Press "Enter" to skip to content

Madison Votes Tomorrow on New High School Gym

November 2011 Madison school bond ballotContrary to Bob Mercer's confusion, I remain a registered voter in Lake County, like hundreds of other registered voters spend much less time and have much less stake in my home turf.

Last week I exercised my right to vote in the Madison Central School District's latest bond election. (Mitch! Don't lose that envelope!) I voted the same way I did in 2007, when the Madison Central School Board asked me to do pretty much the same thing: spend about six million dollars to build a bigger gym. The difference is that this time the gym boosters are trying to hold necessary architectural improvements hostage, saying that I must approve their 2500-seat sports arena in order to get the science labs, better lighting, fire safety upgrades, and other fixes for the high school.

I don't respond well to such coercion.

I also don't respond well to absurdity. I don't respond well to a high school principal asserting that a gym is as important as science labs and the arts in fulfilling the academic mission of the public school system. I don't respond well to labeling a 2500-seat spectator arena a "physical education classroom." I don't respond well to protecting spectator seats at the expense of real classroom space.

But most of all, I don't respond well to a school administration that refuses to consider alternatives and peddles its preferred plan as the only possible solution to real problems. There are always alternatives. I continue to wait for the Madison Central administration to find a better one...

...like the one staring us all in the face: Madison Central has found $8.3 million in existing debt capacity that does not require a public vote to spend on capital outlay improvements. We could replace a lot of lights, remodel a lot of classrooms, and build a lot of fire doors with that money. Let the gym wait; take care of needs right now.

Election happens tomorrow, Madison neighbors! Get out and vote!

52 Comments

  1. Rob Honomcihl 2011.11.07

    I would like to thank everyone who has been a part of the "Vote Yes" committee and those that came and gave their input on the plan.

    I like many others that have students in the school district are not lifelong residents of Madison. However I see this vote as one for the community of Madison as well as the education community.

    I have made Madison my home now for 15 years. What attracted me to Madison and what has kept me in Madison this long are the same thing. I was attracted to Madison because of the education community after a stint at another university. What has kept me in Madison this long is also the education community.

    In every town I have lived I have seen where the town either flourishes or does not based on a decision. My hometown grew based on businesses and the upgrade to a school and a town I worked in had a chance to welcome a business but were afraid of finding employees and since has lost population.

    My son is a 6th grader and my daughter will enter school in a couple years. My son will live through new enhancements to the middle school and when he gets to high school he will hopefully enter a state of the art school that matches the great education he will have.

    Cory I am sorry that you were so hung up on the gym and that clouded your vision of a better MCSD and a better Madison.

    Cory where does Spearfish hold its athletic events and graduation? If it is in their school ask your students how they would feel if it wasn't. Ask them what it means to be a Spartan and how they would feel if they did not have their own home.

    In the time I have lived in Madison have seen people with great ideas to better the community. This plan is one that will move Madison forward.

    Once again a special thanks to the "Vote YES" committee and the teachers of MCSD for their hardwork and dedication to my son and all students of the district.

    THANK YOU!!

  2. Heather Lee 2011.11.07

    Robert,
    Thank you for putting that in to words I could not find. I did vote No on the last election. I will vote Yes on this one due to how the school changed how to fund this and what the school needs. I did grow up in Madison I used both the Middle School and High School. The High School needed work then.
    Lets hope that this plan will go forward this time and make a better school for all students coming up into the future.

  3. matthew siedschlaw 2011.11.07

    Corey, Great article! I agree with you 100% and talking with several members of my family they have the same feelings as you and will vote the same as you have already done. I will say the plan is better but not by much.

  4. Michael Black 2011.11.07

    Tonight's "Eye on Keloland" will feature Madison High School and the vote tomorrow. Check it out on the news at 10 pm.

  5. Douglas Wiken 2011.11.07

    I saw KELO news at 6 with hype for the Madison School project. The antiquated building looked pretty good to me. The things pointed to as problems appeared to be things a handyman could fix in a matter of minutes or hours.

    That tactic was used here in Winner years ago. The local paper had a story with photos of leaking drinking fountains, etc. My daughter was in the school at the time. That fountain had been leaking for years. Other problems were the result of incompetent maintenance.

    I wondered then and I still wonder why taxpayers agree to turn over new buildings to schoolboards which have failed to maintain existing facilities.

    My devil theory is that if there is no plaque in the building with the names of the school board members, administrators, and architects, a lot of the official enthusiasm for expensive nonsense would disappear overnight.

