Jan. 11.

Thompson was first elected to the School Board in 2008. She has three kids attending school in Zimmerman, and she has been very active in the schools.

“Truly, I was hoping that Jane would continue as board chair,” Thompson said. “Her leadership has served the board well. I was willing to fulfill the role if she chose not to continue.”

One of the reasons she was willing is she believes the board is headed in the right direction with its focus on student achievement, World’s Best Workforce legislation and board governance.

“If it wasn’t headed in the right direction, I don’t know that I would want the position,” Thompson said. “Jane did such a good job. I just want to make sure we don’t miss a beat.”

As the former vice chair, Thompson has stepped in when Bunting has been gone. But Bunting’s decision to nominate her was about more than that.

“I absolutely feel the board supports her,” Bunting said. “When she gets into the numbers, you listen.”

Bunting also guaranteed that Thompson takes the job very seriously and is talking to constituents “constantly.”

Thompson is in the last year of her second four-year term, and Shane Steinbrecher, of Zimmerman, has become the new vice chair. Tony Walter, of Elk River, remains secretary and treasurer. Unlike years past, the town of residence wasn’t much of a consideration for board members when selecting officers.

On deck this year is getting through the process of changing boundary lines for Twin Lakes Elementary School, which were rolled out publicly for the first time on Jan. 11 and will be the topic of a special Jan. 26 public hearing.

Bunting says another big issue is policy governance that the School Board has been working on and continues to work with a consultant on.

“We need to be sure we are going to be the high-performing board that we want to be,” Bunting said

And the School Board needs to be ready for anything else that comes up, Bunting said, looking forward to it in her scaled-back position.

“The chair position is an incredible position,” Bunting said. “It doesn’t look like you’re doing much. You’re running meetings. The funny thing is the investment of time in between meetings is huge. And the other thing is you can’t plan for all of it. When things fire off, you have to be ready to grab and take hold.”

That’s the part of the job of a school board member that Buntings needs to let go of in 2016.

Her work as the chairwoman of the School Board took the front seat several times last year, when the former teacher, guidance counselor and businesswoman who founded the spice company 18 years felt pulled in two directions. She missed business trips to Seattle, Hawaii and China, where they met with manufacturers of the machine they now intend to buy.

Bunting expressed thankfulness and appreciation to the board for the personal and professional growth she experienced as the chairwoman.

She’s most proud of bringing all-day, every-day kindergarten to 5-year-old learners a year before the state did.

“The bottom line, it was meaningful to the kids, and it ties back to the fact that we want all the kids to be able to read by third grade,” she said. “Having been an English teacher in a prior life, that was really meaningful to me.”

Bunting is also proud of the strides the district made to unleash technology and the move to changes in board governance. She said districts are all over the map on where they are with technology in the classroom, but it became clear to her and other board members that Elk River was behind when they attended a national convention a few years back.

“We took the steps necessary to learn from those who had made giant strides,” Bunting said. “I can absolutely say under my leadership we continued to push the limits. Today, I feel like our kids are in a competitive realm and no longer behind. That’s huge. Not all boards were willing to take those risks.”

Bunting said the School Board began taking a hard look at governance during the last year, and it hasn’t entirely played out yet.

“The bottom line is it’s helping the board operate at a higher level of decision-making,” she said. “We have seen what happens in terms of not getting done what we need to when we’re playing at a lower end.

“We need to press the high points. The key here for us going forward, the new board governance will help us tie our work as a board back to the World’s Best Workforce.”

Bunting said one of the more trying times for her as board chair was walking through the delimiter process that helped show the organization it can change and do more with less.

“We don’t have to keep adding on,” she said.

Teary-eyed Bunting reflects back on run

After getting on the board, Bunting realized as a school board member you’re making big decisions and you’re working with a big budget.

“But it’s not until you sit in that seat and realize what you do and say impacts 13,000 kids,” Bunting said. “That may sound trite to some. It isn’t trite to me.

“As a former teacher and guidance counselor. I thought I was doing a lot for kids in those roles. Not to the numbers and not to the degree that I have been able to on the board and certainly as chair of the board. I really mean that with great sincerity.”

