SCHOOL CONNECTIONS - Forest Lake Area Schools

Winter Edition
District Honors 100 Graduating Classes
Effective, Efficient and Excellent...for
more than a century
Forest Lake’s George Simmons
graduated at the top of his class in
1912 – and, curiously, at the bottom
of his class.
In fact, George Simmons was the
only graduate from his high school in
1912, and upon receiving his diploma
he became the very first graduate –
and the first graduating “class” – from
Forest Lake High School.
Since then, Forest Lake Area
Schools has gone from a single,
one-room school to 12 schools that
educate nearly 7,000 students over a
240-square mile area that covers parts
of three counties.
Forest Lake Area Schools
School Connections
This year, the Class of 2011 will be
the 100th class to graduate from our
high school.
Since 1912, more than 22,000 high
school seniors have followed in
George Simmons’ footsteps and
received their diplomas from our high
school. Many of them have gone on
to become doctors, lawyers, teachers,
politicians, business leaders and key
members of our community.
Forest Lake Area Schools has
dedicated the 2010-2011 school year
to honoring its graduates, both past
and present, and to celebrate the
excellence that has been achieved
over the many years.
This historical milestone should serve
as a point of pride with our students,
staff and our community.
Election Day is Nov. 2; voters to decide on levy & bond
Local voters will have many choices
to make on Nov. 2.
There are high-profile campaigns for
governor, mayor, U.S. Congress, the
state legislature, and there is a levy
and bond package from Forest Lake
Area Schools.
This issue of School Connections will
provide valuable information that
you, as a voter, can examine in order
to make the best choice possible
when you enter the voting booth.
So on Nov. 2, don’t forget to vote.
Inside...
• 100th Graduating Class
• Levy and Bond Information
• District Budget Facts
• Voting Information
Come find us on the web, at www.flaschools.org
Welcome • Bienvenue • Nyob zoo • ¡Bienvenidos! •
Dobro Došli • • nghênh
© Forest Lake Area
Schools, 2010

Voter Information:
Making the right choice on Nov. 2
November is the budget & election issue of “Connections”
Every November issue of Forest Lake
Area Schools’ School Connections
newsletter contains information
on the district’s budget and, if
applicable, voter information on
district elections.
This November is no exception.
Included in this issue is voter
information for the upcoming
Nov. 2 election as well as information
regarding the levy and bond on which
local voters will be asked to decide.
Below you will see voting locations
for all of the communities in our
district. On pages 4 - 5 are detailed
explanations about the levy and bond,
as well as information about the
district’s budget.
The Minnesota Secretary of State’s
Office has information about voter
registration, absentee ballots, and
finding out what ward and precinct
you live in.
You can find the information online at
www.sos.state.mn.us.
Effective
Election Day: Polling Locations
2
Forest Lake
Precinct 1 – Forest Lake City Hall
220 Lake St. N., Forest Lake
Precinct 2 – St. Peter’s Church
1250 South Shore Dr., Forest Lake
Precinct 3 – Faith Lutheran Church
886 North Shore Dr., Forest Lake
Precinct 4 – Forest Hills United Methodist
Church, 1790 11th St. SE, Forest Lake
Precinct 5 – Washington County Service
Center, 19955 Forest Rd. N. Forest Lake
Chisago City
Precinct B –
Chisago City Community Center
10825 Lake Blvd., Chisago City
Columbus
Precinct 1 – Public Works Facility
16345 Kettle River Blvd. NE, Columbus
East Bethel
Precinct 3 – East Bethel Fire Station
2751 Viking Blvd. NE, E. Bethel
Hugo
Ward 2, Precincts 1 & 2 –
Oneka Elementary School
4888 Heritage Parkway N., Hugo
Ward 3, Precinct 1 – Rice Lake Centre
6900 137th St. N., Hugo
Lino Lakes
Precinct 1– Lino Lakes Senior Center
1189 Main St., Lino Lakes
Precinct 2 – Centennial Fire Station #2,
7741 Lake Dr., Lino Lakes
Precinct 3 – St. Joseph’s Catholic Church
171 Elm St., Lino Lakes
Precinct 4 – Lino Lakes City Hall
600 Town Center Pkwy., Lino Lakes
Ham Lake
Precinct 4 – Horizon Community Church
1503 157th Ave. NE, Ham Lake
Precinct 6 – St. Paul’s Catholic Church
1740 Bunker Lake Blvd. NE, Ham Lake,
Linwood
Precinct 1 – Linwood Town Hall
22817 Typo Creek Dr. NE, Stacy
May Township
May Town Hall,
13939 Norell (CO 55) Ave. N., Marine
Scandia
Scandia Community Center
14727 209th St. N., Scandia
Stacy
Precinct B – Stacy City Hall
30955 Forest Blvd., Stacy
Wyoming
Precinct A – Maranantha Church
24799 Forest Blvd., Wyoming

Wyoming Elementary named Minnesota
School of Excellence
Just one year after Lino Lakes
Elementary was named a Minnesota
School of Excellence, yet another
Forest Lake Area Schools elementary
has won the award.
