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Kids School Pages Brainerd Dispatch | www.brainerddispatch.com Tuesday, March 27, 2012 1S MARCH 2012 Baxter Central Lakes College Crosby/Ironton Crosslake Community School Discovery Woods Forestview Middle School Garfield Elementary Lake Region Christian School Learning Tree Preschool Nisswa Elementary Pequot Lakes Pine River/Backus Schools Riverside Elementary St. Francis Catholic School Staples/Motley Write On! NIE Week Top Student Essays If you were chosen for president of your class, what would you like to happen in your class that would make it a better place to learn? 2nd Place – Libby O’Neil 3rd grade, Mrs. Kauo, Staples Elementary 3rd Place – Emme Brandt 1st grade, Mr. Petersen, Pillager Elementary If I were class president the lockers wouldn’t go “SLAM!” That’s why I’d make sure kids are doing their work, follow rules, along with fun activities. When you learn you’re going to have some home- work. If I were class president, kids wouldn’t be saying, “Uh…more homework!” Instead, if you don’t have any- thing encouraging or kind to say, just don’t say anything at all. If you follow the rules you won’t get notes in your assignment book. By following rules you will get to do fun activities. When you get your work done, and follow the rules, you’ll get to participate in fun activities. These fun ac- tivities could be playing games and other fun things. If I were class president, I’d try to do all these things to improve our class. 1st Place – Rhea 2nd grade, Mrs Trele, Gareld Elementary To be student class president is a privilege to be tak- en seriously. If I were to be elected to that role, there are a couple of topics that come to mind that I would propose to the student body. The first topic would be the use of iPads or Tablets in the classrooms. The weights of students’ backpacks are tremendously heavy and a burden to carry around. Having iPads would literally do away with the heavy textbook. I feel assignments could also be turned in to our teachers more efficiently via these devices. The second topic I would propose is that a class be offered to students in communication and etiquette. With all of the texting and emailing, humans are losing the ability to talk and socialize the old fashioned way. A lot of teenagers have phones, but only feel comfort- able texting, not actually calling someone and talking. These are only two topics, but ones I feel are important to propose if I were class president. 1st Place – Briany Bement 11th grade, Mr. Devine, Brainerd High School If I was class president of the 2013 graduating class, I would change the things that have been overlooked. The most important thing that needs to be altered is the lack of recognition that average students receive. There is always that pressure to excel beyond indi- vidual capacity, and sometimes that isn’t good either. The best way to change this is to allow for more awards than just student of the semester, which only allows one student from each class to be recognized. In a school of around 500 students per grade, not many are given the opportunity to shine. Students are advanced in many ways, most of which are not recognized and that is due to the competitiveness inside the classroom. It takes more than just sitting in a classroom by grade. Things such as GPA, work ethic, and overall learning ability should also be considered when creating a class of stu- dents. It will be more work, but will exemplify for every students’ needs; as opposed to hitting the random but- ton on the computer. Students that feel less pressure in class feel better about their grades, and students that are proud of their academic success have a better schooling experience. 2nd Place – Aimeejoy Balko 11th grade, Mr. Fisher, Brainerd High School 3rd Place – Ryan Filikns 11th grade, Miss Kovacik, Lake Region Chrisan School 1st – 3rd grade 4th – 6th grade 1st Place – Emma Benson Grades 3-4 Mulage, Kathie Harman Eagle View Elementary 2nd Place – Rachel Voges Grades 3-4 Mulage Kathie Harman, Eagle View Elementary 3rd Place – Kaisa Keller-Heikkila Grades 3-4 Mulage Kathie Harman, Eagle View Elementary 7th – 9th grade 1st Place - Nessa Engen 7th grade, Mrs. Wiste Pequot Lakes Middle School 2nd Place – Mahew Maybon 9th grade, Mrs. Schulte Brainerd High School South Campus 3rd Place – Megan Tschida 7th grade, Mrs. Eggen, Forestview Middle School 10th – 12th grade Thank you to all the students who submitted essays for the NIE Week Write On! Contest, to teachers for their support of Newspapers in Education and to Kid Scoop, which provided the topic. For more information about Newspapers in Education or Increasing Literacy through Newspapers: http://brainerddispatch.com/more Click on NIE Teresa Hirst NIE Coordinator 218-855-5838 [email protected]

Kids School Pages - Mar. 2012

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School news from Baxter Elementary, Crosby/Ironton, Crosslake Community School, Discovery Woods Montessori, Forestview Middle School, Garfield Elementary, Harrison Elementary, Lake Region Christian School, Pequot Lakes, Pillager Area Charter School, Pillager Schools, Pine River/Backus, Riverside Elementary, St. Francis Catholic School, Staples/Motley

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Page 1: Kids School Pages - Mar. 2012

Kids School Pages Brainerd Dispatch | www.brainerddispatch.com Tuesday, March 27, 2012 1S

MARCH 2012

Baxter

Central Lakes College

Crosby/Ironton

Crosslake Community School

Discovery Woods

Forestview Middle School

Garfi eld Elementary

Lake Region Christian School

Learning Tree Preschool

Nisswa Elementary

Pequot Lakes

Pine River/Backus Schools

Riverside Elementary

St. Francis Catholic School

Staples/Motley

Write On! NIE Week Top Student EssaysIf you were chosen for president of your class, what would you like to happen in your class that would make it a better place to learn?

2nd Place – Libby O’Neil3rd grade, Mrs. Kautt o, Staples Elementary

3rd Place – Emme Brandt1st grade, Mr. Petersen, Pillager Elementary

If I were class president the lockers wouldn’t go “SLAM!” That’s why I’d make sure kids are doing their work, follow rules, along with fun activities.

When you learn you’re going to have some home-work. If I were class president, kids wouldn’t be saying, “Uh…more homework!” Instead, if you don’t have any-thing encouraging or kind to say, just don’t say anything at all.

If you follow the rules you won’t get notes in your assignment book. By following rules you will get to do fun activities.

When you get your work done, and follow the rules, you’ll get to participate in fun activities. These fun ac-tivities could be playing games and other fun things.

If I were class president, I’d try to do all these things to improve our class.

1st Place – Rhea2nd grade, Mrs Trett le, Garfi eld Elementary

To be student class president is a privilege to be tak-en seriously. If I were to be elected to that role, there are a couple of topics that come to mind that I would propose to the student body.

The fi rst topic would be the use of iPads or Tablets in the classrooms. The weights of students’ backpacks are tremendously heavy and a burden to carry around. Having iPads would literally do away with the heavy textbook. I feel assignments could also be turned in to our teachers more effi ciently via these devices.

