I am writing this letter to the editor in regards to our educational plight here in Big Lake Schools. I'm a Junior at BLHS, and I have to deal with the problems at our high school every day.
Every day I go to a school where all the chairs in my classes are full. Every day I have to worry about how I'm going to find $220 to pay for my next sports season. (I have to pay $700 a year!) And every now and then I worry that next year, my senior year, is going to be even worse. In last weeks paper I was shocked to find a statistic printed on the last page, in the article "school to call for referendum".
So plainly it's written. "In terms of overall funding per student, Big Lake Schools rank 333rd among the 337 schools in the state." What?!? Are we really that destitute in these financially trying times to believe it to be O.K. our schools have fallen to the bottom 1.19% of funding? We have allowed 98.18% of other schools in our state to surpass us in our educational priorities. Like any crisis, someone needs to be held accountable. In my mind, that is the majority of voters at the last levy referendum turnout. The board of education is due to call for a levy referendum this November. If this levy doesn't pass, expect us students to find out the hard way what being the school with the absolute least educational funding in Minnesota feels like.
Erik Stroman
Concerned student
Big Lake, MN
TO THE EDITOR:
1) Stop killing the snakes!
No, I am not talking about the politicians, I am talking about real snakes. Every Spring the snakes awake from their Winters slumber and are in search of food, warmth and a mate. You will find harmless snakes such as the Eastern Garter, Red Belly Racer, Bull and a rare Fox Snake moving across your yard, laying on the driveway or moving across the road. Invariably all people I come in contact with tell me that they cannot wait to kill them! Please do not do this. Take a broom, a shovel or even a stick and gently shoo them back into the tall grass or woods and let them be, they are just trying to make a living in this tough world. The benefits of snakes are well known and easy to understand: keeping rodent populations down, devouring crop eating insects, etc... to keep snakes away from your homes foundation I have found that putting moth balls around the outside of the house helps in keeping the snakes at bay.
2) A new symbol for Big Lake?
The Citizens Advisory Committee for the new train is currently in negotiations with an artist to provide a piece or several pieces of art to adore the new train station (the amount to be doled out is $50,000 of yours and my money, but that is another issue). The current artist's submission is of a flock of Canadian Geese in flight as to represent commuters. Do we want the City of Big Lake associated with these poop making, problematic birds? The City of Monticello has rightfully taken as their mascot the Trumpeter Swan, could we not have something as equally attractive? My recommendation would be the Sand Hill Crane. They are migratory, indigenous to our area and are a sight more beautiful to the eye. Other suggesting would be greatly appreciated by me and others that are not happy with the Canadian Goose as our choice mascot. Be sure to contact those in charge soon for the momentum to get this sculptor(s) done is moving quickly.
David M. Schreiber, M.S.
Big Lake, Minnesota
TO THE EDITOR:
I am writing in support of the hockey families in the Big Lake and Becker communities and their drive to build a home ice arena. Studies have shown a strong correlation between students that participate in school sports and succeeding academically to obtain a quality education to build a future on. Participating in sports or other school activities is so important today. It keeps the kids off the streets and out of trouble. Hockey is an expensive sport that requires a lot of travel on the road. In today's tight times, you do what ever is necessary to keep your children in their activities and maintain a normal routine even if that means cutting costs elsewhere. Times have always been tough here in Big Lake. The schools have always struggled with budget concerns but they have become increasingly more apparent with the decline in the economy. That does not mean we should "give up" on the fight to build a home arena.
A recent letter to the editor insinuated that hockey parents don't care about their children's education and that they are not concerned at all about the economic status of the schools. I have volunteered in the Big Lake schools in the classroom and at several other events since my children started attending this district in 1995. During my times as a volunteer, I had the pleasure of working with other district parents, including many hockey parents, who also volunteer on a regular basis at the schools. Hockey parents do care about their children's education. They do realize how overcrowded classrooms and a tight operating budget and staff cuts effect the learning process. We do appreciate what our school board members face on a daily basis to balance the budget and make the necessary recommendations for improvement. The school board members run for those positions because they have chosen to allocate their time and talents to do so.
A local arena will bring patrons into the community for practice, games and tournaments. People would book rooms at the nearby Marketplace Inn, eat at local restaurants, plan pizza and bowling parties between games, purchase gas and groceries, and the local hockey clubs could provide many more incentives for them to spend monies right here in the community of Big Lake.
Come on Big Lake, lets find a way to get this arena built. There has to be a way!
Teresa Tonneslan
Proud to be a Hockey Mom
Big Lake, MN
(EDITORS NOTE: Above letter edited for brevity.)
TO THE EDITOR:
The concern that the hockey arena will be a waste of money is probably not well thought out.
I know from experience that "ice time" for hockey teams is a valuable commodity. School hockey teams are constantly looking for practice sites and will pay for practice time and will not give another thought to travel some distance to get in that practice, year round.
So I think that having an ice arena will be of benefit to our area.