Personally, Bunting sees a link between her childhood, her family and the legacy she is leaving. The Minneapolis native who graduated from high school in Osseo said she remembers growing up and getting high praise from her parents and grandparents for success in school.

“I loved school,” she said.

She said she heard her grandpa’s nephew had been superintendent of the school in Osseo. The school Bunting graduated from has a varsity football field named after him: Carl Tonn Field.

“I remember how important it was to me that a member of my family had an impact on kids and education,” Bunting said. “It wasn’t just my own immediate family. I realized, guess what, anyone can have an opportunity to do that. It (has a) great meaning to me when I look back and say thank you for the opportunity.”

Bunting has three years left on her current board term. She was re-elected in 2014 when she ran unopposed.

She’s keen on working with the World’s Best Workforce document as a guiding light.

“I want every graduate to go out and have a plan,” Bunting said. “I know plans change, but we have kids that are graduating that don’t have a plan and we have kids that are graduating and are going to go to college just because they’re going to go to college. That could be a waste of money.

“We need to do more to help our kids get ready for after graduation. It’s not just the diploma that’s important. It’s what happens after that.”

District 728 Community Education is offering some new health-related classes this winter. They include:

• Taking Care of Yourself as a Parent: Nicole R. Ross, MS, a psychotherapist with the Creative Play Therapy Center will present this class from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 26, at the Handke Center in Elk River. The class is free, but RSVP at http://tinyurl.com/ECFE-Parent-Event.
• A six-session Intro to Karate class, taught by Professional Karate Studios, will run from 7:50-8:35 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, Jan. 26 through Feb. 11, at Lincoln Elementary School in Elk River. Cost is $49. A second six-session course will be offered March 1-22. To register, go to www.728communityed.com or call 763-241-3520.

by Jim Boyle

Editor

The Elk River Area School District will go out for bid soon on its voter-approved E-8 school in Otsego, and school officials are cautiously optimistic they will receive good bids.

The bids for the two-story, 122,000-square-foot school and early childhood wing are expected to be opened on Tuesday, Feb. 16.

Recent bid openings in Elk River and points north have come in “fantastic,” according to Vaughn Dierks, of Wold Architects and Engineers, who keeps an eye on the bidding landscape.

“It has been a little tougher in the cities, but here it has been great,” Dierks said. “Here in Elk River we’re on target and under budget so far.”

The projects to have been bid so far include Elk River High School’s expansion, the Zimmerman Middle/High School expansion and auditorium as well as the third wing to Rogers High School and an auditorium project there.

The Zimmerman Middle/High auditorium came in over its estimate due to change in scope and high auditorium costs. The Rogers auditorium came in over estimate, too, due to projected auditorium construction cost.

These projects, however, have been offset by bids for Elk River High School and the third wing of Rogers High School.

“Hopefully, the remaining bids will come in low, because they don’t involve any scope changes or auditorium style space where we experienced overages,” said Greg Hein, the district’s executive director of business services.

The $38.1 million Otsego facility will be the third to the last project to be bid.

The Otsego school is expected to open in the fall of 2017. It was proffered in the fall of 2014 to alleviate over-capacity enrollments at Otsego Elementary, Rogers Elementary, Hassan Elementary and Rogers Middle School.

Dierks said the school is being designed for expansion, so a third, two-story classroom wing could be added later.

Among the interesting facets of the building’s design are plans for the media center, which will be less of a destination and more of a hub to facilitate learning throughout more hours of the day.

“The time for learning is expanding,” Dierks said. “We want the school to be user friendly.”

That includes before and after school, and Wi-Fi is part of the equation.

The design of the school has been done in a way to keep the district’s options open for its future. The school could remain an E-8 facility for some time or it could transition into a middle school or elementary school.

Designers have also noted that the days of computer labs to provide a spot for computer technology are gone, and they are trying to facilitate future models of learning.

The early childhood wing at the Otsego school has been designed to have its own entrance and, once built, will complete the district’s effort to have early childhood centers across the district. The first was established at Handke in Elk River, and ones at Zimmerman and Rogers elementraries will also be created with proceeds from the bond referendum.

