"It’s a Good Day to be an Adult and an Eagle." (Note: No other student scared me as much as Katie Maras. Why? Oh, she knew all the grammar rules, and if I slipped up, her hand would shoot up for a clarification. She made me a better teacher, and for the next two decades, I’d talk about her to my students when I introduced grammar and the “cheat sheet” I created for dealing with Katie.) Overture An opera tells a dramatic story set to music, so it is fitting that Katie (Maras

Batman needs Robin, and for head track coach Nathaniel Kenne, he needs a team of Robins to help manage such a large team. One of his secret weapons is assistant coach Jeremy Walters. Walters has gained notoriety within the track coaching community for one specific skill: pole vaulting. For most of the 2024 track season, both boys and girls pole vaulters locked down the top spots from early season invitationals to the section finals. While track and field showcases a variety

"It's a Good Day to Be an Adult and an Eagle." (Note: Some students took notes. Others wrote down your jokes. While I stopped teaching in 2023 (journalism, speech, Indigenous studies, and film history), a piece of my teaching career continued “up north” with one of my former Eaglevision anchors, who also discovered that the consolation prize for not being a gameshow host is a rewarding gig as a teacher. ) Ladies and Gentleman, who wants to play a game? First, let’s meet our b

"It's a Good Day to be an Adult and an Eagle." Note: 25 students helped make the 2005 yearbook, but only 1 stayed to finish it: Danielle Smith. My former editor would sit cross-legged and barefoot on a desk when working on pages and then hand-off the finished pages to me and take my two-year-old son outside to play while I worked. When the yearbook was finished, off she went into the world. Some of those nursery rhymes we were taught back in the day were quite misleading. Rem

"It's a Good Day to be an Adult and an Eagle." (Originally published in the Maple River Messenger) Note: High School Office Secretary Gloria Langworthy frightened me, so as a clueless student-teacher, I avoided Gloria and turned to the helpful student-assistant, Sarah Kauffmann for all my copying needs. Decades later, she returned to my life when I taught her two children. (I still struggled with the copier). To borrow a military metaphor, those who serve in combat become a

Note: The duo of Darin Mays (and Josh Boertje) became Maple River’s first state speech medalists, and as their speech coach, I felt fortunate to recruit him–the kid was in everything. With the pedal to the metal, Mays continued his frenetic pace for another two decades until the pandemic gave him time to reflect on his life. “My first job out of college was consulting,” Mays interjected in the middle of the interview, “and it was 100% travel. My first project was in New Yo

"It's a Good Day to Be an Adult and an Eagle." (Note: Note: In this installment, it’s “me” who left the nest last June. The classes of 2024 and 2025 will be my final groups of students I had the privilege to teach, and with young women like Olivia Anderson and Ellie Braaten, it was hard to step away from the classroom. Turns out these current Eagles are already making the “real” world of adults a bit better place. When asked if anything eventful had happened in her life ove

"It's a Good Day to be an Adult and an Eagle." Note: In the spring of 2020, many students celebrated getting to stay home for spring trimester because of Covid, yet one of my sophomores bemoaned missing his second high school track season. Last week you got to read about one of my first students, this week you’ll get to meet one from my last year in the old building, a gentle giant named Ethan Fischer . For Fischer, high school life isn’t a distant memory, and he characteriz

Maple River Students Participate in Budget City project There’s a popular meme floating around social media that lists all the important life skills that schools never taught yet still forced kids to learn the Pythagorean Theorem. That same meme will contrast the inanity of knowing that mitochondria is the “powerhouse of the cell” and pit it against basic adulting skills like managing money, filing taxes, or investing in stocks. Ah, the good old days. While many meme makers

Two centuries ago, Joseph Nicollet traveled through southern Minnesota and labeled it as the Undine Region, a reference to the water spirit that inspired the legend of the Little Mermaid. Ponds, sloughs, marshes, lakes, and rivers filled the region with so much wildlife that the French scientist marveled at the wetland paradise. Yet less than a generation ago, the waterfowl in this region had been so depleted that a boy shooting the rare Canada Goose earned a profile in the l

