Kindergarten adds 19 kids to start school year

By Robert Williams

Editor

The Frazee-Vergas School Board recognized former Chairperson Kimberly Antonsen for her work on the school board since Jan. 7, 2019. Antonsen served as a director and vice chair in her first term and took over chair duties after being reelected in 2023. She resigned in August to take over the Early Childhood Family Education program at the elementary school.

Due to her resignation, chair duties were transferred to Vice Chair Nathan Matejka. There is also an open position to fill.

The recommendation is to fill her term by School Board appointment. The Board members were asked to communicate with individuals they strongly believe have the potential to fill this vacancy and encourage them to submit their name to Superintendent Karger, tkarger@frazee.k12.mn.us for consideration.

Matejka will remain as board chair until the board’s organizational meeting in January of 2025. The role of Vice Chair will remain vacant until then, the Clerk will step forward in the absence if needed.

Elementary

Principal Travis Nagel reported an increase of 20 students from the end of last year with 441 students on the first day of classes.

“Looks really great this year,” he said.

Nagel updated his numbers to the meeting date to be 446 enrolled and 472 if pre-kindergarten is included.

“It really took a nice jump there for us,” he said.

The kindergarten class took the biggest leap with 19 more students than last year (72-53).

High school

Enrollment at the high school was nearly the same as the end of 2023-24 with 399 students enrolled compared to 401 from last year’s numbers.

Principal Jason Smith has been meeting separately with each class to discuss expectations.

“I’m making sure we’re all on the same page for expectations; how excited we are that we’re here, how excited we are that they’re here and our abilities to both help them and ask them for help in return,” said Smith. “It’s been a really positive couple of meetings. We have some good groups of kids this year; I’m awfully excited.”

PCN

Positive Community Norms (PCN) grant coordinator and GROW Frazee Vergas (GFV) facilitator Heidi Moen gave a presentation on the grant usage in the 2024-25 school year. There will be two key online surveys given, one to parents and guardians and another to school staff.

Recent student surveys showed a large difference in the perception of substance use and the misperception of the actual use that was reported by the student body.

“We saw a huge change in our student survey over the last year and so this year we’re looking to see where we’re at with our parent and staff education,” she said.

The survey will be administered Nov. 4-22 for parents of students in grades 6-12.

Some numbers from the 2022 parent/guardian survey were 69 percent of students never use alcohol and only 20 percent of surveyed parents/guardians perceived this norm. There were 87 percent of students who reported never using marijuana, perceived by 27 percent of parents/guardians. Seventy-nine percent of students reported never vaping or using e-cigarettes and only 21 percent of parents/guardians correctly perceived that norm.

Staff perception in 2022 of those three categories were even more disparate at 4 percent, 17 percent and 6 percent.

Moen is hoping to see the gaps close on those numbers in the upcoming survey.

Staffing

The board approved the following hires and accepted the following resignations:

• Hiring a Career and Technical Education (CTE) Teacher Aaron Boyer

• Hiring 2 Paraprofessionals at the Elementary Annie Slevin and Heidi Espe

• Hiring 2 Paraprofessionals at the High School Chelsie Thomas and Callista Mastin-Sanders

• Hiring a Pre-Kindergarten Teacher Julie Wirth

• Hiring 4 Weight Room Supervisors Dave Conzemius, Jason Reierson, Marty Thorp and Jackie Lucca

• Resignation of the Junior Varsity Girls Basketball Coach Dave Conzemius

• Resignation of a Junior High Girls Basketball Coach Dave Conzemius

• Resignation of a Junior High Girls Basketball Coach Taylor Greenwood

• Resignation of a Part-Time Custodian Angel Gerving

• Resignation of a Paraprofessional Linda Kuehn

Enrollment

The District received the enrollment option applications for out of the district to: Detroit Lakes (4) and into the District: Perham (1) and Detroit Lakes (2).

Hornet Pride

Thank you to the Frazee Community Club for providing breakfast for the Back to School All Staff Breakfast.