The early childhood centers in Rogers and Zimmerman will be the last of the 2014 referendum projects to go our for bid.

School administrators say the process for establishing school boundary lines will start in March.

Meanwhile, the work to get the site ready for a school with the necessary public improvements is moving right along.

A public hearing was held Jan. 11 at Otsego City Hall regarding the school being developed near the intersection of MacIver Avenue and 80th Street.

City Engineer Wagner presented a map of the project location and a public improvements overview.

The total estimated project cost is $1.01 million with the largest expenses being streets and trails ($528,804), interim lift station and force main ($118,415), total construction cost ($806,254) and the 15 percent fee of administration, legal, engineering costs ($120,938). The school district agrees to pay up to $1.1 million of improvement costs and the city has the option to assess District 728 for any costs that exceed $1.1 million.

Wagner expects plans and specs for the work to come forward in February with bids going out afterward. The bids for street construction, the interim lift station and water main are expected to be opened in March.

Construction of the four-month project will likely begin when the frost comes out in about April.

“The project can be accomplished as proposed and need not be constructed in conjunction with any other project,” Wagner said. “The proposed improvements are necessary, cost effective and feasible from a technical and engineering standpoint, and benefits the property proposed to be assessed.”

Comments were heard from resident Debbie Carron, who lives a half mile from the proposed school. Carron wanted to know the plans for traffic. Wagner said the school district hasn’t determined boundaries for students, so they weren’t sure what to expect at this time.

Resident Denny McAlpine wanted to know the intentions of 85th Street in the project. City Planner Dan Licht said the intent of the road is to go north of the property on 85th Street.

Resident Ben Bastyr questioned if the north half of the property for the school was going to be developed. Licht said only the south half of the property will be for the school building.

Student: Madison Odegaard

Parents: Rochelle and Erik Odegaard

List the activities you have participated in and tell of your proudest accomplishments: I participate in Elk River High School volleyball, in National Honor Society and in the Math League. My proudest accomplishments would be being the captain on my volleyball team for the last two years and also maintaining a GPA above 4.0. I am also a black belt in karate.

What is your favorite class and why? What is your favorite subject? My favorite classes are math and science. I am good at working with numbers and reasoning, so I enjoy it. These are also my favorite subjects because I love the challenge of finding the solution.

What are your future plans? My future plans are to go to college and eventually medical school. I currently hope to get a job and become a surgeon someday, but that could change.

What are your hobbies and/or personal interests? One of my hobbies is playing volleyball. I also enjoy being outside and doing outdoor activities. Shopping and hanging out with friends are also interests of mine.

Who is your hero, if you have one, and why? I don’t have one particular hero. My entire family are heroes, especially my parents. They are always there for me and support me. They demonstrate the importance of hard work and how it pays off.

Tell of a most memorable experience that relates to school, personal interests or a hobby: My most memorable experiences come from volleyball! Everything from bus rides to simply being on the court with some great people make it so memorable.

How do you demonstrate leadership? I demonstrate leadership in volleyball. I have been a captain for my team for the last two years. To be a good captain, I have had to lead my team and support them, both on the court and off.

How do you approach academics to achieve success? I take school very seriously and put any homework/studying well above my hobbies. I pay attention in class and make sure to ask any and all questions I might have. I put 110 percent effort on all my assignments and my grades show this.

What special projects have you done, in or out of school? The most special project I have done was in eighth grade. I worked alongside a microbiologist at the U of M. I tested different acne medications on bacteria to see which is most effective on one’s face.

Why do you think you won this award? I think I won this award because I am a good leader and hardworking student. I always put forth my best effort.

What does it mean to you? It means a lot to me that I am being recognized by my teachers for my hard work!

by Nate Gotlieb

Contributing Writer

Elk River AP art students are honoring Martin Luther King Jr. this month with artworks inspired by the civil rights leader’s teachings and messages.

The students created pieces for an annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day gallery, which is on display at Union Congregational Church through Jan. 31.

The church began hosting the gallery five years ago, when the Rev. Dana Mann approached teacher Rana Nestrud about displaying the works in connection with a concert. The church places a big emphasis on social justice, member LuAnn Suilmann said, and the gallery gave it a visual reminder of its work on that front.

