A Honor Roll Zimmerman Middle School – 4th Quarter 2016-2017

Grade 6 – Amelia Acker, Rebekah Anderson, Hailey Becker, Chloe Belanger, Sadie Benjamin, Chase Berwald, Kelsey Bibeau, Justin Blazevic, Carmen Boyer, Abby Buermann, Rayna Cabak, Brianna Carlson, Pieper Christiaansen, Cora Conrad, Danielle Dekok, Hunter Dipprey, Jenna Findell, Claire Firkus, Maggie Fischbach, Cole Gibeau, Max Gostonczik, William Grangroth, Ashley Gruwell, Isaac Hagen, Caitlyn Hanlon, Angelina Hansen, Ashlynn Hauth, Natalie Hayes, Karly Hermanson, Caitlin Herrmann, Olivia Hiltner, Merrilee Hofstede, Brooks Howard, Tatum Hupalo, Amaya Jackson, Lily Jendro, Elizabeth Kerzman, Kayla Kowalski, Louise Kritzeck, Talia Kuss, Madelyn Lehman, Kaylee Leider, Lindsay Lewis, Payton McEachern, Jack Montplaisir, Chase Morrissette, Marissa Oberfeld, Eryn Olson, Kenneth Olson, Cole Orgon, Mishima Padilla, Samantha Paulsen, Ella Pouliot, Rhylee Reimann, Cora Reschke, Reese Rivers, Elena Roberts, Karyn Rzeszutek, Chase Sabinske, Ashley Sendzik, Audrey Smith, Shailyn Solle, Trevor Sweet, Natalie Thompson, Wyatt Tschida, Christine Waage, Sarita Watson, Dylan Weller, Treyton Wibeto, Tyler Wick, Sophia Williams, Reed Zahler, Hailee Zimpel

Grade 7 –  Tyler Aderman, Kelsi Anderson, Gretchen Andresen, Michaela Beaver, Abigail Benson, Lauren Bondhus, Lauren Brooks, Allison Brostrom, Calan Bushinger, Caden Curtis, Madeline Dahl, Brandon Deal, Emily Dordal, Tristyn Erdman, Emma Flaten, Aubrey Gamache, Sydney Graf, Grace Guentzel, Heather Hawkins, Kiana Helland-Boriboune, Abigail Holien, Avery Hollan, Luke Inman, Connor Janowiec, Meagan Jentzsch, Kenneth Jones, Trevor Jones, Austin Kitzberger, Carter Kluge, Marley Knight, Nataysia Koehler, Mark Kucherov, Elizabeth Kuker, Abigail Larson, Katelyn Lawliss, Morgan Malecha, Tiffany Maschler, Addison McBroom, Ekaternia Miller, Nina Moll, Karlee Monteleone, Gavin Neubauer, Jayna Newcomb, Samuel Norland, Peyton Opsahl, Breanne Plude, Gavyn Popejoy, Aurora Rahn, Olivia Rotz, Rachel Rotz, Josephine Rowley, Sydney Sayre, Molli Shannon, Hannah Smith, Abigail Steinbrecher, Bethany Szlavich, Eliana Tiggelaar, Abigail Valencia, Benjamin Welle, Elle Werner, Ella Williams, Kayla Zinken

Grade 8 – Grace Baker, Avery Berg, Abbey Brady, Sylvia Cabak, Kaylee Clifton, Alexander Cromwell, Anna Deitz, Jack Firkus, Joseph Fox, Bjorn Franke, Kai Franke, Nils Franke, Ella Haas, Carly Hanlon, Rachael Hartley, Cole Hinton, Gabriella Hormann, Cambell Jenson, Isabelle Johnson, Logan Johnson, Mitchel Kimpton, Polly Kritzek, Crystal Li, Shannon Mattson, Anikka Miller, Melissa Muckenhirn, Carson Nolan, McKenzie Olene, Haruka Padilla, Ryan Peters, Cheradin Ralph, Ryan Reinking, Scott Rickard, Dylan Rogers, Adyson Roman, Sierra Rosby, Lana Schultz, Miranda Schwieger, Innka Simonovich, Sophia Smith, Drew Tempesta, Lucie Thompson, Rachel Waage, Ava Wark, Nicole Weekley, Kaitlyn Wehmeyer, Kyla Wiley, Olivia Williams, Jonathan Wilson, Joshua Wisness, Bryant Yanta

B Honor Roll Zimmerman Middle School –  4th Quarter 2016 – 2017

Grade 6 – Jack Abrahamson, Ryland Anderson, Kaiden Arieta, Alyssa Bardwell, Jenna Berglund, Gracie Blaedorn, MacKenzie Bosquez, Jade Cash, Matthew Chaney, McKenna Christ, Ava Ende, Isabelle Fischer, Matthew Freeberg, Carter Haas, Drew Halland, Owen Harding, Jessica Hartigan, Ryland Higgins, Charles Hokanson, Selina Jeffers, Leah Lahmers, Jacob Lambres, Gaven Leach, Ty Mansfield, Gretchen Mattson, Kelsey Miller, Autumn Murphy, Lacey Nauber, Kalitia Neumiller, Blake Nordlund, Rocco Olson, Henry Paulsen, William Rachel, Makenna Rotz, Sierra Sheets, Kaden Shortell, Chase Skramstad, Brock Snow, Caden Spence, Gracie Steffes, Samuel Williams, Benjamin Woodruff, Trinity Zortman

Grade 7 –  Carter Anderson, Abby Barthel, Holly Bath, Samuel Benjamin, Richie Bray, DeLaney Carlson, Dylan Carlson, Ariel Cassady, Jayger Cordes, Braxtin Crawford, Haylee Ellingson, Madyson Fischer, Cecilia Galeano, Abigail Gau, Heather Gordon, Lane Halland, Jayden Harris, Brenen Howard, Bailey Isaacson, Zachary Karnes, Lydia Keskey, Riley Klick, Ella Kostrzewski, Lucas LaVigne, Andrea MacDonald, Ty Mager, Kellen Martin, John McCullough, Brynn Miller, Rileigh Miller, Grace Murphy, Corbin Nelson, Mara Olson, Aiden Pardino, Brooklyn Riddel, Tristian Rinehart, Rylan Rivers, Blake Schumann, Daunte Sellers, Abigail Sterling-Morlock, Armonti Suggs, Alayna Swirtz, Emma Teal, Sarah Tucker, Isaiah Wagner

Grade 8 – Ryan Aanonsen, Emily Baker, Avery Bakke, Ryan Bouley, Alyse Brouhard, Abbey Callison, Sebastian Carcione, Lucas Carlson, Hunter Dvorak, Emmalee Ellingson, Makenna Elphick, Kenneth Fenstermaker, Ilus Gallay, Lylli Hakola, Braydon Haugland, Cody Hiltner, Bryan Hoerr, Autum Hullermann, Lilienne Ihla, Trevor Jorgenson, Sophia MacDonald, Joseph Montplaisir, Lyrik Peacock, Wyatt Petron, Micheal Richter, Kayleen Rollins, Jocelyn Sailor, Cheyenne Schaible, Andrea Schneider, Jacob Swirtz, , Christian Wells, Landon Wesloh

A Honor Roll Zimmerman High School – 2^nd Semester 2016 – 2017

Grade 9 – Avary Anderson, Elisabeth Anderson, Samantha Andresen, Kayden Baldridge, Bailey Benner, Rachel Bickman, Thomas Britt, Taylor Burke, Cole Carbert, Joseph Diegnau, Ella Dipprey, Ashley Dittberner, Miguel Ebel, Gavin Ericson, Hunter Fladung, Courtney Gordon, Nicole Gruwell, Elizabeth Hendrickson, Julia Hiatt, Ashley Hoheisel, Josie Janu, Blake Johnson, Maili Kamruzzaman, Payton Knight, Molly Knutson, Alyssa Koch, Dayton Koehler, Evelina Kucherov, Abigale Larson, Amber Larson, Sara Ligneel, Laura Mager, Amber Moll, Annika Neitzer, Cooper Nelson, Hannah Nelson, Jacob Olson, Joshua Palashewski, Sydney Payeur, Nicole Pearce, Abigail Pecholt, Grace Peterson, Hailee Peterson, Jolie Putnam, Mason Riddel, Matthew Rotz, Corina Sandy, Parker Schelske, Brody Schultz, Noel Spence, Adeline Tiggelaar, Dillon Tucker, Kaylee Turney, Timothy Vorobyev, Jamison Ward, Joseph Zaidi

Grade 10 – Nateale Ammann, Anna Beard, Alexis Berg, Cheresa Bouley, Ian Carlin, MaKayla Christ, Connor Cook, Alyssa Daugherty, Jacob Deal, Delaney Dekok, Margo Drew, Brady Gibeau, Carter Giese, Karissa Heyer, Sydney Hicks, Katelin Jacob, Jacob Johnson, Madalyn Johnson, Kinsey Lage, Allison Larson, Hannah Larson, McKenna Miller, Natalie Miller, Miranda Muckenhirn, Noah Nelson, Caden Neubauer, Alexis O’Connor, Abby Paulus, Hunter Peterson, Lindsay Phillips, Hadley Roman, Clay Sandy, Timothy Schermann, Johnathan Steinke, Blane Stumpf, Hope Wiley, Gabriella Wilson, Hannah Wudtke, Allison Ziesmer

Grade 11 – Taylor Abrahamson, Leah Benz, Jason Bratkov, Justin Brown, Nathen Carlin, Isabella Crego, Brendan Dahl, Maison Dipprey, Brandon Dobosenski, Kacia Dooley, Samuel Eglund, Emilie Filiatrault, Thomas Haupert, Sarah Hendrickson, Ryan Hermanson, Brooklyn Horkey, Zachary Jacob, Kayli Johnson, Benjamin Kuker, Alexis Laurent, Zane Luing, Amanda Mager, Dylan Martin, Andrew Olinger, Chikara Padilla, Jacob Pensinger, Austin Robinson, Justin Robinson, Emily Ryding, Rebecca Schmit, Payton Scott, Caitlin Steiskal, Makenna Upton, Ryan Walz, Mikaela Wharton, Alissa Wilbur, Adina Willis, Kevin Winkels

Grade 12 – Jarret Anderson, Treyton Bieber, Morgan Bronken, Bryce Caswell, Melissa Certa, Jackie Charles, Kailey Denzer, Kaydia Dewey, Isaac Fordahl, Arica Forsti, Tanner Frederick, Thunder Heyer, Camryn Keymes, Reid Kopitzke, Marcus Kovatovich, Alexis Larson, Gerald Mager, Emily Maschler, Haydon Miller, Madelyn Muckenhirn, Dylan Olerich, Brian Rajchel, Greta Rosini, Deanna Schultz, Makayla Schwieger, Mikayla Sonterre, Mikayla Swigart, Kelsie Tufto, Emily VanWyhe, Danielle Williams

B Honor Roll Zimmerman High School – 1^st Semester 2016 – 2017

9^th Grade – Aleah Boyer, Emily Dalrymple, Dustin Dittberner, Haley Donley, Bailey Emery, Madeline Feigum, Paige Findell, Olyvia Fondie, Cody Frederick, Samuel Freeberg, Bailey Giffen, Dylan Hicks, Brett Howard, Amber Knapp, Brooke Knapp, Jackson Lietha, Joseph Manthey, Madison Naatz, Jordan Nauber, Hunter Nelson, Parker Nelson, Daniel Nicosia, Wyatt Norby, Alyson Olerich, Morgan Olson, Garrett Peters, William Pouliot, Jordana Rost, Lilya Rozhik, Kendall Schottenbauer, Matthew Stachowski, Aaren Vrana, Gabrielle Weber, Dominic Wehmhoff, Thomas Wiley

10^th Grade – Peyton Ahner, Lindsey Bennett, Cade Bondhus, Mikayla Brooking, Hunter Budeau, Tucker Budreau, Joseph Culbertson, Paul Dehnhoff, Cade Dering, Timothy Gruis, Dane Harberts, Michael Johann, Ruvim Kucherov, Clayton Lawliss, Anna Lokhorst, Chloe Loudon, Madilynn Mathison, Bradley Mattson, Ryan Mueller, Jacob Murphy, Mariah Nord, Benjamin Nye, Mikayla Pramann,  Jay Rickard, Olivia Robinson, Eilysha Rosario, Noah Rotz, Alisa Simonovich, Robert Stephany, Luke Sundeen, Britney Ventsch, Laura Waage, Jude Werner, Alexander Zillmer