Wyoming
Elementary
was one of
nine schools in
the state to be
named this year
as Minnesota Schools of Excellence
by the Minnesota Elementary School
Great Schools:
Positive environments for learning
Principals’ Association (MESPA).
MESPA made the announcement in
August.
“As principal, Mike Conway
encourages and supports a strong
learning community and advocates
for continual learning opportunities
for staff, students and families,” said
Minnesota School of Excellence
Program Chair Matt Dorschner. “He
supports the implementation of The
Daily 5 and Patricia Pavelka Guided
Reading management systems, 6+1
Writing Traits, Fountas and Pinnell
literacy assessment, a large Guided
Reading library, Olweus Bullying
Prevention Program, and the Peaceful
School Bus Program.”
Seven elementary schools in the
Forest Lake district have now won
the award, and it is the eighth award
overall for schools in the district.
Area Learning Center (6-12)
Central Montessori Elementary (K-6)
Principal Gayle McGrane
200 S.W. 4th St. - Forest Lake
(651) 982-3175
Columbus Elementary (K-6)
Principal Neal Fox
17345 Notre Dame St. - Columbus
(651) 982-8900
Forest Lake Elementary (4-6)
Principal Jeff Ion
408 S.W. 4th St. - Forest Lake
(651) 982-3200
Forest View Elementary (K-3)
Principal Janet Palmer
620 S.W. 4th St. - Forest Lake
(651) 982-8200
Lino Lakes Elementary (K-6)
Principal Ronald Burris
725 Main St. - Lino Lakes
(651) 982-8850
Linwood Elementary (K-6)
Principal Roche Martin
21900 Typo Creek Dr. N.E. - Wyoming
(651) 982-1900
Scandia Elementary (K-6)
Principal Julie Greiman
14351 Scandia Trail N. - Scandia
(651) 982-3300
Effective
Our School Programs
Wyoming Elementary (K-6)
Principal Mike Conway
25701 Forest Blvd. N. - Wyoming
(651) 982-8000
Century Junior High (7-9)
Principal Ben Lewis
21395 Goodview Ave. N. - Forest Lake
(651) 982-3100
Southwest Junior High (7-9)
Principal Marc Peterson
943 S.W. 9th Ave. - Forest Lake
(651) 982-8700
Forest Lake Area High School (10-12)
Principal Steven Massey
6101 Scandia Trail N. - Forest Lake
(651) 982-8598
Student Transition Education Program
Administrator Kelly Lessman
467 W. Broadway - Forest Lake
(651) 982-8651
Early Childhood Family Education
Coordinator Cindy Saarela
200 SW. 4th St. - Forest Lake
(651) 982-8315
Early Childhood Special Education
Family Support Liaison Sara Heckel
200 SW 4th St. - Forest Lake
(651) 982-8357
Funding Fact
In a report issued by
Minnesota 20/20 on Sept.
14, Forest Lake Area
Schools was named the
most underfunded school
district in the metro area
in terms of transportation
funding from the state,
and the 9th most
underfunded among all
Minnesota school districts.
