Central Public Schools - Education Is Central

Last chance alert! If you haven't ordered you Homecoming T-shirt yet, you have until 10 p.m. tonight (Thursday, Sept. 12). Let's cheer on the Raiders as they take on the Cleveland Clippers on October 4 in the Homecoming Game! https://isd108.revtrak.net/homecoming-ts/

It’s time for another Raider Hall of Fame Inductee Spotlight! Steve Kurtz graduated in 1989 and was very active during high school, participating in Football, Wrestling, Baseball, and Track throughout the years. He was the 145 lb champion his senior year and also wrestled on the All-Conference team. After high school he attended Anoka Technical College for small engine repair while wrestling at Anoka Community College until 1991. He then attended Detroit Lakes Technical College for two years to continue to learn about engine repair focused on marine engines. After he graduated in 1993, his first job was at Prior Lake Marine for four years until he took a job with Marine Innovations, a extended warranty company for marine products. He went back to Prior Lake after two years under a different name Excel Motorsports and worked there until the company closed In 2001. “I called St Boni Motorsports for a job and started working in the summer of 2001 and still working there today, “My wife also graduated from Central in 1990 and we Live in Hamburg so my children also went to Central High School.” He looks back at his time in high school fondly and knows all of the hard work his teachers and coaches put in. “Special thanks to my parents for putting up with us, and bringing us to all the Tournaments growing up along with my teammates' parents,” said Steve. “My coaches Mr. Clark, Mr. Damman, Mr.Teitz, Mr. Rasmussen, and Mr. Iverson all made a huge impact on me and all my teammates would push each other all the time on the mat and off.” Get your tickets to the Raider Rally and help us honor the first year of the Central Hall of Fame: https://108raiderrally.com/

Central Public Schools ISD 108 will have four school board seats on the ballot during the Nov. 5, 2024 election. As a way to introduce each candidate to the community, the district has collected responses on questions from each candidate and will share one candidate a day (Monday-Friday) on social media ahead of early voting which begins on Friday, Sept. 20. Posts will be shared in the order that candidates will appear on the Ballot which was a result of a randomized selection process. You can view all candidate responses here: https://www.isd108.org/article/1715982 Responses have been minimally edited for formatting and clarity and all content and viewpoints are of the respective candidate. - Candidate Name: Spencer Kelly - City of Residence: Norwood Young America - How long have you lived in the district? We have lived in NYA for nine years. My wife Becky (Flusemann) grew up in Norwood and graduated from Central. -What is your occupation? I am currently a Senior Financial Analyst. Previously I held positions as an Engineering Manager, Project Manager and Control Systems Engineer. I have worked at the same Industrial Automation company for 19+ years! -Why do you want to be a member of the ISD 108 School Board? I believe in the power of a high quality public education for every child in our district. I want to serve this community and have a positive impact on its future. Becky and I have two girls just starting school. It is important to me to be a part of their journey through our public schools. Our oldest will be attending Kindergarten at Central Elementary this fall and our youngest will be starting Central Public Preschool. Being a new parent to the district with kids just getting started will give me a unique perspective on our schools. - What qualities will you bring to the board if elected? Experience in Finance, Empathy and Understanding, Project Management, Problem Solving As a Senior Financial Analyst I work with complex budgets that involve multiple revenue streams and sources of expenditure. I will be able to understand the district budget and sources of funding and make recommendations for its thoughtful use. My experience managing projects and negotiating contracts will allow me to support ongoing and future projects in the school district. The empathy and understanding of people that I gained as an Engineering Manager will allow me to build relationships with parents, teachers, administration and other stakeholders in the district. At heart I am an engineer and problem solver. I can weigh both sides of an issue and make an informed decision based on facts. - What do you believe is the most important issue facing education today? Preparing our kids for the path that fits them best after school. College isn’t the right choice for everyone. We should continue to develop relationships with local manufacturing, the trades, and small businesses to promote the wide range of career possibilities out there. Specific to the Central Public schools we need to deliver a return on our recent referendum and new facilities by increasing enrollment and making Central a destination district.