11^th Grade – Nathaniel Boyer, Lindsey Briggs, Zachary Brooks, Savannah Elphick, Peyton Gillispie, Brett Gordon, Madison Guimont, Alyssa Hanlon, Blake Howard, Marissa Jenson, Kylee Johnson, Nicholas Kliever, Tyes Laidlaw, Dylan Larrabee, Maggie Larson, Joseph Leider, Heidi Lietha, Dallas Loneman, Ilea May, Riley McKnight, Mya Miller, Luke Morin, Savannah Olson, Steven Peters, MaKayla Pool, Andrea Ruether, Andrew Thompson, Nathan Thompson, Megan Vensland, Clayten Voeller, Jesse White, Colton Wrobel, Cassidy Young, Damon Ziebarth

12^th Grade –Cassandra Boucher, Amber Boutin, Hunter Braford, Tanicia Broberg, Evan Carr, Trey Chambers, Jonas Davis, Hannah Dordal, Robert Gross, Rylie Hinrichs, Abigail Johnson, Elizabeth Johnson, Alyssa Kalisch, Alexander Karnes, Kaleb Kliever, Haley Kline, Ilona Kucherov, Elizabeth Merwin, Damien Pearce, Johnathon Roark, Alexander Russell, Calvin Waterhouse, Chandler Wellman

8^TH GRADE 4^TH QUARTER “A” HONOR ROLL – SALK MIDDLE SCHOOL

Derek Aasheim, Matthew Aho, Claire Anderson, Nolan Anderson, Isabella Anderson-Cufre, Sophia Anderson-Cufre, Josie Babcock, Ellyson Bahr, Dylan Ball, Emily Baumer, Colin Bedbury, Michael Belair, Harvey Bergstrom, Madison Blomberg, MacKenzie Bloom, Blake Boedigheimer, Alexis Burstad, Davin Byman, Devyn Cain, Greta Carlson, Talen Carlson, Mary Charboneau, Abigail Charleson, Alexa Cloutier, Daniel Cockcroft, Micah Collins, Shelby Conrad, Rachel Crawford, Natalie Dahlheimer, Abigail Debes, Maddison Dennison, Coleton Diekow, Emily Ditter, Cooper Donat, Ellis Donat, Samantha Eagle, Sydney Eidem, Madison Erickson, Jack Farrar, Faith Fausone, Allison Fischer, Ava Friese, Mason Gates, Olivia Gregory, Joseph Gustafson, Aleigha Hallas, Gregory Hanegraaf, Morgan Heinen, Brady Heuer, Quinten Hidde, Amy Hoskins, Jordan Hund, Zachary Jacobs, Zachary James, Isabella Jeanetta, Neiko Jeanetta, Tanner Jenni, Ameliyah Jensen, Benjamin Johnson, Cordelia Johnson, Elizabeth Johnson, Mackenzie Johnson, Rachael Johnston, Bennett Jordan, Samantha Jung, Thomas Katter, Jordan Keith, Marni Keith, Brayden Kempel, Alexandra Klocker, Jenna Korinek, Hannah Kotila, Kylie Kruse, Phyllis LaClare, Annabelle Langton, Ryleigh LaPlante, Shaun Lee, Sophia Lee, Lucy Leither, Abbie Lohn, Ashley Lupien, Alexander Lutz, Elaina Maass, Megan Madsen, Luke McCurdy, Jessica Medenwaldt, Taylor Meneley, Emmett Miller, Lexi Milless, Patrick Moos, Jadyn Mossengren, Ellie Norton, Graham Norton, Brianna Olson, Emma Olson, Heather Olson, Charlotte Oudekerk, Callie Patraw, Noah Paulsen, Grant Paulson, Alfreda Payne, Karl Pederson, Cody Peterman, Samuel Polston, Kathryn Porter, Hanna Rissman, Aidan Robeck, Andrew Saxon, Thomas Schirmers, Emily Schrader, Addisyn Schuster, Avery Schuster, Kailey Sherratt, Ethan Spanier, Connor Springer, Connor St Aubin, Ella Stephan, Blake Storbakken, Demitri Stotler, Colton Strain, Landon Straus, Lindsay Strecker, Josephine Stubbs, Alyssa Suchy, Madilyn Thorkildson, Peter Trace, Regan VanAvery, Annabelle Volkers, Hailey Walz, Amanda Weber, Rikayla West, Kyle Wicht, Mackenzi Widman, Mallory Williams, Sydney Wojcieszak, William Xiong, Julianna Yang, MacKenzie Zachman

8^TH GRADE 4^TH QUARTER “B” HONOR ROLL – SALK MIDDLE SCHOOL

Zachary Albert, Pablow Aleksandrowicz, Gunnar Anderson, Wyatt Arbogast, Tyler Bjella, Eric Boysen, Chase Brandenburg, Gage Clem, Cora Coz, Kyle Damke, Parker Davies, Ainsley Davis, Brooklyn Dolan, Sarah Fausch, Dylan Garrison, Matthew Gearou, Kate Goenner, Khaliana Gray, Cole Groebner, Benjamin Groth, Macy Hanson, Tiana Hince, Dylan Hopkins, Morgan Horton, Logan Huewe, Madelin Kleven, Lyndsey Korst, Karina Kpahn, Nicholas Larson, Samuel Maves, Brynn McDaniel, Alexander Meehl, Gavin Melcher, Brent Netland, Zachary Nordquist, Carter Otto, Cooper Oudekerk, Elijah Pangborn, Haley Rosenberg, Amelia Ruby, Treyton, Smith, Wessly Stanley, Mason Starr, Diana Strelchuk, Tyler Trembath, Brayden Vetvick, Anna Walentiny, Brennan Wallace, Sabrina Xiong, Trinity Yarke-Blood

7^TH GRADE 4^TH QUARTER “A” HONOR ROLL – SALK MIDDLE SCHOOL

Oluwademilade Adebayo, Rowan Agosto, Rachel Agyei, Ella Anderson, Makenna Anderson, Allison Arndt, Autumn Barthel, John Belair, Abigail Berg, Kristian Berquist, Cadence Bever, Grace Boswell, Ruby Bowen, Jada Brodzinski, Kerigan Brooks, Danielle Bruemmer, Nathaniel Buhl, Catherine Bunker, Dru Bunn, Garrett Carlson, Nathan Carter, Bonita Chokdee, Madelyn Christian, Caitlin Cramer, Paige Crawford, Emma Czech, Iain Davis, Levi Donat, Alexis Duke, Gunnar Ecklund, Haelyn Eggert, Jordan Emerson, Ty Erickson, Claire Flahaven, Jack Flahaven, Alicia Ford, Jonah Fossum, Brayden Frank, Anders Freborg, Morgan Fritch, Marcus Fritel, Haley Gallup, Emma Gangl, Drew Girtz, Kolby Givens, Elizabeth Glemming, Kayden Grassel, Macy Hageman, Morgan Hagen, Lindsey Hanson, Garrett Harris, Sonja Hassing, Brett Haugland, Katelyn Hilary, Daniel Ijadimbola, Maxwell James, Blake Johnson, Caleb Johnson, Courtney Johnson, Preston Jordan, Caden Kanenwisher, Hope Kanenwisher, Lauren Keckeisen, Jaedon Kerr, Isaac Kraft, Margaret Krueger, Bryan Kubicka, Lilly Lassek, Cameron Lehmann, Samuel Lillestrand, Emma Loretz, Leah Lundeen, Rhea Main, Ashanti Maksimenko, Parker Mathewson, Haddyn Mayer, Elijah Montague, Jailyn Moody, Elizabeth Moretto, Olivia Mujica, Jade Murray, Kayleigh Nelson, Ella Ovall, Yvette Oyagi, Aiden Paynter, Emily Peterman, Abby Peterson, Desiree Peterson, Joshua Porter, Emma Powell-Muntean, Amanda Purcell, Alan Quaid, Shane Rademacher, Jaime Radke, Austin Ramert, Zoe Rammer, Abigail Rekstad, Trinity Richards, Anna Riewe, Kayla Ring, Emily Rossmeisl, Taylor Rossmeisl, Savannah Roux, Cheyanne Rudolph, Luke Rumreich, Ayodamola Samuel, Kaelyn Sauter, Felicia Schall, Kaitlyn Schlink, Brock Schmertman, Dylan Schuster, Jackson Skyberg, Addy Soukup, MaKenzy Straughn, Liahnue Tarpeh, Adelynn Taylor, Fridley Thao, Madison Tveit, Elaina Varney, Kolbi Vasseur, April Volkers, Ryan Weatherly, Mackenzie Weber, Emma Weisgram, Annika Wozney

7^TH GRADE 4^TH QUARTER “B” HONOR ROLL – SALK MIDDLE SCHOOL

Darlene Abeln, Matthew Alexander, Isabelle Bantz, Nolan Barnes, Lucy Beecher, Corey Bengtson, Derek Brittan, Parker Carlson, Cooper Christian, Ashton Dakis, Kai DoBrava, Riley Duenow, Jacob Dukatz, Johann Eirich, Matthew Ferry, Zachary Finch, Caleb Gillquist, Summer Hackenmueller, Zander Hall, Anton Harlander, Kayden Harris, Carter Hasbrook, Julien Hendershott, Shaughnessy Henry, Ashley Hess, Aidan Hillebregt, Samuel Hughes, Faith Hurley, Kelly Kla-Diihbah, Matthew Knudson, Jossalyn Lindenfelser, Hope Lockrem, Brooke Marks, Jack Matter, Gavin Miller, Madeline Mitchell, Eli Nelson, Keegan Nelson, Bernie Nnadi, Alexia Novack, Mason Olofson, Olivia Olson, Trent Olson, Jaida Perri, Calvin Phung, Jackson Plucinak, Madison Poorker, Brandon Ramert, Connor Rolfes, Rose Sailor, Jackson Schaffer, Shane Staeheli, Karina Strelchuk, Connor Theisen, Bryce Thompson, Linnea Trost, Ekin Vang, Zoey Wirz, Maxwell Yantes, Brooke Zehnder

6^TH GRADE 4^TH QUARTER “A” HONOR ROLL – SALK MIDDLE SCHOOL

Anuoluwapo Adekunle, Adeoluwatoni Adeogun, Amy Arita, Davis Artisensi-Skime, Karen Balabon, Ethan Bassett, Jack Battig, John Baumgarten, Mackenzie Beck, Jayda Belisle, Owen Bergman, Maya Bixby, Elena Bohlsen, Lara Bolduc, Tristan Borum, Ivy Brandenburg, Lylah Branscom, Daisy Brendel, Leah Brown, Jason Bruemmer, Ava Burstad, Nels Byman, Genevieve Charboneau, Logan Chouinard, Mandy Christy, Carissa Chute, Alina Cirlan, Stuart Cleaveland, Madeline Collins, Grady Dahl, Tyler Dahlstrom, Kaelyn Diehl, Carissa Edman, Olivia Ek, Jessica Emerson, Isabella Eng, Carley Fischer, Jace Flansburg, Hannah Frazer, Lilian Fritze, Abigail Gates, Haley Gilbert, Lauren Gregory, Peyton Hagen, Madelyn Hegge, Linnea Hesse, Tristan Hill, Zoe Hoard, Trey Houghton, Andi Huselid, Torii Irwin, Kaylynn Jess, Sarah Jide, Oluwatoyosi Johnson, Jane Kotila, Emerson Kowalkowski, Matthew Krueger, Alfred Larson, Mayci Larson, Mylin Lemke, Charlotte Lempka, Alex Lietha, Rachel Lin, Savannah Mancheski-Williams, Emma McCauley, Alexa Melcher, Sarah Minke, Avery Mortenson, Nikita Muhonen, Natalie Murphy, Aaliyah Nelson, Alexandra Neuenfeldt, Dakota Nix, Zoe Olson, Cade Osterman, Alex Palmer, Cody Paulsen, Caleb Pederson, Logan Peterson, Anesha Rahman, Shiva Rajesh, Garrett Reighard, Megan Rice, Colin Ritter, Alexis Roppe, Brady Rusch, Rachel Ryan, Kaelyn Sacre, Mia Sarkinen, Autumn Schaaf, Averi Schirmers, Chloe Schneider, McKenna Schwake, Joel Seethaler, Amelia Smith, Jaelyn Sorenson, Brynn Spanier, Jack Stenerson, Ami Stewart, Grant Stoltman, Benjamin Stout, Julia Sutherland, Isabella Ternus, Joseph Tessman, Ali-Yaaj Thor, Erika Tietz, Ava Trombley, Kayla Vang, Lindsey Varney, Jacob Vogel, Luke Voigt, Allie Voit, Taylor Voit, Madison Williams, Elias Yoder, Elsay Yoder, Calvin Yonak, Nora Zak, Regan Zak, Sage Zuchowski

