Central Public Schools - Education Is Central

Don’t forget to get out and cheer on the Central Raiders this week! Photo courtesy of Sports Central. https://wcconference.org/public/genie/16/school/13911/date/2024-09-12/view/week/

Headed to Wells, MN tonight for the USC vs. Central football game? Get your tickets ahead of time: https://gofan.co/app/school/MN12958 If you can't make it, watch here - Live Stream Link: https://www.youtube.com/@uscrebels1464 Rebels vs. Raiders will kick off at 7:00 PM!

Let’s spotlight another inductee into the Raider Hall of Fame! Nick Mackenthun graduated from Central High School in 2008 and was involved with sports including baseball, football, and wrestling. He was a captain on the football team his senior year and was also named the Offensive MRC Lineman of the year. He also had great achievements in wrestling his senior year including wrestling all conference and a 33-2 record. During wrestling he had a 90 win record overall for his four years. He was Homecoming king in 2008 and was a state entrant for wrestling his senior and sophomore years. His parents are Clayton and Trule Mackenthun from Hamburg and he has two brothers, Jason and Jared. Nick lives in Hamburg with this wife Heather and six-year-old son Tanner. He works at Sackett Waconia as a shop lead to support the agricultural industry and enjoys spending time with his family in his free time as well as his bowling league and softball team. Get your tickets to the Raider Rally and help us honor the first year of the Central Hall of Fame: https://108raiderrally.com/

Check out the Central Raider Spirit Store for the latest looks so you can cheer on our students in style!

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: Troy Krueger -City of Residence: Norwood Young America -How long have you lived in the district? All my life -What is your occupation? Logistics Manager -Why do you want to be a member of the ISD 108 School Board? I want to help the school grow. Now that we have the new addition we need to figure out how to get enrollment up. I also want to be a voice for the taxpayers of the district. -What qualities will you bring to the board if elected? I have 20 plus years in business operations, I can be a voice for the people of the district. -What do you believe is the most important issue facing education today? I believe we need to get back to the basics. I believe we need to instill life lessons. Technology is a great thing. But if we don’t teach the simple things how to survive the day to day, kids will struggle. Not every kid is going to go to college. So we need to prepare kids who want to continue on with education but we also need to prepare the ones who want to enter the workforce.

Come on out to the Stadium for a 4:00 Girls Soccer match against Loyola Catholic School. Here are your game day links: Raider Tickets: https://www.vancoevents.com/us/CQBX Streaming Link: https://fan.hudl.com/usa/mn/norwood-young-america/organization/10583/central-high-school

Elementary students will have picture day next Thursday. More information will be coming home with students!

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/

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: Jesse Hackbarth -City of Residence: Norwood Young America -How long have you lived in the district? Nine years -What is your occupation? Self Employed General Contractor -Why do you want to be a member of the ISD 108 School Board? To keep the school moving in the right direction and to keep our small town values within our school system. -What qualities will you bring to the board if elected? I'm a hands-on person. I'm not afraid of hard work. -What do you believe is the most important issue facing education today? I feel that the government is the biggest threat to our kids' education.

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!

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.

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/

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?

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/

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!

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

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