  6. Sunshine 2011.11.07

    I am in favor of this new plan to renovate the high school. The changes to the building will enhance the fine arts program, science labs, make the library handicap accessible, improve security, update infastructure, update the bathrooms, improve lighting and classroom space and add a gym. The plan looks to the future of our students and teachers by meeting their needs. I support MHS students by attending events and will show my support for the students and teachers with a yes vote.

  7. caheidelberger Post author | 2011.11.07

    Rob, my vision remains as unclouded as yours and many other residents. We simply have different priorities. I place a high priority on investigating all options. I place a high priority on seeking real practical compromise. I place a higher priority on academics than on athletics.

    And if I sound "hung up" on the gym, it is in part because the school and press continue to downplay that aspect of the project. Getting a new gym constitutes half the cost of the project. Getting a new gym has driven this plan since 2007, when voters first rejected the idea that we need such an arena. Yet dominant as this gym is in the minds of Bud Postma and others driving this plan, the school makes an effort to distract voters from it. (See tonight's KELO report: gym not shown or mentioned once.) I'm just trying to remind voters of what this plan really is, in total.

    I also continue to question the sincerity of some of the sales pitches we're getting. We have $8.2 million in capital outlay available right now. We could take care of all of the problems I just heard Vince Schaefer recite in the KELO story right now... if we just were willing to consider alternatives. Instead, the gym backers hols all those improvement hostage to their luxury arena.

    And come on, graduating in your own gym? That's the silliest argument I've heard for spending tax dollars. For some of us, graduating is about getting the heck out of high school. My wife graduated from Brookings. They found it a nice change to go to the SDSU campus, a metaphorical representation that they were moving to the adult world, not clinging to the past.

    But if that home turf is so important, why aren't we including a home football stadium for the Bulldogs as well? Why must our boys suffer the indiginity of playing on "Trojan" Field? And where's the Bulldog debate room... or the home debate tournament? It seems Madison values homefield advantage only when it serves to advance someone's favored argument.

    Spearfish graduates in its own gym. The Spartans play football at Hare Stadium at BHSU. They made the playoffs. They're also planning to host a novice debate tournament here next week.

  8. Michael Black 2011.11.07

    Cory, I just watched the KELO broadcast and the anchor added the list of additions including a gym. He did not use the "luxury" adjective.

  9. RGoeman 2011.11.07

    Cory, what exactly have you supported that required a vote of the people in the past ten years? You're against progress, it seems. One of the questions on the absentee ballot for a school district election is whether you've lived in the district in the past 30 days. How did you answer that one?

  10. caheidelberger Post author | 2011.11.07

    I answered that question Yes, Rod... because that question (a) was on my application, not my ballot and (b) didn't say what you said it did. The school district links to the official absentee ballot application from the Secretary of State. My wife and I checked the question on our forms carefully: "I have lived in that jurisdiction at least 30 days in the last year."

    Now let's see... what have I supported that required a vote of the people in the last ten years?
    --Lake County zoning ordinance revision (2011)
    --indoor smoking ban (2010)
    --legalization of medical marijuana (2010)
    --increasing mileage reimbursement for legislators (2008)
    --set earliest school start date at August 31 (2006)
    --repeal video lottery (2006)
    --legalize industrial hemp (2002)

    Now sure, most of those measures are state ballot measures. But it's not my fault if my local officials tend to put more bad ideas than good on the ballot.

    And really, Rod, the documented record of six years of blogging makes clear I'm all about progress. But progress doesn't mean running if in any which direction. Sometimes staying put and checking the map for a better route is better than charging off in the wrong direction.

  11. caheidelberger Post author | 2011.11.08

    Michael: the online text of the story still doesn't mention the gym. The reporter also essentially turns on the mic, hands it to the school, and lets them broadcast their message uninterrupted. Thank goodness we have blogs to present some balance and alternative views.

  12. Michael Black 2011.11.08

    Are you predicting failure of the bond and if so by how much?

  13. caheidelberger Post author | 2011.11.08

    This vote will certainly get a higher "yes" percentage than last one, but the 60% threshold remains questionable. After all the personal attacks Dr. Knowlton and others unleashed on the No voters last time, the opponents of this project are keeping their heads down. It's hard to tell how many will show up to vote and in what proportion.

    But I canceled out Rod's vote. :-)

  14. Michael Black 2011.11.08

    I have some very strong opinions about the project, but I am keeping my big mouth shut and trying not to make a spectacle of myself.

    Like you, I await the outcome of the vote.