6^TH GRADE 4^TH QUARTER “B” HONOR ROLL – SALK MIDDLE SCHOOL

Emma Adkisson, Trevor Albu, Makayla Anderson, Alexander Artmann, Tristan Backlin, Kaitlyn Bahneman, Jared Balluff, Matthew Beaudry, Thaniel Bentz, Brian Berg, Zachary Berns, Emily Beyer, Madelyn Black, Aubrey Bolduc, Elias Boudinot, Cayden Casey, Carter Cotch, Hannah Curry, Lucas Daleiden, Andrew Delcourt, Camden DeRuyter, Emma Diamond, Ashlynn Erickson, James Faircloth, Sigrid Freborg, Hannah Gregersen, Carson Haack, Samantha Hawk, Kyla Jackson, Hunter Jasper, Benjamin Johnson, Abhinav Kaila, Dominic Kos, Kaylee Kotzer, Jacob Kunkel, Anthony LaCock, Alvin Leiu, Olivia Marquez, Liza McCurdy, Parker Mielke, Grace Moos, Toby Narr, Jack Nelson, Alayna Ness, Emma Ness, Micah Newlin, Carter Osgood, Samantha Peterson, Samantha Philmalee, Samuel Ranallo, Hailey Rath, Taylor Reimann, Blake Rinehart, Hailey Rinehart, Rayford Ritter, Gavin Rossmeisl, Samuel Skoog, Jacob Tentis, Nicholas Tentis, Tate Thole, Addeson Thomforde, Ella Thomsen, Cole Trembath, Faith Vanderbilt, Jordan Wagenfeld, Carlee Weicht, Drew Weiler, Jacob Yang, Faith Yothers, Brady Zimmerman, Mikenzee Zins

Elk River High School Grade 9 “A” Honor Roll
Calvin Artmann, Megan Averill, Jaures Ayumba, Ashley Ballou, Emily Balluff, Joshua Bauer, Abigail Bense,
Molly Bense, Meghan Bentz, Elijah Bicek, Adam Boeckermann, Kaylee Bonk, Alexander Bray, Johanna
Breyen, Snow Bryner, Gregory Bury, Liam Carr, Connor Clausen, Lauren Conzet, Madelyn Cramer, Kelly
Crocker, Katelyn Dee, Gracelyn Dilley, Evelyne Dmitruk, Genna Dow, Allison Dwyer, Adam Eldredge,
Bartholomew Engvall, Samuel Erickson, Elayne Ernst, Jami Feist, Jack Ferry, Abigail Filipiak, Tate
Fluguear, Rachel Ford, Abigail Fritschel, Paige Gangl, Nicklaus Gill, John Gintz, Annie Givens, Kennedy
Gleason, Elijah Greenberg, Benjamin Grundman, Nicholas Gulden, Lydia Haack, Adam Hague, Cassandra
Hall, Samantha Halter, Anson Hanna, Samuel Hansen, Carter Hanson, Hannah Harder, Kira Haus, Hannah
Hawley, Joshua Hebrink, Sophia Hemphill, Grace Hendrickson, Andrew Herrboldt, Clarissa Hilary, Rhetta
Hillukka, Hannah Hilyar, Troy Hinz, Seth Hopkins, Alyson Hovda, Tyler Hudson, Savannah Hulse, Delaney
Huntley, Anders Johnson, Audrey Johnson, Cassandra Johnson, Elisabeth Johnson, Mickiah Johnson, Nisa
Kedrowski, Moira Kirschbaum, Savanah Klegon, Jonathan Kovach, Joshua Koziol, Isabella Krueger, James
Krzesowiak, Christian Kubicka, Anthony Kutzer, William Lillestrand, Grace Lofquist, Bryce Loidolt, Nathan
Loretz, Allison Lundeen, Isaac Maki, Michael Mattson, Makayla Melchior, Jack Milless, Sidney Mitchell,
Wyatt Morin, Sean Mynahan, Bradley Nelson, Isabel Nelson, Emily Nierengarten, Joseph Nordstrom,
Kaden Odegaard, Amelia Olson, Samuel Orgon, Alicia Palmer, Kara Paulsen, Abigail Peterson, Nice
Plasabas, Kaylin Plautz, Amber Pomeroy, Jadon Purcell, Sergey Rabikau, Alexis Rademacher, Blake
Rademacher, Alan Rincon, Greta Rivers, Sydney Robertson, Cole Ronallo, Beau Ruby, Elizabeth
Rumreich, Alejandro Rydberg, Makenna Sacre, Owen Sailor, Sebastian Salazar Santor, Paul Schmitz,
Alaina Schoenfelder, Erin Schunk, Victoria Schwieters, Emily Scott, Jacob Shaheen, Ethan Sharp, Devon
Shaw, Abigail Skoog, Abbey Smith, Zachary Stroh, Kaylee Sullivan, Joseph Thorkildson, Charity Timm,
Jessica Timm, Megan VanDrehle, Benjamin Verdick, Emily Vetter, Levi Voigt, Jessica Weisgram

Elk River High School Grade 9 “B” Honor Roll
Olivia Ackerman, Cooper Adcock, Savannah Albu, Albis Almanzar, Skylar Antil, Trisha Averill, Mitchell
Bakken, Emily Banker, Abigail Barschdorf, Kyle Berg, Izzabella Brouhard, Kodi Buckley, Makayla Buckley,
Rebecca Buckley, Taylor Byars, Addison Casey, Brendan Chermack, Jake Cunningham, Jackson
Danielowski, Evan Darnell, Tyler Deeg, Jason Domer, Jace Donnelly, Matthew Duitsman, Tyson Dusosky,
Aalyse Eik, Alexa Engebretson, Isabelle Estrada, Morgan Gacke, Ava Gagnon, John Gannon, Samera
Graves-Lambert, Olivia Grev, Isabel Gruhlke, Adam Gulden, Grady Haferbecker, Jaida Hagen, Aria
Hanson, Jack Hipsag, Allison Horn, Jaylynn Hovanetz, Jonathan Hughes, Tyler Hughes, Isaac Hultberg,
Eric Ingham, Halle Johnson, Alyssa Kosbau, Michael Kotzer, Noah Kramer, Jake Krauth, Emma LaFlamme,
Maxwell Lassek, Regan Lassle, Aric Lindgren, Kayla Lingman, Ellie Loe, Taylor Majeres, Hunter McClay,
Zachary Michaelis, Alexa Moen, Mataya Mose, Tennison Mueller, Robert Nelson, Kaytlin Nething,
Bridget Niemi, Mahalia Norton, Hayley Oestreich, Miles Olofson, Micah Olson, Kaiden Poling, Colton
Pool, Allison Potts, Emily Reimann, Sophia Riewe, Karsen Risse, Ashley Romero, Katelyn Sampson, Hailey
Sandberg, Codi Schminkey, Marianne Schoen, Jamison Skoog, Alex Springman, Leah Stanislawski, Tristan
Steinke, Gillian Telfer, Elijah Thompson, Evan VanEps, Ashley Werner, William Yang, Michelyn Zappa

Elk River High School Grade 10 “A” Honor Roll
Anna Alex, Michael Almich, Neely Anderson, Joseph Anderson, Lafayette Bade, Alexis Beck, Kelsey
Bielefeld, Kelli Boe, Chloe Brunkow, Gabrielle Brunkow, Erin Buerke, Katherine Buhl, Janine Bury, Joseph
Butterfield, Grant Carlson, Lindsey Carlson, Annica Carr, Camryn Chouinard, Larkin Clem, Annabelle
Czech, Isabel Davis, Deanna Dokken, Hanna Dorff, Gabrielle Eatherton, Obiamalu Egbujor, Charles
Eldredge, Joseph Foss, Angel Fredin, Alexis Friesen, Jason Frost, Hannah Goede, Jacie Gordon, Ally
Gramstad, Jazmyn Gray, Benjamin Greni, Ava Grimm, Lucas Gustafson, MyKenna Haley, Alexis Hanson,
Tyler Hanson, Grace Hanson, Madalyn Hembre, Kayden Hendrickson, Riley Hogan, Dylan Hollom, Alina
Hrytskevich, Samuel Hund, Annabel Inman, Carly Jagodzinski, Michael Jarmoluk, Sydney Johnson,
Michael Johnson, Madeline Johnson, Donna Johnson, Hannah Johnson, Sarah Johnson, Alyona Juntunen,
Hamdi Kasim, Kelli Keyser, Kelsey King, Taylor Kline, Katarina Kraljic, Julia Kramer, Kalee Krippner, Joey
Kunkel, Alexis Lane, Mitchell Larson, Madeline LaVallee, Alexandra Lee, Sophia Leither, Peyton Lorentz,
Ryan Madsen, Riley Mathis, Kallie Middleton, Evan Miller, Madison Mitzuk, Mitchell Muniz, Kwamboka
Ndege, Selena Nelson, Cassandra Neuenfeldt, Shelby Novotny, Jade Ochu, Elizabeth Olson, Jacob Palm,
Malia Peacock, Julia Pierce, Tyler Powell, Sydney Redepenning, Arica Reesman, Miranda Reierson,
Samantha Reiner, Sofia Rivers, Alaina Rossum, Ashton Salfrank, Austin Salfrank, Josephine Schaaf, Cole
Schaal, Ethan Schultz, Katie Schwegman, Elana Sederholm, Afnan Siddique, Jack Simmons, Eli Smith,
Harrison Stephens, Danielle Stewart, Sonja Tesdahl, Mackenzie Thom, Jordan Thorpe, Riley Thorson,
Emily Tincher, Bailey Tobiason, Cole Tveit, Samuel Varner, Matthew Vick, Annie Wagenpfeil, Kaitlyn
Walz, Alexis Winberg, Jason Zheng, Sydney Zierden

Elk River High School Grade 10 “B” Honor Roll
Melaina Anderson, Cade Baldwin, Toni Baldwin, Jacob Ballenger, Michael Baron, Lana Battig, Tyler
Benson, Abigail Benson, Stephanie Blasius, Olivia Bloom, Karly Boedigheimer, Tayler Cunningham,
Anthony Dakis, Kyle DoBrava, Thomas Domer, Colt Dusbabek, Brady Eastman, Benjamin Eibensteiner,
Alexander Ettesvold, Logan Fisher, Chandler Flint, Carson Friestad, Gavin Frost, Marilyn Gago, Claire
Gebhardt, Michaela Goad, Saul Gonzalez, Samantha Gust, Hannah Hagglund, Marina Hales, Zachary
Hallman, Abbigail Heinen, Alyssa Heinkel, Caylee Hurkman, Calista Jerome, Tanner Jess, Dalton Johnson,
Madeline Johnson, Megan Jung, Riley Kaluza, Alison Keoraj, Bridget Kiemele, Sydney Knopick, Katie
Kolar, Madelyn Kotzer, Brandon Koziol, Anson Kozitka, Sarah Kring, John Krivich, Taite Krogfus, Noah
Langlais, Abigail Langton, Ryan LeBlanc, JT Lucas, Autumn Mattson, Jaelyn McAllister, Grace Miller,
Anthony Moretto, Katie Nelson, Arik Nordenstrom, Jacob Nordquist, Michael Nowotny, Joseph
O’Connell, Zachariah Odegard, Luke Orgon, Jackson Perbix, Morgan Ray, Mason Schaal, Joshua
Schlaman, Carter Schmitt, Noah Shenkle, Philip Skorykh, Brenna Soderstrom, Trent Soukup, Jared
Stanke, Ryan Stigen, Jonathan Suchy, Kylee Thompson, McKenna Uphoff, Cody Vanek, Julia Vicioso, Talsi
Wagner, Branden Weber, Ashlyn Weber, Amber Weirauch, Sophia Wetherille, Cassidy Wolcenski, Mark
Wood, Izabella Yager

