The top vote-getter was Dose with 2,156 votes, followed by Woehler with 2,154 votes, and Karl with 1,975 votes. The three incumbents were unopposed for the three, four-year terms of office.

Beth DuFrane defeated Casey McCue for the two-year term on the Board of Education 1,451 to 1,039. The two-year term was created by the resignation of Jodi Hanson earlier this year. Tim Dolan was appointed to fill the position until the end of the year.

Activities will begin Monday with coronation and fall sports recognition. Coronation and the fall sports recognition will be held Monday at 7:30 p.m. in the Arlington large gym. Admission is $2 for adults and students.

Homecoming Queen candidates are Shannon Bjorklund, daughter of Wayne and Theresa Bjorklund of Nicollet; Savanna Moe, daughter of Paul and Dorene Moe of Arlington; Megan Heibel, daughter of Daniel and Karla Heibel of Arlington; Mary Thomes, daughter of Charlie and Brenda Thomes of Arlington; and Hailey Becker, daughter of Kurt and Laurie Becker of Gaylord.

King candidates are Robert Harter, son of Steve and Audrey Harter of Gaylord; Jesse Schwirtz, son of Mary Beth and Joe Schwirtz of Arlington; Teddy DuFrane, son of Joe and Beth DuFrane of Henderson; Ben Melsha, son of Mark and Jayne Melsha of Arlington; and Michael Bullert, son of Craig and Linnea Bullert of Arlington.

Junior attendants are Milan Jordan and Caleb Ling. Sophomore attendants are Courtney Schwirtz and Brandon Ashton.

Dress Up Days will be held throughout the week. They are: Monday – Sports Day, Tuesday – Tacky Day, Wednesday – Fake Injury Day, Thursday – Race Track Day, and Friday – Class Color and Spirit Day, with 10th grade wearing gold, 11th grade wearing white, and 12th grade wearing black.

An abbreviated schedule will be held Friday at Sibley East Senior High School. Students will be served one lunch, with BBQ and fixings, from 11:12-11:43 a.m.

A dodge ball tournament will be held in the large gym, beginning at 12:45 p.m.

A pepfest will be held at 1:30 p.m., followed by the parade at 2:30 p.m. Elementary and Junior High students from the Gaylord campus will be bused to Arlington for the activities.

The traditional parade route will be followed. The parade will begin on Second Avenue, travel down West Main Street, Fourth Avenue, and to East Douglas Street, and concluded in the football parking lot. Any activity, group or team interested in participating in the Homecoming Parade should sign up with Carrie Bartlette, student council advisor.

The Sibley East Booster Club (SEBC) is again sponsoring a Homecoming Float competition. Prizes are $200 for first place, $150 for second place, and $100 for third place. Other SEBC activities are planned for Homecoming week. Those activities will be published in next week’s edition.

Athletic events scheduled during Homecoming week are Monday – JV football vs. Mayer, Soccer vs. Delano; Tuesday – tennis at LSH, Soccer vs. Mound Westonka; Thursday – Volleyball vs. Montgomery, Tennis at Holy Family; and Friday – Football vs. Jordan.

The school board approved advertising for the position. It is hoped that the position would be filled by November 4.

Superintendent Stephen Jones explained that Sibley East is expected to receive approximately $255,000 as a result of the U.S. Congress’ recently passed Education Jobs Fund. The bill will provide $10 billion to school districts and states to help save an estimated 160,000 jobs for teachers and other professionals who provide school-based services. Minnesota’s projected allocation is nearly $167 million, which would fund an estimated 2,800 jobs. The funds must be allocated by Sept. 30, 2012, he said.

Jones said that proposed full-time position, which would be .7 full-time equivalent technology integration specialist/.3 full-time equivalent dean of students, was identified by the administrators as the top need for the district. The 21 tasks identified for the position include:

• Manage the district’s web page.

• Repair and format computers.

• Troubleshoots and offers help-desk support.

• Performs daily backups of technology systems.

• Monitors the servers for the building and district.

• Inventories new equipment via fixed asset tags.

• Relocates current equipment as needs dictate.

• Performs summer maintenance, cleaning, setup, updating, and repairs.

• Sets up and installs new printers and computers.

• Installs and updates computer operating systems.

• Performs staff and student training.

• Collaborates and communicates with district technology director.

