CHS will offer 28 college credits this fall
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By LeAnn R. Ralph
COLFAX — Students at Colfax High School will have their choice this fall of 28 credits that can be applied toward a degree at a two-year or a four-year college.
A speech class has already been added to the list for the 2019-2020 school year, and there is a possibility Computer Aided Drafting and Conservation could be added in the fall as well, said John Dachel, Colfax High School principal, at the June 17 meeting of the Colfax Board of Education.
“I want the college credit program to keep growing,” he said.
Dachel noted that because of the college credits already offered at Colfax High School, his daughter was able to register in college as second-semester freshman.
Colfax High School students who take the college classes receive both high school and college credit if they successfully complete the classes.
The college credit classes available at Colfax High School this fall will include Horticulture, Medical Terminology, MS Office, Publishing, Accounting, Psychology, Sociology, Statistics, Sign Language and Speech.
Safety grant
The window film that makes windows almost impossible to break has finally been installed on the inside of the glass in the doors and entrances, reported William C. Yingst Jr., district administrator.
The window film was part of the school safety grant Colfax received through the state Department of Justice.
“We waited all year,” Yingst said.
School districts across the state received grants from DOJ Office of School Safety, which began operating in March of 2018 following the Valentine’s Day mass shooting at a high school in Florida. All together, $100 million in grant money was available from the Office of School Safety.
Window film was one of the items requested by a number of school districts, and since there are only so many vendors available, school districts had to wait until the vendors could get to them to do the installation.
As part of the safety grant, Colfax also was able to install more security cameras and scanners and fobs for doors, Yingst said.
The local police department, the Dunn County Sheriff’s Department, the fire department and the ambulance service all have fobs now, too, so they have access to the school buildings 24 hours per day, seven days per week, he said.
“We put the money to good use in putting it toward safety and security,” Yingst said.
Resignation
The Colfax Board of Education has accepted the resignation of second-grade teacher Kristina Winings.
In her letter dated June 12, Winings wrote she will teach through the end of the summer school contract on June 28.
“This was not an easy decision to make as the past three years have been very rewarding, and I have greatly enjoyed being an active staff and community member here in Colfax. I am appreciative of your willingness to take me on as a second grade teacher in August of 2016,” Winings wrote.
Winings went on to say she has chosen to relocate to Duluth for family reasons.
“I will surely miss this teaching position along with the great community of Colfax, our staff, students and families. I wish you and the school district all the best. Go Vikings!” Winings concluded.
Business education
The Colfax Board of Education has approved hiring Kathleen Thorn as the business education teacher to replace Kara Zutter, who retired at the end of the school year.
Thorn is originally from West Salem. She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration, with a concentration in marketing and sales, and a minor in Spanish from UW-Stout in December of 2016.
Thorn earned another Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and Business Education from UW-Stout in May of this year.
Other business
In other business, the Colfax Board of Education:
• Learned that 187 students had enrolled for the summer swimming program.
• Learned that 92 students had signed up for Summer Saunters on the Ice Age Trail scheduled July 8-12. “This is the most students who have ever signed up for our program,” according to Colfax Elementary Principal Trevor Hovde’s report to the school board.
• Learned that the school district’s annual meeting will be July 22 at 7 p.m.
• Agreed to schedule the audit review meeting on July 15 at 6 p.m and the budget review meeting at 6:30 p.m. July 15.
• Approved a motion allowing school district staff to pay bills that come in yet in June prior to the end of the school year June 30 and to adjust the budget functions as required.
• Approved membership in the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association with participation in the following boys’ sports: baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf and track and field; and participation in the following girls’ sports: basketball, cross country, golf, softball, track and field, and volleyball.
• Reviewed student and staff policies on weapons presented for a first reading.