Elk River High School Grade 11 “A” Honor Roll
Colin Abress, Noah Adams, Kayla Andersen, Heather Anderson, Ciara Bailey, Belinda Beaver, Katherine
Bedbury, Brooke Benolkin, Sarah Bense, Cade Beyer, Connor Bizal, Madison Bizal, Alison Blumb, Taylor
Brandt, Nicholas Breuer, Emma Brotemarkle, Meagan Brown, Christian Bruno, Alexis Chambers, Anna
Charboneau, Dylan Chouinard, Carley Collins, Madison Coonradt, Grace Crawford, Alexis Cunningham,
Emma Dalton, Joshua Daniel, Erin Davis, Nicole Dee, Kaitlyn Dhooge, Madison Dillerud, Alexandra Ditter,
Acacia Donat, Wyatt Dopp, Addie Droen, Amanda Duitsman, Samantha Elsenpeter, Nicholas Eull,
Andrew Fausone, Megan Feist, Alexandria Foote, Jade Fredin, Ethan Gardner, Gillian Greenberg, Megan
Greenberg, Claire Grundman, Allison Hall, Claire Hanegraaf, Olivia Hansen, Keegan Haus, Mollie Heinen,
McKenzie Herrboldt, Andrew Hess, Madison Hilyar, Kelsie Hoffmann, Addie Hohlen, Jessica Holmquist,
Bailey Horner-McAlpine, Eleanor Humphrey, Jill Humphrey, Benjamin Inman, Alexi Jacks, Grace Jacobs,
Carmen Kaelke, Tierney Klinker, Michael Kohorst, Lauryn Kolles, Jacob Kovach, Adam Kruger, Sophia
Kruger, Zachary Kruger, Jacob Lane, Faith Larom, Taiyo Larson, Laura Lefebvre, Tia Lerud, Madison
Leuthold, Madison Libor, Michael Livingston, Ashley Lynch, Sara Magnuson, Dylan Martie, Chancellor
McDonald, Jackson Michener, Derek Monahan, Kaja Montplaisir, Lloyd Morin, Alyssa Nielsen, Reese
Norby, Madison Odegaard, Hailey Odegard, Abigail Olson, Olivia Osmundson, Alayna Osterman, Peyton
Paaverud, Beryl Palmer, Amanda Patterson, Joseph Pelle, Mackenzie Perron, Matia Person, Ashley
Peters, Ashley Peterson, Dominik Peterson, Carson Pixley, Morgan Pool, Ashley Purcell, Lucas Randall,
Malorie Rehbein, Cassidy Reichert, Sophia Riebel, Lauren Rishovd, McKenzie Scheid, Rachel
Schoenecker, Shayne Schoenfelder, Megan Schroeder, Sydney Schuster, David Schwappach, Taylor
Seifert, William Sibilski, CeCelia Simmonds, Emily Sizen, Stoyan Slavkov, Jackson Smith, Reilly Springman,
Lindsay Stiegler, Mary Stoutenburg, Kincaid Strain, Mitchell Stroh, Shelby Swenson, Matthew Syverson,
Katherine Thorpe, Kate Torfin, Josephine Uche, Chineng Vang, Sarah Vernon, Thomas Wallace, Grant
Warner, Hannah Warner, Alexandra Weber, Rachel Wojcieszak, David Woyke, Haley Yoder, Griffin
Young, Hallie Yurich, Dominick Zappa, Vittorio Zappa, Sage Zerban

Elk River High School Grade 11 “B” Honor Roll
Sydney Adkins, MaCartney Ascheman, Jack Averill, Beau Babcock, AdLai Bade, Dennis Bakken, Carter
Baldwin, Carlita Bertsch, Sydney Bever, Morgan Bianchi, Emily Bixby, Brittney Boese, Patrick Boland,
Ashley Boyd, Stephanie Carlson, Tristan Carlson, Thomas Chuba, Jared Creighton, Hannah Czech, Rachel
Dorff, Brittany Flander, Lyndsey Geist, Kaleb Hammer, Colton Hansen, Mikayla Hansen, Garrett Hanson,
James Heinzen, Ander Hillebregt, Lucas Holbrook, John Ingham, Evan Junker, Kyle Jussila, Noah Kirk,
Tristan Kirschbaum, Samuel Kirscht, Austin Kramer, Adam Larson, Jared LeClair, Lauren Lee, Ashley
Lingman, Erin Mably, Callum MacArthur, Brooke Mackner, Ava Maki, Taylor Masterman, Matthew
Melco, Sara Monroy, Matisse Myles, Justin Nelson, Kendell O’Leary, Sabrina Onuma, Christian Porter,
Rohana Pouliot, Spencer Rammer, Elizabeth Rolfes, Robert Schiller, Anthony Schreder, Trent Schroedl,
Lily Sharp, Nicholas Sink, Ashley Smith, Jazlynne Smith, Jerell Smith, Sydney Sullivan, Elayna Torfin,
Nicholas Utz, Hannah VanEps, Karah Walvatne, Sydney Weisenberger, Thomas West, Isabella Wolcott,
Cameron Wyse, Iviee Yager

Elk River High School Grade 12 “A” Honor Roll
Hayley Ackermann, Samantha Alery, Samantha Alexander, Joel Alfveby, Nicholas Anderson, Sadie
Balken, Kyle Ballou, Katherine Barschdorf, Cierra Beckerleg, Kaylee Benson, Kristina Blasius, Kamilah
Boedigheimer, Ryan Bouma, Elizabeth Brayden, Blaine Brenteson, Maria Brown, Connor Bryan, Megan
Buhl, Kian Cappelli, Rebecca Caswell, Emily Charleson, Makayla Christen, Dylan Clausen, Cameron
Cotton, Kelsie Cox, Annie Dalton, Danielle Dokken, Avalon Donat, Gabrielle Dose, Isabella Dusbabek,
Abby Dwyer, Dylan Earl, Kory Esterberg, Michael Fischer, Grace Fonder, Arthur Fosse, Maxwell Friese,
Olivia Fromm, Logan Gacke, Allissa George, Katelyn Gfroerer, Jarod Gill, John Greniuk, Madeleine Griffin,
Gabrielle Haack, Dawson Hagen, Joseph Halvorson, Casey Hass, Kaitlyn Hembre, Jack Hendrickson, Emily
Holmquist, Lauren Holzem, Emily Holzknecht, Mackenzie James, Tyra Jenni, Julia Jerome, Kailey Johnson,
Hannah Jones, Hadley Jordan, Sierra Kearns, Emily Kiemele, Jamie Klang, Dylan Kline, Raelyn Korinek,
Erika Kovar, Ava Kramer, Kaytlin Krivich, Isabella Kullberg, Danielle Lachmiller, Gannon Larson, Kali
Larson, Molly Larson, Spencer Larson, Alexander LaValley, Christian Leonard, Christina Lysdahl, Benton
Maass, Chase Marchand, Mary McAlpine, John McClay, Justin McDaniel, Amanda McDonald, Shae-Elle
McLean, Maggie McQuown, Maxwell Michaelis, Kennedi Mitchell, Davis Monahan, Alexander Morgan,
Annika Morgan, Jax Murray, Cy Musgjerd, Ellie Neilson, Ashley Nething, Jalon Nielson, Samuel
Nordstrom, Dylan O’Connor, Marcus Ogren, Marlys Oliver, Grace Olson, Lauren Ott, Matthew Paavola,
Crystal Palmborg, Macee Pearson, Nicholas Perron, Andrea Petrich, Arieanna Poling, Hailey Pratt, Haley
Rasmussen, Nicholas Rice, Logan Rodgers, Grant Schmitt, Cassandra Schmitz, Skyler Schmitz, Alyssa
Schroeder, Taylor Schroeder, Jenna Schunk, Kaytlin Sederholm, Lily Simmons, Hailey Stein, Tyler
Stordahl, Madeline Streifel, Mackenzie Taylor, Mason Tegg, Elizabeth Thompson, Tyler Thompson,
Victoria Tobin, Brady Trittin, Maxwell Waite, Jordan Wallace, Emma Waller, Nicholas Walz, Kennedy
Warner, Jeffrey Watkins, Noah Weege, Sidney Wentland, Andrea Westgaard, Maxwell Wiczek, Michaela
Wirz, LeeAnne Wuanti

Elk River High School Grade 12 “B” Honor Roll
Shannon Allen, Sebrina Athey, Holland Baker, Madison Baker, Sydney Bengtson, Tyler Billman, Jordan
Bosacker, Kyle Bouten, Samantha Christianson, Peyton Christoffer, Andrew Clark, Kaitlyn Collins, Alyssa
Dailey, Cole Daleiden, Luke Dickinson, Rachel Dorff, Halle Doro, Caitlyn Dunbar, Alexis Evensen, Paige
Evenson, Mitchell Feige, Darya Findorff, Sean Finical, Caitlyn Foote, Charles Franz, Andrew Gehring,
Bradley Geist, Samuel Gibas, Quinton Gilbertson, Lyndsey Graves, Ashley Greenlun, Alina Hansen,
Trevyn Haus, Joseph Hess, Grant Hevey, Blake Hills, Joseph Hinchcliff, Benjamin Hookom, Nathan Horn,
Maryna Hrytskevich, Evan Huntley, Benjamin Johnson, Emma Johnson, Nissa Johnson, Nathan Kissel,
Jackson Kliewer, Elona Komonash, Isaac Kramer, Cooper Lewis, Colin Lindgren, Trevor Loidolt, Dalton
Maahs, Coleman Maegi, Makayla Massey, Emily Mattingley, Benjamin Meyers, Josiah Monroy, Diamond
Moore, Josephine Neuenfeldt, Jessica Nielsen, Grace O’Konek, Isabel O’Konek, Tyler Paulson, Justin
Pearson, Nicklaus Perbix, Josette Provo, Kaitlyn Radke, Ryan Rapp, Jessica Reckard, Brianna Reinarts,
Nicholas Samson, Jacob Sanborn, Benjamin Schafer, Riley Schimmelman, Abby Severson, Emonei Shaw,
Laura Simcoe, Abbigail Slawson, Austin Solors, Nicholas Sporre, Samuel Strack, Mark Swann, Cherish
Thao, Connor Thompson, Tyler Thorson, Madeline Tomlinson, Luke Tudor, Samantha Voerding, Jill
Vorlicek, Madeline Walters, Ryan Weeks, Sidney Weeks, Alexander Wiczek, Rohan Willoughby, Connor
Woolfolk

by Jim Boyle
Editor
Elk River High School’s 2017 graduation ceremony was a celebration of success.

More than 380 students collected their diplomas after a year marked by state championships and high honors in athletics and a wide array of extracurricular activities. Applause was frequent and encouraged at commencement exercises for Elk seniors.
The event was also a chance for speakers to mark the beginning of a new chapter and suggest that what the Class of 2017 has accomplished so far is only the tip of the iceberg.

“I feel confident that whatever life throws at us we will overcome it,” senior class president Art Fosse said.

Interim Superintendent Bruce Watkins offered his thanks for the way he was welcomed at Elk River High School when he was first hired, and his first assignment was to address water damage at Elk River High School just before the start of the year.

He only had to watch Principal Terry Bizal and his team for few hours to know Bizal, his administration, the activities department and school staff there at the school would navigate the incident beautifully.

“During the crisis, Principal Bizal said publicly, ‘We can do this, and we will have a good year.’ ”

And, boy, did they ever.

Brad Olson, a 1991 graduate of Elk River High School who was chosen by students as the staff member to speak, said the class will be remembered as one of the greatest classes – if not the greatest – that have ever passed through the halls of the school.
“You have made our community very proud and have sparked a new interest in greatness and pride,” Olson said.

The social studies teacher – who was on the 1990 Elk River football team that finished as the runner-up to Anoka in the state title football game and was also a state tournament wrestling entrant that year – encouraged students to celebrate and be proud of what they have accomplished. He reminded them they all worked very hard to be there in the high school gym graduating that night.

“Our society sometimes labels those who celebrate as cocky or bragging,” he said. “Our society is too negative and makes you feel guilty about success. Our society is wrong.

“Instead of hiding our success, we need to show the world. It was fun watching these seniors push each other, challenge each other and support each other.”

Olson recognized it would be impossible to recount all of the successes as they were too numerous, but he tried to highlight some of the higher profiles ones.

He started with Team 125, which was the 125th varsity football team to take the field for Elk River High School. The team finished 13-0 on the year, giving coach Steve Hamilton his 100th win along the way and capping the year off with the program’s first state championship.

Sam Gibas, one of the stars of the team, found himself in the running for Mr. Football.

For Elk River girls basketball, it was all about Day 125 in their drive for a state title. It was on their 125th day of the season the Elks finished off a 32-0 season and won the program’s first state title in school history. Gabi Haack, one of the team’s stars, won Miss Basketball.

Boys hockey did not advance to state, losing to the eventual state champion Grand Rapids in section play, but still had a great season. Nick Perbix, one of the stars of the team, found himself up for Mr. Hockey.

There were other athletic accomplishments. Boys track won its first conference title in 20 years and also won a section championship.

“And Chris Udalla won the state championship in triple jump,” Olson said.

Boys tennis won its 10th conference championship in 12 years. Boys golf won its section and competed at state, while the girls golf team won a conference title.

But it wasn’t just athletic fields, arenas and on courts. It was also success in extracurriculars.  The Elk River High School culinary team won state and finished seventh at nationals. The speech team won its section and topped it off with a masterful performance by Dylan Clausen to win his second state championship individually.

