Each month Superintendent Jeremy Olson writes a letter to the editor of sorts. Below is this months article-
We are now well into our third week of school here at Crookston Public Schools. The beginning of the school year always brings a level of excitement and newness as students return to the buildings. In Principal Oliver’s words, this time of year is “heartwarming” as our staff meet our students and we begin to move forward together on our educational journey.
Here are a couple of things that I would like to highlight as we begin this year:
Our enrollment is at 1,124 students this year at the beginning of the year with some very strong numbers in our Preschool Program, which is encouraging as we look to the future. There is no doubt that we are a smaller school than we were five or even ten years ago; however, being smaller allows us to be more nimble as we move forward together.
Crookston Public Schools has been in talks with the City of Crookston about the ownership of the pool which we both agree is a valuable community asset. We have been talking about which organization is best positioned to run the pool not only now but also in the future. I am very thankful to Crookston’s representatives for the candid conversation and the ability to lay our cards on the table and talk about what is best for Crookston. Both the city and the school district want each other to succeed and want to be responsible stewards of our resources. Regardless of where this conversation goes, I am proud to live in a community with so many forward-thinking individuals who truly want to make our community a better place for our families and residents.
The Crookston School Board’s Long Range Planning Committee has been busy working on our next steps towards the possibility of a new Bus Garage for Crookston Public School. Our current Bus Garage is, without spending too much ink on the subject, inadequate both to our current needs and for the future needs of the district. We are looking at our options and next steps from a planning perspective.
As I reported at a recent School Board Meeting, Crookston Public Schools is off to a strong start. I hope this trend continues as we progress into this academic year. We are continuously working as a staff to make Crookston Public Schools better for our kids and families. Here are a couple of things that I would like to highlight.
Highland School was identified as a school that is performing above expectations in both reading and math in a recent article by the Star Tribune entitled “Beating the Odds.” We are incredibly proud of our staff and students for their work to achieve beyond expectations. Highland continues to showcase what can happen when leadership, passion, instruction, and parent support come together.
Mike Geffre will be inducted into the Minnesota Tennis Coaches Hall of Fame in October. This is a great honor for Coach Geffre who has served our Crookston Public Schools as a Tennis Coach since 1986! We are incredibly proud of his accomplishment and wish him well as he receives this great honor. Congrats to Coach Geffre!
Learning how to serve others is crucial to the building of our students character. I would advocate that above all things, our students should possess strong character. I am incredibly proud of the Crookston Football players and the CHS Leo Club for giving back to their community by demonstrating the character pillar of service by serving one of our community members. This is a demonstration of what it means to be Pirate Proud!
As we look towards the horizon as a district, there are three major topics that I see before us this year: Pool Facility, Bus Garage Planning, and improving student achievement. The School Board has been proactively working on these items as we continue to map our next steps as a district. As many of you know, we are working with our partners at the city to determine our next steps with the pool as we all see this as a valuable resource to the community. We continue to look at our options for a bus garage and what our next steps will be as we begin this conversation. We are also working in conjunction with our administrators on how to better serve our kids and families. We know that academic achievement is paramount to why we exist as a school and therefore want to continue to improve our outcomes and support our students. In all of these topics, we want to be intentional and move with purpose so as to best serve our students.
To say that I am proud of this district would be an understatement. We have things to work on as is true with any district in the state; however, we have so many positive things taking place in our schools. When I walk the halls of our various schools, I have been happy with what I am seeing. I am proud of the staff at Crookston Public Schools for their commitment to supporting our students and families. As we move into this school year, my hope is that we will move forward together. If you ever need to contact me, please feel free to call my cell 218-770-8717, email me at jeremyolson@isd593.org, or follow me on twitter @CrookstonSupt for updates on Crookston School. Thank you to our community for your support of Crookston Public Schools. We have great students, working with great staff, doing great things everyday.
Pirate Pride!
Jeremy Olson
