Month: November 2020

It is sometimes hard to be thankful in the midst of a global pandemic. So much of our thought process centers around what we have lost and not what we have. This is after all the American way as we are often encouraged to think about what we don’t have and about how much better our life would be if we only had this or that. This year we often lament what we cannot or do not have. We think of the large social gatherings, the assurance we found in thinking that we knew what the future held, giving hugs to family and friends, traveling, etc. As an educator, I lament about the lost instruction, the awkwardness of social distancing in schools, the effects of not being able to greet students with a smile, or the inconsistencies of not being able to have a predictable year. I think of all the things that our students could miss this year, the things that make school so enjoyable and fun. It is easy to get so lost in what we don’t have that what we do completely escapes our thinking. 

I am incredibly thankful that for the previous three months our students were able to be in our buildings. I am thankful for the smiles that were shared behind the masks, for the sporting events that we were able to host, and for the relationships that were built. I am also incredibly thankful for the work that our staff have been doing to catch students up and to start to tackle these large achievement gaps that formed since last spring. I am thankful for my family and all the joy that they bring. I am thankful to be able to work a job that I love and to work with people that I enjoy being around. There is so much to be thankful for if we just stop and reflect on all that we do have. 

I encourage you to pause this Thanksgiving and reflect on all that you have to be thankful for. When we reflect on what we are thankful for, it often has an effect on how we perceive the world. Our thought patterns affect our attitude which in turn affects the way that we interact with life. Live out thankfulness and you just might discover you have a lot to be thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving Crookston! 

Jeremy Olson
Superintendent
Crookston School District
218-770-8717 (cell)
Jeremyolson@isd593.org

The Golden Link will continue to serve to go and curbside pickup for noon meals, Monday biscuits and gravy, Friday breakfast rolls, and the last two Thursday evening dinners for the year on December 3 and 10. Breakfast on Monday and Friday will be available by takeout only, but you do not need to call ahead.

For noon meals, people need to call before 10 a.m. to place an order. To have the meal delivered curbside to your car, you will need to call when arriving at the Golden Link and park in the lot by the side door. Noon meals will be ready at noon.

The evening meals will be available at 5:30 p.m. for pickup on December 3 and 10.  Orders for the evening meal need to be placed by 3 p.m. There will be no evening meals after December 10 until Valentine’s Day.

All other social activities have been suspended until December 18.  The office will be open, and the cookie fundraiser will continue.  Our board members will also still be wrapping Toys for Tots.

Financial Officer, effective November 30. Arvin will take over from Craig Faerber, who has been serving as Interim CFO since February.

Arvin brings more than 20 years of financial leadership experience in the healthcare industry, most recently serving as Senior Vice President and Divisional Financial Leader at Wellstar Health System in Marietta, Ga. In this role, he was responsible for providing financial leadership, oversight and direction for the health system, with annual revenues of $3.6 billion in system-wide operations. He also led the successful integration of six new hospital sites during his four years in the position. Prior to joining Wellstar, Arvin served as Vice President of System Strategy and Financial Operations at UC Health System in Cincinnati and Facility Chief Financial Officer (Southeast Houston and Pearland Market) at Memorial Hermann Healthcare System in Houston.

“As we continue to focus on financial performance and the steady growth of our operations , I am confident that Doug has the experience, leadership skills and record of success that will help us achieve our ambitious goals for Altru ,” said Dave Molmen, CEO of Altru Health System. “We’re excited to welcome Doug to the team and value the knowledge and expertise he will provide as we continue to ensure a strong financial future for our health system.”

Arvin received his Bachelor of Business Administration, Healthcare Administration, from the University of Evansville, and a Master of Business Administration, Accounting from the University of Houston. In 2012 he was named Chief Financial Officer of the Year by Cincinnati Business Courier.

“I’m proud to be joining an organization with such a deep legacy of providing high-quality, compassionate care to its communities,” said Arvin. “I look forward to working with the team to continue to position Altru for long-term success.”

The Minnesota Department of Health is reporting 6,500 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 from 54,228 completed tests for a positive rate of 12 percent. The state is also reporting another 68 deaths and 312 probable cases of COVID-19. Polk County had 66 new cases and one death, an individual aged 60-64.

Updated November 20, 2020
Updated daily at 11 a.m., with data current as of 4 p.m. the previous day.

Data is for cases that were tested and returned positive. All data is preliminary and may change as cases are investigated. Many data points are collected during case interviews. Data presented below is for all cases, regardless of interview status. Data for cases pending interview may be listed as “unknown/missing.”

The COVID-19 case definition was recently updated to include antigen testing. Previously, cases were only reported through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing. Positive PCR test results are considered confirmed cases. Positive antigen test results are considered probable cases. Confirmed and probable cases are reported separately in the following areas:

• Newly reported cases
• Total approximate completed tests
• Total positive cases
• Total cases by county of residence

Death, hospitalization, demographic (age, gender, race), likely exposure, and residence type data combine PCR (confirmed) and antigen (probable) cases for an overall total.

All probable cases get the same public health follow up and recommendations as cases confirmed by PCR tests.

Other Statistics

• Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome In Children (MIS-C) Statistics
• Minnesota COVID-19 Public Dashboard
• Minnesota’s COVID-19 Response and Preparation Capacity
• Dial Back Dashboard
• CDC: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Cases in the U.S.
• Minnesota COVID-19 Modeling

Data in the data tables is correct as of 11 a.m. daily. Dynamic images and maps will update shortly after 11 a.m. daily and will not work if your browser is in compatibility mode.