The 728 Cadets won three state championships in a row and had the state competition flag retired in their honor.
The band program had two seniors receive best in sight at their yearly competition. Wind symphony and concert band received superior ratings.

The National Honor Society logged more than 6,000 volunteer hours throughout the community.

The high school’s “amazing” art program had five pieces of art selected to be displayed in the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy, 10 students had work published in the Minnesota School Board’s Association Journal and there were two Gold Key portfolios, eight Gold Key ceramics, and one Gold Key drawing scholastic awards.

DECA raised more than $3,000 for Tackle Cancer and had 12 students qualify for nationals.

Hayley Ackerman, speaking on behalf of 12 Elk River High School top honor students who achieved a 4.0 or higher GPA, humbly said she was no more qualified than peers to address the class. The accomplished scholar and member of the state championship basketball team said success can be defined many ways, but at Elk River High School she has found it to have much deeper meaning than winning the big game.

“Our class helped start Elk Buddies, a group that gets together with special education kids once a week,” she said. “Our class was also very involved in National Honor Society, a club that serves the community.”

Ackerman noted she has seen countless acts of selflessness, like “a teammate giving up a starting position, captains giving their bats to fellow teammates, students going out of their way tutor a classmate, athletes coaching and mentoring younger athletes, a student baking a favorite dessert for an ill teacher.”

Ackerman said the Class of 2017’s goal should be to make the world a better place than they found it, even if it’s just to change one life.

She quoted Denzel Washinton, who once said: “At the end of the day it’s not about what you have or even what you have accomplished. It’s about who you have lifted up, who you’ve made better. It’s about what you have given back.”

Ackerman concluded: “Our legacy in the record books may be a few state titles, but I believe our lasting legacy will be our selflessness and the positive impact we had on those around us.”

Watkins encouraged graduates to be players in life and to use their influence for the greater good.

“My desire for your future success comes from knowing that the world is always changing, and that you can influence those changes positively.”

by Kurt Nesbitt
Contributing Writer
The Elk River Area School Board is considering $13.6 million worth of projects that could expand Prairie View Elementary and Middle School.

School Board members heard three presentations, but did not vote at their work session on June 12.

If the district decides to move ahead with any of the proposals, they will add to the cost of building the new school. Voters approved the $98 million construction in 2014. The new school, located in Otsego, is scheduled to open this fall with early childhood and kindergarten through sixth-grade classes. Seventh- and eighth-grade classes will be phased in over the next two school years.

Adding a wing that has 10 classrooms, a special education area, two labs and a staff area would cost an additional $8.8 million. An expansion of the school’s gym would cost another $2.6 million. Project Lead The Way, a federal program aimed at giving students hands-on experience in computer science, biomedical science and engineering, could also get its own space for $2.2 million.

The possible expansion could also make more room for special education. Some of the district’s special services staff asked for dedicated space for students who have severe emotional and behavioral needs. They told the officials that more students need their most intensive services and the possibility of injury to others is also increasing as more students come into the program. Newer, safer facilities are needed to handle students who have emotional and behavioral issues, they said.

Athletic fields could also see turf instead of grass. The main reason for the district looking at a replacement, said interim Superintendent Bruce Watkins, is that turf requires less maintenance and allows more use, regardless of weather.

Greg Hein, the district’s executive director of business services, said the district could fund those projects through a lease levy, where the district would make a lease-to-own agreement with a bank and pay the bank back. The district could also issue new construction bonds, use money left over from previous bond issues and levies or ask voters to approve new funds in another referendum,

Hein estimated that the lease levy would add $20 each year for 15 years to the taxes levied on a $250,000 home.

by Kurt Nesbitt
Contributing Writer
Teachers and officials in Elk River public schools are trying to move the district toward performance-based pay for teachers.
The Elk River Area School Board on Monday night unanimously approved an alternative pay system contract between the district and the union that represents the district’s teachers. Board Member Jamie Plantenberg-Selbitschka was absent.

The system, known as Quality Compensation — or Q Comp — was established by the state Legislature in 2005. It is a voluntary program that allows local districts and exclusive representatives of the teachers to design and collectively bargain a plan that meets the components of the law. It gives districts money to encourage performance-based pay for teachers.

But there’s one catch — the Elk River district can’t start the program until the Legislature grants more funding, and they’re not granting any more funding right now, according to District 728 officials.

The Minnesota Department of Education said that while there is currently no funding available for additional Q Comp programs in the 2017-18 school year, interested districts or charter schools can apply to join the waiting list. Elk River teachers and administrators starting working on the Q Comp application in fall. They submitted it to the state on March 15, but the Minnesota Department of Education wanted more clarity, said Tim Caskey, the district’s executive director of human resources. He said the district’s application is 17th in the line for the department’s approval.

“We’re simply waiting on an answer as to whether or not the state will fund the program,” he told board members.
Elk River teachers have ratified the memorandum, which Caskey described as “a critical part of the application.” The agreement will last through the 2018-19 school year and has to be voted on every year after that.

Director Gregg Peppin asked if Q Comp funding is likely and whether or not it’s a continual award.

Caskey said that in the past, the Legislature has asked the Department of Education for a number of how many districts wanted Q Comp funding and how much money the districts wanted, and have funded it that way several times. Q Comp funding was threatened in the Legislature a couple times, but the department has always funded the program, Caskey said.
“We feel pretty comfortable,” Caskey told Peppin.

He said Elk River’s Q Comp program would cost about $3.4 million in total, with about $800,000 coming from the school district’s levy.

Caskey said the contract will be null and void if the state Legislature pulls Q Comp funding.

Greg Hein, executive director of business services, said the district’s levy is not voter-approved. He said the Q Comp contract represented a 2 percent rise in the levy.

The Minnesota Department of Education said Q-Comp programs serve approximately half of the students in Minnesota public schools.

by Kurt Nesbitt
Contributing Writer
The amount of money that the Elk River Area School District plans to spend in the coming school year will be less than this year, and that might mean less tax burden for the district’s residents.

School district officials adopted nine categorical budgets Monday night. In all, there will be $194.5 million in income and $209.8 million in spending.

Taxes will contribute a little more than $39 million to those funds — 20 percent of the total funding for the next school year.
The new budget is a slight decrease from the current funding. The income district officials plan to have in the 2017-18 school year is about 2 percent less than the current year. Overall spending will see the largest decrease, since it will go down to $209.8 million from $320.7 million in the current year. The biggest difference there is less construction money flowing through the budget. There was $47.2 million identified in the current budget that isn’t listed in the budget measures passed on Monday.

School Board members adopted most of the proposals unanimously, except when the board began looking at the district’s community services fund. Director Gregg Peppin was concerned about the district getting more and more involved in the child care business. He questioned how the funds for the program grew.

Cory Franson, director of community engagement, said later that the cost is offset by revenue coming in from the program.

He said his office assessed local prices and deliberately tries to offer moderately priced services.

The community services budget was approved 5-1 with Peppin dissenting.

Two students at Meadowvale Elementary School in Elk River are among the winners in the Sherburne Soil and Water Conservation District’s second annual poster contest.

Meadowvale students Alexandra Silvola placed second and Sawyer Hahn, third. First-place winner was Ariana Steele of Princeton Intermediate. Trent Ouellette, also of Princeton Intermediate, finished fourth.

The contest was for fifth-grade students in Sherburne County. More than 150 posters were submitted. The theme was Healthy Soils Are Full of Life.

Dean’s lists:
Bethel University
Elk River
Noelle Diekman, Jenna Fromm, Maggie Hohlen, Micah Howard, Jared Johnson, Michelle Klimstra, Rachel Mynahan, Erin Ness, Brandon O’Connor, Connor Olson, Hannah Prange, Abigail Sharp
Otsego
Tyler Bethke
Rogers
Natalie Johnson, Alexandra Kurre, Kaitlyn Lunacek, Michael Neubauer, Adrianna Tjeerdsma

Central Lakes College
Zimmerman
Joel Bjergo, Kyle Kostrzewski

Concordia College
Elk River
Mikayla Frey, Sidney Johnson, Audrey Long, Keith Sullivan
Zimmerman
Brianna Lasserre, Hunter Smith

Dakota State University, South Dakota
Rogers
Dalee Sybrant

Gustavus Adolphus College
Elk River
Jenna Hagglund, Cassandra Lane, Michaela Schulz
Nowthen
Laura Katchmark
Otsego
Ryan McGowan
Rogers
Nathan Hajder, Kristine Rogers, Tyler Rooks
Zimmerman
Samuel Archer, Sylvia Michels, Helen Thompson

Iowa State University
Elk River
Ashley Kay Iannuzzelli, Maxwell S. Person, Madelynn Rose Seifert, Erin E. Stein
Otsego
Austyn Lee Beese, Madelyn Elise Nelsen, Jackson Thomas Walker
Rogers
Mitchell R. Biehl, Jilliane Joy Brinkman, Sean Patrick Ebert, Jonathan Lee Eiden, Logan Anthony Olkon, Blake M. Timm
Zimmerman
Braiden F. Loreno

Itasca Community College
Elk River
Kayla Christopherson

Kansas State University
Elk River
Taylor Cotton

LeTourneau University, Texas
Otsego
Jennifer Olejar

Luther College, Iowa
Elk River
Elizabeth Budahn

Marquette University, Wisconsin
Rogers
Benjamin Sylvester

Minnesota State University Moorhead
Elk River
Madison Reichert, Emily Thedens
Otsego
Isabelle Farkas, Michaela Lundborg, Allison Muehlbauer
Rogers
Tyler Donnay, Johnna Kringen, Thomas Lloyd
Zimmerman
Daenon Bronken, Carlie Lage, Lee Muellenbach, Jeffrey Mueller, Corrie Rogalski, Karly Syverson, Karli Williams

North Dakota State University
Rogers
Katie Running

Northwestern College, Iowa
Zimmerman
Madeline Jacob

Olivet Nazarene University, Illinois
Elk River
Tyler Goscha

Ridgewater College
Elk River
Madison Ascheman

Rochester Community and Technical College
Rogers
Kendra Groenewold

St. Cloud Technical and Community College
Elk River
Jennifer Bracken, Ryan Chesemore, Brady Hoffmann, Kelsey Nelson, Gretchen Olson
Otsego
Brian Larson, Colton Lugert, Wayne Ringate
Rogers
Natasha Miller
Zimmerman
Stephanie Benoit, Mitchell Koski, Cayla Lusche

Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota
Rogers
Daniel Olajonlu
Zimmerman
Samantha Janssen

South Dakota State University
Elk River
Matthew Todd Jesperson, Michaela Jo Simcoe
Otsego
Zachary Andrew Chapman
Rogers
Andrew Richard Socha

Southwest Minnesota State University
Elk River
Hannah Dalzell, Alexandra Reak
Zimmerman
Brooke Borchardt, Erin Fisher

University of Mary, North Dakota
Ramsey
Janell Finkbeiner, Katherine Loes
Rogers
Allison Dehn

University of Minnesota Duluth
Elk River
Abigail Kokesh, Alison Boser, Alyssa Budion, Bradley Beaver, Brady Artwohl, Bryan Edwards, Jennifer Thomalla, Katelyn M Brinza, Lia R Maegi, Markie M Kutzer, Megan Mccarty, Mike Brand, Ryan Mohar
Nowthen
Jacob Hatch
Otsego
Austin A Sorem, Brady E Houle, Jenna L Trochlil
Rogers
Alec Walstrom, Alexander W Lorman, Austin J Gordon, Brian D Eidenschink, Cameron Holland, Feyintoluwa O Ekisola, Jason S Roberge, Sarah Nelson, Shane J Smith
Zimmerman
Cassandra R Ortberg, Cheyenne L Vavrina, Delaney Wilder, Maranda M Berndt, Ryan Meyers, Wayne Lefebvre, Zachary Ludwig

University of Minnesota School of Nursing
Elk River
Molly McQuown
Zimmerman
Mallory Adams

University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Elk River
Emily Brinza, Jacob Esterberg, Callie Larson, Ashley Lind, Kayla Olsen
Rogers
Nicole Kreider, Linsi Osland, Nathan Pinter, Brandon Roehl
Zimmerman
Summer Peoples

University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
Otsego
Amy Jane Brown, Evan Louis Caldon, Kaylin Marie Robbins
Rogers
Kaylee Marie Amoe, Kelsey Kay Frain, Lauren Lynn Konkol

University of Wisconsin-Madison
Elk River
Grant Tesdahl
Otsego
Carl Parent
Rogers
Bryce Anderson, Jenny Day, Drew Jenson, Sophia Schmidt, Chase Schottler, Michaela Taddeini

