Bullying

A couple of weeks ago Superintendent Peter Grant featured the subject of bullying in his column. I also receive the monthly magazine, Minnesota Educator published by Education Minnesota. An article by Dr. Walter Roberts, a professor at Minnesota State University, Mankato was featured. His column was titled, "Adults must confront epidemic of bullying".

Then FCCLA officers gave a presentation on their organization and some of the activities they have conducted. They also talked about ongoing goals and one of them was stopping the violence and dealing with bullying. "We know there is a problem and we feel there is a way we can help," said FCCLA vice-president Jake Hauschild.

Today one in seven 11 to 15 year olds say they have  bullied or been bullied. That is a high percentage when you think of a middle school full of  680 students.

At the Monday night board meeting a student, parent, grandparent and friend discussed the problem with bullying at the K-M schools. In my 30 years of covering school board meetings I have never seen the school board members' faces look so serious. You could have heard a pin drop  when the family spoke.
Up until this year I myself have not heard a great deal about bullying, including personal stories, but I am not in a position where I am eager to cause trouble for people-and believe me I could!

Evidence of bullying has been seen for years and years. When I was in school the buses picked up students after school in the parking lot adjacent to the shop/ag rooms. There were fights every day between the time school was released and students loaded on to the buses.

Today bullying is much more than fighting. Probably the most cruel is verbal and kids in fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth grade can attest to its prevalence.

I can't help think about what Mr. Grant reiterated about bullying. We can be born with a certain amount of athletic or academic ability, but  he said bullying is a learned behavior. It's everywhere-media, movies, politics, television and unfortunately the American family and home.

Does K-M have a problem any different than other schools? Probably not.

Too bad it had to get to the point where family members had to come to a school board meeting. I know staff and administration have addressed the problem. I don't know how much the K-M School Board knew about the concern, but those seven serious faces up there gave full attention to the individuals speaking during the public input portion of the board meeting.

Ben Carson wrote a book called, "Thinking Big". One of his quotes is, "We get out of life what we put into it.The way we treat others is the way we ourselves get treated." As adults we need to insure our youth are not exposed to bullying in any form.

Reward offered!

Mantorville city councilman Chuck Bradford has offered a $100 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of person or persons who shot three holes in the “Historic Mantorville Welcomes You” sign on the north edge of town.

Three .22 caliber bullet holes were found in the sign. Bradford said anyone with information on the shooting should contact the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office at 635-6200. Callers names will be held in strict confidence.

Letter to the editor: A different view

Letter To the Editor:

I would like to take this opportunity to present a “slightly” different view of the conclusions reached by the author of the article on the K-M LaCrescent football played on October 20th in LaCrescent. The author makes two statements in the article that maybe all people would not agree with. The first statement was that “The officials took the game away from the players on this night by calling too many penalties”. The second statement was “The officials were at least fair, as both teams had about the same number of penalties”.

I would discuss the first statement by saying I would not believe that there would be any official in high school football, any official in college football, or in the NFL that would state that there becomes a time in the game where too many penalties are called. I would further add that there would not be a supervisor of high school officials, or college officials, or professional officials that would agree with that statement any where in the United States. I can not say the same for a fan in the stands, a parent or grandparent, or maybe a sport’s writer on occasion who maybe would not agree.
I have never hear of some number where any official at any level has come up with in this area. To say that less penalties means a better game officiated would be completely absurd. I do not care what sport that you are discussing, penalties in football, fouls in basketball, etc. ARE NOT DETERMINED BY ANY OFFICIAL.

All penalties, fouls, etc. in sports are ALL DETERMINED by a player who lacks discipline in five areas, and all officials and coaches would agree, and they all spend time in all sports working with the athletes in these areas. 1. Lack of fundamentals, 2. Lack of quickness, 3. Lack of strength, 4. Lack of preparation, 5. Lack of concentration. All rule books in all sports are from 65-80 some pages, and the entire book focuses on only two areas of the game. One is the safety of the player, and the second is providing a balance between the player on offense and defense. That is the bottom line!

