Porter backers launch petition in support of District 833 superintendent

By: Judy Spooner, South Washington County Bulletin

Organizers of an online effort in support of School District 833 Superintendent Mark Porter say their site has seen hundreds of visitors and that people concerned about Porter’s contract non-renewal have signed a petition.

Vicki Strong of Woodbury started the site, 833 Citizens in Support of Mark Porter, after the School Board voted last month not to extend Porter’s contract, which ends in June. She said it had 250 visitors and 30 signatures on Wednesday, the day the site launched.

The petition expresses support for Porter and calls on board members to explain why they did not renew his contract. The Dec. 15 contract vote was 5-2, with board Chairwoman Leslee Boyd and members Ron Kath, David Kemper, Tracy Brunnette and Marsha Adou voting in favor of not offering Porter an extension. Members Jim Gelbmann and Laurie Johnson voted against the non-renewal.

Boyd and other board members in favor said they could not speak publicly about specific reasons for their decision, citing employee privacy laws.

Strong has been joined by other District 833 residents in launching the website and petition. Bill Blass of Woodbury, who has helped Strong, was among citizens who spoke against the board’s decision at a Jan. 5 board workshop.

“Chair Boyd continues to say she doesn’t hear dissent,” Strong said. “She must walk in a different community than I do.”

Boyd did not respond to a request for comment on the petition.

Petition organizers are asking Porter supporters to attend the board’s next meeting, Thursday, Jan. 26.

Strong, who went to school in District 833, said the last seven or eight years have been good for the district. The administration worked well with the community to build East Ridge High School, she said.

But people are concerned about the “process” used to end Porter’s tenure, Strong said. No one is answering the main question, she said, about why he was fired.

Strong said the board, “that is openly bickering,” made a decision that was “harsh and quick.”

Porter is known for his integrity and honesty, she said.

There’s also not a lot of support for the board’s decision coming from staff members who are hesitant to speak out publicly, according to Strong.

Strong said she plans to deliver the online petition, and petitions from those who downloaded them to circulate for signatures, to Boyd at the Jan. 26 meeting.

The group’s website is at: 833citizensinsupportofmarkporter.weebly.com/index.html

Park girls soccer: Family Matters

[By: Patrick Johnson, Sports Editor, South Washington County Bulletin]

There may never be anything quite like it again.

This fall, the Park girls soccer program fielded five sets of sisters – 11 girls in all – enough to form a full soccer team on their own.

Longtime Park head coach Greg Juba said the camaraderie between the girls created a special aura on the Wolfpack this season.

Despite starting a number of underclassmen, Park improved upon last year’s 6-7-3 record, going 12-4-1 in 2011. The Wolfpack finished second in the Suburban East Conference and was ranked 10th in the final Class AA regular-season poll.

“For a lot of reasons, our motto last year was ‘We are family,’” Juba said. “We brought out the song and played it all the time. It seemed to carry over to this year, where we had all the sisters with us and we seemed to work very well together. It helped having those sisters. We feel there was special stuff happening because of it.”

All three of Park’s captains – seniors Megan Diamond, Mo Castro and Rachel Kothe – have sisters in the Park High School girls soccer program.

Castro, a central midfielder, and her ninth- grade sister Maddy, an attacker, both played for the varsity team. Rachel Kothe, an attacker, played alongside her sister Lindsay, a midfielder and defender, on the varsity team. Diamond, who was injured this fall, wore the green and white along with her sophomore sister Erin and freshman sister Annie. Erin played on the JV team and Annie played on the B-squad for the Wolfpack. Also, twin sisters Annie and Carlie Williams each started on the varsity team as freshmen. Annie played a pivotal role as sweeper and Carlie played central midfield. Sisters Marta and Jenna Swenson also played for Park this year. Marta, a senior, was injured in 2011. Jenna, a sophomore, started for the varsity team as a defender.

“You have all these girls that are sisters and it’s kind of cool,” Juba said. “They may play on different squads, but they all helped each other out on the practice field. We try to do a lot of things as a program, too.”

There were many occasions this fall when Mo and Maddie Castro, Rachel and Lindsay Kothe and Annie and Carlie Williams were all on the field at the same time.

“It’s nice having my sister on the team, because she knows me so well and knows how to talk to me, especially when I get frustrated,” Mo Castro said. “It’s nice to know she has my back.”

Mo said she and her sister get along very well and they both relished the opportunity to play together.

“I know it means the world to her,” Mo said. “It’s my senior year and our last chance to play together. We were both super excited when she made the team. We’re best friends.”

Megan Diamond said she has played with her sisters before for the Cottage Grove Athletic Association. She said they have a special connection on the field.

“It’s really nice playing with them, because we almost don’t have to talk, we just know where we are on the field,” Megan Diamond said. “It’s really fun to experience that.”

Though Rachel Kothe began playing soccer since she was 4 years-old and Lindsay Kothe started playing soccer when she was 5, the two girls had never played on the same team before this fall.