The second topic I would propose is that a class be offered to students in communication and etiquette. With all of the texting and emailing, humans are losing the ability to talk and socialize the old fashioned way. A lot of teenagers have phones, but only feel comfort-able texting, not actually calling someone and talking. These are only two topics, but ones I feel are important to propose if I were class president.

1st Place – Britt any Bement11th grade, Mr. Devine, Brainerd High School

If I was class president of the 2013 graduating class, I would change the things that have been overlooked. The most important thing that needs to be altered is the lack of recognition that average students receive. There is always that pressure to excel beyond indi-vidual capacity, and sometimes that isn’t good either. The best way to change this is to allow for more awards than just student of the semester, which only allows one student from each class to be recognized. In a school of around 500 students per grade, not many are given the opportunity to shine. Students are advanced in many

ways, most of which are not recognized and that is due to the competitiveness inside the classroom. It takes more than just sitting in a classroom by grade. Things such as GPA, work ethic, and overall learning ability should also be considered when creating a class of stu-dents. It will be more work, but will exemplify for every students’ needs; as opposed to hitting the random but-ton on the computer. Students that feel less pressure in class feel better about their grades, and students that are proud of their academic success have a better schooling experience.

2nd Place – Aimeejoy Balko11th grade, Mr. Fisher, Brainerd High School

3rd Place – Ryan Filikns11th grade, Miss Kovacik, Lake Region Christi an School

1st – 3rd grade 4th – 6th grade1st Place – Emma Benson

Grades 3-4 Multi age, Kathie Harman Eagle View Elementary

2nd Place – Rachel VogesGrades 3-4 Multi age

Kathie Harman, Eagle View Elementary

3rd Place – Kaisa Keller-HeikkilaGrades 3-4 Multi age

Kathie Harman, Eagle View Elementary

7th – 9th grade1st Place - Nessa Engen7th grade, Mrs. Wiste

Pequot Lakes Middle School

2nd Place – Matt hew Maybon9th grade, Mrs. Schulte

Brainerd High School South Campus

3rd Place – Megan Tschida7th grade, Mrs. Eggen, Forestview Middle School

10th – 12th grade

Thank you to all the students who submitted essays for the NIE Week Write On! Contest, to teachers for their support of Newspapers in Education and to Kid Scoop, which provided the topic. For more information about Newspapers in Education or Increasing Literacy through Newspapers:

http://brainerddispatch.com/more Click on NIE Teresa Hirst NIE Coordinator 218-855-5838 [email protected]

Page 2: Kids School Pages - Mar. 2012

Kids School Pages2S Tuesday, March 27, 2012 Brainerd Dispatch | www.brainerddispatch.com

BAXTERELEMENTARY

On Monday, February 24th, 4th grade students spent their morning learning about ice fi shing tech-niques with local fi shing experts from the InFisher-man staff, Muskies Inc., MarCum Technologies and the MN DNR. Students then had the opportunity to

put their skills to the test as they headed out to White Sand Lake for the afternoon. Thank You to the many parent volunteers that were there to drill holes, help bait hooks and of course release the fi sh that were caught back into the lake.

4th Grade FISHING EXTRAVAGANZA

Page 3: Kids School Pages - Mar. 2012

Kids School Pages Brainerd Dispatch | www.brainerddispatch.com Tuesday, March 27, 2012 3S

The Central Lakes College Natural Resources Club was named Vol-unteer of the Year at Crane Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, where at the Little Falls VFW dinner advisers Dr. Bill Faber and Gary Carson accepted on behalf of the students. Annual volunteer efforts by the col-lege students are greatly appreciated by conservation groups and pro-vide valuable insight for the students offering their service.

Volunteer of the Year The Central Lakes College Natural Resources Club aided the Sharp-tailed Grouse Society’s annual brush cutting near Palisade, where a 40-acre bog owned and managed by the DNR got a face lift to enhance habitat for the popular Minnesota game bird. The day started with break-fast at the Palisade Café and at mid-day featured a bog BBQ lunch with Norm Moody, retired Cass Co. land services director. Norm talked about gasifi cation as an alternative energy source, while 14 current club members and several alums fed their heads as well as their stomachs.

Improving habitat

Nine local organizations reaffi rmed support for the Central Lakes College Veterans Re-source Center when representatives met to plan assistance to veteran students struggling with housing, food, and transportation needs. The community meeting featured presentation of a $2,000 check from the Brainerd Elks in support of CLC veteran students. Front from left: Pam Thomsen of the CLC Foundation, Kathy Marshik of the Veterans Resource Center, Lois Hansen of the Disabled American Veterans Auxiliary, Corky McCorkle of the DAV, Betty Peck of the VFW Auxiliary, and Scott Strissle of the Salvation Army. Back from left: Don Pfeffer of CLC, Doug Host of the Brainerd VFW, Edgar Peck of the Purple Heart Association, Jim Van Duyn of the Brainerd Elks, and Dan Davidson of CLC. The college for the third straight year has been named a Top Military-Friendly institution listed in Military Advance Education’s 2012 Guide to Military-Friendly Colleges and Universities.

Veterans Resource Center welcomes support

The Central Lakes College Accounting Advisory Committee includes, front from left: Sherri Hurchel, student; Jacki Okroi, Onamia Public Schools busi-ness manager; Tammy Hanson, student; Kristina Ehnert, CLC instructor. Back from left: Michael Amick, CLC dean of academic and technical servic-es; Jerry Sinner, Stern Industries; Sue Hilgart, Rural MN CEP; Greg Schley, DECO Inc.; Jeff Fox, Norson Inc. Not pictured: Mary DeVahl, CLC career coun-selor; Jody Harding, Employment Resource Center; Holly Lynch, Larson Allen LLP; Mike Carlson, Crow Wing County; and Ruth Stuckmayer, Pierz Healy High School.

Accounting Advisory Committee

The Central Lakes College Medical Secretary Advisory Committee includes, front from left: An-gela Anderson, Lakewood Health; Sue Bremer, CLC instructor Tracy Rothwell, Central Lakes Medical Clinic; Madonna LeBlanc, College of St. Scholastica; middle from left: Andrea Pastor, Essentia Health; Karen Johnson, Northern Orthopedics; Becky Tschi-da, Allina Hospitals and Clinics; Pam Nelson, Betha-ny & Woodland Good Samaritan; Connie Vieths, CLC instructor; back from left: Sara Miller, Lakewood Health; Tina Nill, Essentia Health; Derek Johnson, Wellness Team; Julie Iten, Essentia Health; and Kathy Smude, Essentia Health. Not pictured: Eryn Przymus, Essentia Health, and Sue Iveland, St. Ga-briel’s Hospital.

