The Hastings School Board played to a full house at its meeting Wednesday, March 20.
That oftentimes can mean a crowd of residents waiting to hear a vital decision being made, one way or the other. There may have been a few of those, but most were on hand to hear the good news about the school district.
“We have a full room tonight,” Board Chair Carrie Tate said in opening the meeting, held in the Hastings Middle School Media Center. “Thank you all for coming out and supporting Hastings Public Schools.”
The meeting started out with Raider Spotlight, where great things about the district are shared. Superintendent Dr. Tamara Champa debuted small inscribed wooden “tokens” given to those presenting to the board.
“This is my favorite part of the board meeting,” she said.
Four groups appeared before the board, the first being the Elementary All-Star Choir. Several of the members took a minute to talk about how great the experience was. It was the first time the Minnesota Music Educators has organized an all-star choir that featured students from all over the state that came together, including a group of fourth graders from Hastings.
The students all came together at the Minneapolis Convention Center Feb. 17 and rehearsed before putting on a performance.
Taking center stage next was the High School Wind Ensemble that performed at the state music convention in February.
About half the students appeared before the board, and Champa and Tate vouched for how good the performance was, as they attended.
“Thank you so much for the support you give the program,” said band director Jim Jacobsen. “It was just a fantastic experience, a wonderful performance. This group is just something else. It was a magical experience. That’s what this group did.”
“You were just phenomenal,” said Champa. “I could not be more proud and supportive of your work.”
Tate said that Champa acted as a proud parent watching the performance, shooting video and sharing it.
“Great job,” Tate told the students. “Thank you for representing Hastings so well.”
Said senior wind ensemble member Larry Williams, “It was so amazing to see the community of Hastings come together to support our performance.”
The board then recognized the school district employees of the semester: Josie Stepan, a specialized support coach at Pinecrest Elementary; Melinda Zajac, administrative assistant at McAuliffe Elementary; Samantha Perreault, a teacher at Tilden Early Learning Center; Kristine Haberkorn; Kristine Haberkorn, sixth grade teacher at Hastings Middle School; Lindsay Samuel, a paraprofessional at Kennedy Elementary; and Trent Hanson, Hastings High School athletic director and assistant principal and interim Hastings Middle School principal.
Staff nominates candidates for the honor, with a committee making the final selections.
Then the Career and Technical Education Department was invited to the board table, as February was Career and Technical Education month.
“We’re fortunate to have you in your roles,” said Champa.
Appearing were teachers Eric Dietz, John Dewall, Dave Davenport and Nathan Newman, who proudly told the board about their positions and how they have transformed over the years.
Dewall talked about starting in Hastings when he was 22, 43 years ago, when the main focus was agribusiness.
“We had all farm kids,” he said.
He added, “I love this community. I wouldn’t be doing it 43 years later if it wasn’t for the support of administration over the years, the faculty, working with these guys. It’s fun to come to work every day.”
