At the February 20 Mabel-Canton School Board meeting, Superintendent Gary Kuphal updated the board on the latest interactions with Decorah School District. Decorah declined to meet with the Mabel-Canton full board as Kuphal had requested in a recent letter sent to all Decorah board members. “They have resisted any effort so far,” Kuphal explained.
Kuphal stated that he was not giving up; he has a meeting with the school attorney in two weeks. At that meeting, he plans to discuss the two documents that might possibly be used—DOPA (Delegation of Parental Authority) and an application from Iowa to Minnesota only. He also plans to discuss the state agreements as well as the local agreements with the attorney. “I’m continuing to pursue it!” Kuphal declared.
Principal Michelle Weidemann and Superintendent Kuphal have been having informal discussions at the administrative level with Spring Grove. In these discussions, they have considered possibly sharing classes with Spring Grove as well as checking into any additional resources that they could together provide students at both schools and other ways to share.
Questions about sharing included the transportation of students as well as whether calendars and daily schedules would mesh together.
Kuphal explained that right now they were looking at piloting sharing in the CTE area. The two schools want to see what will be most beneficial for both schools.
Junior High Baseball Numbers
Athletic Director Lonnie Morken attended the meeting to discuss a “great problem” with the board. For the last 16 years or so, sixth graders have been allowed to go out for junior high sports to fill teams. This year, with around 19 seventh and eighth grade boys planning on going out for baseball, Morken was asking whether they still needed to allow sixth grade boys to go out.
Morken felt it should be all or no sixth graders; he did not want to just move some of the sixth grade boys up. He shared that on days when weather forces the practices inside it would become a safety issue in the gym; the numbers would make it difficult to get in batting practice as well.
The board decided that this year sixth grade boys would not be allowed to go out for junior high baseball. Girls softball does not have the same high numbers so sixth grade girls will still be allowed to go out for junior high softball.
For the last three years, Mabel-Canton has been able to have their own junior high football program as well.
Dream Job Event
Principal Weidemann reported that the Bluff Country Collaborative held a Dream Job Event at Mabel-Canton February 14 with 185 students attending. Students from Spring Grove, Houston and Caledonia joined the Mabel-Canton students as they chose to attend presentations from 19 different careers; doctors, electricians, veterinarians, farming, nursing and forensics were just some of the choices.
Board vice chair Chris Miller commented that there were a lot of Mabel-Canton alumni presenting that day. The alumni were excited to be at their alma mater to share their professions.
Spring Coaches Hired
With two board members, Cristal Adkins and Dustin Tollefsrud, absent and some of the board needing to abstain from voting due to personal ties to the coaches, the board needed to vote for coaches for each sport separately in order to have enough votes.
2023-2024 Spring Coaches include:
•Softball: Kati Bergey (varsity), Coranda Vickerman (JV/JH) and volunteers Trish Ryan, Brad Darling and Maddy Henry;
•Baseball: Paul Tollefsrud (varsity), Adam Wilder (JV/JH) and volunteers Russell Larson and Karl Urbaniak;
•Trap: Logan Henry and volunteers Jason Marquardt, Todd Snell, Don Tollefsrud, Jamie Kelly, Steve Slafter and Kyle Thompson.
Fundraiser Approved
Paul Tollefsrud, head baseball and football coach, requested permission to run a fundraiser for the baseball and football teams. The fundraising proceeds will go toward sports’ teams equipment and activities. Gourmet coffee, popcorn and chocolates will be sold with a goal of raising $2,500 to $3,000. The board gave its permission to hold the fundraiser.
The next Mabel-Canton School Board meeting will be held March 19 at 6 p.m. in Mrs. Peter’s Science Room #50. the public is welcome to attend.
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