Medical Secretary Advisory Committee

Congratulations to our 2012 Staples Campus Snow Days royalty -- King Jake Drigans, St. Paul Park, and Queen Ash-ley Vukelich, Little Falls. Jake is enrolled in the Heavy Equip-ment Operations and Maintenance program and Ashley is en-rolled in the Photographic Imaging Technology program.

Snow Days royalty

CLC Nursing Student Steve Sabin, president of the Brainerd Campus Student Senate, is a candidate for president of the Minnesota State College Student Associ-ation, which represents public two-year college students. MSCSA ensures accessible, quality, and affordable public higher education while providing students with repre-sentation, leadership development, and communication. Election Day is Saturday, April 21 at the semi-annual general assembly. You may lend support to Steve by drop-ping him a note at [email protected] or by following this link to his campaign Facebook page: http://www.face-book.com/#!/SteveSabinForMscsaPresidentIn20122013

Runs for state offi ce

Molly Winters, a CLC student known for enthu-siastic dance, won a $25 JC Penney gift certifi cate for her costume during Brainerd Campus Snow Days. Molly won the top prize on Raider Theme Day. Raz, the Raider mascot, provided Molly’s costume footwear, which some say provided an un-canny, perfect fi t.

Raider theme winner

Page 4: Kids School Pages - Mar. 2012

Kids School Pages4S Tuesday, March 27, 2012 Brainerd Dispatch | www.brainerddispatch.com

Crosby-IrontonRangers

Cuyuna Range Elementary students participated in the fi rst annual Jump Rope for Heart on February 10th, 2012. All classes, grades k-6th, spent time in the gym participating at stations. The stations included, single jump rope skills, part-ner jump rope skills, long rope jumping, a jumping obstacle

course and the school favorite, swinging from ropes. The event was a huge success. The students reached the school goal of raising more than $ 5,000 dollars for the American Heart As-sociation and they learned that they can begin preventing heart disease by staying active through jumping rope.

Jump Rope for Heart

Student’s in Mrs. Dietz Spanish I practiced bar-gaining in a mock Mexi-can market on Friday, 2/24. Students spoke in Spanish and tried to sell or purchase products us-ing Mexican pesos.

Spanish market

Mr. Steinke’s Class Mrs. Perrine’s Class Mr. Steinke’s Class – Boys jump roping from left to right; Cayden Turk and Kyler Watson

Mrs. Turnbloom’s Class Andy Meacham from Mrs. Turnbloom’s Class

Josh Yotter from Mrs. Perrine’s Class

Una – Spreading school spirit at Jump Rope for Heart.

Teppi Bundy Participating in Jump Rope for Heart activities.

C u y u n a Range El-e m e n t a r y students par-ticipated in Pennies for Patients, a cancer educa-tion program and fund rais-er benefi ting the Leukemia and Lym-phoma Soci-ety. Students raised a total of $1,430.

Pennies for Patients

(Top) Students from Ms. Molly and Ms. Brigitte’s classrooms helping to collect money for Pennies for Patients. From the top left: Jeremia Cortez, Gracie Jensen, Austin Frank. Second row from the left: Aaliyah Young, Casey Blake, Rashawn O’Neal, Liam Chamberlin. (Bottom) Front row: Keegan Anderson, Tabatha Foster, Lily Peterson, Nick Yeager, Scott Kern, Breanna Stirewalt, Anna Coughlin, Ethan Nash. Second Row: Ryan Cady, Kaylyn Rudolph, Kamrin Johnsrud, Asia Franz, Lexy Martz, Katie Kovatovich Back Row: Eddie Jones, Dietrich Winegarner, Conner Zender, Carter Holtzleicer, Nathan Wind, Una, Josie Parks, Chris Salas. Not Pictured Madilyn Bodle, Jenna Hallin

Valentine program The Second Grade valentine program was performed in the James Pierson Performance Area at CRES on Monday, Feb. 13th. The students sang a variety of valentine songs including L-O-V-E, Skinamarink, Joshua Made the Teacher a Valentine and You Are My Sunshine. In this picture (10.jpg) the students are singing: Zing! Zing! A Valentine Zong!

Students in Mrs. Pierner’s second grade class held up signs while singing the song If You’ll Be M-I-N-E (mine). The pro-gram was directed by Scott Ruffng and accompanied by Colleen Abear.

7th grade awards

7th Grade Teacher Awards: 1st Row: Caleb Kreitter, 2nd Row: Nikita Finnerty, Samantha Gutzman, 3rd Row: Nicolette Glomski, Trey Jacobs, Michael Leonhardt, Isaac Kramer, Kreilyn Brown, Alyssa Hanson, Jacob Sicora, 4th Row: Evan Edmundson, Logan Peterson, Noah GindorffJonathan Flannigan, Tori O’Connor, Mileena Doust, Not pictured: Jake Larson

8th Grade Teacher Awards: 1st Row: Mara Meinert, Melia Voss Madeline Kertzmann, Jeremiah Doerfl er, 2nd Row: Sylas Lies, Sienna-Rae Johnson, Kaitlin Sharp, Andrew Moore, 3rd Row: Toini O’Connor, Dillon Elliott, Matthew Donovan, Marcus Lambert, Elijah McDermond William Tyler

8th grade awards7th Grade A Honor Roll 1st Row: Megan Nephew, Samantha Gutzman, Kyja Lindahl. 2nd Row: Trey Jacobs, Sage Stangel, Katelyn Norwood, Hillary Holmvig, Nikita Finnerty, Jessica Arneson Michael Leonhardt, Caleb Kreitter. 3rd Row: Dylan Bersneve, Gage Smith, Austin Davis Jack Silgen, Logan Peterson, Evan Edmundson, Noah Gindorff, Tyler Stangel, Isaac Kramer, Tori O’Connor, Mileena Doust, Not Pictured: Shayla Loiland, Jake Larson

7th Grade B Honor Roll 1st Row: Aleczander Clemmer, Cody Chapman, Holden Johnson 2nd Row: Anna Louks, Whitney Haukos, Anna Trenda, Joshua Maucieri, Matthew Stangel, Miranda Berg, 3rd Row: Jacob Faust, Taylor Haag, Mikayla Lambert, Ally Sabyan, Nikohl Sura, Nicolette Glomski, Yvette Blume, Jolie Nelson, Amber Lewis, Samantha Dauer, Alyssa Hanson, Sadie Johnson, Connor Rono, Not Pictured: Emily Davis

