The ISD 423 Board of Education will conduct a special meeting on Wednesday, November 13, 2019 beginning at 12:30 pm in the Conference Room at the District Office (30 Glen St NW) and a regular meeting on Wednesday, November 13, 2019 beginning at 5:30 pm in the Council Chambers at City Center (111 Hassan St SE).

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By Daron VanderHeiden, Superintendent

This past week I attended a couple of events that reminded me about the importance of student involvement in our Activity programs. We had students performing Mary Poppins the Broadway Musical, a Section Championship football game, and an 8th grade student athlete competing in the Girls State Cross-Country meet.

I will start with Mary Poppins. If you had a chance to see this performance, you will understand and agree with my opinion of the musical; it was fantastic! It was one of the best musical performances that I have attended at HHS. The quality of the performance was not the only intriguing part of the musical. A performance like this takes a vast variety of skills, interests, and talents. We tend to focus on the acting and singing in a musical. These actors and singers are certainly important, but so is the set design and construction, the lights and sound, the orchestra, the costume design and creation, and the backstage coordination. In total, we had 32 cast members, 14 musicians, 11 backstage crew members, and 2 production crew members. These 59 students, along with the Director and teachers involved, worked as a collaborative team to produce a high quality musical. As a student, you will benefit from and really enjoy being a part of something special like the musical, even if you can’t sing or dance. Get involved, you will never regret it.

The Hutchinson Tiger Football Team hosted the Section Finals at HHS this past Friday night against a perennial competitor in the Marshall Tigers. Both teams played hard and it was a great game, with the right Tiger team winning! Similar to the high school musical, as good as the game was, I had other reminders about what is really important (other than the final score of the game). One simple act by our student body made the evening special. Due to the musical on Friday night, we were not able to have our pep band perform the National Anthem before the football game, as a substitute we played a recording, which our student body decided to sing along with on their own accord. This act speaks to the character of our students and the positive influence getting involved can have, even as a student fan. Our student body continued cheering, dancing, singing, and genuinely having a great time throughout the game.

Lastly, is the journey of our 8th grade cross-country runner who qualified to run in the state tournament and placed 17th out of 176 runners. Cross-country is unique as you compete as a team and as an individual. Cross-country is one of those sports that takes an enormous amount of training and dedication to be a successful athlete. What an accomplishment for an 8th grader!

Getting involved in school activities has so many benefits far beyond the wins, losses, and performances.  Activities plays a role in character development, working with others, collaborating, problem solving, and learning from your mistakes. I urge you to talk with your child about getting involved and staying involved with as many activities as they find interest in. I have included a list of District Activities to consider, go through the list and encourage your child to try something new.

Robotics, Football, Speech, Hockey, Swimming, Jazz Band, Volleyball, Dance, Pep Band, Choir, FFA, Tennis, Lacrosse, Key Club, Soccer, Softball, Baseball, Yearbook, Mountain Biking, Musical, Student Council, Strength and Conditioning, National Honor Society, Knowledge Bowl, Math League, HOSA, Basketball, Wrestling, Track, Trap Shooting, Intramural, Cross-Country, Special Olympics, Golf, Marching Band, New World Singers, One Act Play, Bass Fishing.