Pickleball to break ground this week

By Robert Williams

Editor

Superintendent Terry Karger recognized Positive Community Norms (PCN) Grant Coordinator Karlie Lehmann, both for the work that she is doing in the final year of the grant and contributions the program is making to the district.

Lehmann is currently one of eight PCN Coordinators in Minnesota and has recently been allocating PCN funds to the district to aid in marketing the school through printing and distributing 1,000 brochures that highlight education in Frazee from preschool to college and career pathways.

“A lot of good things and we’re very appreciative,” Karger said.

A second marketing tool for the district is a paid advertising campaign on a Highway 10 digital billboard just outside of Detroit Lakes that will run from April 13-June 8.

Over $1,000 was donated toward post-prom prizes and the High School Media Center’s Maker’s Space was replenished with supplies.

Other contributions include: a $1,200 contribution to the Yes Network for summer youth breakfasts; a $1,000 contribution to the Frazee-Vergas Parent Teacher Organization for Books for Bikes, and birthday kits and meal kits for CornerStone Youth and Family Center.

Future plans are to apply for the Drug-free Communities grant, a typical follow-up grant program to PCN, albeit less structured, with more plans for community outreach before summer.

Generating Resilience, Opportunities and Wellbeing (GROW) Frazee-Vergas and its youth group counterpart My Voice is Powerful (MVP) will transition away from the five-year PCN grant program, which expires this spring, and moving on to utilizing the combined efforts of that half-decade to continue inspiring local youth and being a benefit to the communities of Frazee and Vergas.

Career 

Instructor Roger Thorp and High School Counselor Marty Thorp reported on field trips to KLN Family Brands in Perham and the M State campus in Detroit Lakes March 30 and April 7. The trips were planned around career research for the students.

“It was a pretty low-cost field trip with some great exposure,” Roger Thorp said.

KLN provided a look at production careers in their candy and popcorn facilities. 

M State was opened to students interested in medical careers.

“It was great; the kids loved it,” Marty Thorp said. “The data we get from the state talks about what impacts kids in choosing careers and that is feedback from adults, adults they trust and care about, and getting some of those experiences and I think they got that on both of those days.”

Vice Chair Tyler Trieglaff brought up rumors of M State’s future as an institution and the Thorp’s reported that rumors of the college closing were untrue, but those about potential downsizing on some campuses had merit.

Both Thorps attended M State during their college time and acknowledged that while the medical training at M State is a consistent offering many of the other classes offered in the past have disappeared.

“They had a little bit of everything going on; now it’s just those health classes,” Roger Thorp said.

He also noted that a Frazee student was able to save money by not having to make an extra campus visit after utilizing the school visit to help make a decision on which campus to attend next fall.

Enrollment

The district received the Enrollment Options Applications for enrollment out of the District to: Detroit Lakes (1), Menahga (1); and into District: (0).

Graduation

This year’s Graduation ceremony will be held Sunday, May 17, at 2 p.m., at the Frazee High School Gymnasium.

Hornet Pride

Monetary donations: Frazee Area Track Booster Club- $250 donation to Weight Room, Paul Hendrickson- $1,000 donation to band, Anonymous donations- $1630.31 to unpaid lunch balances, JAYMAR, LLC (Jay Pike, Edward D. Jones)- $300 to Summer Rec 2026, PCN Grant- $1000 toward Post Prom Prizes, Bell State Bank- $35 from Custom Card Donation

In-Kind donations: BTD- 2 pallets of Angle Iron Metal for student projects, PCN Grant- Printing & Distribution of 1,000 brochures about FV Schools, PCN Grant- Advertising on Digital Billboard on Hwy 10 from April 13-June 8, PCN Grant- Supplies to replenish the FHS Media Center Maker’s Space

Music

Music Director Brian Selander reported on the senior high choir and symphonic band performances at a large group contest March 31 at Minnesota State University Moorhead. Five bands and six choirs participated from Frazee’s subsection. 

According to Selander, while the groups are judged it is not a competition between schools, but more of a musical festival. 

The senior choir received three excellent ratings. The band had two superior and one excellent rating.

“The judges were very tough this year overall,” said Selander. “We’re very pleased with our performances and all the feedback that we got.”

Pickleball

There will be a Golden Shovel ceremony at the construction site of the Frazee pickleball courts on Thursday, April 23 at 12:30 pm to officially mark the start of construction. The future courts will be located near the junior varsity baseball field off County Road 29 at the road to Wannigan Park.

Trieglaff noted the Pickleball committee, led by Shelly Blauert and Madison Olson, has raised over $200,000 and has less than $80,000 left to raise. The total goal is $282,000. 

“There is a lot of excitement at the committee meetings I’ve been at,” Trieglaff said. “They’re just raring to go…I think it’s going to bring a lot of people to town.”

Staffing

The board approved the following staffing changes: 

• Resignation of the Food Service Lead Worker at the Elementary Todd Dormanen, effective March 30.

• Resignation of the Boy’s Head Basketball Coach Ryan Vigen, effective March 27.

• Hiring a Junior High Softball Coach Aaron Paulson – Booster Club funded.

• Hiring a Long-Term Substitute Mary Olson – Life Science.

• Hiring a Food Service Lead Worker Steven Decker at the Elementary.

• Hiring a High School Language Arts Instructor Morgan Hagen for the 2026-2027 School Year.