  15. Rob Honomichl 2011.11.08

    Cory,
    First of all I am going to straight up say I will never be able to write like you. You are an intelligent individual and a better writer than I will ever be. But then again I wasn’t in debate, I never understood it. I wasn’t a jock….sat the bench on the Kernels team until my sophomore year.

    But yesterday after school I had a conversation with one of the most intelligent individuals that this vote impacts more than you or I. This conversation was held with an 11 year old. The sad part is he cannot cast his own vote for his future, but I can for him. Now, I know you will say that he has been fed the propaganda from myself and the school, but I don’t think my son makes his comments based on this. I think he generates his decision based on his experience.

    Over the last couple years, my son has had the experience to walk through the hallways of many high schools and universities. From this he formulates what he sees as a great learning environment. He has walked through state of the art university labs around the state and compares them to what he sits in and wonders what it would be like.

    I know you believe that this is all about a luxury gym that we don’t need, because YOU don’t think we need it. As I thought about this and my son I thought what if he comes and says he wants to join debate. Am I going to steer him away from that because I wasn’t in it or don’t understand it, no I want him to be able to be involved in whatever he will get the most out of.

    Will he benefit from a gym both socially and educationally even if he follows my footsteps and never steps foot on the court. Yes he will, I did. Because I was in the stands at every game playing my instrument and having a great experience. Educationally and physically he will as well during the day. He will learn lifelong games and skills through his PE classes.

    This past weekend I was 1 of over 12,000 people that sat in a football stadium. Was I there to watch SDSU beat up on the opponent? Nope. Was there education going on inside that stadium? You better believe it. But wait can education really take place at a stadium or in a gym?

    I wasn’t really 1 of 12,000 at the SDSU game; instead I was with a group of about 50 high school students intermixed with the masses. My kids and I attended this game with the Upward Bound program that consisted of students from Sioux Falls and Flandreau that will be the first of their family to attend college.

    Did any of these students from low income families that were primarily African and Native American really care about the game? Probably not but they were understanding what it meant to be a part of a university. Did my 4 year old really care about the game….nope she slept through the first half, but she did have fun interacting with girls that were not like her. Did my son care about the game, a little, but he had more fun talking culture with students from Kenya, Uganda, and Somalia. It happened in a sporting facility.

    Cory, I know you have very strong opinions and I guess I don’t know if I got out of my head what I wanted to. My brain is all over the place so it is hard to formulate what I want to say.

    However I think that the shame is we as adults are making decisions that affect our pocketbook or our personal interest and forgetting about whom this impacts the most. It is too bad that the students that are not in school yet to my son’s 6th grade classmates can’t walk into that booth and vote. It is too bad that the classes currently in the HS can't vote and say this is our gift to the younger students.

    If my son asked me for only $70 this year for educational opportunities, I would be more than happy to give it to him, and that is what I did with my yes vote.

    Once again I want to thank all that have worked countless and thankless hours on this project and spreading the word. I want to encourage everyone to get out and vote before 7pm tonight.

    If you haven’t voted yet, I want you to do one thing. If you have kids, grandkids, know of any kids in Madison before you vote have the conversation that my son started with me. Talk to them about how they would vote and why they think we need it.

    I will never play basketball on the gym floor, I will never learn chemistry in a new lab, I will never perform in the new auditorium, I will never play my tuba in the new band room, I will never learn to draw in the art room, I will never sit in the principal’s office (hoping I am not in trouble, and if I am that they don’t call my parents), I will never read in the new library, I will never learn from great teachers in the classroom…..but I will be very proud to turn to my son and daughter and say you have these opportunities because people in this community believed in you and that you deserved this. You have these opportunities because I voted “YES!”

  16. Douglas Wiken 2011.11.08

    I remember being rabidly in favor of a school building project at Wakonda as high school student. As years passed, I became convinced that the current students are the last people to provide a valid opinion on education building. But, I also remember that it was not the room size or style or whether the slate was black or green or the desks new or antique that made any difference in learning. It was the teacher or professor who was at the front of the room.

    New unnecessarily expensive building projects don't guarantee progress or education improvement.

  17. Rob Honomichl 2011.11.08

    However Douglas environment does impact enthusiasm, concentration, attitude, creativity, mood, and performance. I am sure Cory can argue it doesn't.

    Douglas, what was the outcome of the Wakonda High School? Pretty sure that is not the outcome voters of Madison want, or is it Cory?

