10 years ago (2010)
•Twenty-five school districts in Southwest Minnesota started classes on August 23 — about two weeks earlier than their usual post-Labor Day start.
Now these schools are monitoring advantages and disadvantages of when the early start might be.
The flexible learning is a cooperative effort among the participating districts to improve student achievement and teacher effectiveness and to share services for professional development.
When the plan was initially proposed, opponents cited family vacations and state fair attendance concerns.
With the first six weeks completed, Rock County 4-H members still went to the state fair, and some families still took vacations in late August.
In Luverne 23 students had excused absences, mostly for attending the fair, and in the Hills-Beaver Creek School District, two students missed time for the fair.
25 years ago (1995)
•Only one generation ago, a mentally disabled child could expect no better from life than to live with his parents until they died and then enter some kind of institution for the remainder of his life.
They were generally considered social embarrassments and often weren’t allowed to participate in their communities by holding jobs or spending their own money.
Today, thanks to special programs designed for the developmentally disabled, this is no longer the case. People born with mental retardation, or those who have suffered brain injuries can still expect to lead productive, fulfilling lives.
According to Randy Ehlers, Rock County offers some of the best services available for people with developmental disabilities.
50 years ago (1970)
•Oct. 27 has been set by the school board as the date for the bond election for the proposed vocational education-swimming pool building addition at Luverne high school.
The date was set at a special meeting Wednesday night. Polls will be open in the high school building from 2 to 9 p.m.
The proposal for the election calls for issuing $419,000 in general obligation bonds for the structure. The district has on hand $82,000 which will make up the balance of the total estimated cost of the project of $573,000. …
The shop area addition, according to the plans, will be 136 feet by 40 feet. It will be constructed very similar to the present shop area, except there will be open areas that can be used for all shop offerings. The exterior walls will be brick and block. The windows will be eliminated. The structural system will be steel joist and metal deck. The entire shop will have a fire rated acoustic ceiling to meet the new Fire Marshal’s requirements.
The swimming pool is a six lane pool, 75’1” x 45’, and will have its own dressing and shower rooms. The pool proposed in 1963 was only a four lane pool, and would have used the present kindergarten rooms as dressing and shower rooms. It is felt that the present kindergarten rooms should be retained, and if enrollment declines these could be diverted to business education. The swimming pool physical education unit will have a prestressed concrete roof over the pool with a steel joist roof over the locker rooms. The pool walls will be of double layer construction with some heat supplied between the walls to raise the surface temperatures.
75 years ago (1945)
•Students and faculty members of the Magnolia Consolidated School are making extensive plans for a school carnival to be held there for a week from tomorrow evening, October 19.
“There’ll be fun for everybody”, according to Supt. L. H. Paul, “so no one will want to miss the big event. There’ll be dancing, short program of entertainment, concessions of all kinds, food stands, etc. All in all, we expect the biggest community gathering in the history of the Magnolia school.”
Purpose of the carnival is to raise funds for student activities. “Not one cent of the money derived from the school carnival will be used for anything except to provide enjoyment for those who attend here,” Mr. Paul declared. “The students will have a voice in determining how the money is spent, so there is no doubt but what a lot of good will be derived from it.”
100 years ago (1920)
•Starting at 2 o’clock next Tuesday afternoon, October 12th, one hundred fifty highly desirable residence lots in Highland Park additions to the city of Luverne, will be thrown on the market at public sale.
These lots are in the northwest part of the city and compose the southeast quarter of the former 160-acre LaDue farm, and are therefore easily accessible to all modern conveniences.
The property is owned by the Iowa Lot Co., of which E. F. Meyers, of Adrian, is the directing head, and it makes the most important addition to the city that has been platted in the last thirty years.
During the past several weeks the addition has been laid out into lots and blocks and ample streets provided for, the blocks all being 300 feet square. The new lots and streets have been graded and otherwise put in first class condition is now open for inspection, the lost and street lines having been plainly marked.
You must log in to continue reading. Log in or subscribe today.