7th Grade Caught You Being Good, 1st Row (Laying Down): Noah Gindorff, Austin Davis, Isaac Kramer, Nickolas Glenn, Holden Johnson, Dale Yotter, 2nd Row: Jacob Sicora, Zackery Windorski, Gage Smith, Nathan Glenn, Michael Leonardt, Jack Silgen, Samantha Gutzman, Jessica Arneson, Brianna DeCent, Brooke Harwig, Hannah Blood, Jayda Wager, Kaylee Wgeishofski 3rd Row: Chole Criagie, Yvette Blume, Keagan Schmidt, Johnathan Flannigan,

Mikayla Kolodji, Alyssa Hanson, Whitney Haukos, Amanda McDermond, Anna Trenda, Allyson Anderson, Faith Shannon-Nieken, Sage Stangel, Nikita Finnerty, Tyrese Dooyema, Kyja Lindahl, Anna Louks, Nicolette Glomski, Samantha Dauer, Quinn Wikelius, 4th Row: Mikayla Lambert, Sadie Johson, Cole Hatcher, Dylan Bergsnev, Steven Chandler, Aleczander Clemmer, Kreilyn Brown, Marquise Knutson, Tori O’Connor, Trey Jacobs, Tyler Stangel, Charles Paxton, Mileena Dousst, Jolie Nelson

7th Grade Perfect Attendance (Students pictured had no absences or class tardies for quarter 2.) 1st Row: Noah Gindorff, Nathan Glenn, Isaac Kramer, 2nd Row: Michael Leonhardt, Gage Smith, 3rd Row: Jacob Sicora, Cole Hatcher, Whitney Haukos, Anna Trenda, Miranda Berg, Megan Nephew, Marquise Knutson, 4th Row: Taylor Hag, Makayla Lambert, Ally Sabyan, Anna Louks, Not pictured: Aleczander Clemmer, Chloe Craigie , Tyrese Dooyema, Jacoby Hammonds, Alyssa Hanson, Tyler Hunter, Hannah Kile, Caleb Kreitter, Shayla Loiland, Tori OConnor, Wyatt Pankratz, Charles Paxton, Faith Shannon-Nieken, Nikohl Sura, Jayda Wager

8th Grade A Honor Roll Front Row:Sienna-Rae Johnson, Mindy Borash, Kaia Forde, Mara Meinert, Melia Voss, Madeline Kertzmann, Jeremiah Doerfl er, 2nd Row: Sylas Lies, Abbi Gujer Kaitlin Sharp, Cassidy Bonsante, 3rd Row: Toini O’Connor, Roxanne Hoheisel, Morgan Swensen, Bria Davis, Elizabeth Kuhlmann, Matthew Donovan, Luke LeMieur, Marcus Lambert, Not pictured: Holly Larson

8th Grade B Honor Roll Front: Debra Katona, Emilie Froidcoeur, Jonathan Pitassi, Andrew Moore, Tylor Austin, Zachary Taylor, Back: Madison Lutz, Caroline Bender, Rachel Bundy, Breanna Thompson, Not pictured: Abigail Sova

8th Grade Caught You Being Good Laying Down: Matthew Donovan, Tylor Austin, Luke LeMieur, 1st Row: Sienna-Rae Johnson, Kaia Forde, Morgan Swensen, Abbi Gujer, Elizabeth Kuhlmann, Kaitlin Sharp, Cassidy Bonsante, Katrina Blom, William Tyler, 2nd Row: Kaylee Gangestad, Jessica Meyer Roxanne Hoheisel, Megan Lease, Matthew Staley, Veronica BarryCyan Hale, Madison Lutz, Tom Burgslater, Matt Malloy, Paul Carlson, 3rd Row: Debra Katona, Broquette Smith, Abigail Froidcoeur, Melia Voss, Kaitlyn Johnson, Sylas Lies, Tom Reifenberger, Holdin Rossing, Dominic Reynolds, Jared Nelson, Logan Strange,

8th Grade Perfect Attendance (Students pictured had no absences or class tardies for quarter 2.) First Row: Sylas Lies, Mindy Borash Bria Davis, Cassidy Bonsante, Keriann Wgeishofski, Madeline Kertzmann, Jeremiah Doerfl er, 2nd Row: Morgan Swensen, Andrew Workman, Charlie Anderson, Marcus Lambert, Mason Harris, Not pictured: Elijah McDermond , Cyan Peacock-Hale Dominic Reynolds, Matthew Staley, Monica Buchite, Paul Carlson

Page 5: Kids School Pages - Mar. 2012

Kids School Pages Brainerd Dispatch | www.brainerddispatch.com Tuesday, March 27, 2012 5S

CrosslakeLUMBERJACKS

Community School

The K/1 students at Crosslake Community School celebrated the 100th day of school on February 8th. The students spent the en-tire day working with all things 100. They made crazy hats with 10 strips each with 10 dots, mea-sured 100 items, made necklaces with 100 Fruit Loops, put togeth-er 100 piece puzzles, built struc-tures with 100 blocks, and much more.

100th day of school

Art Club mask workshopArt Club meets on Mondays after school Oct. – May. This workshop focused

on Italian Carnival mask styles.

On the front table are Griffi n Dahlberg, Ella Archambault, and Lauren Hollingsworth. At the back table are Maya Orvis and Wade Loeffl er.

For the third year in a row, Crosslake Community School sent a student to the Northern Minnesota Re-gional Science Fair at Bemidji State University. Matt Bonfi g, a 6th grader, competed against students from districts including Grand Rapids and Thief River Falls. His project investigated the question, “Which is Greener, a Flip Switch or a Dimmer Switch?” After he was judged 5 times, he waited anxiously at the awards ceremony. Awards were given for third, second, and premium (fi rst) place. Matt, along with 23 other stu-dents with a display, received the honorable invitation to attend the Minnesota State Science Fair. He will be competing in March. Matt follows in the footsteps of two other Crosslake Community School student alumni who won this honor in the past two years, Seth Srock and Kody Kettleson. Kody Kettleson competed at the state level last year and won fi rst place for his grade.

Student competes at regional science fair

Science fair winners1st, 2nd, 3rd place winners in each grade level in the Crosslake Science Fair:Grade 4: Emily Brunkhorst, Jake Grossman, (3-way ti e for 3rd) Stephanie Aldridge, Sidney Veit, Erin GrayGrade 5: Taylor Schulz, Lyla Billman, Ally AndersonGrade 6: Matt Bonfi g, William Gustafson, Cole Gray-Grade 7: Anthony Popehn, ( not present: Dylan Nelson, Chase Tulenchik)Grade 8: Sam Hendrickson, Ethan Gibbs, (not present: Jack Friday)

January 2012 - RespectKindergarten: Brayden S., Emily H.K-1: Millie T., Abby P.1-2: Donavan L., Pierce S., Rose A.2-3 L: Hunter J., Grace P., Mason M.2-3 N: Hannah T., Rausie C.3-4: Tigerlily B.4-5: Lyla B., Sidney V., Stephanie A.5-6: Will G., Abby W.7-8: Kate G., Jack F., Kalley N.