“It helps us to connect more deeply with the work of Dr. King,” she said, “and it’s nice for the students to have exposure.”

Nestrud keeps the annual assignment open ended, allowing the students to use different mediums and images. She takes the students on a virtual field trip to the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, and they talk about the key figures and milestones of the period.

Many students featured a portrait of King in their works. Some used color, while others kept their works black and white.

Senior Julia Abell created a black-and-white print portrait of King.

She painted the phrase “I am a man” over his face in homage to the sanitation workers’ movement of the 1960s.

“I wanted it to feel like a propaganda poster and to portray the idea that red, white or black, we’re all humans and we’re all on the same level,” Abell said. “America is about equality and freedom, and I think Martin Luther King was a big leader in finding that in our country.”

Senior Addy Audette also created a black-and-white portrait of King.

She wrote the phrase “let freedom ring” next to his head and painted over newspaper clippings with words that represent King.

“I just wanted it to be bold and standout, just like his message,” she said.

Senior Ally Harris said King provided a message of hope, noting how his story can empower people to create positive change. She said she enjoyed seeing her work, a black-and-white portrait of King, hanging in a gallery. Audette noted how King went against the norms of his time and how many Americans are still fighting for the ideals for which he stood.

“We’re all human and we should all be treated equally,” she said.

“Remembering it each year just helps to bring back to life his thoughts and ideas.”

The church is hosting the gallery through Jan. 31. Exhibit hours are 10 a.m. to noon Sundays and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

The public is welcome. Contact the church office at 763-441-1203 or via email at churchoffice@elkriverucc.org with questions. The church is located at 1118 Fourth St.

A HONOR ROLL

Grade 6

Elianna Aberra, Emma Bengtson, Madison Bentley, Brianna Bergren, Kristen Borchert, Michael Brown, Timothy Duthler, Isabella Ebner, Carli Elrod, Timothy Erickson, Gavin Gould, Kyle Haben, Noelle Hensel, Phoebe Holmes, Matthew Johnson, Emily Knollenberg, Katelyn Kolyer, Brooke Larsen, Gabriella McDonald, Elizabeth Norberg, Ella Opay, Gabrielle Orth, Gabrielle Rinowski, McKenna Ritter, Sophia Shamp, Titus Skistad, Brooke Swaja, Gavin Tuckey, Jessica White, Emily Wilder, Alexa Zuniga

Grade 7

Lisa Algaard, Brady Beltrand, Anastasia Benassi, Carly Benge, Benjamin Bergley, Shelby Bray, Sidney Brenteson, Bailey Brown, Ella Burfeind, Leah Burney, Kalie Clark, Frances Dahl, Jacob DeMond, Emily Dopp, Ginger Downey, Cassandra Duthler, Adrienne Foell, Mason Gates, Phoebe Glenn, Katelyn Gramstad, Xavier Groth, Olivia Guse, Anita Hanchar, Abram Harvey, Grace Henrie, Ellaine Henry, Brady Jakubiec, Rachel Johnson, Cole Killeen, Zachary Knapp, Klara Kondrak, Madeleine Loewenstein, Isabelle Martin, Kayla Niedzielski, Morgan Novotny, Anthony Olson, Katherine Olson, Jonah Palm, Lauren Peckham, Reinier Radtke, Judah Rogers, Logan Schumacher, Brenna Seagren, Olivia Selley, Cameron Weitnauer, Addison Westermeyer, Callie Wuollet, Aaron Ziebarth

Grade 8

McKenzie Alders, Madeline Anderson, Sierra Anderson, Martha Bergley, Elizabeth Berry, Kaylee Betzler, Kelly Blancett, Tristan Christiaansen, Andrew DeBoer, Megan Denker, Isabella Dorval, Isaiah Drew, Natalie Duerr, Julia Fahrner, Emily Fearing, Jonathan Gertz, Lynnda Haben, Abigail Hansen, Carter Hansen, Andrew Hattling, Margaret Heino, Savannah Henning, Mallory Henry, Kaylee Johnson, Benjamin Knollenberg, William Koch, Audrey Kotek, Maxwell Lawrence, Veronica Lee, Katherine Lemcke, Ernest Miller, Abigail Montgomery, Noah Ritter, Kirstin Robbins, Caleb Rogers, Nicole Sagstetter, Noah Schaber, Shayla Schaible, Parker Schelske, Cameron Sundstrom, Jacob Swaja, Alexis Wallace, Lauren White, Camille Wilder, Diana Wright

