Month: September 2021

Crookston High School will be implementing a new eligibility rule for Activities/Athletic competitions for the 2021-2022 school year. Crookston High School Activities Director Greg Garmen and the administration will be printing off grade reports weekly this year, and students must be passing their classes to stay eligible.

Crookston High School Principal Nicki Martinez explained the rule more. “It is an activity rule rather than an athletic rule,” said Martinez. “So, an activity like Knowledge Bowl would fall into this rule. Band is a class itself, so if the student is failing band, it may affect another activity, but not the class itself. Anything that is a class obviously doesn’t apply to this rule. Still, any sanctioned activity by Crookston High School that a student participates in would be eligible for this new rule.”

The requirements for the students who are participating in activities this year are simple. You must be passing all your classes every week to be eligible to perform in the upcoming week. If the student is ineligible, they will have that week to get their grades back up. If the student can get their grade back up by the next weekly grade report, they will once again be eligible to compete in their activity.

Martinez explained why the new system is being implemented. “This may help students who get too far behind and can’t catch up,” said Martinez. “If we waited four weeks, for instance, they may be 15 assignments behind instead of maybe two or three. By checking every week, this is going to help us get the student caught up quicker, and because of this, the hope is that they will miss a shorter amount of time in competition.”

The first weekly grade report will be done on Monday, September 20. If a student isn’t passing starting on that day, Activities Director Greg Garmen will inform them and their coaches. The student will not participate from Monday at 8:00 AM to Sunday night. Participation in competitions will resume if the student is passing on the next Monday when the next weekly grade report is done.

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The Crookston Public Schools District has many new faces joining its staff for the 2021-2022 school year. Below are four that will be in their first year on the staff and some information about each of them.

SUTTON JUNKERMEIER

Sutton Junkermeier is from Lake Lillian, Minnesota, and will be teaching at Crookston High School. He says that his 7th-grade teacher is what made him want to become a teacher. “My 7th-grade history teacher was so awesome,” said Junkermeier. “And I thought one day, I want to be like him. Since then, I’ve always wanted to be a teacher and have kept with that dream.”

This will be Junkermeier’s first teaching job after graduating from Concordia College in Moorehead. He will be teaching 8th & 9th grade Social Studies at Crookston High School. He is hopeful students will get to stay in class the entire year and make his classes hands-on for the students.

AUSTIN O’HARE

This year, Austin O’Hare is also new to the district and will be teaching Science at Crookston High School after teaching three years at Grand Meadows Public Schools in southern Minnesota. He graduated from St. Mary’s University in Winona, Minnesota. He said his wife was accepted into the medical program at the University of North Dakota, which is why he took a job in Crookston.

O’hare says he has known he’s wanted to be a teacher for a while. “During college, I realized it was something I wanted to do,” said O’hare. “Throughout student teaching and my previous job, I realized this is something I want to keep doing.”

O’hare is looking forward to getting to know his students and the community more as the school year begins this week.

TARA KLEIN

Tara Klein is the new School Counselor at Crookston High School and has ten years of experience. She’s had many jobs before landing at Crookston, and she explained why she took this new opportunity. “I came to Crookston just because I wanted a bigger school than what I’m used to,” said Klein. “I wanted to spend some time with larger classes and more diversity.”

Klein said she’s enjoyed the first month of being in town, and the staff has been very welcoming. Klein said she loves helping kids find their potential and is hopeful to help as many kids as possible in her new role.

HEIDI ACHARTZ

Heidi Achartz is the new Highland Elementary 1st through 6th-grade music teacher and 5th and 6th-grade choir teacher. She grew up near St. Cloud and went to college at the University of Minnesota Duluth, where she found her passion for teaching. She combined that with her love of the band and decided teaching music was her perfect job.

Achartz explained more of her teaching background and experience. “This is my 22nd year of teaching now,” said Achartz. “I’ve taught in Duluth and Grand Rapids, and now I’m happy to be in Crookston.” Achartz saw Crookston had an open position and applied. She said when she arrived, the staff was friendly, and it felt like the perfect fit.   

Achartz is hopeful that her students will have lots of performances this upcoming school year to show off their skills after COVID-19 affected last year.

The post MEET 4 OF THE NEW TEACHERS IN THE CROOKSTON SCHOOL DISTRICT appeared first on KROX.

The Crookston Visitor’s Bureau will meet Thursday, September 9, at 7:00 a.m. inside the Crookston Inn.

The agenda includes a reviewal of the August 5 meeting minutes and Reviewal of the treasurer’s report along with the approval of any bills payable. The agenda will also have an item line to discuss 990 and the Minnesota Department of Employment forms and a grant request for a Dart Tournament.

There will be a grant payment approval for Ox Cart Days, and the preliminary 2022 budget will be reviewed and up for approval. There will be an update on the purchase of new Hotel TVs from Laurie Stahlecker and Corey Dallager and a line item to discuss QR Code Stickers.

The last few items on the agenda will include the line item of Marketing Coordinator, reviewal of the “What Brings you To Crookston” campaign, and board members updates.

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The Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs, the 9/11 and Global War on Terrorism Remembrance Task Force, and the Minnesota Military and Veterans Museum will mark the 20th anniversary of 9/11 with an event on the Minnesota State Capitol grounds on September 11. The official “9/11 Day of Remembrance” is scheduled in person for Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021. In addition to memorializing the events of that day and honoring those impacted, this event is focused on honoring the more than 40,000 Minnesota Veterans who have served in the Global War on Terrorism during the last 20 years as well as bringing the community together through a message of hope, unity, and resilience.