3

Levy for Learning:
Local funding for operation
School districts across the state,
including Forest Lake Area Schools,
have been forced to make major
budget cuts in recent years.
The reason: state funding for
education across the state has not
kept pace with inflation over the past
20 years, and because the state has
now chosen to balance its budget
by delaying payments to Minnesota
schools.
This year, our district had to overcome
a $3.8 million budget shortfall with
several large budget cuts and by using
$1 million from the fund balance. It
was the fifth year in the past seven that
the district was forced to make
major budget cuts.
4
The Forest Lake Area School Board
is asking voters to approve a new
operating levy. The current levy, which
generates $725 per pupil, expires
in 2011-2012. The school board
has unanimously voted to request a
levy increase, bringing the per-pupil
funding to $1,195. This would be an
increase to local taxpayers of $77.55
per year for every $100,000 of value
of their homes.
The levy request is to ensure the
continued excellence of our school
system, and it will prevent major
increases in class sizes and the need
for drastic measures such as moving
to a four-day school week, closing a
school and closing the community’s
only public pool.
The current forecast for the district’s
Efficient
Proposed levy would ensure continued excellence
of the district schools, program
2011-2012 budget indicates a shortfall
of about $4 million, which would
require even more major cuts if
additional revenue is not found. If
more cuts are required, it will be the
sixth year out of the past eight that the
district will have been forced to make
major cuts.
The Forest Lake Area School Board
decided this summer, after reviewing
the results of an independent, scientific
survey that was conducted in April to
ask voters to approve a new levy
That survey revealed that a majority
of school district taxpayers – after
learning about the needs of the school
district and being informed about what
the increase would cost – indicated
they would support an increased
operational levy for schools.
The amount the district has requested
would most likely prevent major
cuts for the 2011-2012 school year
and would allow the district to
maintain its current level of academic
programming and options available to
students and their families.
For more information on levy and bond, go to www.flaschools.org

Bond for Buildings:
Local funding for school facilities
Because the district has been forced
to make major budget cuts nearly
every year since 2006, class sizes have
increased, the district’s fund balance
has decreased significantly and
important renovation projects have
been put on hold.
Many of the schools in our district are
more than 40 years old, and repairs
and upgrades are needed. Our schools
require improvements in order to
bring them up to modern standards,
providing our students with better
facilities in science, technology,
engineering and mathematics
(S.T.E.M.) classrooms.
Efficient
Bond to fund classrooms, safety and security
and energy efficiency
The Forest Lake Area School Board
is asking voters to also approve
a $24 million, 20-year bond to
make needed changes that would:
improve the safety and security
of students and staff; increase the
district’s energy efficiency; and bring
science, technology, engineering and
mathematics (STEM) classrooms up to
modern standards.
S
C
H
O
O
L
B
O
A
R
D
Bill Bresin (651) 464-5629 BBresin@forestlake.k12.mn.us
Kathy Bystrom (651) 464-8452 KBystrom@forestlake.k12.mn.us
Joe Grafft (651) 462-2638 JGrafft@forestlake.k12.mn.us
Dan Kieger (651) 780-3387
Approval of this bond would be an
increase to local taxpayers of $29.96
per year for every $100,000 of value
of their homes.
This bond request is a result of a study
done by a Gap Analysis Committee,
which was made up of, and led by,
members of the community. Members
included parents, district staff, and
local business professionals with
DKieger@forestlake.k12.mn.us
Karen Morehead (651) 464-3577 KMorehead@forestlake.k12.mn.us
Robert Rapheal (651) 433-5847 RRapheal@forestlake.k12.mn.us
Erin Turner (612) 464-2256 ETurner@forestlake.k12.mn.us
expertise in various areas such as
technology and building trades. This
committee spent more than a year
analyzing buildings in the school
district to determine what areas were
in need of repairs and upgrades.
The committee then narrowed its focus
down to only the most important areas.
The final list included items totalling
more than $100 million. That report
was then presented to the Forest Lake
Area School Board, which in turn
examined the list to determine whether
or not a bond would be requested and,
if so, how much money the board
would request.