Grade 9

Carter Allard, Annamarie Andreasen, Paul Andreasen, Ethan Aune, Matthew Behrens, Branden Bergren, Sophie Brenna, Kayla Brown, Parker Brown, Paige Buley, Elizabeth Chaffin, Toben DeHaan, Adam Devine, Aidan Eck, Donovan Eidem, Cole Elrod, Brea Fahrner, Emma Galligher, Parker Gangl, Adam Giddings, Tara Gleason, Emily Halverson, Marlene Henry, Hailey Johnson, Kyla Johnson, Noura Kassem, Anthony Kath, Jacob Kettelhodt, Zachary Kopp, Matthew Kruse, Gretchen Larson, Glen Lee, Fisher Marberg, Victoria McCoy, Alicia Moening, Huy Nguyen, Maria Novotny, Julia Olson, Kirsten Olson, Desmond Orton, Camden Sharp, Blake Smith, Alexander Staricka, Lydia Suiter, Josie Sumner, Evelynn Szakatits, Devin Trampel, Gabriel Uecker, Courtney Waterhouse, Miranda Wenndt, Karsten Williams, Sophia Zimmerman

Grade 10

Katriel Anthony, Sarah Blahoski, Erin Bozich, Emily Brueckner, Jefferey Buck, Elizabeth Davis, Olivia Foell, Jennifer Gilbertson, Lauren Gillquist, Max Gleason, Isabella Gorecki, Annika Haas, Caitlin Hackbarth, Elizabeth Hackbarth, Noah Hansen, Benjamin Harvey, Emma Heino, Jena Jakubiec, Hannah Johnson, Rebecca Lambert, Payton Loewenstein, Catherine Mahanna, Anna McGlone, Alexis Reese, Elizabeth Rogers, Nevin Sagstetter, Morgan Schelske, Austin Wolden

Grade 11

Kayla Averbeck, Hayley Balmanno, Travis Bondy, Zachary Clark, Victor Diekman, Elijah Ehr, Peyton Foster, Dylan Gregersen, Leo Grotte, Sarah Harvell, Sidney Henry, Clay Jackson, Davey Jackson, Holly Johnson, Annika Koch, Benjamin Kopp, Nicole Larson, Kira Lorensen, Kelly Mitchell, Holly Mohlencamp, Lydia Nesser, Clarissa Olson, Olivia Rice, Aidan Riley, D’Lorah Roberts, Hannah Skistad, Zoe Suiter, Kelton Sundstrom, Joel Zimmerman

Grade 12

Jessica Averbeck, Madeline Bursch, Jennifer Cralley, Leah Dehn, Noelle Diekman, Connor Hansen, Madeline Hays, Jami Jensen, Zachary Knollenberg, Emmanuelle Kreger, Jordan Marschke, Megan McCarty, Marie Miller, Michaela Moen, Ryan Pribnow, Isabel Riley, Kassidi Robbins, Ryan Swanson

B HONOR ROLL

Grade 6

Blake Becker, Noah Benassi, Sophia Bernard, Emma Borgerding, Evan Brenna, Avae Burfeind, Abby Castle, Matthew Castle, Keira Christoffer, Kaylee Drew, Keely Duell, Ethan Evans, Carter Femrite, Madelyn Fern, Marissa Frischholz, Mackenzie Gruber, Ilyssa Gutierrez, Kristoffer Gutierrez, Leyla Hadjdjelloul, Mikita Hanchar, Makayla Harmer, Elijah Hoehn, Riley Johnson, Aiden Larson, Martin Le, Samuel Lemcke, Ashley Meyer, Grace Mielke, Grace Negus, Mara Olson, Brendan Perkins, Ella Peterson, Gina Ponto, Holly Ponto, Jordyn Risse, Alexander Russell, Lauren Sandberg, Zoie Schaefer, Jenna Schaible, Rachel Schlueter, Sophia Schomaker, Leah Sharp, Jacob Stevens, Liliana Stolte, Marlo Sumner, Grace Sykes, Audrey Tice, Aaron Van Wyhe, Gracie Vinlove, Wyatt Ward, Harvey Widder, Greta Wright, Ali Yarke