The second statement is that the number of penalties and fouls, etc. in each game should be about the same. No official at the high school, college or professional level would ever make such a “ridiculous” statement. If this would be the case, all officials would be checking the charts and books after each  quarter to see that they are about the same on both teams each game. Games at all levels in all sports are played by players of different ability and a different level of “energy” on most nights.

I could write books on various examples of vast differences that take place in every contest at all levels every day of the year, and 99% of the people do not worry about the same penalties, the same fouls, the same points being equal for each team on any given night. I could share a moment in athletic competition that just took place a couple of days ago to make my point. Two of the best pitchers in the world were pitching for the same team the other night, and their team was playing in the World Series, and behind the plate was an umpire that is considered one of the two best umpires in the world for his plate work. Guess what happened on this night, the two outstanding pitchers proceeded to throw 15 straight pitches out of the strike zone and the other team plated three runs to put the game out of reach in this inning.
Does anyone think the umpire is going to worry about calling about 10-15 pitches out of the strike zone on the other team in the next inning. No, the two pitchers failed for one or two reasons mentioned earlier in this article. It does not make any difference at what level of game that is being played on what infractions must be called by the official, but what level the player is performing at. Excuses are easy to make, admitting that you were the person who made it is the difficult thing to do.

Unless I be accused of believing that officials at all levels are error free, I would share the following facts with you. I will take football for example as it was the one sport mentioned in the DCI, but this can apply in about the same percentage in all sports at all levels today.

The former head of officials in the NFL is from Plainview and we played our high school and college ball about the same time and we became good friends. He shared with me that on the average NFL game each day and night, there are just a shade more than three mistakes made by the officials. This is in spite of millions of dollars of replay cameras, etc. and challenges of controversial plays and with out a doubt the BEST football officials in the world. They make mistakes in the NFL and most teams are told each week of the calls that they missed in their game, although it is not to be made public.

I can only speak for college football at the Division One Level, as other levels do not have the replay cameras, etc. The latest figures released from most of the D-1 conferences, even with replay equipment, and review of controversial plays, the second best officials in the world miss almost five calls each week in each game. Now let us take the average high school football official under the lights on a Friday night. I am not going to give an answer on that one, but it is definitely more than it is in the NFL and D-1 college football, and most of these officials are never going to work in college or professional football.
I conclude by asking you as you watch high school contests in all sports in the future, remember that official loves the game as much as you do and he is probably going to make as many mistakes as any of the players do on this night, and probably feels as bad as any of the players do when they miscue, but 99% of the time he is giving his best on this night for high school athletics.

Jerry Raddatz

South Vietnam to Kasson

A couple of weeks ago I met a gentleman who just opened a business in Kasson. In talking to him at length I think that most of us American born citizens take a great deal for granted.


Vu 'Johnny' Huynh was born in South Vietnam and his father was a Navy captain for the South Vietnamese Navy. For those of you not familiar with the Vietnam War, South Vietnam was our ally.


This was a messy war that started in the 60's.  I would have to say it was the most controversial fight ever for  freedom that involved the United States. Iraq and Afghanistan don't come close for two reasons. For many years there were no plans to end the war in Vietnam. Two, support for the American soldier was not what we see today for those serving in Afghanistan and Iraq.


In 1975 came the fall of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam taken by the North Vietnamese. For the United States this war was all about stopping the expansion of communism into South Vietnam.


After the fall of Saigon Johnny's father was placed in what the North Vietnamese called a "re-education camp". This was a kind term for prison, where Johnny's father spent the next 11 years.


After graduating from high school Johnny's goal was to become a barber.  He eventually did open his own shop. The only problem was the police would come around and check on his business, demanding money, depending upon how much he made for the week. In other words police protection money had to be paid on the spot based on how good a week he had.
Senator John McCain, a war veteran who spent time in a Vietnam prison of war  camp, was instrumental in the release of the  South Vietnamese soldiers, including Johnny's father. The family was also given the opportunity to obtain visas and move to the United States, which they did.


Call it an opportunity of a lifetime, when Johnny and his parents, along with two sisters and a brother, moved to Rochester to start a new life. They took advantage of that opportunity for freedom, not expecting any handouts.