  18. Tim Higgins 2011.11.08

    I have not voted yet, and I still undecided which way I am leaning, however if you want to sell me on the need for expanison and remodeling of the current facility, then sell me. Instead you show ceiling tile that is falling out of the track. You show me floor tiles that are cracked. You show me a door hinge with screws missing. Does MCH have a maintenance department? Almost everything that has been shown on the tours and on KELO is because of neglect to the facility. Go take a tour of Lake County Court House, the building is old, but in imaculate shape. Why? Preventive Maintenance. I'm pretty sure you can fix all of those problems without throwing 16 million at the facility.

  19. Tim Higgins 2011.11.08

    Sorry MCH should be MHS

  20. The facts about the current facility can be found here:
    http://www.voteyesformadison.com/mhs-facts/

    This is a list of very good reasons why the facility needs to be remodeled and rebuilt. I hope we can convince you to vote YES on this measure Tim. It is an affordable plan with limited tax increases. It is an investment in the future. The past is the past.. it is time to move forward.

    Finally... I will say this, as I wrote it for the campaign website.
    MCSD is the heart of our community. It is where our future is created. It is where we prepare our youth to be successful adults. It is where we hone creativity, sharpen thinking, and instill discipline. It is where we come together, as a community, to celebrate the next generation. Our school is a place to prepare and enrich the lives of our children. It is an investment in the growth and prosperity of our community. By supporting the Vote Yes For Madison campaign, you help “pay it forward” and make a commitment to building your community for the future.

    On Tuesday, November 8th, 2011 Madison residents will go to the polls to vote on a funding proposal that will help renovate and rebuild our Madison High School facility. We encourage you to vote YES on this measure. This is your home; help its future by building your community.

  21. rob honomichl 2011.11.08

    Tim MHS has an awesome maintenance crew. It is too bad you were unable to tour the school. If you did you would see that the issues can not be solved with just a little maintenance.

  22. caheidelberger Post author | 2011.11.08

    Rob, the MHS maintenance crew can't be that great if they can be "overwhelmed", as Sharon Knowlton characterized it, by cleaning up the building for one invitational debate tournament. How on earth will they handle big events with 2500 people in the gym?

    Rob, if my daughter asked me for $70 for an educational opportunity, I'd ask her to tell me about the educational opportunity. I'd ask her to do an cost-benefit analysis of what she'll get for that $70. And if she couldn't make the case, I'd tell her No. A smart debater can slap the words "educational opportunity" on anything. A smart debater can even make the case that darn near anything can provide some educational benefit. Heck, I can learn something from a swift kick in the pants. But that doesn't mean I'll spend $70 on it, not when there are other ways to spend that money that will provide even more bang for the educational buck.

    Let's get serious: the gym isn't about providing educational opportunities. It's about providing the spotlight to a few varsity players a year before bigger audiences. That's not a need; that's a luxury. I don't have to be a good writer to make that point.

  23. Tim Higgins 2011.11.08

    Rob

    I did tour the school. Quite a bit of what I saw was the result of years and years of neglect.

  24. Robert J. Cordts 2011.11.08

    Cory has missed the point for the past year. Even though Cory has acknowledged that MHS needs renovation, he fails to see the political reality of the renovation project. I would estimate that there are at least 50% or more of the "Vote Yes" supporters who would not vote for the bond issue if the gym was not a major focus of the renovation. If Cory were truly in favor of renovating MHS, he would realize that the bond issue would not pass without the expanded gym. The school board and school administrators have done a great job of preparing a comprehensive plan that will address the physical needs of MHS and the political needs of the community. This bond issue will pass because the Madison Central School District has decided that MHS needs renovation as much as it wants a new gym.

  25. Linda McIntyre 2011.11.08

    I'm not saying I voted for or against this bond issue. I'm simply pointing out that without the new gym, there were plenty of dollars available in capital outlay, as recently "discovered," to do the needed renovation; thus there would not have needed to be a bond issue to do the renovation alone.

  26. Michael Black 2011.11.08

    Cory, I can't wait until your daughter becomes a teenager. Money will be flying out of your wallet.

  27. caheidelberger Post author | 2011.11.08

    Robert, I haven't missed that point; I've just been hoping it isn't true. If our community doesn't value education enough to do necessary classroom renovations to serve academics and safety without also building an unnecessary gym, there is something deeply wrong with our culture.

    Michael, I will hold my daughter to the same expectations as my school district. If she wants to spend my money, she better be spending it on something good.

  28. Robert J. Cordts 2011.11.08

    That is politics Cory. It is not always about being right. It is about doing the right thing.

