What's New @ 542
May 2021
Catching Up with Mr. Himmelspach
Baseball Days
Checking in with Mr. Bradsteen
Mr. Bradsteen is a Battle Lakes Phy-Ed teacher. This is his 29th year teaching. He graduated from NDSU but has done several jobs while in college, some of which were bussing tables at the Holiday Inn in Fargo as well as bagging and checking groceries at a Hornbachers grocery store.
He teaches grades 7th, 8th and 10th in the mornings and K-4th and 6th grade in the afternoons. Mr. Bradsteen became a gym teacher because has always enjoyed working with kids and enjoys teaching kids some of the games and skills that allow them to be successful in competitive activities as well as with lifetime skills. ¨ I began coaching while I was still in college and the combination of Coaching and Phy-Ed just made sense to me because of the similarities of the two,¨ he says.
If he would have to pick one word to describe this year, it would be UNIQUE, because this has been one of the most unique years that he has ever had in education. He says that hopefully the students will be able to look back at this year and find positives in their own learning experiences, whether it was making new relationships with other students or some of the teachers in their lives. Mr. Bradsteen's goal is to see all of his students find success in whatever it is that they are doing each and every day. Another is to see all of the Battle Lake students make positive decisions in and out of school, and see all of our Seniors graduate and find future success.
Parade of States
The fifty state research/writing project is something that takes place every year in the 3rd grade at Battle Lake School. Students spend around 7 weeks searching facts about a state of their choice. They then use the writing process to complete a research paper. They also write a speech, create a booklet, and a mini float representing their chosen state. Patriotic songs are learned in music class to accompany this project. All of this work concludes with a parade around the school building where students pull their floats. Lastly, they present a speaking and singing program for families and 2nd graders.
Mrs. Schaller started this project with 3rd graders in 2005 and has kept it going for 16 years It used to be done with the fifth graders. Preparation for this project takes place in language arts, social studies, and music all year. This project is the final hurrah for these skills learned in 3rd grade.
Some of the most common states that the kids pick are: Minnesota, Texas, Alaska, Arizona, Florida, California. Students choose 3 states and then tell the teacher why they want to research those states. Most of the time the students will get one of their picks.
This project practices reading, speaking, researching, writing, some technology, and design with the booklet and floats. For the most part, Mrs. Schaller believes that the kids enjoy making the floats the best They also love sharing fun facts with each other and her as they find them!
Getting to Know Mrs. Bellig
Mrs. Bellig has been teaching at Battle Lake for 32 years, 26 years in 4th grade and 6 years in 1st grade. She is currently the 1st grade teacher of Battle Lake. When asked what she did prior to teaching, Mrs. Bellig shared that she was a college student and then became a teacher right after graduating. Mrs. Bellig's inspiration to teach goes back to when she was in 2nd grade and the teacher she had, there was just that idea in her head and it stuck with her all through high school and college.
We were curious to find out what Mrs. Bellig's favorite teaching memory was and why?'' She said she didn't have a specific favorite memory because there have been many throughout the years but one of her favorite things to do is teach little kids and then watch them grow up and finish high school. A specific thing she lives for is seeing kids light bulbs go off when they get an idea. She also loved teaching 4th grade long division when she was a 4th grade teacher.
When reflecting on teaching this year and how COVID may have impacted her teaching, she said, "since we are all spread out, she wasn't able to do as many fun activities as she would have liked to because in a typical year, the students could all be clustered together."
Stuff the Bus
Click on the link to access the online Stuff the Bus School Supply application: https://forms.gle/NoxKK5GAERX8YwkK6
Teacher Spotlight with Mr. McIntire
Mr. McIntire is the high school Art teacher at Battle Lake School. We wanted to learn more about Mr. McIntire and this is what we found out!
Mr. McIntire had taught for 34 years before retiring and moving to Belmont Lake. It was then that he decided to apply at Battle Lake School for the part time teaching position that was open.