Abby Porter and Will Gustafson

Crosslake School spelling beeEvelyn Watson, a third grader, won the Junior Spelling Bee for Grades K-3

and went on to compete and win the championship for grades 4-8. Finalists of the Crosslake School Spelling Bee: Maya Orvis, Evelyn Watson, Sam Hen-drickson, Jacob Young.

Dr. Seuss Day celebrationOn March 2nd, Mrs. Steffen’s Kin-

dergarten class celebrated Dr. Seuss’ birthday. The class celebrated the day with Reading with Cat in a Hat

hats, eating Green Eggs and Ham, and wearing Crazy Socks with Fox in Socks. The day was full of fun reading, rhyming, and laughing!

Crazy Socks: Emily Hulke, Tori Windorski, Vance Wannebo, Logan M., Brayden Sewall, Dawn H., Mercedes Engstrom, Mayson E., Jayda A.

Vance Wannebo, Brayden SewallMercedes Engstrom, Dakota S.Sadie Pollock

On Thursday, February 23rd, several families and staff members participated in Family Games and Pizza Night in the gymnasium at Crosslake Community School to. Door prizes were given out. Title One Committee coordinated the event, which was funded by Resource Training and Solutions.

Family games and pizza night

Page 6: Kids School Pages - Mar. 2012

Kids School Pages6S Tuesday, March 27, 2012 Brainerd Dispatch | www.brainerddispatch.com

January 19th - Science Museum of MN visit- The Sci-ence Museum’s mobile unit brought two presentations to students. Kindergarten through 2nd grade learned about dinosaurs. 3rd through 5th grade experienced an electricity program.

February 1st – New student enrollment- Enrollment for grades K – 6th opened for 2012/13. Kindergarten spaces are still available. The offi ce is keeping a wait list for grades 1- 6 for next year.

February 11th – A dozen staff members, board mem-bers, and relatives of students volunteered at the Jay-cees Ice Fishing Extravaganza. Several volunteers had never experienced the ice fi shing contest. Everyone that went said they enjoyed the event very much, and most plan to volunteer again next year.

March 1st – Parent Night- Students invited their families to school to show them what they are learning and how to use the Montessori materials. Parents and

relatives were excited to see what their children learn with the Montessori manipulative materials. One par-ent wrote: “Thanks for hosting the parents night. It was amazing to sit with our kids and see/learn what they do. It was incredible!! We are more thrilled than ever that our kids are able to attend such a great school!! Thank you so much for all you do. We appreciate it!!”

March 6th - The Duval family brought their team of energetic dogs to take students on dogsled rides near the school. Students and adults were able to enjoy the sunny day and few inches of snow that fi nally covered the ground in central Minnesota. A big thanks to the Duval’s and their dogs!

March 23rd - Maple syruping- Mrs. I’s 1st – 3rd grade class prepared breakfast at the Arboretum, then took a bus to nearby property to participate in maple syrup processing.

Winter Discovery Woods Happenings

Eliana shows her mom the map of North America

Evandyr and Brooke playing in the garden

Hunter and Jetta stand on a giant snowball

Maury Duval and his team of dogs take students for rides near school

Preschoolers and kindergartners wait to dog sled

Sierra and Noah ride the dogsled with Chad Turcott

Dog sleddingat school

Mandy and Francy use a language chart

Page 7: Kids School Pages - Mar. 2012

Kids School Pages Brainerd Dispatch | www.brainerddispatch.com Tuesday, March 27, 2012 7S

Every year FMS students have a rotation day in physical education classes. Students shuffl e from gym to gym throughout their gym hour and experience dif-

ferent activities in each space. Last summer teacher Toby Kvalevog met with MN National Guard member Staff Sergeant Michael Stanek decided to organize a

National Guard Obstacle Course to be brought to FMS. It was a great day!

National Guard obstacle course

Each winter, Forestview 6th graders take part in Learn-to-Ski Day at Ski Gull. Students are grouped by experience and spend the day learning the basics of maneuvering down the slopes.

“It is awesome to see students stepping outside their "comfort zone" and really trying to master a new skill. Their efforts, struggles, eventual successes, and pride are what the Learn to Ski Day is all about” said sixth grade teacher Tim Edinger.

“I have always enjoyed seeing how much fun the 6th grade students have out at Ski Gull. It is exciting to see how quickly they progress with the assistance of the volunteers. Students come back so excited from the day and very eager to go skiing again,” added sixth grade teacher Lisa Lindley.

6th grade Learn to Ski program

As part of “I Love to Read Month”, Principal Tammy Dewey read students the book Giraffes Can't Dance. This book has a character lesson about bullying and standing up for others and not judging people. Dewey and students discussed the book’s themes after the reading.

Giraffes Can’t DanceFriday, May 2, FMS 5th grad-

ers celebrated “I Love to Read Month” with a Read-a-Thon. Prior to the Read-a-Thon, stu-dents raised money to be put towards a spring fi eld trip to Camp Shamineau. Students were able to bring in comforts from home to enjoy a day curled up with a book.

I love to Read Month

Page 8: Kids School Pages - Mar. 2012

Kids School Pages8S Tuesday, March 27, 2012 Brainerd Dispatch | www.brainerddispatch.com

GARFIELDELEMENTARY

Five students from Garfi eld Elementary participated in the 30th annual Area 5 Special Olympics Winter Carnival at Confi dence Learning Center on February 9th. Three hun-dred eleven Olympians and staff along with seventy volun-teers participated in the event which included a day of inner tubing, snow shoeing, dog sledding, ice fi shing, face painting, bean bag toss, bonfi res, hot chocolate, hayrides, Nature Cen-ter, Wild life sanctuary, snowmobiling, and broom ball.

This year was the fi rst time that participants from Gar-fi eld also had the opportunity to bring along “peer buddies” from their grade level classrooms. Three “peer buddies” were selected by teachers to go along with the group. These stu-dents helped to cheer on participants while also providing good role models, and a natural opportunity to work on social skills. It was a wonderful day fi lled with friendship, laughter, and inclusion among students of all abilities.

Camp Confi dence Special Olympics Winter Carnival

On March 6th at 6:30 p.m., Garfi eld El-ementary and Mr. Tomonovich, (Garfi eld Media Specialist) and Lowell Johnson, FRED Coordinator hosted a F.R.E.D. pro-gram, F.R.E.D. being Father’s Reading Ev-ery Day.