A community survey conducted in
April of 2010 revealed that taxpayers
in the area would most likely accept
up to $28 million in bonding for
facilities. In the end, the board decided
to request $24 million.
5

100 Graduating Classes:
A walk through history
Forest Lake schools date back to the late 19th Century
George Simmons
became the first
graduate of Forest
Lake Area Schools
in 1912.
But long before the
school district was
formed, or even the
first high school
built, students in
the Forest Lake
Area were provided with a sound,
fundamental education.
The first schools in the area were
known as “blab schools,” where
students were not provided with
books, but instead they would repeat
oral lectures led by their teachers. The
first blab school in Forest Lake was
built in 1861.
By 1874, the first actual one-room
schoolhouse was built in downtown
Forest Lake. This building would be
known as the
Alm School.
Students
attended the
Alm School
until 1903, but as the community grew
and more students began attending the
school, larger facilities were required.
In June of 1903, the school housed 60
students in the primary-level alone.
That year, seven students graduated
from the 8th grade, and facilities for a
high school were now needed.
In September of 1903, construction
of the new Forest Lake School was
completed, and the school was open
for students and staff. This new
school, built for $20,000, would serve
all students from early elementary to
high school.
This was the school George Simmons
attended and from which he would
graduate in 1912.
6
Excellent
Forest Lake School thrives; early graduates find success
The Forest Lake School Class of
1912 included only one student, but
the following year four graduates
earned their
diplomas.
One member
of the 1913
graduating class, Rollie Johnson,
had marked his place in the school’s
sports history books by becoming the
first Forest Lake varsity basketball
player to score 20 points in a game.
Later in life, Johnson would serve as
a state representative in the Minnesota
Legislature, then later become a justice
School closing information
Parents will be notified of
weather-related or other
emergencies by phone through
our Connect-ED Parent
Notification System.
Emergency information will also
be broadcast on: WCCO radio;
TV channels 4, 5, 9, and 11;
our website,
www.flaschools.org; and on our
Emergency and Weather Hotline
at (651) 982-8143.
on the Minnesota Supreme Court and
also served as the state’s Railroad and
Warehouse Commissioner. Two other
graduates from the class of 1913,
Ralph Parson and James Vail, would
go on to become medical doctors.
By September of 1915, the school
added an agriculture department, and
by 1920 the school’s rapid growth
required a $120,000 addition to the
school.
By 1928, 528 students occupied the
halls of the school. New additions to
the school that year included the first
published edition of the Forest Breeze
student newspaper, and the school’s
first band was created.
Two years later, a student by the name
of Earl Lellman, helped create the
school’s first yearbook. Lellman would
later become the publisher of the
Forest Lake Times.

100 Graduating Classes:
A walk through history
Famous faces from Forest Lake schools
Forest Lake school district graduates
and staff have gone on to achieve
many noteworthy successes in various
professional areas including business,
medicine, sports, theater, broadcasting,
economics and a wide variety of other
fields.
Among these high-achievers include:
Bud Nygren – After graduating
from Forest Lake in 1936, Nygren
became an outstanding college and
professional football player. A running
back, Nygren’s 60-yard touchdown for
the Los Angeles Dons football team
in 1946 would be the first points ever
scored for a major professional team
Excellent
School sports and activities take off in FL
While academic excellence has always
been the primary objective of the
staff and students at Forest Lake Area
Schools, the district has a long and
proud history of success in sports and
activities.
The Forest
Lake
“Ranger”
mascot was
created for
the 1930-
1931 school
year. That same year, a new school
song “We’re Loyal To You Forest
Lake” – written by Earl Lellman – was
first introduced as a replacement to
the previous school song, “Oh Forest
Lake.”
In 1935, the first-ever homecoming
football game was played, and in
1938 a new athletic field was built as
part of the national Works Progress
Administration (WPA) program.
But the height of success for Forest
from Los Angeles.
Ruth Hopkins & Alice McGee
– FL graduates in 1942 and 1943,
respectively, Hopkins and McGee both
became performers with the worldfamous
Ice Follies in 1943.