• Accounts for elementary student attendance.

• Supervises the management of elementary students.

• Communicates with relevant staff members on student related issues.

• Communicates with parents on pertinent student related issues.

• Coordinates and implements awards and other recognition programs.

• Supervises after school elementary activities as assigned.

• Represents administration at special education meetings.

• Oversees operation of the school in the absence of the principal.

• Performs any other duties as assigned by the Principals and Superintendent.

School board member Brian Asmus said he felt it was necessary to have someone available to help Cathy Wills, Sibley East’s technology director.

Principals Mari Lu Martens and Steve Harter added that technology needs will continue to grow and that it is important to get someone to assist Wills in that area.

Jones said that this person, who would be primarily based in Arlington, would be available anytime to take care of student issues and technology emergencies. He suggested that the person hired be given a 212 day contract, and then offer an additional 30 day contract for someone else to help with the technology in the summer.

He suggested using the available funding for the position over a two year period. He said that if a current staff member is moved into this position, then the district may need to hire someone to fill the current staff member’s position during the two-year period.

The Board of Education, Monday, approved the proposed levy of $1,304,240.50. This is an increase of $4,179.62 or .32% increase from the 2010 levy of $1,300,060.93.

Sibley East’s preliminary levy had to be approved by September 30.

The Board of Education will approve the final levy in December.

In other business, the Board of Education:

• Hired Carl Bratsch, Lori Martens, Brian Mumford, Kyla Widmer, and Bonnie Weber as paraprofessionals and Tammy Rechtzigel as the basketball cheer advisor.

• Approved volunteer coaches Carl Bratsch, Tim Vos and Tom Webster for football, and Richard Milinkovich for boys basketball

• Approved a leave of absence request for Melissa Podratz from January 24 – April 1, 2010.

• Approved lane changes for Lynn Brown – MA + 20, Daniel Meier – MA + 30, and Stephanie Spong – BA + 20.

• Accepted a $2,500 grant from AgStar Fund for Rural America for agriculture classroom equipment

• Accepted donations from Arlington VFW Post 6031 for $30 to the band, and Arlington Lions for $250 to the high school counseling office

• Authorized out-of-state travel to allow eight to 10 students attend the national FFA Convention Oct. 18-24 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

5,736 meals (breakfasts and lunches) were served to students this summer at both the Arlington and Gaylord campuses.

In addition, grants from Second Harvest Heartland paid for 117 breakfasts and 521 lunches for adults.

During the 10 weeks the summer food service program was offered, June 14-August 20, students were served 606 breakfasts and 1,796 lunches at the Arlington campus. During the same period at Gaylord, students were served 992 breakfasts and 2,342 lunches.

At both sites, the greatest student participation occurred on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

Superintendent Stephen Jones plans to present the financial information for the summer food program at the Oct. 18 school board meeting. The district has not yet received all of the reimbursements from the government.

The second meeting will be Tuesday, Sept. 28 at 7 p.m. in the Gaylord campus middle gym.

A third meeting is planned Tuesday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. in the Green Isle Community School cafeteria.

The first meeting was held Tuesday night in Arlington.

Superintendent Stephen Jones encourages district residents to attend one of the meetings at any of the three locations.

Three options for addressing Sibley East’s facility concerns will be presented. They are to make corrections only at all existing buildings, to correct deficiencies and space needs at all existing buildings and maintain existing grade alignment, and to construct a new preschool through Grade 12 building on a new site.

Cost estimates for each of the three options will be presented. Other information that will be provided will include the financial impact from Ehlers, the district’s financial advisor; architectural information from Smiley Glotter Nyberg Architects of Minneapolis; enrollment information and projections; and operating cost comparisons between the current schools, remodeled schools and a new school.

According to information presented at the Sibley East School Board meeting Monday, adjusted average daily membership totaled 1,223 on September 10, up from 1,183 at the end of the 2009-2010 school year. However, the state’s figures show Sibley East’s average enrollment during the 2009-2010 school year was 1,189 students.

This year’s enrollment includes 18 students attending the River Bend Alternative Learning Center in New Ulm. A year ago, Sibley East’s average monthly enrollment at the Alternative Learning Center was 25 to 27 students, according to Superintendent Stephen Jones.