“I thought she had a chance to make the team,” Rachel Kothe said. “When she was named to be on varsity, I was super psyched about it.”

The year started with Rachel showing Lindsay the ropes as part of Link Crew – a program that pairs seniors and freshmen at Park – along with soccer practices at the end of summer.

“On the first day of school I was really nervous,” Lindsay Kothe said. “She helped with that. With soccer, I was really stressed out and scared to play varsity, but she’s a good soccer player and she’s taught me to be a better one.”

In addition to soccer, Rachel and Lindsay – the only two sisters in the family – also both play basketball and track, so there will be a lot more time to bond this year.

“It makes my senior year so much more fun,” Rachel Kothe said. “I get to spend way more time with my sister before I leave for college next year. We’re going to be playing three sports together this season. It’ll be fun. We really have to like each other. ”

Park football: Wolfpack’s season ends with 44-7 loss to rival Woodbury

[By: Patrick Johnson, Sports Editor, South Washington County Bulletin]

There weren’t many surprises in the Section 4AAAAA quarterfinal as the second-seeded Woodbury Royals steamrolled rival Park, the seventh seed in the seven-team section, 44-7 on Tuesday, Oct. 25, under the lights of Woodbury’s Royals Stadium.

Up 21-7 at the half, Woodbury scored 20 points in the third quarter to put the game on ice and advance to the semifinal. The Royals (6-3) will now play host to third-seeded Eagan, which beat six seed Minneapolis South 50-0 in the playoff opener, on Saturday, Oct. 29, at 7 p.m. The Wildcats were 5-4 on the year.

In the win over Park, Woodbury took advantage of the big play.

With a 21-7 lead starting the second half, Woodbury junior quarterback Sawyer Moon hit senior receiver Ryan Fritze with a 68 yard catch-and-run down to the Wolfpack’s 6-yard line. Three plays later, Woodbury junior running back Quaran Al-Hameed punched in his third of four touchdowns in the game from the 2-yard line to put Woodbury up 28-7 with 9:09 left in the third quarter, dashing any hopes Park had of an upset.

In the first half, the Royals blocked two punts and turned them into touchdowns to go ahead 14-0. Then, after recovering a Park fumble, Woodbury went up 21-0 with 10:36 remaining in the first half.

Park (0-9) showed life in the middle of the second quarter, however.

On the heels of a Woodbury fumble, recovered by Park’s Jordan Reeves on the Wolfpack’s own 39 yard line, Park junior running back Dylan Smallidge broke off a 44-yard touchdown run, turning the corner and sprinting down the left sideline.

After the Wolfpack forced a Woodbury three-and-out, the Wolfpack drove down to the Royals’ 34-yard line. However, Woodbury defensive back Andrew Norlander picked off a Kyle Fritz pass to end the threat and the two teams went into the locker rooms with a 21-7 game.

In the second half, though, it was all Woodbury, which put in its reserves midway through the fourth quarter after building a 44-7 lead, capped by a 48-yard field goal by Royals’ kicker Trevor Lo.

Al-Hameed had 12 carries for 124 yards and four touchdowns and Moon completed 11 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 42 yards to lead the Royals in the game. Also, senior tight end Jordan Voit caught five passes, including two touchdowns.

Despite the loss, Park junior running back Dylan Smallidge was a beast for the Wolfpack, running 21 times for 137 yards and a touchdown in the game.

Park’s season ends with a 20-game losing streak. The Wolfpack’s last win was Friday, Oct. 9, 2009, 27-25 over East Ridge. The Wolfpack is now 3-34 since the start of 2008 season.

Park must now say good-bye to 18 seniors, including Fritz, who was second in the Suburban East Conference in passing yards, D’Monte Farley, who was third in the SEC in receiving yards and a key player in the Wolfpack’s defensive backfield, and team captain and defensive tackle LaVonte Hardie.

Recycling at PHS: All Show or the Real Deal?

Many students are curious about the blue trash cans in their classrooms, and speculate on whether or not it matters if they bother to use them. Are all trash cans created equal?  No they are not.  Mick Greiner, the Assistant Director of Facilities in District 833, recently provided information on the recycling program currently implemented at PHS: “The South Washington County School district is in the process of “revamping” its recycling program.  Recently there have been labels installed on all of the blue containers, and posters hung throughout the building.  The school district participates in what is called a “Co-mingled” recycling program. All recyclables can be put into one single container for pick up.  It is our goal to move towards a more “Green” district.”  (Mr. Greiner, Thanks for supporting the green team; Be sure to tell Woodbury that we are going all out GREEN!) 

So what can we pitch into those blue baskets?  A whole bunch of stuff: Paper, magazines, cardboard, newspaper, paper bags, pop cans, tin or steel cans, glass bottles, and plastic bottles can all go into the comingled cans. Who or what sorts through that gigantic pile of comingled trash?  That’s a mystery and a story for another day.  Until then, go Park, go green and go clean.