A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
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The Carlton school board has chosen its next superintendent to replace Gwen Carman, who is leaving for a job in southeastern Minnesota. John Engstrom said the Carlton job appealed to him because it's a one-year stint and not too far from where he is living, southwest of Minneapolis near Lake Minnetonka. The school board officially hired Engstrom during an online meeting Monday. The district will pay Engstrom $108,243 on a one-year contract that begins July 1. Engstrom's last job was at Friess...
Cloquet school board members approved next year’s school district budget with an anticipated deficit of $411,000 — but knowing the district will likely receive $500,000 dollars in federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding. Finance director Candace Nelis said the CARES funding is not included in the budget, because they just got notification from the state Monday morning of its allocation, and how the district will need to apply for the funds. The money can be spe...
Graduation Gallery!...
School board members got a glimpse this month of what a budget for a Carlton and Wrenshall consolidated district might look like. Some rough data project a significant fund balance increase for school operations in a consolidation. With current enrollment staying intact, savings in administrative salary costs would drive a $786,200 balance of revenues over expenditures. Representatives from Arrowhead Regional Computing Consortium presented the numbers during a joint meeting of the district school boards online last week. ARCC’s Jennifer S...
Following a lengthy discussion during the work session Tuesday, Cloquet school board members voted 4-2 to give high school students an "incomplete" grade instead of an "F" if they failed a class during the fourth quarter, when the district switched to distance learning. Getting an "I" on their report card means students will have to make up the class in order to receive credit for the course. Cloquet high school principal Steve Battaglia initially proposed that failing students receive an asterisk instead of a grade for any classes they...
Washington Elementary School held a "reverse parade" Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. Retiring teachers sat in special personalized parade floats outside the building, while other school staff found a place to stand or sit so they could wave and chat with students who were driven (clockwise) past the school building. Teachers made signs with messages for students, and the weather cooperated. There are a number of retirements in the district this year. Cloquet Schools: Retirements...
One thing is certain: the Class of 2020 will have lots of stories to tell future generations about their final school days. Last Friday marked the beginning of the high school graduation season with three ceremonies - for Carlton, Cromwell-Wright and Cloquet graduates - each one organized differently but taking into account the COVID-19 pandemic and state guidelines to avoid large gatherings and maintain social distancing. In Cloquet it was a true drive-in movie experience. Cars started lining...
4 scholarship recipients • Jordan Allen: Myhrwold/Kayser Scholarship • Taylor Anderson: Cloquet Community Scholarship • Tasia Beatty: Cloquet Community Scholarship • Kiana Bender: Education Minnesota-Cloquet Scholarship • Rachel Blais: Community Memorial Hospital General Scholarship, Duluth News Tribune General Scholarship, Cloquet Community Scholarship • Sophia Brenner: Sons of Norway Scholarship, Ludwig and Delores Hiti Memorial Scholarship, Anway Memorial Scholarship, Tim Stark General Scholarship • Ryan Conway: Education Minnesota-Clo...
It has been a historic time these past couple of months. Many of our programs have been halted due to the COVID-19 spread. I know people who are infected with COVID-19, or who have died from it. While many people, fortunately, have no or very light symptoms, it is devastating for others. I want to recognize all the workers who have stayed with our child care programs during this time. This vital service allows medical workers, law enforcement and corrections staff and other emergency workers to...
Cloquet High School seniors were met with well-wishers from the school staff Saturday as they picked up graduation gowns and other materials. The raucous event was part of ongoing efforts to bring some specialness, if not normalcy, to the end of the graduates' high school days. The staff at Cloquet High School made the best of fun in a difficult time Saturday afternoon by holding a senior class drive-thru event for the Class of 2020. The event was a chance for seniors to receive graduation caps...
The school boards from Carlton and Wrenshall earlier this week approved in separate online meetings a consolidation plan to be sent to the Minnesota Department of Education. It’s a formal step in a process with many parts as the districts edge closer to pairing up and forming an elementary school in Carlton and a middle and high school in Wrenshall. The plan sent to the state describes how a combined district would spend $39.7 million to shore up the schools and grounds in each city to accommodate the influx of students in a consolidation. The...
In line with many school districts across the state and region, Cloquet school board members voted unanimously Monday to pay all spring coaches and activity advisors their full pay — despite the fact that there will be no spring sports season or plays or academic competitions due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the switch to distance learning by all Minnesota schools. Cloquet activities director Paul Riess submitted a thorough report to the board during the work session Monday, noting that 79 p...
The Cloquet school district made graduation ceremony plans before Minnesota Department of Health officials joined state education commissioners last week to announce guidelines for schools honoring senior classes. In short, schools, colleges and universities are being asked to host virtual graduation ceremonies people can watch from home. But many schools are attempting to do more than that by offering a more participatory approach for seniors. Cloquet's plans for a drive-in-style movie of...
It will be a Cloquet High School graduation unlike any that have come before, that's for certain. Restricted by orders prohibiting large gatherings and aiming to promote social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cloquet school district is renting a 40-foot-wide drive-in movie screen and inviting each graduate and his or her family to come to the Cloquet Business Park on North Highway 33 to watch a graduation ceremony on the big screen. The big event is scheduled for 9 p.m. Friday, May...
The announcement by Minnesota governor Tim Walz that distance learning would be extended for the rest of the school year was a gut punch to many area students. It hit seniors particularly hard. Members of the Class of 2020 who were hoping they'd spend the last few weeks of school with their classmates will continue to learn from home, mostly online, and see the majority of their friends only through various social media platforms and video classroom meetings. News that all spring high school spo...