FRED is not just for fathers. It is for any male role model who wants to instill a child with the understanding of the impor-tance of reading.

We were thrilled with our record break-ing turnout. We had 31 male role models who brought 49 children to play cooperative learning games in the gym, read a selection of favorite children’s books, and then we all enjoyed the feature selection of the evening, “What Do You Do With A Tail Like This?”, a wonderfully illustrated interactive guessing book by Steve Jen-kins and Robin Page. At the end of the program, each family was pre-sented with a copy of the featured book. Male role models of every type came and demonstrated the importance of men reading.

Father’s Reading Every Day

Garfi eld staff and students added a little twist to “I love to read month” as we incorporated activities to show our love and support for our fabulous Phy. Ed. Teacher, “Mr. G”, who is battling cancer. Stu-dents were surprised at various times throughout the month as Mr. Clark would announce it was time to “drop everything and read” for 10 minutes.

Students that were caught reading received tickets that went into a drawing for a pizza party with Mr. Clark. We also had mystery reader contests, Free Fri-day book drawings and on Friday March 2nd, we had “Dress like Mr. G” day.

The month long celebration was topped off Friday, with an afternoon of fun stations and activities set up in each classroom. Our classrooms were divided up into groups and the students were able to visit differ-ent classrooms and participate in activities in other classrooms. Our student ambassadors did a great job organizing and implementing our month long cel-ebration.

I Love to Read month

Show up . . . Dominate . . . Go Home . . . We Miss You, Mr. G

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Kids School Pages Brainerd Dispatch | www.brainerddispatch.com Tuesday, March 27, 2012 9S

Lake RegionLake RegionChristian SchoolChristian School

LAKE REGION CHRISTIAN SCHOOL IS PLEASED TO PRESENT

UNCLE NEDDY’S LAST STAND By Pat Cook

“Produced by special arrangement with Eldridge Publishing Co.”

Friday, April 20 at 7:00 p.m. First Baptist Church Auditorium

A Freewill Offering Will Be Taken

Doors Open at 6:15 For more information, call the school office 828-1226

The Senior Class at Lake Region Christian School invites the community to the annual

Family Fun FairCome for a fun-fi lled evening of games,

activities, silent auction, and cake walk for the whole family! Admission is free. Tick-

ets for the activities may be purchased that evening.

When: March 30, 2012 5:30-8:30 p.m.Where: Lake Region Christian School

7398 Fairview Drive, Baxter

For more information, please call the school offi ce at 828-1226.

Believing that the elementary grades are the foundation of a child’s education, LRCS offers a high standard of academic excel-lence.

Qualifi ed and experienced teachers use a Bible-based cur-riculum to help each student grow academically, spiritually, and physically.

Students are taught reading using a phonetic approach, math-ematics, language arts, history, science, health, art, and music including classroom instruments, singing, and basic theory.

Elementary students partici-pate in chapel, PE, and weekly library visits. In addition, the classes have access to the comput-er lab. Christian character is em-phasized with students learning a character quality each month. Students who demonstrate the character quality receive an award in chapel.

If you have questions about our elementary program or if you are interested in enrolling your child in the school, please contact the school offi ce at 828-1226. Classes fi ll up quickly!

Spotlight on elementary

Eight students recently competed in the Minnesota Association of Christian Schools speech competition in Fridley, Minnesota. The students competed in the categories of choric speaking, duet acting, and oral interpretation of poetry. The choric speakers were Marlee Moore, Grace Czeczok, Matt Wiedell, Johnathan Germann, Kira Taylor, Elisabeth Cavalier, and Tera Mestuzzi. The group received fi rst place honors for their presentation of

“The Highwayman.” The duet acting group of Elisabeth Cavalier and Tera Mestuzzi won second place for their piece, “The Tryouts.” Marlee Moore and Grace Czeczok also competed in duet acting and received fourth place for “The Showstopper.” Kendra Moser won third place in oral interpretation of poetry for her rendition of “The Ra-ven.” The students did a great job and are looking forward to next year!

Speech competition

The varsity basketball teams were invited to compete in Ankeny, Iowa, at a basketball tournament at Faith Baptist Bible College. The teams en-joyed playing a lot of basketball over the course of three-day tournament as well as see the campus of the col-lege. The girls’ team won their part of the tournament. Three LRCS bas-ketball players were named to the all-tournament team: Bethany Cress-man (11th grade), Daniel Newton (11th Grade), and Marlee Moore (9th Grade). Congratulations, Teams!

Basketball tournament in Iowa

The fourth grade class, under the direction of Miss Brewer, presented a patriotic program in February. The students worked hard to prepare a play, recitations, and songs. The fi rst performance was held for the elemen-tary. The students also presented their program for the senior citizens’ luncheon of First Baptist Church. On Thursday, February 9, the students invited moms and dads and other spe-cial guests to attend their program. Those who attended were treated with a great program.

Fourth grade’s patriotic program

Spirit Week Comes to LRCSFebruary 14-16 was Spirit Week at LRCS. The week kicked off with a special Valen-

tine’s Lunch that was prepared for students and their guests. The high school special dress-up days were thrift store day, backwards day, camo/Armed Forces day, and blue and gold day. The elementary special dress-up days were red, white, and pink day; clash day, crazy hair day, and blue and gold day. The students did a great job being creative with each day. The high school students were divided into teams, and each afternoon the teams competed against each other in a variety of activities. One of the highlights was the broomball tournament. The fun-fi lled week culminated with the fi nal home basketball game and parent night. The gym was packed, and the teams did not disappoint the crowd as great basketball was played. Marlee Moore, a ninth grader, put up a career high of thirty-one points.

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Kids School Pages10S Tuesday, March 27, 2012 Brainerd Dispatch | www.brainerddispatch.com

LEARNING TREEPRESCHOOL

mmfcu.org Baxter | Brainerd | Crosby

Pequot Lakes | Staples

The CLC dental assistants came to school to teach us how to take care of our teeth.Healthy Teeth

The afternoon group with Rachel. The morning group with Roxie.

Sadie is helping Rachel.

Rachel is teaching Timmy how to fl oss.

The dentist offi ce at school, “Next?” Olivia is learning how to read an x-ray.

Roxie is teaching Abby how to brush.

Our Valentine’s Day Party was busy. Washing dishes can be educational.

Puzzle play.

Dress up is so much fun.

Ethan is such an awesome artist.

