News from the week of March 28, 2001 Headlight Herald - Serving Tracy, Minnesota, since 1880
$266,493 cut from school budget
• Some reductions could be reinstated if school finance legislation improves
Tracy School Board members passed a motion Monday night authorizing cuts in programs and personnel totaling $266,493.
The meeting began with an administrative recommendation to cut $271,000. All recommendations were approved except for eliminating the Cheer Team at $4,507.
The budget reductions come in response to a projected budget deficit for the coming school year. The deficit is based upon the budget plan submitted by Governor Jesse Ventura and an anticipated decrease of 50 students for the 2001-02 school year.
The spending reductions were first outlined at a special March 19 school board session. Adjustments were made this past week to those originally proposed.
International Day
30 countries represented Friday for `Our World is Far Out!' activities
Imagine the chance to meet people from dozens of countries around the world.
Imagine a dinner with two dozen ethnic food choices.
Picture a kaleidoscope of entertainment ranging from Nepalese dancers to South American folk songs.
Imagine a fashion show, carving demonstrations, and harp music.
All this, and more, is planned for International Day at Tracy Area High School Friday, March 30. “Our World is Far Out” runs from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the high school gym and cafeteria.
“This is the tenth year that we've had an International Day. It's mushroomed from nothing into a really big event,” said Mary Malmberg, who is coordinating the event with Jeannine Vandendriessche.
The event has several components: a dinner featuring international cuisine, a cultural fair featuring booths from 30 countries, three hours of entertainment and in-school presentations from the Minnesota International Center in St. Paul.
Spanish students experiencing life on opposite side of world
Ten Tracy Area High School seniors are experiencing a different world this week.
The teens are staying with families in Logrono, Spain, as part of a two-week study trip abroad.
The group left Tracy Friday morning by bus to Twin Cities International Airport. From there, the group flew to New York, then to Amsterdam, and finally to Barcelona, Spain, arriving Saturday morning. The group spent Saturday, Sunday, and Monday seeing sights in Barcelona before traveling to Logrono to begin a week-long stay with a Spanish family. After their family stay, the Tracy students will spent several more days touring in Segovia, Toledo and Madrid before returning home April 6.
Carin Gervais, Katie Louwagie, Lisa Soupir, Alesia Nybo, Jennifer Welvaert, Brady Schmidt, Bill Knott, Ben Gervais, Zach Jones, Mike Kamrud are the students on the trip. All are third-year Spanish language students. TAHS Spanish teacher Pam Marsh accompanied the group.
Dr. Javed Fazal joins TAMS medical staff
Tracy Area Medical Services announces the arrival of Dr. Javed Fazal.
Dr. Fazal comes from Long Island, NY, where he has been living for the past four years. In New York he completed his residency in internal medicine and was working in geriatrics at the State University of New York in Stony Brook.
Dr. Fazal attended medical school in King Edward Medical College in Lahore in Pakistan. He completed earlier education both in Kenya and Scotland. His family currently resides in Nairobi, Kenya. His father is a psychiatrist and his mother was a nurse.
He is currently looking for housing and is particularly interested in a rural setting if it can be located close enough to the hospital. His grandparents had a farm in rural Nairobi when he was growing up. Dr. Fazal's plans are to set up a family pracrtice with a special interest in geriatrics. He will also be head of the hospital's emergency department and will be working closely with local ambulance companies and Sioux Valley Hospital.
Tracy repeats as speech champs
For the second-straight year, Tracy Area High School is the Sub-Section 11 speech champion.
Panthers defended their crown Saturday by amassing 125 total team points in a meet held in Tracy. Minneota was a distant second with 79 points followed by RTR with 66 points.
The Panthers, led by five individual championship performances, will advance 20 entries onto the Section 3A tournament.
Individual champions were seniors Nicole Wilking in Discussion and Kim Bornitz in Great Speeches, and juniors Camille Miller in Creative Expression, Brady Averill in Extemporaneous Speaking, and Shanna Lowe in Storytelling.
The top four Sub-Section performers in each category advance to the regional competition.
The Section 3A speech tournament is at Southwest State University on Saturday, April 7.
Competition begins at 9 a.m. The tourney is open to the public with no admission charge.
Local hoopsters prepare for Viking celebrity team
Imagine former Panther cager Jon Peterreins driving into the lane for lay-up, only to smack into Matt Birk, the All-Pro center for the Minnesota Vikings. Which player would need to pick themselves up off the floor?
Or think about Brian Lanoue going up for a rebound against Todd Bouman, Vikings quarterback. Who would come down with the ball?
The answers likely will become clear Saturday, April 7, when six current or former Minnesota Vikings football players invade the Tracy Area High School gym. The Vikings' contingent will play a team of local all-stars in a 7:30 p.m. basketball game.
The game is sponsored by “Friends of Panther Baseball.” Tickets, which include an autograph session with the Vikings players and a hot-dog and baked-bean supper, are on sale locally for $10.
“It should be a lot of fun,” said Bill Tauer, Panther baseball coach and Tracy Area High School Activities Director.