COUNTRY
WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2016
Serving Marine on St. Croix, Scandia, May Township
VOL. 33 NO. 03 www.countrymessenger.com $.75
MARINE CITY COUNCIL: Unofficial postings in Jackson Meadow. PAGE 5
Marine charter school outlines next steps BY KATIE SEITZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER
a look around, then walked into the Marine General Store. “I don’t know where I am,” she announced, “but I’m going to live here. And I have to live here today.” She got a quick primer on Marine’s history and population (602 at the time), and found out where she might rent a home. Then, after drinking a pitcher of margaritas with the woman who
Founding team members of the Marine Area Community School held an informational meeting May 14 at Christ Lutheran Church. It was the first public meeting regarding the school since the Minnesota Department of Education announced on April 15 that it had approved a kindergarten through sixth grade charter school in Marine on St. Croix. The meeting began with a discussion of the timeline for the opening of the school, with August 28, 2017, as the anticipated first day of welcoming students through the doors. Before opening day, the founding team members – Jon Dettmann, Lisa Dochniak, Mayor Glen Mills, Kristina Smitten and Lisa White – discussed the amount of work to be done, including hiring an executive director, hiring the teachers and staff, and enrolling students. One key difference between the charter school and the current Marine Elementary School is that there will not be a principal at the school; teachers, the executive director and the Marine Area Community School board of directors will collaborate to make decisions regarding curriculum and more. Some guidelines regarding curriculum have been set and were part of the application process for securing approval by the Minnesota Department of Education. Curriculum will include required subjects, from science to the arts, and will align with Stillwater Area Public Schools to allow a smooth transition to middle school. The charter school will follow a unique mission and vision, however, which will differentiate it from the current elementary school and district schools: The mission of the Marine Area Community School is to utilize the natural resources, history, arts, and civic stewardship of the community as a foundation for the study of language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, physical education, art and other curriculum. The place-based learning environment will be student-centered, designed by teachers, and reinforced and supported by the local community. The community was asked to participate in supporting the school, whether it be volunteering time and talents, or donating money to support the legal team that is establishing the school, setting it up for long-term success. The charter school does not receive any money from the State of Minnesota until students walk through the doors, so the team applied for a CSP Grant. This federally funded grant supports
SEE RITZ, PAGE 9
SEE CHARTER SCHOOL, PAGE 2
FILE PHOTO
The Scandia-Marine Lions Foundation will host a St. Croix Valley motorcycle ride to benefit the Scandia Veterans Memorial.
Scandia-Marine Lions rev up for veterans memorial BY JACKIE BUSSJAEGER THE LOWDOWN
This May, residents of the St. Croix Valley and beyond will be revving their engines to help raise money for a new veterans memorial in Scandia. “We've been working on building a veterans memorial in Scandia for about three years,” said Scandia-Marine Lions Foun-
dation President Dave Wilson. “We're getting close to final stages, so we're having this event to help raise funds and knock down some of the costs.” The group hopes to raise $25,000 to install the new memorial, and Wilson said they have already reached half of their goal. Wilson said there were a couple of factors that went into deciding to make the next fundraising event a mo-
torcycle ride. “Motorcycle rides for veterans seem to be a popular event,” he said. “We teamed up with Meister's and came up with idea to sponsor a ride, since out here in the valley would be a good area for a motorcycle ride for our event. We listed it out to the American Legion riders, and a lot of the SEE MEMORIAL, PAGE 2
Longtime local Ritz to head west BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
There are two ways to look at a wrong turn. For Joyce Ritz in 1970, a directional deviation could have been an insignificant detour. Instead, she found home. “I was coming from Wayzata, 60 miles away, and I was going to the blueberry patch,” she recalls. “But I didn’t turn at the right place and I drove into this town.” She parked and took
SUMMER STREET PHOTOGRAPHY, SUMMERSTREETPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
Joyce Ritz dances at Mandy Froiland's wedding in September 2014. Ritz, a longtime and very active Marine resident, will leave for Washington at the end of June.
Dermatologist joins OMC Holly Reynolds Buchen, PA-C, of Forefront Dermatology, has joined the medical staff at Osceola Medical Center. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 715-294-3566.
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