For more information call 829-6175Open House on Thursday, March 29 (9-6)

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Kids School Pages Brainerd Dispatch | www.brainerddispatch.com Tuesday, March 27, 2012 11S

ELEMENTARYNisswa

Visit to Deep Portage

Wax Museum

Celebrity Readers

Prairie Fire Children’s Theatre

To celebrate February’s I Love to Read Month, local celebrities visited Nisswa classrooms to share some of their favorite stories with students. Some of those ce-lebrities included Mark Ronnei of Grand View Lodge, Mark Loschko of Rafferty’s Pizza, Miss Nisswa Rachel Howard and Tess Taylor of WJJY.

Funded by the Nisswa PTO, Prairie Fire Children’s Theatre sent two profes-sional actors/directors to Nisswa School for a one week residency. The cast and crew, featuring Nisswa School’s 3rd grade classes, performed a production of the original musical adaptation of “Sleeping Beauty”, with matinee and evening performances.

Third Graders from Nisswa School, accompanied by staff chaperones, traveled to Deep Portage Conser-vation Reserve to explore woods, wildlife, and Pioneer Orienteering. Students participated in environmen-tal activities and enjoyed the beautiful surroundings of this natural habitat near Hackensack. This annual

event is made possible by donations of Kemps Bottle Caps and General Mills Box Tops, as well as dona-tions from several local service organizations: Peli-can Lake Conservation Club, the Nisswa American Legion, the Nisswa Lions, the Nisswa Women’s Club, and the Lake Hubert Women’s Club.

In February, the third graders were busy writing biogra-phies on famous people. They researched their person, wrote a rough draft, edited their draft, and fi nally word processed their report using Google Docs. To culminate this activ-ity, the kids had a “Wax Museum” in the Nisswa School Library. The children dressed up as their person they re-searched and read their written report. As you can see, there was a va-riety of famous people from Mother Teresa to Elvis. The kids had a great time and anyone who heard to their re-ports enjoyed it as well!

The wax museum featured (top) Mother Teresa, Charles Lindbergh, Clara Barton.(bottom) Shaun White, Elvis, George Washington.

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Kids School Pages12S Tuesday, March 27, 2012 Brainerd Dispatch | www.brainerddispatch.com

Pequot LakesPATRIOTS

The Student of Excellence award is for students who are performing at the top level of excellence in our school. Teachers select students who rise to the expectations of our middle school. We believe in PRIDE, perseverance, re-spect, integrity, discipline, and excellence in all we do at Pequot Lakes Middle School. These students not only do this in the classroom, they are role models outside the classroom as well. Congratulations to the students, parents and guardians of these great students. We look forward to their continued success in the future.

2nd quarter Students of Excellence

Each quarter students are selected as the Artist of the quarter. These students have shown great artistic skills and have had a positive attitude towards learning. Although all students at this level are still developing their artistic talents; the award is given to students that have gone above and beyond what is asked of them to complete a project. They have continuously demonstrated their love of being artistic. Congratulations to Alexandra Kotaska & Sebastian Kempka (6th grade); Lyndsey Johnson & Josh Lindstrom (7th grade); Brittny Bzdok & Brady Evenson (8th grade).

Artists of the 2nd quarter

by Levi Palmer & Angela Gudahl As an unit in eighth grade English, students

studied many aspects of the MN American Indian cultures and traditions. It contained information on the tribes spe-cifi c to Minnesota and all that they contributed to our society. As a culmi-nating activity, stu-dents were put into groups for projects. Topics included: Story Telling, Ma-ple Sugar and Wild Rice, Cultures of the Dakota and Ojibway, and the U.S. Dakota War.

Groups were allowed freedom as to how they would present their material. Some chose to present in a formal way, while others were more unique with games or skits. Here is how some of the students reacted to the project: "I had fun doing the project because we learned a lot but we got to do our own thing," said Cortney Chambers. "Our group enjoyed learning about how Native Americans contributed things to our society," added Brittny Bzdok.

MN American Indian

by Emma Benson and Sophia LaBarreMrs. Harman’s/Ms. Virnig’s and Mrs. Zeidler’s 3-4 Multi

age students had an International Festival to celebrate their heritage on the evening of January 27, 2012, at Eagle View School.

At the International Festival the students sang four songs. They were called, “Hello to All the Children of the World”, “Just One Candle”, “It’s a Small World”, and “We’ve got the Whole World.” After singing and sharing facts about the country of their heritage to a gym full of family and friends, the students headed out to their tables where they had set up a Taste Fest for their guests. Each student brought something to share with the crowd from a tradi-

tional recipe they had collected from a family member or re-searched on-line. Yum! There were so many different types of food from many kinds of cookies, to lefse and Swedish meatballs, to stroganoff and wild rice.

Students found out about their nationalities and re-searched one country. They wanted to know where their ancestry was from and we found out that in Pequot Lakes, most ancestors came from Europe, but we also have stu-dents that have roots in North America and Asia as well.

Students decorated fl ags, wrote an expository report about their country in a hard-covered blank book, and now have a recipe book with delicious food created all around the world!

Celebrating Our Heritage: The Multiage International Festival

by Emma Pitzl & Josh Senst Students in eighth grade English classes recently fi n-

ished a poetry unit. They studied many types of poetry as well as famous poems and authors. As the fi nal activ-ity in the unit, students had to create or recite a poem of their choice along with creatively presenting them. They could either write their own, use song lyrics, or recite poems from famous authors. Lots of students had fun making their performances creative.

Two of the students who performed theirs together were Hunter Larson and Gage Kuehl. Their poem was about their fellow teammates, and they had a lot of fun with it. "Hearing and performing the poems were a lot of fun and a good experience for everyone," said Hunter Larson. Gage Kuehl said, "It was fun to see our class-mate's reactions to our performance." Natialie Halver-son said, "I read my own poem, and it was a good experi-ence because I could express myself in a different way."

Fun With Poetry

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Kids School Pages Brainerd Dispatch | www.brainerddispatch.com Tuesday, March 27, 2012 13S

Read Across America Day PRBE celebrated Dr. Seuss’s birthday and Read Across America Day with

their annual Read-in. Families are encouraged to read with their children and celebrate reading!

From there to here,from here to there,families were readingEVERYWHERE!

Look, a door. It was a chore, but not a bore to look at that door.

Lunch with the principal4th, 5th, and 6th graders from PRBE who made it on the

Honor Roll for both 1st and 2nd quarters joined Principal Jackie Bruns on the stage for lunch. PRB food service staff served the students their lunch on dinnerware with tablecloths and center-pieces. Students really enjoyed their "special dessert", courtesy of Brenda Anderson and her crew.