With the Cloquet School District looking at a possible $1 million deficit (out of a $30 million operating budget) during the 2020-21 school year, the pressure to approve a number of planned cuts was high during Monday’s school board meeting. The board approved close to $700,000 in cuts at the meeting. Superintendent Michael Cary said the district tends to leave about $300,000 in deficit spending on the table almost every year, which usually disappears due to increases in student numbers t...
A few days before Gov. Walz's decision to keep Minnesota schools closed through the end of the year, I ran out to Wrenshall School to scan materials for my classes. The only person in the building, I walked the hallways and looked into several empty classrooms - desks, books, decorations, teaching materials, all packed away. The senior hallway that had only weeks before bustled with noisy students and slamming lockers now stood silent, locks removed and lockers cleaned out. Although it was...
Esko Annabelle Adkins Kaitlyn Adkins Alexandra Aker Ashley Aker Claire Anderson Karin Anderson Keone Anderson Siri Anderson Santiago Anich Joseph Antonutti Rachel Antonutti Ellahna Barnes Joel Barta Alena Beare Mollie Belich Aspen Berg Hunter Berg Cade Berger Cuinn Berger Carli Bloom Sierra Boitz Joshua Bolgrean Nickolas Borden Alexander Bourgeault Cadence Brissett Emma Calverly Tyler Campanario Emma Cekalla Joseph Cekalla Jordan Chopskie Megan Chopskie Ty Christensen Jager Christenson Liberty Clifford Aubrey Compo James Cornell Michael...
Cloquet High School student Abigail Smith has been dazzling judges at science fair competitions since she was in middle school, and that hasn't stopped now that she's a senior. PolyMet Mining officials awarded Smith its top scholarship of $5,000 at the boys state hockey tournament in early March. The photo above is from the on-air presentation of the award by Ch. 45 sportscaster Joe Schmit. In the presentation, PolyMet president and CEO Jon Cherry said the company likes to support students...
Wrenshall A HONOR ROLL Joseph Bergman Liam Bruce Megan Carlson Lillian Eckdahl Sage Fernquist Hunter Holmes Kaylie Lammi Elliana Lattu Hannah Lattu Alex Murray Alexis Nelson Samantha Nyberg Andrew Olesen Jenna Rabold Abbie Resberg Jack Riley Zeke Rousseau-Sheff Magdalene Sowada Kaya Stark Kyra Stark Alexis Swanson Hailey Tauzell Randy Wimmer B HONOR ROLL Joshua Anderson Emma Andrews Connar Ankrum Patrick Ankrum Eli Beetcher Gavin Beetcher Taylor Bryce Corey Despot Easton Everett Brennen Fisher-Merritt Ashley Hart Natalya Kacer Wyatt Kelley...
Carlton A HONOR ROLL Grade 12 Alaina Bennett Alisha Broneak Madelyn DeCaigny Spencer Hoeffling Abigail Mickle Brynne Mickle Taylor Nelson Annabell Pearson Matthew Santkuyl Benjamin Soderstrom Jessica Sutter Justin Swanson Grade 11 Haley Adkins Arianna Griak Kristian Herman Elizabeth Hey Tyler Hill Annabeth Johnson Samantha Matarelli Seth Mlodozyniec Pablo Moran Johnette Ostlund Ella Palmer Spencer Rousseau Jairid Ward Grade 10 Olivia Anderson Kash Gibson Alaina Kiehl Morgan Laveau Carly Parker Joseph Solomon Grade 9 Korah Crane Eliza DeCaigny...
Cloquet High School’s third quarter honor roll students: A HONOR ROLL Grade 9 Robert Anderson Carter Anderson Brody Anderson Luke Barney Mason Beck Amy Blais Kollin Bonneville Roena Diver Patrick Dunaiski Alec Erickson Ellise Evenson Miles Fischer Eva Flovick Mariah Fonoti Isabella Genereau Alexis Goranson Sophia Green Francesca Halverson Macie Hoffmann Lauren Johnson Araya Kiminski Lance Konietzko Josiah Larson Nicholas Lassard Timber Latvala Bailey Lehto Connor Lindstrom Emily Litchke Macie Majerle Casey Marciniak John McGrath Nicholas Munoz...
The first two weeks of distance learning has admittedly been a mixed bag for both students and staff at Carlton County schools, with many older kids adapting quickly to learning online, while some teachers struggle more with the daily grind of staring at a computer screen. Trying to reach students of all ages has been a challenge, administrators and teachers report. Technology breakdowns were another issue, from getting students hooked up with internet access, to software crashing, to fixing...
A grand and hurried experiment in education began this week in Minnesota, as schools around the state implemented distance learning for K-12 students in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers and administrators across Carlton County had two weeks to come up with a plan for distance learning, which is not necessarily the same thing as online learning - rather, it refers to learning away from school. In Cloquet, that meant lessons on paper for elementary school students (K-grade 4) -...
Out of every extracurricular activity, Knowledge Bowl may be the least known. Only five U.S. states have Knowledge Bowl at the high school level. What most people know is that it is a school activity and, like others, its season was curtailed last week when all winter seasons were canceled. So, what exactly is Knowledge Bowl? Knowledge Bowl is all about knowledge - as implied in the name - and being able to remember those facts and produce them on the spot, plus it's fun, challenging, and you...