University of Wisconsin-River Falls
Elk River
Emma Eastman, Kayla Grimm, Kelly Kolles, Madison McChesney, Morgan Mogler, Ellie Schmitt
Rogers
Blake Blundell, Katherine Franzen, April Mootz, Quinci Scherber
Zimmerman
Nicole Jurik
Graduations:
College of St. Benedict
Rogers
Briana Schulzetenberg, B.A., biology

Gustavus Adolphus College
Elk River
Alexander Opificius, B.A., English; Michaela Schulz, B.A., management, communication studies, cum laude
Otsego
Mattilan Martin, B.A., psychological science
Rogers
Kristine Rogers, B.A., nursing, cum laude
Zimmerman
Sylvia Michels, B.A., theatre honors, magna cum laude; Helen Thompson, Environmental Studies, Geography with GIS, magna cum laude

Iowa State University
Elk River
Austyn Beese, B.S., biochemistry, magna cum laude
Nowthen
Joshua Marlin, B.S., civil engineering

LeTourneau University, Texas
Otsego
Jennifer Olejar, B.S., engineering – civil concentration, cum laude

Minnesota State Community and Technical College
Elk River
Nicholas William Dunn, electrical lineworker technology-DIP; Wiley Harris, electrical lineworker technology-DIP

North Dakota State University
Elk River
Ryan Heid, B.S., environmental design, B.L.A., landscape architecture; Catherine Rouillard, B.S., environmental design, B.L.A., landscape architecture; Robert Schneider, B.S., construction management; Thomas Sladek, B.S., manufacturing engineering; Jayson Thompson, doctor of pharmacy, pharmacy
Otsego
Mckenzi Shelton, B.S., biotechnology
Rogers
Kyle Bogart, B.S., mechanical engineering; Mikala Kruse, B.S., zoology; John-Luke Singh, B.S., mechanical engineering

Rochester Community and Technical College
Otsego
Kyle Halseth, A.S., emergency medicine paramedic
Rogers
Kendra Groenewold, CERT, advanced hospital nursing assistant

St. Cloud State University
Elk River
Lyndsey Boggs, B.S., German, cum laude; Lyndsey Boggs, certificate, instructional technology; Trevor Brink, A.A., liberal arts and sciences, magna cum laude; Zachary Church, B.S., management; Maria Emmons, B.S., management; Adam Engstrom, B.S., technology management; Matthew Glowacki, B.S., art education, magna cum laude; Renee Holzknecht, B.S., computer science, magna cum laude; Dustin Johnson, B.S., computer science, summa cum laude; Sarah Krocak, B.S., marketing; Kelly Leedham, B.S., real estate; Ashlee Lindeen, B.S., English; Alicia Lipka, bachelor of elective studies, liberal studies; Rene Martin, master of science, biological sciences; Carly McGinty, bachelor of elective studies, biology, cum laude; Carly McGinty, B.S., environmental science, cum laude; Nichole Meyer, master of social work, social work; Veronica Nemec, B.S., management; Shawna Ritter, bachelor of elective studies, community psychology, magna cum laude; Daniele Smith, B.A., English, summa cum laude; Melissa Stevens, B.S., social work, cum laude; Casey Zimmerman, B.S., mechanical engineering
Rogers
Samantha Kalthoff, B.S., community psychology; Jeffrey Livingston, M.B.A., business administration; Brielle Muhonen, B.S., elementary/k-6 education, summa cum laude; Matthew Slauson, B.S., information systems, magna cum laude; Abby Turnacliff, B.S., biomedical sciences, cum laude; Abby Turnacliff, B.S., medical laboratory science, cum laude
Zimmerman
Tara Bakken, B.S., elementary/k-6 education, cum laude; Jennifer Hegna, master of public administration, public administration; Janelle Hilligoss, B.S., social studies education; Katelyn Jenkins, B.S., elementary/k-6 education, magna cum laude; Levi Keskey, B.S., finance, cum laude; Kendra Kraabel, B.S., social work; Nicholas LeVos, B.S., social studies education, magna cum laude; Marissa Luing, B.A., communication studies, magna cum laude; Allison Nicosia, B.S., social work; Abby Primmer, B.S., nursing, cum laude; Nicole Rittenour, doctor of education, educational administration and leadership; Taylor Shaw, B.A., psychology; Heather VanSlyke, B.S., manufacturing engineering, cum laude; Heather VanSlyke, B.S., mechanical engineering, cum laude

Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota
Elk River
Katherine Opsahl, B.A.
Zimmerman
Kayleigh Kloncz, B.A.

University of Minnesota Crookston
Elk River
Jeffrey Knack, B.S., criminal justice with distinction
Otsego
Shelly Bowlin, B.S., accounting with distinction; Ibrahim Cisse, B.S., health management; Kacie Frank, B.S., natural resources; Elizabeth Meredith, B.S., management with distinction; Lindsey Paul, B.S., communication; Craig Swerdfiger, bachelor of manufacturing management, manufacturing management and management
Zimmerman
Courtney Stith, B.S., accounting with distinction

University of New Hampshire
Elk River
Jonna Curtis, B.S.B.E., bioengineering

University of Northern Colorado
Rogers
Jacqueline Scott Baumgartner, B.S., human services

University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
Elk River
Alana Dahl, nursing
Rogers
Laura Cole, nursing

by Kurt Nesbitt
Contributing Writer
Efforts to reduce enrollment at Twin Lakes Elementary in Elk River have resulted in a decision by district officials to vacate an assistant principal position.
In 2015, a School District 728 committee recommended boundary changes to reduce enrollment at Twin Lakes by 200 students to address overcrowding at the school, which forced teachers to use the school’s media center for classroom space. The district held off making any changes for the past school year and developed a short-term, one-year plan for Twin Lakes.
District officials realized the enrollment boom is caused by housing growth in the eastern sections of Elk River, where Twin Lakes is located.
This January, the Elk River Area School Board reassigned about 140 Twin Lakes students and another 85 open-enrolled and in-district transfer students to Parker and Lincoln for this fall as a short-term fix.
District officials met with Twin Lakes parents to discuss options but ultimately did not adopt any of the solutions recommended by the district Policy 4004 committee.
On Monday night, the School Board voted to place an assistant principal at Twin Lakes Elementary on an unrequested leave of absence from that position, which represents equivalent of one full-time position.
Tim Caskey, executive director of human relations for Elk River Area Public Schools, said enrollment at Twin Lakes has now declined to where it no longer needs an assistant principal. He said Twin Lakes was the only elementary school with such a position.

tant principal

For the fourth year in a row, a student from the Elk River Area School District has advanced to the National History Day competition in Washington, D.C. This year it was Isabella Krueger, a freshman at Elk River High School, who is no stranger to the national competition, having advanced in 2015 as a seventh-grade student from Salk Middle School.

“She did History Day this year not as part of a class, but all on her own. It’s a testament to her abilities as a writer and researcher, but also to everything she learned at Salk,” said her former teacher Ron Hustvedt, who is also her History Day adviser. Krueger participated in the national contest this June in Washington, D.C., at the University of Maryland in College Park.
Advancing to the state level of competition is tough to do, but Salk was once again well-represented with 33 students qualifying for the event, held at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus.
“We bring all the students to the campus in January to conduct research, so it’s always neat for them to come back again in the spring as competitors,” Hustvedt said.
This year’s theme was “Taking A Stand in History,” and Krueger wrote a paper about Dr. Jane Hodgson, a Minnesota doctor who fought for women’s rights and succeeded in being part of two landmark Supreme Court cases.

The highest performing group of middle school students from Salk was the eighth-grade performance team of Lucy Leither and Lindsay Strecker. They took fourth place in the junior group performance category with a play they wrote about Irena Sendler and her role in taking a stand against anti-semitism and the Nazis during the Holocaust.
Four students walked away from the state competition with cash prizes for their topics from various statewide organizations. Seventh-grader Jack Flahaven’s documentary on the 1934 trucker’s strike in Minneapolis earned him $100 from the Minneapolis Labor Review, St. Paul Union Advocate and University of Minnesota Labor Education Service. Seventh-grader Annika Wozney’s exhibit board on the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness earned her $100 from the Minnesota Historical Society for creating the Best Minnesota History project. Eighth-grade Bennett Jordan’s performance about Carl Jung earned him $100 for best project on the History of Europe Before 1914 from Steven Potach and Judith Horn.

Krueger also received $200 from Gale Family Library at the Minnesota Historical Society for the Best Use of Minnesota Historical Society Collections. The bibliography for her project utilized more than 60 sources from the MHS collections and her paper will become part of a special collection for her topic at the Historical Society.
“I spent a lot of time looking through the collections at the Historical Society in St. Paul, so this was a nice recognition of all that research,” Krueger said.
Salk’s History Day teachers include Hustvedt, Scott Glew, Maranda Cameron, Starrsha Wolff and Bill Honek, who is retiring at the end of this school year.
“Mr. Honek has been an integral part of our successful Social Studies program at Salk and our History Day program that has become one of the strongest in the country,” Hustvedt said.
Students first selected their topics in the fall and then dug into numerous primary and secondary sources throughout the winter. In January they visited the University of Minnesota’s Wilson Library to conduct college-level research and select the method they will communicate their learning to the public. Students can write a 10-minute performance they star in, create a 10-minute documentary, write a 2,500 word paper, create a museum display or create a fully interactive website. Each project is organized around a thesis statement and students create annotated bibliographies demonstrating extensive research, often with 30 or more reliable sources.
The 2018 theme is Conflict and Compromise in History and students grades six through 12 in the community are invited to participate if they are interested. For details, contact Salk’s History Day coordinator, Hustvedt, at ronald.hustvedt@isd728.org or visit the Salk History Day website at www.RonHustvedt.com.

Calendars are being delivered inside the July 22nd edition of the Star News. Extra copies are available at the Star News office, 506 Freeport Ave., Elk River. The office is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday.

by Jim Boyle
Editor
The Elk River Area School Board met Monday to talk about its facilities needs, but first it took time to look at the previous recommendations of its 35-member facilities committee.

The group was not shy about what is saw as an impending need to add more space in Otsego where Prairie View Elementary and Middle School will open in September.

Superintendent Dan Bittman, who assumed his new position less than a month ago and has studied the group’s findings, told the School Board he wants to honor what the committee has done and consider how it folds into all of the current and future initiatives.

The group, picked from 82 community member applicants from across the district and led by TeamWorks International, concluded a few things related to facilities and grounds, Bittman said.

The conclusions include:
•providing dedicated special education spaces
•equitable athletic facilities
•more classroom space

The group found more space would be needed in the very near future, especially in the communities that serve Otsego and Rogers students.

Most surprising, perhaps, was that the newest school, which had yet to be named when the group finished its work, would need an addition — no matter how the boundary lines were diced up — soonest of all.

Bittman explained Monday a dichotomy in the recommendations of the committee. While some will require going out to the community and seeing how certain needs stack up against others, the need for more room at Prairie View is essentially immediate and within the recommendations of the group.

“It’s not urgent today,” Bittman said. “…without growth we have space for our kids.”

The same can’t be said if there is enrollment growth at Prairie View.

“That’s what creates the urgency,” Bittman said.

Bittman and his cabinet have been exploring the options, which range from lease-levy agreements and a bond referendum. Bittman is convinced as the district considers the full picture of the district, it will need to go out for a bond referendum in the future.

“You heard me say while I think we should consider all of the options, you won’t hear me recommend going out to the public with a bond without having lots more information about all of these things,” Bittman said, noting he would support what the board decides but felt it important note this boundary he had for himself.

Prairie View will be full — without growth — in 2019
The school opens to children in kindergarten through sixth grade this fall and will provide an early childhood component. It will become an E-7 school in the fall of 2018, and an E-8 school in the fall of 2019. At least 1,000 students are expected to be in the school by then.

District 728 administrators said July 17 that the committee’s conclusion are truer now than when they came up with them.

Prairie View Elementary and Middle School has already recovered eight to 10 students per grade that it lost to other educational options, pushing its opening day projections from 540 to 597 in kindergarten through sixth grade.

By staggering the introduction of seventh and eighth grade enrollments, the student body will ease into the building but administrators are convinced now is the time to develop a game plan to have space ready in 2019.

“Even without growth the school will be at 997 students (not including early childhood),” Joe Stangler, the administrator of research and assessment, said.

Stangler stated Otsego has more than 1,200 single family lots already platted, and city officials have estimated they could see 200 building permits a year for the next five to 10 years.

School Board Director Gregg Peppin stated he was skeptical of municipal projections, and added he would like to see a deep dive on the demographics. Other board members were not skeptical and listened to administrators talk about the potential approaches.

Two options include going out for a bond referendum or using other methods that do not require voter approval.