Enrollment breakdown
by grade is as follows:
Kindergarten – 105
Grade 1 – 98
Grade 2 – 101
Grade 3 – 96
Grade 4 – 77
Grade 5 – 103
Grade 6 – 83
Grade 7 – 90
Grade 8 – 94
Grade 9 – 92
Grade 10 – 86
Grade 11 – 88
Grade 12 – 92

The 2010-2011 enrollment, in February 2010, was projected to be 1,171 students.

Although Sibley East’s actual enrollment is higher, Jones said that he has revised this year’s budget to include revenue from 1,205 students. This will have a positive impact on the budget, he said. His philosophy is to project enrollment conservatively.

The first public meeting will be held Tuesday, Sept. 21 at 7 p.m. at the Arlington campus.

The second meeting will be Tuesday, Sept. 28 at 7 p.m. in the Gaylord campus.

A third meeting is planned Tuesday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. in Green Isle Community School cafeteria.

Superintendent Stephen Jones encourages district residents to attend one of the meetings at any of the three locations.

Three options for addressing Sibley East’s facility concerns will be presented. They are to make corrections only at all existing buildings, to correct deficiencies and space needs at all existing buildings and maintain existing grade alignment, and to construct a new preschool through Grade 12 building on a new site.

Cost estimates for each of the three options will be presented. Other information that will be provided will include the financial impact from Ehlers, the district’s financial advisor; architectural information from Smiley Glotter Nyberg Architects of Minneapolis; enrollment information and projections; and operating cost comparisons between the current schools, remodeled schools and a new school.

For the start of the school year, Sibley East has added three mobile wireless computer labs. Thirty MacBooks and 30 Netbooks are available at the Gaylord campus, and there are 30 Netbooks available for the Arlington campus. The computers are stored on large carts.

Cathy Wills, Sibley East’s technology coordinator, explained that Sibley East chose to add wireless computer labs because of the lack of space in buildings and the portability of the units. The carts can be brought to the classrooms and the students can have a computer with Internet access at their desks.

The three mobile labs are in addition to four stationary computer labs at the Gaylord campus and five stationary computer labs at the Arlington campus.

Last year was the first year Sibley East tried a wireless lab – MacBook in Arlington – and it was well received.

The mobile wireless labs are stored just off the media center in Gaylord, in Room 112. Arlington’s are stored in the media center.

The wireless computers must be checked out like a book. Teachers must check out the labs on a calendar through the district Web site.

According to Wills, the new mobile, wireless labs have been well received the first week of school. “I think they will be used more this year, and there are more opportunities to use them with the A and B schedule,” she said. They are utilized by all grade levels of students.

Because of the age of the Gaylord and Arlington campuses, not all areas of the schools have wireless access. In Arlington, the high school area has wireless access, while at the Gaylord campus, wireless access is available in the media center and in the Junior High area. The elementary areas that do not have wireless access can get it through the carts.

Investing in technology is not cheap. Netbooks cost approximately $280 each, plus the cart and access. MacBooks cost about $1,100 each plus the cart and access.

Mike Feterl, computer teacher, said that the MacBooks allow the students to experience a variety of computer platforms, with access to both the PC and Mac sides. “Students experience more visual arts than they have before, in elementary, Junior High and Senior See. I see the excitement from the students.”

Laurie Kaukola, special education teacher at Gaylord, said that the mobile wireless computers have been “wonderful.” She only has one computer in her classroom. She commented that her students are “so motivated” to use the wireless computers.

In addition to the wireless labs, there are also five iPads available for checkout at the media centers in both Gaylord and Arlington.

The iPads provide Internet access and have a variety of resources, such as reading and math programs, science programs, drawing, pattern recognition, and USA Today.

The majority of elementary classrooms are also now equipped with SMART Boards.

Sibley East also has added band width for Internet access. Sibley East now has 32 megabytes of band width, up from six last year. Sibley East uses two different providers, Hickory Tech and Frontier. The school district takes advantage of the federal discount of 70% of the cost of access. The district also purchased a new firewall to protect the network from the public and to use as a content filter.

Spontaneous combustion led to a fire at the Sibley East Junior High campus in Gaylord late Tuesday afternoon. According to Fire Chief Dean Schons, the fire originated in, and was contained to a science lab garbage can where formaldehyde-covered carcasses were discarded. Smoke filled a classroom but there was little damage. Schons said it was fortunate someone was at school to notice the smoke.