  29. caheidelberger Post author | 2011.11.08

    In this case, I'm being asked to allow the wrong thing to happen in order to allow the right thing to happen. The problem is, that wrong thing doesn't need to happen. I just can't stomach that.

  30. Michael Black 2011.11.08

    Cory, you have no idea how many ways that you and your money will be parted. I am experiencing it now every day.

  31. caheidelberger Post author | 2011.11.08

    All the more reason to keenly watch the spending of my public dollars, which is the main topic here.

  32. Rob Honomichl 2011.11.08

    I can't wait to get home and look at my kids and say how proud I am of Madison and 65% of the people that felt they needed this opportunity. Now the building will match the awesome teachers and administration that is at MCSD. I am so happy to call Madison my home right now!

  33. Michael Black 2011.11.08

    Congratulations Cory and the rest of the Madison Central School District on your upcoming building improvements.

    At our studio, we spend a great deal of time with high school seniors. It's great to see their goals for the future. I hope that the building project is just one part of making Madison High School a better place for our young people to learn.

  34. caheidelberger Post author | 2011.11.08

    I'd accept your congratulations if we were spending our money wisely. Instead, we're paying off extortionists who apparently won't let us put academics ahead of athletics. Sigh.

  35. Michael Black 2011.11.08

    I look at this as an incredible opportunity and not doom and gloom.

  36. caheidelberger Post author | 2011.11.08

    I'm not doom and gloom. I'm just saying, we made a bad decision. We now need to make the best of the use of the investment. So now that we'll have more classroom spaces, it's time to bring back the Mundt Debate Tournament, plus a dedicated practice and research room for a reinvigorated debate team.

  37. Can't wait to be sitting in my private Jacuzzi in my own box seat in my new luxury gym two years from now! JOKING! But seriously, I was surrounded by friends, neighbors, and some of my mentors tonight when we got the amazing news. What a great bunch of people, dedicated to education and improving the school district, standing strong for what they believe in. I am humbled by their work and for being one of their peers. After all, just a few years ago I was a student at MHS. Tonight's vote is the definition of paying it forward and investing in the next generation. My faith is renewed in our little Madtown. I cannot say thank you enough to the 65% of voters who took a stand tonight to support our school system! I thank you, my daughters thank you, our MCSD staff thanks you! Let's keep Madison moving FORWARD!

  38. Sean Hughes 2011.11.08

    Cory,

    I think this is the first time that I have actually read your blog and agreed with you more than 50%. I actually agree with you 100%. I believe that we made a bad decision to get partial good results. The classrooms could have used some updating back in 1995 when I was there, and I can see the need for new labs and a library. However, I agree with you that all of that probably could be completed with the capital outlay that is available and that the gym isn't really a needed expenditure right now. Do I think that MHS doesn't need a gym? Of course not, but right NOW isn't the best option. I know that I am writing this in vain since the issue has been approved, but I just wanted to reply. I find it quite sad that so many of my fellow citizens here in Madison have confused moving forward with moving upward.....

  39. rob honomichl 2011.11.08

    For you that make Sean sad you make me extremely happy. You also make my kids happy. I would never admit to agreeing with cory 100%. That makes me sad.

  40. Rusty Shackledord 2011.11.08

    Sports for the win!!! With the big gym, we should start offering hockey!

  41. rob honomichl 2011.11.08

    Yeah let's get hockey going. I love that idea.

  42. Rusty Shackledord 2011.11.08

    Cory, you should have prayed about it! Divine intervention for the win!

  43. Charlie Johnson 2011.11.08

    Mr. Cordts, If what you say is true that 50% of yes supporters would not support renovation without the gym addition, doesn't speak well for our community. When upgrades to plumbing, electrical, heating, cooling, and safety measures are readily apparent, we have the responsibility to address them. If we consider the gym as the litmus test to carry out that responsibility, we put the safety of our children at risk. That said, I don't think your perspective is correct. Most people have their priorities in place better than that. In fact if the vote had been strictly about upgrading the infrastructure of the school, the vote would have been 80-20 or better.

  44. Robert J. Cordts 2011.11.09

    Charlie,
    The safety and equal accessibility for our students has been an issue for years at MHS. It took a good plan (which included an expanded gym) to sell the plan to the voters. If the renovation had been completed without an expanded gym that issue would not go away. Ten years from now people would complain again that we should have built a new gym when we renovated. There is no such thing as a perfect plan. The renovation plan that the school board and the administrators created will solve the long term problems that MHS and the school district have been dealing with for years. I applaud the school board and the administrators for their vision.