A lease-levy could produce about $7.5 million. District administrators also have their eyes on money still left from the most recent bond referendum for nearly $100 million. As the district closes in on the end of the construction, there is about $4 million left with fewer and fewer things to drain this pool of money.

These two things combined could provide enough for an addition.

So could a bond referendum. School Board Chairman Shane Steinbrecher spelled out a time line that could work to bring a spring bond.

He wasn’t pushing it, but said if the School Board was comfortable with a direction by the start of school year, it could be pushed out to the community to get answers back by January. That, he said, would give the district enough time meet its obligations to run a bond referendum.

Board members appear to lean toward the lease-levy route, knowing that a future bond could be used to pay it off early.
School Board Member Joel Nelson expressed opposition to going out for a referendum on something the district will build anyway.

“One of the reasons I am sitting here is the discussions you had on all-day, every-day kindergarten,” Nelson said. “I was on the other side then. You asked for the money and I was one of the voters that said ‘no,’ and then … you approved it (after the referendum was defeated).”

Nelson said he would rather do the lease-levy and explain what the district has to do moving forward with that part of the proposal because school officials know it is going to have to happen.

Bittman and Steinbrecher will work with board members to determine what information is needed for them to get comfortable with making a decision and time lines.

“We appreciate the work that you do,” Bittman told the board. “These are big decisions.”

by Wyatt Martin
Special to the Star News
The 728 Cadets Marching Band made up of students from Rogers, Elk River, and Zimmerman middle and high schools has thrived this season with head director Joe Jaeger’s creation of “Invincible.”

The concept centered around superheroes, has been a winning concept with the students and in competition.
“Since it is superhero themed, the kids can easily grasp the concept of working hard to become invincible,” Jaeger said. “That has been a huge motivator for us.”

The show opens to the heroic sounds of “Fanfare for the Common Man” by Aaron Copland, a well-known piece in the band community that has been heard frequently in popular culture. The music and drill introduce the idea of a superhero and the chaos that a superhero might encounter. The remainder of the show features excerpts from Shostakovich’s “Symphony No. 10.”

On the music choices, Keith Saxton, music director commented “the music has a lot of energy, and it sets the right mood to fit the visuals of the show. We take classical music and make it cool for the kids.”

The Cadets have had a successful competitive season. They began their season with a non-competitive parade at Zimmerman’s Wild West Days Parade, a long-time Cadets tradition.

Their first competitive parade took place at Milaca on June 15, where the Cadets won grand champion honors, and also received caption awards for best color guard and best percussion.

On June 17 the Cadets attended the Harry Wenger (Owatonna) and Lake Waconia marching band festivals, two of the largest competitive marching band festivals in the state. Throughout the day, the Cadets took top honors in Class AAA and overall grand champion at both the Harry Wenger and Lake Waconia marching band festivals, as well as two caption awards for best color guard, two for best percussion, one for best winds, one for best drum majors and a people’s choice award from the Harry Wenger Festival.

Additionally, for the fifth consecutive year, the Cadets took home the Owat-Onia Award for achieving the top combined score from the two festivals that day.

“This season has been extremely positive,” said Jaeger, “and the kids have had great attitudes the whole time. We have been pushing them hard to become stronger each year, and they are really latching on to that this season.”

The Cadets performed for the Riverfront Concert Series in Elk River on June 22, then the Rockin’ Rogers parade on June 24. Following the parade, they traveled to Alexandria to perform in the Minnesota Drum Corps Premiere along with the 777 Lancers from Mankato and Alexandria Marching Bands plus four of Minnesota’s drum and bugle corps which debuted their 2017 shows.

The next day, the Cadets marched in the Vikingland Band Festival, a parade regarded as one of the biggest marching band competitions in the Midwest, and as the unofficial state championship for Minnesota parade marching.
At Alexandria, the Cadets were incredibly successful. They received first place in their class for the fifth year running, caption awards for best winds, best color guard, and best percussion, the coveted People’s Choice Award, and overall grand champion of the festival.

A video excerpt of their performance from the judges’ stand can be found on Vikingland Band Festival’s Facebook page. The video had 10,000 views in 24 hours. It can be seen at: https: www.facebook.com/Vikingland BandFestival/ ?hc_ ref=PAGES_TIMELINE&fref=nf

For years the 728 Cadets have followed the Alexandria weekend with another favorite event, the Roseville Rose Parade, which took place June 26.

This is another highly competitive parade and the Cadets took first place honors in their class plus best percussion and best color guard caption awards. Other late-season parades for the Cadets include the Pierre Bottineau Parade in Maple Grove on July 13, the Monticello Riverfest Parade on July 16 and a final home show in Elk River for the Sherburne County Fair parade on July 22.

In addition to their Minnesota performances, this year the Cadets traveled to Traverse City, Mich., July 5 – 9 to perform in the National Cherry Festival, an annual event dating back to 1926 that sees an average of 500,000 attendees over the course of eight days. The Cadets won and came home with more hardware.

The National Cherry Festival hosted three parades this year, and the Cadets marched in two of them: the Junior Royale Parade on July 6, and the Cherry Royale Parade on July 8. While traveling the Cadets also visited Mackinac Island and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park.

The 728 Cadets Marching Band is directed by Jaeger. The color guard is directed by Evan Pufpaff with the help of Carrie Snyder and Lauren Hipsag. Percussion is directed by Joe Jaeger along with Jake Esterberg, Joey Wattenhofer and Dani Augustine. Winds are directed by Keith Saxton with the help of Ethan Wightkin and Shannon Curtis. Visual design is provided by Jacob Daniel, Joe Jaeger, and Alexis MacArthur.

728 Cadets Marching Arts is a non-profit music organization within the Elk River Area School District serving students grades 7 – 12 in the Elk River, Rogers and Zimmerman schools.

Dean’s lists:
Augustana University, South Dakota
Rogers
Alexandra Cassady

Bemidji State University
Elk River
Jared Davies, Phoebe Fero, Nicholas Frey, Reed Marohn, Katherine Pysick, Ashlee Sanquist, Jacqueline Studley
Otsego
John Certa, Melissa Friesen, Abigail Gearou, Gabriela Lara, Abby Rozmark
Rogers
Mitchell Annis, Jessica Corfman, Erica Folk, Karl Gorecki
Zimmerman
Hunter Bies, Allyson Brazier, Cassandra Fraser, Taylor Kroll, Tommi Martinson, Gabrielle Mitchell

College of Saint Benedict
Elk River
Julia Abell, Claire O’Konek
Otsego
Katie Langer
Rogers
Paige Dobberstein, Briana Schulzetenberg

Concordia University Wisconsin
Rogers
Hannah Whiting

Crown College
Elk River
Josiah Bondy

Drake University, Iowa
Rogers
Sara Filo

Minnesota State University, Mankato
Elk River
Katie Crocker, Tristan Dockter-Gust, Bradley Edwards, Shyler Egan, Greta Gleiter, Elisa Goodsell, Mia Hansen, Lindsey Hendrickson, Kayla Herzog, Lydia Jagodzinski, Anna Kunkel, Haley Lenz-Severson, Emily Loberg, Brandon Marohn, Matthew Osberg, Hayley Pfleghaar, Wallace Pope, Chloe Rand, Elizabeth Schmitz, Natalie Strack, Valery Vola
Nowthen
Casey Parnell
Otsego
Linh Hoang, Lindsey Pratt
Rogers
Madison Edstrom, Hailey Eide, Brooke Erickson, Evan Gadtke, Rachel Hinz, Rachel Miller, Alyssa Molnar, Ryan Thomas, Robert Vukelich, Brittany Wickoren
Zimmerman
Christian Benolkin, Sadie Elsenpeter, Jaydee Green, Amira Samaha

Normandale Community College
Otsego
Melanie Lewis, Lilyanne Wenndt

St. Olaf College
Ramsey
Nathan Webster
Zimmerman
Amber Magnussen

University of Minnesota-Morris
Elk River
Annika Johnson, Johnathon Simmonds
Otsego
Sarah Clauson, Bailey Miller
Rogers
Alyssa Berquam, Olivia Carlson, Megan Hebert, Jacqueline Morgan
Zimmerman
MicKayla Lizama

University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Elk River
Emily Bourgeois, Alec Cantin, Anessa Demers, Cole Fechner, Cameron Gallenberg, Emma Hohlen, Jadie Jopp, Alix Klang, Cara Lahti, Matthew Lee, Molly McQuown, Mitchell Nelson, Mason Oberleitner, Kallie Peterson, Courtney Reistad, Samantha Scott, Savannah Scott, Emily Sederstrom, Caroline Silvola, Lillian Stanaway, Amelia Tesdahl, Sophie Wiitala, Grayson Ziegler
Nowthen
Sery Johnson, Alec Paquin
Otsego
Taycia Brandon, Caroline DeWerd, Kendall Edstrom, Natalie Groves, Christian Jensen, Zachary Kabitz, Kristen Rokke, Brenna Schlauderaff, Ilya Zubarev
Rogers
Torrey Goelz, Kelsey Heiland, Evan Huber, Samantha Huber, Abigail Ihli, Joseph Johnson, Alyssa Kampsen, Kayla Lehtola, Hannah Loukusa, Katie Meyer, Sydney Nelson, Emmanuel Okematti, Kelsey Schaenzer, Ryan Schmitz, Courtney Steeves, Kate Stillman, Samuel Suedbeck
Zimmerman
Kenneth Cowles, Hailey Meleen, David Molinari, Samantha Norden

University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
Elk River
Amanda Koehn
Rogers
Carter Swiderski

University of Wisconsin-Stout
Elk River
Alexa Filipiak, Riley Filipovich, Madison Gordon, McCall Lynch, Brianna McCarty, Joshua Opdahl, Blake Shermer, Kara Simonson, Jessica Wisniewski
Rogers
Reven Acquard, Jacob Boyd, Paige Larrabee, Isabella Pedlar, Danielle Reinitz,nAlison Saxton, Sydney Wolfbauer
Zimmerman
Bailey Bircher, Stephanie Delong, Brenna Lesnar, Taylor Odegard

Graduations:
Adams State University, Colorado
Rogers
Alleah Baltzer, A.S.

Bethel University
Elk River
Brandon O’Connor, B.S., biochemistry/molecular biology
Rogers
Kaitlyn Lunacek, B.S., biology
Zimmerman
Mitchell De Haan, B.A., history; Alexis Jorgenson, B.A., missional ministries

Drake University, Iowa
Elk River
Megan Nelson, doctor of pharmacy, M.B.A.
Rogers
Sara Filo, B.A., English

Marquette University, Wisconsin
Elk River
Stephen Kaminsky, Juris Doctor, law

St. Olaf College
Ramsey
Nathan Webster, political science, economics, magna cum laude
Zimmerman
Amber Magnussen, sociology/anthropology

University of Minnesota-Morris
Elk River
Nick Griffiths, B.A., statistics and economics; Bridgette Hulse, B.A., anthropology and Spanish, with high distinction and with honors; Emma Pouliot, B.A., sociology; Tia Volkers, B.A., elementary education
Otsego
Mitchell Forney, B.A., political science
Rogers
Kayla Krannitz, B.A., psychology and area of concentration: biomedical sciences; Jacqueline Morgan, B.A., English
Zimmerman
Jeremy Sloneker, B.A., biology and psychology

University of St. Thomas
Elk River
Courtney Grunewald, B.A., communication and journalism, cum laude; Jake Knopick, B.A., business administration – financial management, cum laude
Rogers
Rocky Nelson, B.A., business administration – financial management, magna cum laude

University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Elk River
Marissa Forrest, B.S., biology; Hannah Larson, bachelor of social work, social work

University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
Elk River
Noel Amborn, master of science, physician assistant studies; Madison Warner, master of science in education, student affairs administration in higher education
Otsego
Kaylin Robbins, bachelor of science, English education major, highest honors
Rogers
Kelsey Frain, bachelor of science, mathematics major, honors

University of Wisconsin-River Falls
Elk River
Nathan Cundiff, B.S., sociology; Logan Lenertz, B.S., business administration; Morgan Mogler, B.S., marketing communications; Avery Person, B.S., communication sciences and disorders; Brianna Schubert, B.S., elementary education
Rogers
Samantha Decker, B.S., marketing communications

University of Wisconsin-Stout
Elk River
Alicia Catton, B.S., business administration; Riley Filipovich, B.S., management; McCall Lynch, B.S., hotel restaurant and tourism; Adam Watzke, B.F.A., industrial design
Zimmerman
Bailey Bircher, B.S., psychology; Stephanie Delong, B.S., health wellness and fitness

by Jim Boyle
Editor
Elk River Area School District administrators didn’t know how hard it would be to sell the former district office, but it appears it might not be that difficult.

