The Minnesota State Department of Education (MDE) has released the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) report cards for schools across the state.  1060 schools earned passing AYP grades in 2010; six less than in 2009.

Without a concerted effort, our state's historic and cultural treasures are in danger of being lost to time.  Consequently, the Minnesota Historical Society has awarded a Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grant in the amount of $4,800 to the Yellow Medicine County Historical Museum.  The grant was approved by the Society's awards committee on August 25. It will support the museum's project of creating a historical display of each township and community in Yellow Medicine County.

Join local astronomy enthusiast, Joe Hauger, this Saturday across from the Upper Sioux Agency State Park tipis at 8:30 p.m. Through his telescope, you will be able to see Jupiter and four of its largest moons, the Milky Way’s neighbor the Andromeda Galaxy, star clusters and colored double star systems.  Venus will also be visible briefly after sunset, and the International Space Station is scheduled to pass over twice during the show.

It was in 1992 that Governor Arne Carlson stood on the banks of the Minnesota River and declared, "Our goal is that within 10 years, our children will be swimming, fishing, picnicking and recreating at this river.”
At the time, Scott Kudelka, of the Water Resources Center at Minnesota State University, Mankato, said that such commentary would have brought about laughter by some observers. It was a  feat viewed as far too great to accomplish in 100 years, much less 10.

In the midst of the corn harvesting season, food preservation, and the Dakota language use surrounding it, are on the minds of Dakota people. 

New Bert Raney Elementary principal Jodi Kennedy stands adorned in a red baseball cap, t-shirt and with sweat pants blotched with paint. In her right hand she holds a drill. On her face, a smile.

On Thursday, Kennedy volunteered her time alongside a few dozen district teachers to paint rooms, erect desks, unpack trucks and undertake other odds and ends in an audacious effort to get Bert Raney in order in time for the opening day of school on September 7.

    “Our strategic plan will provide a road map of what is to be accomplished within the next five years at CACS,” shared Kathy Koetter, director/ lead teacher at the Clarkfield Area Charter School.  She went on to state in her letter of acknowledgement in the strategic plan document, “Only when an organization has created a clear vision for where it is going is it possible for it to effectively work towards achieving its core purpose.  Our core purpose is to “Enable students to reach their maximum potential.”

The filing period for seats on the YME school board and area city councils came to a close on Tuesday at 5 p.m. Only two candidates filed for the four openings on the YME School board leaving the other two seats to be decided by write-in votes.  The positions will be listed on the General Election ballot on Nov. 2.

    A new charter school law passed by the legislature in the 2009 session puts in place more oversight responsibilities for Minnesota charter schools.

An unidentified man from Yellow Medicine County is Minnesota’s first confirmed West Nile virus case of the year.
On Tuesday, the Minnesota Department of Health  announced that the patient was hospitalized in late July with West Nile encephalitis.

    Election of board members will not be the only school issue on the November ballot. The board approved placing an operating levy referendum on the ballot.
The current operating levy of $401.19 per pupil unit expires in 2011. Even though the current levy does not expire in 2010, the board voted to place the referendum on this fall’s ballot. “All we want to do is to extend the current levy once that levy expires in 2011,” said Stoeckman. He explained that the district does not want to increase the current $401.19 per pupil unit, only extend the local tax levy through 2020.

A lifelong love of history, combined with the gathering over the years of extensive collections of memorabilia, has been turned into a newly published hardcover book by longtime Clarkfield resident Richard Petersen and Steve Monson, the youngest great-grandchild of Clarkfield founders, Henry and Anna Monson.

Kathy Koetter, CACS Director/lead teacher, was all smiles as she leaned back in her chair and shared the results of the 2010 MCA-II tests in reading and math.
    While the number of students enrolled in CACS in grades K-6 make the testing cells too small to provide the statistical data available to schools with larger enrollment, the fact is that of the 34 students tested in grades 3-6; 79.41 percent tested proficient in reading and 79.41 percent tested proficient in math.

Filing for area school board and city council  seats opened this Tuesday, Aug. 3 and will close Tuesday, Aug. 17. Listed below are the Yellow Medicine East School Board and the area city council seats that will be in contention for this year’s General Election on Nov. 2.

At age 12, Kelsey Phinney was invited to take part in an excursion that many would view as the trip of a lifetime.
From June 18 to July 7 she witnessed a vast array of some of the most popular tourist destinations in the world during a grandiose, whirlwind tour through France, Greece and Italy.
The Mona Lisa at the Louvre, the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel and the Parthenon of Athens were but a few highlights. Of course, that may not seem so great when you’re twelve.

    It won’t be long before school bells begin to ring across the state of Minnesota.  While students, teachers and administrators are getting ready for the new school year, the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) is tweaking the final numbers and preparing to release the 2010 Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) report cards.  The AYP report will be released in August.

    “It was quite a sight to see our students marching down Constitution Avenue. It will be a highlight of my life forever,” affirmed YME Band Director Nicole Boelter.  She was sharing her feelings about the students in the 212 Regiment Marching Band that performed “Revolution and Triumph” as they proudly marched down Constitution Avenue in the National Memorial Day Parade on May 31, 2010 in Washington, D.C. as a crowd of 300,000 spectators watched and listened.

“JoDee Driggs is not new to our system,” shared YME Superintendent Al Stoeckman.  She was one of two educators whose teaching contracts for the 2010-2011 year were approved by the school board at Monday night’s meeting. Stoeckman went on to explain that Driggs has been employed by the district in the past as a substitute teacher. She has also served other school districts in the area as a substitute teacher.

Yellow Medicine East School District #2190 has received a grant from Countryside Public Health Statewide Health Improvement Program to work on changes in nutrition policies and practices during the 2010-2011 school year.  The goals of the grant include initiating the “Farm to School” Initiative, providing locally grown fresh foods in the lunch menu, highlighting local foods with educational and promotional activities, and to experience food through taste testing.   Students will also be provided with nutritional education and increased awareness about the food system and where and how their food is grown.  Parents and community members will be given the opportunity to become engaged in the process and to support and strengthen school policies in using a fresh local product.

“One thing was his experience in leadership,” shared Yellow Medicine East Superintendent Al Stoeckman about why Darrel Refsland was offered a contract as a full time Ag teacher at YME. Stoeckman was referring to the fact that Refsland, as the Ag teacher at Renville County West (RCW), has a strong and active FFA Chapter of 65 students.