As the conversation continued, we wanted to learn more about how Covid impacted Mr. McIntire's classroom this past year. He stated, “It makes you become organized in a whole new way. Especially when you have person to person and online learners at the same time.” When on topic about his classroom, we were told that wood burning and glass etching always seem to be some of the favorite classes among students.
Mr. McIntire has a passion for art. He shared with us that one of his longest projects was on a painting, it took over 40 hours to complete! When asked what inspires him, he replied, "His kids and students. Seeing students succeed in something they didn't think they could do is always really cool. Interacting with students face to face and getting to know them on a personal level is always something I have enjoyed."
Beautify Battle Lake
Battle Lake School has made a point to make changes in our wonderful community. One of the ways that they have made these changes is through the Beautify Battle Lake Day, where students in 10th through 12th grade, and even some community members, go around town and help clean up the town.
Many students were out this year to help with the project. Some of the students were asked to clean some of the streets by doing things like sweeping, and others worked on picking up trash. This is a great way for the students to learn how to care for a community.
The Battle Lake School has been doing this for many years, and as a student at Battle Lake, I could not even begin to describe how proud I feel when I know that I am making a difference in our small community! At the end of the pick up time, we had a picnic lunch served by the Lions Club. They served hotdogs, brats, potato and chicken salad, and had an assortment of chips and bars. It was a great end to a great day of helping out the community!
Teacher Spotlight with Mrs. Kerzman
Mrs. Kerzman graduated from Henning High School and then attended Bemidji State University, where she ran track. Her student teaching experience was at Wadena Elementary and was then hired to be their Reading Specialist, of which she did for one year.
Mrs Kerzman has been teaching at Battle Lake school for 22 years. She decided to start teaching when she grew up playing “school” in her closet at home. As she was growing up, she had all sorts of books and shelves, she loved to be the "teacher” and loved "starring" papers and putting stickers on them! As she helped coach kids in basketball and worked as a TA in high school, she then realized that working with children was something she really wanted to do.
When I asked her how COVID affected her teaching this year, she said, “Many things have changed this year, but I'm pleased with how well the children have handled the whole situation. We are not able to do all the hands-on activities, or group work, as we typically would, but we have tweaked the way things are done to make it work for Kindergarten.” Mrs. Kerzman has been lucky to have all of her students in-person learning. One of Mrs. Kerzman's favorite things about teaching is the kids and how they make her job interesting. She loves to see the progress every child makes from the start of the year, to the end and says that each year is a new beginning. She loves that each day is a new day and that when the kids come to school they have many rules and routines that make everyday different!
A Helping Hand
Let's face it, there are very few of us who know exactly where to go and what they can do to get involved in their community. Volunteering is something that is very important and needed now more than ever. Whether it be to help out your community or to boost your resume, volunteering is something anyone can do. Now you may be thinking that volunteering is something you would like to do but you just don't know where to start. Well, let's find out!
Finding volunteer opportunities in your community is actually way easier than you may think. There are many websites out there that can show all the places in need of your help. Some of which include animal shelters. Lending a helping hand with taking care of these animals is something that is both physically rewarding and can truly make a difference! If you like animals and want to make a difference in their lives this is a good place to start as they are always looking for help.
This is just one way you can help out but if animal shelters aren't your thing, don't worry, there are plenty more opportunities out there. Below is a link to a website that will help you find fun and rewarding ways to get involved. Check it out!
https://students.1fbusa.com/pay-it-forward/25-ways-to-volunteer-in-your-community
Sports Corner
Upcoming Events
May 28
Last Day of School
May 28
Graduation
Battle Lake School Football Field
6:00 pm
Battle Lake School Contact Information
Website: www.battlelakeschool.k12.mn.us
Location: 402 Summit Street West, Battle Lake, MN, USA
Phone: 218-864-5215
Facebook: facebook.com/BLSchools
Twitter: @BLSchools