Grade 7

Elias Aberra, Kane Abts, Megan Andersen, Gavin Anderson, Erica Brueckner, Brenden Conroy, Thomas DeBoer, Noyemin Gradinar, Amara Greenberg, Harrisen Grotte, Alexander Hansen, Andrew Hipsag, Alia Hitchcock, Jack Kaluza, Ella Kring, Lucas Landberg, Olivia Larson, Peter Larson, Chase Lusignan, Kieran Mahanna, Molly Majeres, Ellie Matthews, Elizabeth McCoy, Lukas Meyer, Liam Morgan, Ashlee Ogren, Jacob Olson, Noah Peterson, Daniel Reed, Zachary Reese, Kieran Riley, Faith Roley, Grace Sepulveda, Dylan Smith, Samantha Stromstad, Bailey Stull, Jaxson Waknitz, Allyson Weldon, Ari Wilson

Grade 8

Braydon Ashfeld, Alexandra Bennett, Bryce Bozich, Ryan Brown, Christopher Buck, Calvin Burda, Jade Clarine, Lindsey Garrison, Victoria Goepferd, Alanna Grady, Rachel Greeler, Ethan Guse, Gavin Haag, Bethanie Hinkley, Ross Hoehn, Marissa Hoffarth, Valerie Keiner, MaKenna Langley, Gunner Maas, Kaylee Marchand, Hailey May, Anna Meehl, Tori Mercer, Cassie Pederson, Rachel Roberts, Thomas Russell, Noah Schlueter, Nicholas Schomaker, Carter Smith, Grayden Snyder, Anita Staupe, Usa Stiller, Lily Stone, Anna Suiter, Abigail Thompson, Andrew Yarke

Grade 9

Zoe Behnken, Callie Bernardson, Maiya Cappelli, Samuel Cooper, Carsten Cross, Hannah Dertinger, Alexander Ebner, Benjamen Erickson, Chandler Gapinski, Susanna Gradinar, Marcus Grund, Preston Holmes, Maxwell Hoyt, Blake Jarvis, Logan Johnson, Samuel Koppendrayer, Kayli Luna, Sophia Martinson, Meghan McClay, Grace Norman, Blaine Olson, Callison Olson, Zachary Olson, Somwati Persaud, Adrian Peterson, Sanibel Randolph, Connor Reed, Hallie Reierson, Chloe Roley, Rhea Schumacher, Cole Schwinghammer, Spencer Shryock, Adam Stoddard, David Swanson, Cody Thein, Keagan Wilson

Grade 10

Zackary Anderson, Jack Averill, Ryan Barnier, Michael Benolkin, Addisen Betzler, Bailey Christoffer, Paige Erickson, Julia Foy, Alex Glenn, Jacob Harrison, Lauren Kappes, Brenton Lawrence, Katya Loehlein, Gabriel Neiss, Jonathan Pachl, Brittani Robbins, Conner Sharp, Caleb Springfield, Parker Stockwell, Arejanna Tenold, Madyson Waknitz, Samuel White

Grade 11

Colten Bakken, Taylor Duell, Treyton Harmer, Devin Jarvis, Alisa Johnson, Ashley Krutzig, Eastan Lieberg, Jasmine Nelson, Micah Pachl, Michael Reed, Malli Strong, Brendan VanAlstyne, Brynne Walk

Grade 12

Laura Aldrich, Daniel Balcom, Daniel Benolkin, Devon Burns, Micah Foy, Camden Goepferd, Nathaniel Hackbarth, Scott Hagen, McKenzie Johnson, Ryan Killeen, Jonathan McDonald, Gwenhwyfar Polkinghorne, Nathan Roberts, Samuel Score, Daniel Spaulding, Eric Swarm, Katrina Williams, Cassandra Ziebarth