Within a week of the property being listed, “we had several interested parties,” according to Greg Hein, the school district’s executive director of business services.

“I was surprised,” Hein told the Elk River Area School Board at its July 24 regular meeting at Elk River City Hall.
He came before the School Board to seek authorization to continue negotiations on one or more purchase agreements, subject to legal review, with the intent of bringing one or more final purchase agreements to the School Board for action at the Aug. 14 regular meeting.

Hein said at the meeting the district is entertaining two offers.

“We wanted to give you an update as to where things are at,” Hein said. “Obviously we’re not going into specifics about the amounts or the buyers because it is protected data.”

The District 728 School Board gave the administration unanimous support on a 5-0 vote with one abstention for moving ahead with negotiations.

School Board Director Joel Nelson was absent. School Board Chair Shane Steinbrecher abstained, as one of the potential buyers is a client of his, according to a district official.

The potential sale of the downtown Elk River building has captured the attention of the Elk River City Council and its boards and commissions.

Council members considered a temporary suspension of downtown redevelopment as it relates to zone changes and conditional use permits, but did not go down that road. Instead, council members directed City Attorney Peter Beck to explore the issue.

One thing that sparked the city’s interest was talk of an “outpatient clinic.”

City officials talked about not wanting to hurt the school district’s ability to sell the property, while at the same time ensure that downtown Elk River businesses appreciate their new neighbor when all is said and done.

Ryan Hardin of KW Real Estate said his firm is pleased with the decision from city not to move forward with the moratorium at this time.

“It leaves the door open for development not only for the property we currently represent but also the other properties throughout the downtown district,” Hardin said.

Hein said Monday that there are two interested buyers they are working with.

Hardin told the Star news on July 27 they have received multiple offers but cannot comment or provide details with regard to those offers.

“The former district office site is a tremendous opportunity for prime Elk River real estate in the heart of our community,” Hardin said. “This well-maintained building boasts high visibility with excellent access. We are excited to be a part of the growth and development of downtown.”

Superintendent Dan Bittman announced during the meeting that the “new” District 728 Office is open for business. It’s located at at 11500 193rd Ave. NW, Elk River.

“While there is much unpacking and organizing to do, the one-stop office will be an amazing resource for our families and communities,” he said.

In addition to providing general support for students, families and staff, the office will be home to the school district’s Compass Program, which serves some of the district’s 18- to 21-year-old students.

by Jim Boyle
Editor
The Elk River Area School approved its membership to the Minnesota School Board’s Association, but not before it was pulled from the consent agenda and a discussion ensued about the value of belonging to the MSBA.

School Board Member Gregg Peppin, who pulled the item, says he’s not so sure it’s worth the $15,000 annual membership fee it costs District 728 taxpayers. Among his concerns is that the organization is not as proactive as it should be.

After taking the pulse of the board in informal discussions, he agreed to vote for the membership with the knowledge that there would be a harder look and a more robust discussion about it.

“There’s a belief that it’s valuable in some ways, and maybe they could step it up in other ways,” Peppin said of his informal findings.

The School Board member said he did attend the MSBA convention and did find a little bit of value, picking up thing or two.

Fellow School Board members were receptive to taking a harder look for next year.

“For purposes of this year and this vote, I am going to trust but verify,” Peppin said.

When it comes time to decide next time around, he may make a different motion.

The School Board voted 6-0 to extend its membership for the 2017-18 school year. Board Director Joel Nelson was absent.

School Board Chairman Shane Steinbrecher said when the School Board and district administrators prepare for next year’s budget, the board should look at its MSBA membership along with its memberships to Schools for Equity in Education and the Association of Metropolitan School Districts.

“Let’s see who we align with and what values we have,” Steinbrecher said. “This discussion, in my opinion, should come prior to setting a budget.”

No one disagreed with that tact. Board members and administrators did, however, raise a variety of issues to consider. They also talked about some of the services the organization offers, like training, master agreement analysis during contract negotiations that have been valuable to board members and district administrators.

School Board Member Holly Thompson noted the school district heavily uses the MSBA for training, adding School Board members are required to take two levels of training and that a chairperson and treasurer are also required to do additional training. She said it would be good to know how much it costs for that as a member versus a non-member.
School Board Vice Chairwoman Jamie Plantenberg-Selbitschka said it would also be good to peruse the MSBA website because there is more there than what members currently access.

“I do think there are resourceful things out there,” she said. “We just get bogged down, so we should make a point of looking there. I think we would find value.”

Superintendent Dan Bittman said he would be sure to bring information to the board to help them in their discussions.
He said, from an administrative standpoint, the MSBA is the only state organization to support and work with board members. It provides board development and model policies as well as legal teams that help keep districts current in statute and as cases are being decided around the state.

“I think the question is a good one to ask and learn about what services they offer,” Bittman said. “We can also offer to have someone come out from MSBA if we have further questions.”

by Jim Boyle
Editor
One of four things happened this past school year when a teacher called in sick or was called away to a meeting in the Elk River Area School District.

Most of the time, a school secretary found a substitute teacher to fill in for the absent teacher, but the success rate in doing this was only about 87 percent most days. It was harder on Mondays and Fridays to find a replacement teacher.

The other solutions included pulling teachers off of their prep times, combining classrooms or leaving it up to the school principal to run the class.

It has been like this for a couple of years, according to Tim Caskey, the school district’s director of labor relations and personnel services.

District 728 administrators plan to take a different tact beginning this year, and they will sign a two-year contract with Teachers on Call, a private firm with a fill rate of 96 percent.

Teachers On Call is a substitute staffing service that hires licensed teachers, paraprofessionals and early child care staff. It partners with schools and centers in Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin to fulfill their needs for short- and long-term substitutes.

The firm handles everything from the hiring and training of substitutes, benefits, tracking their hours and finding them when a school secretary calls saying they need someone to sub for a day, according to Caskey.

It’s not free, but neither are alternative measures being used now to provide students with a teacher.
Caskey told members of the Elk River Area School Board on July 24 they have studied it and it will be a wash.

“I think it’s going to be a pretty good deal,” Caskey said.

District 728 school administrators say their struggles of finding substitutes on their own is due to a shortage of substitute teachers and the fact that they compete with nearby school districts who often fish from the same pool.

Administrators have been looking for a cost-effective solution the past couple of years.

Teacher On Call, an Apple-Valley based business that already works with 137 school districts in two states, has access to more than 9,600 substitute teachers. They will work to roll the list of 230-some on-call substitutes that District 728 has tapped into their system. The outfit is expected to have more than 11,000 substitutes by the end of 2017.

The struggle
When a substitute can’t be found under the current system, schools turn to less than ideal solutions. Some cost a significant amount of money, too.

Caskey said one of three things happen when a substitute can’t be located to fill in for an absent teacher:
•Teachers get pulled off their prep time to help out. These teachers lose out their time within the school day to prepare for a class or classes, and it costs the district extra to cover the negotiated cost of such an exchange.

Elementary school teachers get 60 minutes of preparatory time each class day, and secondary teachers get five minutes of prep time for every 25 minutes of instruction time, Caskey said.

Teachers filling in on their prep are paid an hourly rate based on their experience and amount of school. The average rate is about $55 an hour, Caskey said.

•Classrooms get combined to make one big class where the load can be shared among the professionals assigned to that classroom.
•The principal must fill in for the teacher and teach students for an hour or more, pulling that person away from their administrative duties.

New approach
Teacher On Call’s 96 percent fill rate across the seven-county metro is quite appealing to the district. It’s even as high as 95 percent in the St. Paul School District, which has 3,000 teachers.

To pull it off, Teachers On Call has eight full-time recruiters and 60 full-time staff providing sub services, client services, recruiting and training.

The company also assumes responsibilities such as payroll, liability insurance and tracking for the Affordable Care Act and to know when benefit thresholds are reached.

“They already do this,” Caskey said. “They also offer bonuses.”

Teacher On Call works with districts in Minnesota and Wisconsin and that number is growing. As they add districts, they add substitute teachers who have helped those districts in the past to their list.

“When they hire, they take the person through all the necessary training to be in a classroom,” Caskey said, noting his department will send out letters to their subs inviting them to apply for a job with Teachers On Call.

The Elk River Area School District will continue to use its base program to fill planned absences, but when they need someone immediately, secretaries will now make only one call.

“Instead of going down a list of known substitutes, they will call Teachers On Call and they will take care of it,” Caskey said.

This way the district is no longer bidding against other school districts. “We tell them what we need, and it’s their responsibility to fill it,” Caskey added.

About Teachers on Call
Teachers On Call has been working with schools and centers since 1999. The business provides substitute education professionals to more than 100 school districts throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin, as well as over 150 charter schools and early child care centers in the Twin Cities metro area.

As a result of its success, it is now expanding into schools and districts in Iowa.

The firm partners with Frontline Technologies to combine the power of the Absence Management (Aesop) System with the substitute staffing solutions of Teachers On Call.

Teachers On Call’s staff uses its knowledge and expertise to connect qualified substitutes with the schools that need them, and it provides ongoing and personalized support for all parties.

Substitutes Any Time was formed as a division of Teachers On Call in 2014 to offer the same substitute staffing strategies and solutions to schools in Arizona.

Source:
www.teachersoncall.com

The Elk River Area School District continues to outperform the state’s largest districts and the Minnesota average when it comes to the annual Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments Version III exams, based on the results released by the Minnesota Department of Education on Monday, Aug. 7.

As it did in 2015-2016, District 728 continued its strong performance in all three areas of the test – math, reading, and science – and increased its ranking against all districts in the state, taking a spot among the best in the state when it comes to proficiency in math, according to a press release.

Meanwhile, the district continues to outpace state average when it comes to average test scores in reading and science.

The Minnesota Department of Education releases the MCA III exam results prior to the start of each school year. The comprehensive assessments examine proficiency in the three core subjects for educators across elementary, middle and high school levels.

“It’s really exciting and something we can be very proud of as a school district,” said Dr. Jana Hennen-Burr, the assistant superintendent of educational services for the school district. “The student success is a sign of our success as a team of educators. We’re proud, as a leadership team, that our teachers are putting our students in a position to achieve and truly thrive.”

Out of the top 10 largest school districts in Minnesota, District 728 placed first in overall math scores. The district’s proficiency rate of 75 percent topped the state average by 16 percent and was a 2 percent increase over 2015 MCA III math results.

In reading, District 728 placed third among the 10 largest school districts in the state with a 70 percent proficiency rate. This rate was 10 percent higher than the state and represents an increase of 1 percent over 2016 results.

In science, the district ranked third among the 10 largest districts in the state with a proficiency rate of 65 percent. Although science proficiency was flat, compared to 2016, there was an overall decrease in proficiency across the state, the release stated.

Since 2013, the district has widened the gap between itself and state in terms of overall proficiency on all tests. While the state has dropped in overall proficiency in math (63 to 59 percent), the district has increased from 71 to 75 percent.

In reading and science, the state’s increase of 2 percent in each area was eclipsed by the district’s increase in reading, 8 percent, and science, 6 percent.
“While our proficiency rates continue to improve, what is really impressive is the percentage of students who continue to perform in the ‘Exceeds the Standard’ category,” said Joseph Stangler, the director of research and assessment for the school district. “Over 35 percent of our students who participated in the math MCA III scored at the highest level, more than 10 percent better that the statewide average. In reading and science, our student performance is better than the state as well.”

Third-grade students notched the highest proficiency rate in math, 83 percent, which is 15 percent higher than the state average proficiency rate.
The largest differential with the state occurred in both sixth and seventh grade, where the district owns an 18 percent over the state.

Reading results
Reading results also showed improvement. The district improved its overall proficiency rate by having more than 70 percent of students meeting or exceeding proficiency standards. That’s the highest point in district history and a 10-point margin over the state’s average.

The gap between the local school district and the state is in double-digits in most grade levels with the largest gap occurring in third grade.

Science results
Elementary students set the pace on the science assessments with more than 71 percent of fifth-graders meeting or exceeding the standard on their MCA exam vs. 60 percent statewide. Overall the district topped the state by more than 10 percentage points, with 65 percent of students meeting proficiency standards while only 55 percent of students, statewide, met proficiency standards.

“Year over year ISD 728 continues to increase its level of proficiency and increase our ranking across the state,” Stangler said. “That’s a testament to the parents, students, staff and administration throughout the district.”

For more information
Families and parents, as well as community members can drill deeper into MCA test results on the Minnesota Department of Education’s website.
Building-by-building results and grade-by-grade breakdowns are available. There are also results sorted via ethnic groups as defined by the U.S. Department of Education.