Photos (clockwise from top) 6th grade, 5th grade and 4th grade

Page 14: Kids School Pages - Mar. 2012

Kids School Pages14S Tuesday, March 27, 2012 Brainerd Dispatch | www.brainerddispatch.com

RIVERSIDEELEMENTARY

Riverside parents and students enjoyed Family Fun Night with pizza and games.

Family Fun Night

The winter that almost wasn’t . . . and then it fell

Learning about the rainforest

A “HUGE” thank you to the community members who volunteered their time to read to Riverside classes during “I Love to Read” month. You are awesome!

Character day Color day Crazy hair day

Riverside loves to read

Page 15: Kids School Pages - Mar. 2012

Kids School Pages Brainerd Dispatch | www.brainerddispatch.com Tuesday, March 27, 2012 15SMission Statement

St. Francis of the Lakes Catholic School, in cooperation with the family, is committed to challenging students to grow spiritually, academically and socially within a Catholic-centered environment.

of the Lakes Catholic SchoolOUR CHILDREN. OUR FAITH. OUR FUTURE.

817 JUNIPER ST., BRAINERD, MN 56401

218.829.2344WWW.STFRANCISCATHOLICSCHOOL.ORG

At Bremer Bank, our dedication to our community goes back to our founder Otto Bremer. In his words, “To serve our clients, we must also serve their communities.” Today, through nonprofit grants from our owner, the Otto Bremer Foundation, local bank donations and thousands of employee volunteer hours each year, we’re still taking action to make our community even stronger.

We’re proud to call this our home town.

Brainerd 829-8781 • Baxter 828-5191 • Aitkin 927-3794 1-800-908-BANK (2265) • Bremer.com

Member FDIC. © 2011 Bremer Financial Corporation. All rights reserved.

Catholic Schools Week was celebrated with several activities including the Annual Diocese Spelling Bee, A Talent Show, Hawaiian Family Fun Dance, classroom activities and Ice Skating.

Catholic Schools Week

Saint Francis recently received a DNR grant for the Ar-chery in the Schools program this was matched by MNDA (Brainerd) and MNDA (Wahoo) and additional private dona-tions. The three week program included students Kindergar-ten through 8th grade.

Archery in the Schools

Saint Francis Catholic School will be receiving a new Smart Board for suc-cessful raffl e results! St. Francis families and students sold the largest number of tickets of all Schools participating in the 2012 Catholic United Raffl e. $43,860 was raised for the school.

Catholic United Financial Raffl e

Top ten raffl e ticket selling families are getting ready to celebrate making the school raffl e goal. The set goal was $42,000, close to $44,000 was raised.

JOIN US ON SUNDAY APRIL 15TH AT 10:30 A.M. FOR A PRESCHOOL AND KIN-DERGARTEN OPEN HOUSE AT SAINT FRANCIS CATHOLIC SCHOOL. THE OPEN HOUSE WILL KICK OFF WITH A BRUNCH AND SHORT PRESENTATION, CLASS-ROOM TOURS AND AN OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT WITH STAFF WILL FOLLOW.

Open HouseApril 15

Drama clubParent, staff and

students are prepar-ing for the PRODUC-TION OF PIRATES OF THE CURRY BEAN; two perfor-mances of the musical have been scheduled for May 18th. The Drama Club is a new established activ-ity at the school. All students are invited to participate as cast members and produc-tion assistants.

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Kids School Pages16S Tuesday, March 27, 2012 Brainerd Dispatch | www.brainerddispatch.com

Staples MotleyIndependent School District #2170Independent School District #2170

It’s the time of year to begin thinking about Kindergarten and we encourage you to consider Staples Motley as the next stop in your child’s education. We have extraordinary Kindergarten offerings at both Motley Elementary School and Staples Elementary School.

Our kindergarten programs focus on a nurtur-ing environment which provides for both academic and social growth while allowing children to begin to develop personal responsibility and indepen-dence during a full day kindergarten program at Staples Motley ISD #2170. Our core subjects in-clude Mathematics, Science, Reading, Social Sci-ence, Art, Music, Health, Technology and Physical Education.

We cordially invite you and your child to attend our Kindergarten Open House and learn more about our wonderful Elementary schools and meet our Kindergarten staff. Please join us on March 26th in Staples or March 27th in Motley from 6-7 pm. Take a tour, ask curriculum questions and meet our terrifi c staff!

Information is available on the district’s Web site at: http://www.isd2170.k12.mn.us.

KINDERGARTEN OPEN HOUSE

Mr. Luksik was transformed into a living ice cream sundae by Staples Elementary students. The reading challenge of 2000 hours during "I Love to Read" month was met and celebrated! Way to go Staples Elementary and Mr. Luksik!

Reading challenge metA parent of one of the Motley Elementary 2nd

graders is taking a trip to Mexico to take part in some service projects. The school that she is visiting does not have many books. Our class decided to save up our book order points for the past 2 months and buy some Spanish books to send to the kids. We hope they learn to read as well as we have, with the help of these books.

Helping others learn to read

The Staples Elementary Math League has twenty-six, fourth and fi fth grade students participating this year. Math League meets on Mondays, Feb. 27- April 2. Students are challenged and have fun while improving their problem solving strategies and skills. Students took last year’s contest during the fi rst session and were placed on fi ve different teams. The teams compete to solve challenging math problems to prepare them for the National Math League Contest which will take place on April 2. Laurie Paskewitz is the Math League instructor. Math League is paid for through Gifted-Talented state funding.

2012 Elementary Math League

Kids taking part in the Afterschool Adventure program enjoy decorating cookies for Valentines Day with program coordinator Jackie Tyrrell.

Afterschool Adventure

Congratulations to Seniors Michael Strain, Guthrie Coughlin, Grant Longbella and Bobbi Jo Mathe. They were the half court, $500.00 winners at the annual Dollars for Scholars Hoop Shoot! Also congratulations to Emily Standal and Rachel Korfe who both won $100.00.

Hoop ShootThe Kindergarten kids in Motley would like

to thank all of the Dads, Grandpas, Uncles, and brothers who came to visit our classroom for Do-nuts with Dad in February. We had a fun morning sharing donuts and juice! Kids then invited their guests to stay and play some games, read stories and get to know our classroom before the day offi -cially started. It is always fun to have people visit our classroom - thanks again for coming!

Donuts with Dad

(top photo) Sam and Joe Carlen. (Bottom left) Cassidy, Dale, and Makenzie Radueg. (Bottom right) Ellie Moulton and Cami Anderson with Ellie's dad, Jeremy.

65 student singers, 65 local adult singers, a professional orchestra, a professional choir, faculty members and alumni = True Collaboration

Staples Motley truly has a tradition of excellence. Thank you to all who took part in this concert led by Dr. Matt Colloton.