Dr. Lyle Peterson – Peterson, a
physician and 1938 graduate of FL
High, published the first successful
method for accurate and continuous
recording of arterial blood pressure in
1948.
Reynold Erickson – A custodian at
FL high, Erickson invented the first
folding school cafeteria tables in 1949.
Lake sports didn’t occur until many
years later.
The 1958-59, and 1959-60 boys’
basketball teams combined for a 41-1
record, the second-best total in the
nation.
In 1967, wrestler Pete Saxe became
the school’s first individual state
champion. Saxe went on to a
spectacular college wrestling career,
compiling a 74-7 record at Bemidji
State University.
Then in 1976, the girls’ gymnastics
team was the school’s first team to
compete at state. Three years later,
Regina LaRoche won the first of
two consecutive state speech titles.
She would later compete in the 1980
America’s Junior Miss pageant.
The 1993 FL wrestling team
earned the school’s first team state
championship, while the baseball team
placed second at state that year.
Rick Bayless – Bayless, a 1983 FL
graduate and football star, went on to
become an All-Conference running
back at the University of Iowa in 1986
and later a member of the Minnesota
Vikings.
Chris Sieber – A 1988 graduate of FL
High, Sieber, now a
Broadway actor, was
nominated for Tony
Awards in both 2004
and 2009. In 1998,
he starred along
with Mary Kate and
Ashley Olson in
the television series
“Two of a Kind.”
Recently, Forest Lake Area High
School has become one of the state’s
most dominant athletic programs in
spring sports. In 2009, three Forest
Lake spring athletes won individual
state championships, including tennis
player Dusty Boyer who repeated
as champion in 2010. The school’s
baseball, softball, golf and track
and field teams are perennial state
tournament competitors.
But the most dominant sports team
in school
history
has been
the boys’
Nordic
Ski team,
which
has won
team state championships in 2005,
2006, 2008 and 2009. Individual
state champions have included Andy
Elvester (1997), Billy Lee (1998), Ben
Fick (2005 and 2006) and girls’ Nordic
skier Stephanie Howe (2002).
7

Connecting our
communities
through our
schools
East Bethel,
May Twp,
Ham Lake,
Hugo,
Forest Lake,
Columbus,
Lino Lakes,
Linwood Twp,
Marine,
Scandia,
Stacy,
Wyoming
Forest Lake Area Schools #831
6100 N. 210th Street
Forest Lake, MN 55025
ECRWSS
Postal Customer
Non Profit Org
US POSTAGE PAID
MINNEAPOLIS, MN
PERMIT #1
School Connections
Annual Report
The district’s Annual Report on
Curriculum, Instruction and Student
Achievement is now available online,
at www.forestlake.k12.mn.us.
The report shares information about
our testing program, including
both state-mandated and district
assessments. It also includes
information about the ways we review
curriculum and how we are working to
improve academic achievement.
To request a paper copy of the report,
contact the Communications Office at
(651) 982-8118.
Superintendent
Linda M. Madsen , Ph.D.
(651) 982-8104
Teaching and Learning
Jennifer S. Tolzmann
(651) 982-8115
Business Services
Lawrence A. Martini
(651) 982-8125
Human Resources
Ronald A. Spies
(651) 982-8124
Community Education
Julie A. Ohman
(651) 982-8110
Special Education
Deborah A. Wall
(651) 982-8131
What’s Inside:
Voting Information............. 2
Great Schools...................... 3
School Information............. 3
Levy Information................ 4
Bond Information............... 5
100 Graduating Classes...... 6-7
A special thank you to Brian
Tolzmann, whose historical
research was the basis for the
articles in the 100 Graduating
Classes section of this issue of
School Connections.
Questions about our school district?
Attendance boundary questions
Rita Hageman
(651) 982-8139
School meals
Joy Cook
(651) 982-8395
School bus/transportation
John Gray
(651) 982-8190
Student health concerns
Lisa Leibke
Darla John
(651) 982-3133
Family Support Advocate
Carolyn Carr Latady
(651) 982-8350