From South Vietnam, to Rochester and now Kasson, where Johnny opened his own barber shop two weeks ago. Johnny's English is good and  after a short conversation it's apparent he is an intelligent individual who appreciates many of the opportunities we take for granted. Hopefully there will be enough business for all the shops in town, including Johnny's. It  would be great to see people support a man who has come so far, working to create a successful business in Kasson. 


Wouldn't it be great to see his business success grow to the point where he could move his wife and two children here and 
send them through our school system? I think Johnny would like that because he does favor the small town. 


Once you meet Vu 'Johnny' Huynh I know you will be impressed with his personality and determination  to succeed as a  businessman and United States citizen.
 

Letter to the editor: Sheriff

Letter To the Editor:

I recently moved back to Dodge County, living the past 16 years in South Dakota, and I was most interested in the Sheriff’s race. Having worked in the Dodge County Auditor’s office many years I was familiar with Jim Jensen and Jim Trihey, both very nice men. I therefore had no idea who I would vote for-that is until Marigold Days when I was handed some slanderous information on one of the candidates and was told by the campaign person when I asked him did the candidate he represented endorse this and he answered yes he did. I could not believe it. This looked to be a desperate attempt to get some one elected. If you cannot run on your record and own accomplishments then don’t try cheap shots at your opponent. I am going to vote for Jim Trihey, not because of the blatant attempt to discredit him but because of his shown leadership, knowledge, ability and most of all experience. Having worked with Ernie Vanderhyde, Bill Weber and Gary Thompson, their confidence in Jim Trihey by promoting him to the position he now holds is a great endorsement for me. I believe Jim Trihey’s current position as acting sheriff will make him the most effective and excellent sheriff.

Rose Carlson
Kasson, MN

Letter to the editor: uncover the covered up

Letter To the Editor:

 Citizens of Dodge County. I have done my best to uncover the covered up. I have spent hours on the phone, at the computer and talking to people to get information out to the public that was previously unknown to most. I have done this, because it was the right thing to do. I once again must state that I am supporting Jim Jensen for Dodge County Sheriff.

I have had the pleasure over the past few months of getting to know him much better. He has taught me so much about patience, perserverance, and tolerance. About turning the other cheek when people start the nastiest of lies, shaking it off, and being content with the truth. He has showed courage and commitment to the people of Dodge County for over 31 years. He is the best man for Sheriff.

This election is so much bigger than the past, and I am speaking about the national level. Our country is at a major cross roads. We need leaders that have strong dedication to family values and morals. If they can’t even be faithful to their own family, how can they  be faithful to yours or mine. Thank you to everyone who has voiced their opinions and concerns. You are what makes America great. Remember to VOTE on Nov 2nd. Its the AMERICAN thing to do.

Nathan Nord

Letter to the editor:Was the KM School Board decision to improve the football field a good decision?

Letter To the Editor:

Was the KM School Board decision to improve the football field a good decision?

The KM school board made a decision to invest over a million dollars to improve the football field. Other than that it would be nice to have, there was little or no information on how or why the school board made the decision.  My view is that the KM school board should have provided information as why they made this versus some other more basic needs of the school district.  Below are some questions that I think the KM school board should provide answers for the KM school tax payers. If you have similar thoughts please contact a KM school board member.

 •What other projects were considered for use of the money used on the football field project and what were the deciding factors in picking the football field project?  Wouldn’t the retrofit of the current unused classrooms be a candidate for the money used on the football field?

 •What is the impact to the yearly school operating budget due to increases in the operating and maintenance cost over the old football field, and how does this change over the next 10 to 20 years?

 •There is an implied school tax increase if the money spent on the football field improvement could have been used for other maintenance improvement that would have decreased the need for another bond referendum.

One has to wonder if the school board strategy of spending over a million dollars on superfluous needs in 2010, and then floating a multimillion dollar bond referendum for more basic needs in 2011 or 2012 will work in the worst economical times since the Great Depression.

Jerry Harris
Mantorville