We are one week into the 2024-25 school year and it’s off to a great start! Thank you to all of the families and community members who partner with our schools to support students!

There are lots of opportunities to cheer on the Raiders this week with cross country, volleyball, soccer, and football happening this week! https://wcconference.org/public/genie/16/school/13911/ Photo courtesy of Sports Central

Get ready for Homecoming by ordering your 2024 Homecoming T-shirt online only! The deadline to order is September 12. Shirts are $15 and come in a variety of sizes. Go Raiders! https://isd108.revtrak.net/homecoming-ts/

Cheer on the Girls' Varsity Soccer Team tonight at home as they play Hope Academy tonight at 7 p.m.. Get tickets at the link: https://www.vancoevents.com/us/events/landing/45933?

Kindergarten students aren’t messing around to start the school year! They participated in Boot Camp and spent two days learning to care for supplies such as crayons, markers and scissors. They had to complete fun challenges and earned tags for each one and when they completed all eight challenges, they received their dog tag and were so excited and proud to wear them home!

With the Raider Rally quickly approaching, it’s time to celebrate another inductee into the Raider Hall of Fame! Steven Vymola graduated in 1988 and accomplished a lot during his time in high school! He was the 145 lb State Wrestling champion his senior year with a 30-1-1 record that year and an overall record of 121-14-2 with 66 pins. He had an 88.3% win rate and received a variety of recognitions and titles during his time. He was also involved with Baseball Captain, Cross Country, Wrestling, C-Club, German Club, Cross Country All Conference, Wrestling All Conference, and was named biggest flirt. After high school attended the University of North Dakota and graduated with a BA in Airport administration while wrestling all four years of college. He was the team captain his senior year and placed sixth in the nation earning all american honors. He also worked as an electrician which was his career until 2016. “My parents Lou and Kay Vymola were extremely dedicated supporters and fans of my brother Brian and I,” said Steven. “They never missed a match and nurtured us through it all. My brother was also instrumental in my success both in wrestling and life!” He began a passion for rock climbing in 1999 and spends his time working with groups and traveling in pursuit of climbing adventures. He also earned a Yoga Teaching Certification in 2008 and continues to teach both in-person and virtually. “With the absence of wrestling and organized sports, climbing has completely filled that void and helped me become a more well rounded person,” said Steven. Get your tickets to the Raider Rally and help us honor the first year of the Central Hall of Fame: https://108raiderrally.com/

Central Public Schools Community Ed has a ton of fun things going on, here’s a look at this week: 9/10- 3rd-6th Football Practice @ Elementary 6pm 9/10- Gentle Yoga @ Fieldhouse 6:30pm 9/11- 5th/6th Volleyball Practice @ HS Gym 6:30pm 9/11- Cross Country Running Club @ HS 3:30pm 9/11- Adult Pickleball League @ Fieldhouse 6:30pm 9/12- 3rd-6th Football Practice @ HS Field 6pm 9/12- K-6th Soccer Practice @ Friendship Park 5:30pm 9/14- K-6th Soccer Games (time/location based on team schedule) 9/14- 5th/6th Football Games @ HS Field 9am/10am

A huge thank you to the firefighters from the Cologne and Norwood Young America Fire Departments who took time out of their busy days to serve lunch on Thursday and Friday last week at the elementary school!

Congratulations to our 2024 Homecoming Court. The senior candidates were surprised this morning by some of their teachers, who woke them up and took them out for breakfast (Shout-out to Northside Grill for opening up for this special event). You can see the entire court during Coronation on Monday, September 30th at 7:00 p.m. in the high school gym. Front Row: 9th grade Attendants, Mason Meeks and Paizley Alsleben, 10th Grade Attendants, Luke Allison and Kaitlynn Venske, 11th Grade Attendants: Vanessa Schmidt and Nate Venske Middle Row: Senior Queen Candidates, Haley Neubarth, Addison Dietzel, Morgan Alar, Kadence Arndt, Ella Harms, and Lacey Buckentin Back Row: Senior King Candidates, Zach Wickenhauser, Carter Storms, Ben Schefers, Michael Mackenthun, Parker Sprengeler and Nick Weege

