SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION SEPTEMBER 13
Voters in the Odebolt-Arthur School District will be voting on a reorganization measure with Battle Creek-Ida Grove, to form Odebolt-Arthur Battle Creek Ida Grove Community School District. The proposed new school board will be comprised of seven members, with two directors coming from the Odebolt-Arthur School District board, four directors from the Battle Creek-Ida Grove School District board, and one member chosen by those six board members. If the measure passes, the district plans to set up six districts within the new district's boundaries, and directors will have to live within those boundaries. A seventh board member will be elected by an at-large vote.
If the measure is passed, the new district will start on July 1, 2012.
Paul Neumann, Pat Hoefling and Traci Bengford will be on the ballot for full terms on the Odebolt-Arthur School Board. Brad Lundell, who was just appointed to fill the seat vacated by Scott Cranston, who moved out of the district, will be on the ballot to fill the unexpired term.
School board elections will be held on September 13.
TO THE EDITOR:
As a parent with children who have graduated from O-A and O-A/BC-IG, I have experienced this past two years of whole-grade sharing with mixed emotions, surprise, frustrations and pride.
With interest and concerns in the reorganization plan and how it would affect our communities, I volunteered to serve on the CAC. What I have learned is that both districts very similarly mirror each other’s excellence in test scores, taxes and in the day-to-day operations of providing an education for our students.
I believe combining the high standards of our districts will give our community a stronger school district. Each one of us, however, needs to look at the information that is out there ourselves. Just as in the game telephone, sometimes the information at the beginning of the chain is not the information that finds its way to the end of the chain. I encourage you to look at the information that is available yourself.
Sometimes, the information out there has been altered as it has made its way down the chain or your concern has never been addressed. Speak with the administration, school board member, CAC participant or look at the school web page if you have any questions or concerns.
Let us not whine and complain, but find a solution to the concerns for our schools and community. Our world is changing and we must provide the best foundation for our community. One of these cornerstones is the education of our children. The facts that I have seen show this cornerstone should be reorganization of our schools.
The emotions, memories and traditions cannot be fully taken out of the reorganization equation, but we can all have a positive view on them by allowing our children to create their own memories and not stubbornly think that our experiences and traditions should be their only path to take on their way to the future.
When looking at reorganization, we need to recognize that our towns have fond memories of single-town schools. There have been ups and downs of Battle Creek and Ida Grove becoming one district, Odebolt and Arthur coming together and the success and frustrations of O-A/BC-IG entering into whole-grade sharing. We all want what’s best for our towns and our children.
In this pursuit, there have been many ideas and beliefs in how to achieve this goal. Over the last two years, I have seen the best of both school districts combined. Not all O-A or BC-IG traditions have remained, but parts of each have created new traditions. New traditions and memories are being created every day for our children.
Let us keep our past memories and traditions by sharing them fondly with our children and grandchildren. We should encourage them to create their own great memories of their time in our community. Change is difficult, but it makes us better people.
Personally, I have experienced the ability of the O-A/BC-IG school district to help the unique needs of my children and their goals in life. When we became O-A/BC-IG, my children were eleventh, ninth, seventh and fifth grade. This has given our family a pretty balanced look at our proposed future school district.
It has prepared them for military service and a four-year university, the unique requirements for a child wanting to attend Harvard (and as an incoming junior at O-A/BC-IG, was admitted into the Harvard Summer School Program receiving eight college credit hours from Harvard), one who desires to go to culinary school and one who really does not know what the future holds for him.
Through whole-grade sharing, the opportunities for my children have been expanded to challenge and encourage them to reach these goals successfully. Truly, I believe that voting yes to reorganize our school district is the best for our students and communities. Let us, the adults, give our children the positive memories of this experience and allow them to create their own memories, while giving them a solid foundation built on the strengths of our towns to change the world.
Laura Stangl, Odebolt
NEW AUXILIARY OFFICERS AND AN HONOREE
The 2011 Odebolt American Legion Auxiliary Officers Unit 313 are: President, Margaret Landgraf; Vice President, Inga Sweeden; Secretary, Charlotte Nichols; Treasurer, Elaine Hardin; and Chaplain, Helen Henkelman.
The Auxiliary was pleased to honor Wanda Carrier with a certificate for her 50 years of service.
ODEBOLT COMMUNITY CENTER
Aug. 29 CPS/Pioneer Appreciation Dinner
Sept. 10 Private party
Sept. 17 Private party
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