"Three generations of Gartners continue a lambing tradition." (Marvin Gartner, David Gartner, and Maloree Gartner share responsibilities on their sheep farm located on the edge of Mapleton.) With the return of spring and annual holidays such as Easter, thoughts of family, renewal, and tradition often come to mind. One of the most powerful symbols of the season is found in one of life’s most delicate (and cute) icons–the spring lamb. Whether on the hills outside of Jerusalem o

"It's a Good Day to Be an Adult and an Eagle" (originally published by the Maple River Messenger) Note: In the spring of 1995, I got my student-teaching assignment: Maple River High School. My supervising teachers were John Solting for Public Speaking and World Literature and Kathy Gjerde for English 9 and Journalism. Since this series will profile my 30 years of former students to find out where their journeys took them, my first subject will be one of the very first stude

"Student Managers Provide Vital Help" (Wrestling managers Karley Koehler and Kalyn Sandmeyer track points and match footage at a recent invitational.) For gladiators in ancient Rome, thunderous applause justified a short time in the arena. Current athletes also experience the thrill of victory and the cheers of friends, family, and fans. Yet sports can often teach other lessons beyond winning and losing, and for student managers, the rewards go beyond personal glory. For boy

"Local Author Releases Debut Novel" By Jason Willis Step One: Listen to your big sister about dating her coworker. Step Two: When your new girlfriend offers you a chance to read the manuscript, say yes. Step Three: Upon reading the manuscript, make a digital copy of the story. Caution: Do not let her see you do this. Step Four: During awkward small talk, ask her hypothetical questions about a possible dedication page and pertinent biographical information that could be used

"Olson Family helps Heather Curling Club Reopen Kitchen" (Sheryl Olson, the skip of the Heather Curling Club kitchen.) As the Curling Capital of Minnesota, Mapleton guards many traditions but none so much as its Scottish heritage. During the recent celebration of Burns Night, curlers both young and old participated in the annual bonspiel and noticed something different about the…house. No, we’re not talking about the area at the end of the sheet, we’re talking about the build

"The Founding Fathers of Maple River" While engineers and architects oversee the final stages of Maple River’s new K-12 school complex, wrecking balls and cranes complete the demolition of the former Minnesota Lake school. As Seneca the Younger once reflected, every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end. While Maple River endures this season of change, it also recently witnessed the passing of three superintendents who not only helped steer the ship but also hel

"It's a Good Day to be an Adult and an Eagle." (Mal Murphy performed at the Arts Center of St. Peter as part of her recent album release tour.) Leaving the nest can be an exhilarating and challenging prospect for any fledgling eagle, but for Mal Murphy, who credits her mother as one of her biggest musical influences, that stage of growing up can often provide enough music and inspiration for an album. Murphy’s debut album, Grow Up, released on December 13th from Audio Atelier

"MIssionary Dan Jones Travels to Peru" (Dan Jones and Andy Pull demonstrate their carpentry gifts) Gift-giving during the Christmas season has many different meanings for many different people. For some, the preferred delivery method involves a jolly bearded man bringing gifts in a sleigh. For others, the gift delivery method involves Amazon delivering gifts selected from digital shopping lists right to the front door. For a local jolly bearded man (not Santa), the Amazon (n

Local Delivery Workers Help Bring the Holidays Home (L-R: Lynn Lentz, Zach Otto, Terri Maass, Jennifer Lassahn, and Tammy Comnick) Sure, you know Comet and Cupid, but do you know the other fine folks working so hard to get your holiday packages and cards delivered on time? No, we’re not talking about Buddy the Elf, either. Real men and women from both the United States Postal Service and private shipping companies work twice as hard during the holiday season. According to USP

"An Inside Look at the Drama Crew" (Above: Angel Flores manages the lighting system.) When Dorthy pulled back the curtains to discover the truth about the Great and Powerful Oz, she was told to pay no attention to what she saw. All the might and magic of Oz, you see, was simply an elaborate illusion. For the Maple River drama program, the folks behind the curtains are also responsible for creating the illusions and technological magic. Drama director Steve Conover has chosen