Here is what's happening in Central Raiders Athletics this week! 9/9/24 - 9/14/24 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zTIy7EUmV_UxOti7w56ofwqpzpssWzlF/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=117579303926297976321&rtpof=true&sd=true

Today's Events: Girls' Varsity Soccer vs. Delano 1:00 PM Come on out to the Stadium and enjoy this beautiful day! Ticket Link: https://www.vancoevents.com/us/CPQD Streaming Link: https://fan.hudl.com/usa/mn/norwood-young-america/organization/10583/central-high-school

The next inductee into the Raider Hall of Fame is Sheila Erpenbach (Stuewe) also from the class of 1987. She is the daughter of Myron (Mike) and Monique Stuewe; she attended Central High School along with her siblings. She is married to Ron Erpenbach, another Central graduate and current Central Elementary Principal. They have two children who also graduated from Central. In high school, Sheila participated in volleyball, basketball, and track and was captain and all-conference in all three sports. She was voted best female athlete in the class of 1987 and was part of the school record setting 4x100m relay team and also set the school record for high jump her senior year of 5’6” which also got her first in state. “After high school, I attended St. Cloud State and received my BA in Education and went on to earn my Masters in Educational Leadership from Mankato State University,” said Sheila. “In my educational career I have taught elementary students, delivered staff development to teachers, been a peer coach and mentored teachers in their jobs!” She is in her 32nd year of being an educator and works in the Prior Lake-Savage School system. She credits her coaches and teammates for pushing her and her fellow athletes to achieve their best. “Our 4x100 conference record stood for almost 30 years and was broken when I was attending a track meet of my daughter’s at Holy Family,” said Sheila. “To hear over the speaker our relay names and that our record was broken brought about mixed emotions at the time. But wow, that was a long standing record!” Congratulations Sheila! Get your tickets to the Raider Rally and help us honor the first year of the Central Hall of Fame: https://108raiderrally.com/

Here's tonight's ticket link for the home Varsity Football game vs NRHEG! Lots going on tonight with a pregame tailgate starting at 5:00, food trucks, Parents Night starting at 6:40, and our Fan theme of a "White Out"! See you at 7:00 PM https://www.vancoevents.com/us/CPRE

We got another late submission for first day of school photos that we just had to share! Mari is from Rome, Italy and here for the school year as an exchange student and was excited to start the year.

As we start a new school year, we also look back on our history with our first feature of an inductee into the Raider Hall of Fame! Julie Olson (Glaeser) graduated in 1987 and participated in lots of activities including Choir, Swing Choir, Choir President, C-Club, Volleyball, Track, and Cheerleading. Her senior year she was part of the school record setting team in the 4x100M Relay at 49.38 and achieved 1st in State. She was recruited to run track for Mankato State University but said she had California dreams! She got married and moved to St. Cloud. “I have two amazing sons that I enjoyed watching grow up and become great athletes and students ultimately graduating from St. Cloud State University,” said Julie. “I remarried in 2018 to Scott Olson and gained two more sons. Scott and I recently purchased our dream lake home on the south side of Lake Mille Lacs and enjoy the lake and outdoors!” Congratulations on being inducted into the Raider Hall of Fame! Get your tickets now to help us honor the first year of the Central Hall of Fame: https://108raiderrally.com/

Here is tonight's Soccer ticket link for our home match with Rockford/HLWW. Ticket Link: https://www.vancoevents.com/us/CPQC Game Times: C - 5:00 & Varsity - 7:00

Join us in welcoming Emma Melick to the Central Public Schools team! She will be joining us as K-12 general and vocal music teacher and bringing beautiful music to our schools. “My favorite subjects as a student were choir and band,” said Emma. “I loved making music with my classmates and closest friends, I have so many fun memories performing, traveling, and competing in my high school ensembles!” In her free time she likes to read, cook and bake, and explore local restaurants and events. Welcome Emma!