The post MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS HAVING CEREMONY TO REMEMBER 9/11 ON 20TH ANNIVERSARY appeared first on KROX.

The Cove Youth Center and the Crookston Youth Foundation would like to extend gratitude and thanks to the grandchildren of Enriqueta Moreno for their generous $1,000 donation. The donation is matched by the foundation’s founder. This money will go to help continue providing a safe harbor for our community’s youth.

Enriqueta Moreno volunteered and worked at the Care and Share of Crookston for 25+ years. Her dedication to service and community was passed down to her grandchildren, who would often go with her to volunteer at the homeless shelter. She enjoyed and was proud of her involvement with the Care and Share and especially loved spending time with her grandchildren. They reminisce today about helping with the food shelf, cooking meals for residents and the community, and hanging out with her there.

Enriqueta had moved to Crookston in 1942 with her parents and seven siblings at the time. Over the years, she worked in several cafes and a grocery store and spent much of her time helping others in the community her and her family had made a home. In 1950, she was married to Cruz Moreno. They had 11 children, and she would joke that she had lost count of her grandchildren. She also volunteered at her church, the Mount St. Benedict, and was a long-time member of the Cathedral and the Friends Society. She followed in founder Sister Justina Violette’s mission to serve, enjoying meeting new people at the shelter and helping individuals in whatever way she could, whether it was at the Holy Family Shop thrift store, providing food to families at the food shelf, or cooking as she was known to do so well. It was said that she “spiced up the lives of many” and was well known for her tamales.

Enriqueta passed in2004 at the age of 78, leaving her beloved family and grandchildren. In 2020, Enriqueta’s grandchildren founded a scholarship in her memory following her advice to “Take care of yourself. Take care of your children. Help others.” Her legacy continues.

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Beginning September 20, motorists on Highway 2 east of Crookston will experience short-term delays and lane closures as the resurfacing project begins. The project includes grading and resurfacing Highway 2 from Highway 9 to Highway 32.

The project will be completed under traffic. Motorists can expect short term delays, lane closures and flagging operations. 

The contractor for this $1.4 million dollar project is Anderson Brothers Construction Company of Brainerd, LLC. This project will create a safer, longer lasting road surface. It is estimated to be complete by the end of October, weather permitting. Visit the project website for more information and a project map: www.mndot.gov/d2/projects/hwy2-resurfacing.

Important reminders for motorists regarding work zone safety:

• Slow down when approaching every work zone, then navigate through with care and caution.
• Stay alert; work zones constantly change.
• Watch for workers and slow-moving equipment.
• Obey posted speed limits. Fine for a violation in a work zone is $300.
• Minimize distractions behind the wheel.
• Be patient; expect delays, especially during peak travel times.

The post RESURFACING PROJECT EAST OF CROOKSTON ON HIGHWAY 2 TO BEGIN SEPTEMBER 20 appeared first on KROX.

Crookston Police Officer Don Rasicot will be heading into the Crookston Schools as the School Resource Officer (SRO) for the fifth straight year. Rasicot says he spends roughly 70% of his time at the High School but oversees six different Crookston Schools as SRO.

With school starting up this week, Rasicot wants to remind people of safety tips for kids, parents, and drivers. Specifically with bus safety. “Every time school starts to start up again, we have safety issues we need to be mindful of that we didn’t have in the summertime,” said Rasicot. “Each bus has a stop arm, and it’s a gross misdemeanor to go through a bus stop arm. Many children have been killed throughout the years because, as a driver, you aren’t able to see when an unsuspecting child will dart in front of you.”

Rasicot also mentioned how the stop arms might be annoying to drivers, but they save lives every year. Important reminders are to be aware of when buses start to slow down, and their lights start flashing, giving a clear indication of when a child will be entering or exiting the bus.

Rasicot also talked about how drivers on the road can give bus drivers a break this upcoming school year. “If you and a bus are coming to an uncontrolled intersection, let’s give the bus drivers a break,” said Rasicot. “They have a schedule to keep and have lots of little lives onboard they are responsible for. Give them a little extra time and try to respect the fact that they have a job to do.”

Rasicot says the City of Crookston has done a fantastic job in years past at following these guidelines, and he believes the Crookston area has some of the nicest people in the state.

Rasicot also gave a few more safety tips and things drivers can be aware of as school starts. “Early morning times and afternoon times when school gets out are going to be the busiest with bus traffic,” said Rasicot. “But these bus drivers are also bringing kids elsewhere and other activities, and you could have a bus at any time.”

Another key part of back-to-school safety is pedestrian safety, both for children and adults. School is only 7-8 hours a day, but traffic rules/regulations are 24-7. Rasicot says there are opportunities for people to lead by example and set the standard that should be followed. “Anytime you’re in a school zone, please abide by the 25-mph speed limit when school is in session,” said Rasicot. “Be very awre of pedestrians and giving them a break as well. If you see a pedestrian trying to cross the street, be the leader and first person to stop and allow them to do that. I’ve seen kids stand in crosswalks for minutes at a time, and we all have an opportunity to be a leader and be the first person to stop.”

Another safety item to keep in mind this upcoming school year is to report any suspicious activity. Rasicot says if you see a vehicle that looks out of place or have any concerns about your child’s safety and well-being when school gets out, to call the Crookston Police Department and make them aware of the situation.

The first day of classes for all Crookston Public Schools is this Tuesday.

The post SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER DON RASICOT REMINDS EVERYONE OF THE IMPORTANCE OF BACK-TO-SCHOOL SAFETY appeared first on KROX.