  45. caheidelberger Post author | 2011.11.09

    Vision? No. Submission to an ignorant electorate that doesn't value education over athletics. Educators have an obligation to change the culture, to root out ignorance and make the culture better. MHS administrators are embracing the wrong values.

  46. caheidelberger Post author | 2011.11.09

    ...but dang, there I go sounding like Dr. Knowlton and saying the people who don't vote the way I want them to don't value education. Mea culpa.

  47. caheidelberger Post author | 2011.11.09

    I assume, Rob, that I can express similar sadness at anyone who expresses 100% agreement with you or with the Knowltons? Sean happens to be 100% right: we could have made all the necessary improvements several years ago existing capital outlay, without raising taxes. Instead, because voters apparently won't support necessary work without also getting bigger bleachers, we wait for years to do what's needed, and then twice as much as necessary. The millions going toward this gym could have been spent on building a fine arts annex. It could have been spent on building the debate team, hiring another foreign language teacher, restoring the English Department to full strength, raising teacher pay for years to come, funding professional development, or any number of other direct improvements to academics, our primary mission. Instead we engage in the charade of building a "Physical Education Classroom" with 2500 seats. That, Rob, is sad.

    But on the bright side, now Sean and I can get back to disagreeing about things!

  48. Charlie Johnson 2011.11.09

    Again, Mr. Cordts, If Tuesdays vote had been x number of dollars to upgrade the infrastructure of the existing high school not including the spectator aspect of new gym, 50% of the yes supporters would have not voted according to your earlier post. FYI-it would have passed 80-20. I'm well aware of the plan approved yesterday. I was on the study committee. We all know that the revised financial package carried the election yesterday. At the school board meeting when the plan was adopted, I cautioned the board about the inherit risks(read separate guest column in Madville)about the financial package that I and others had help to craft. They are now well aware they will not have the flexibility to handle any other major project for 20 years. They will have nominal room in capital outlay to take care of transportation, textbooks, etc. but nothing else.

  49. Charlie Johnson 2011.11.09

    Another point of advice, when it comes to naming rights, it would be important to focus on past educators or students who contributed so much to the school. If we open naming rights to only focus on those companies/individuals with the deepest pockets, we may insult the property owners who will actually build the additions with their tax dollars. We don't need to"Sanfordizied" the process. Unless we want to name the gym "Gracevale Colony Athletic Center" since they are perhaps the largest property owner in the district. Dan Barker or John Collingnon---Doc Miller for the auditorium, Francis Murphy for the ag room would be far better names than Prostrola Auto Mall or Sunshine or Heartland.

  50. Linda McIntyre 2011.11.09

    Just how much money people are willing to donate at this time is questionable, when the entire thing is already paid for by the bond issue and capital outlay. This issue was brought up when the committee was first formed, but no one was concerned about it. It seems the private donations/naming rights etc should have been secured first, which would have further lowered the amount required in the bond issue. If a huge donation comes in now, will it go directly to pay down the debt, or will it go into capital outlay to be used for other things, which is what I inferred from statements at the committee meetings.

  51. Rob Honomichl 2011.11.09

    Cory you are right no one should agree with me 100%. Heck there are times I don't agree with myself 100%. I can't say there is anyone that I agree with 100%, well except for maybe my dog. Nope scratch that I don't agree with them when they need to go to the bathroom at 2am and it is -20 degrees, but I still get up and take care of them.

  52. Rob Honomichl 2011.11.09

    Citizens of Madison and Spearfish:

    I woke up this morning sort of in a surreal state. I rolled over and looked at the clock and thought what day is it today? Did last night happen? I remained in bed and cuddled with my dog, whom is always glad to be a Bull breed, and I started thinking about how do I go about thanking everyone who made this a possibility. As I thought about this I thought about a quote I recently posted on my Facebook that said “There are people in your life whom you unknowingly inspire simply by being you.”

    But I also said to Petunia…..just about the only one that listens to me all the time, there are so many people I want to thank because they inspire me and have provided a new opportunity to our Madison, the place I now call my home. So here goes.

    Special Thanks to:

    Sharon Knowlton – When I saw you last night all I wanted to do is give you a giant hug for all you have done. The countless hours you spent educating people about the school over the last year is phenomenal. It was said last night you are a “rock” and you have been for MHS. Mrs. Knowlton finds a teaching moment in everything and that is what inspires me. I remember the first time Sharon asked me for something. I was at the zoo with Kadin and she called me. She introduced herself and asked if would I help out at opening in-service. Sharon has been a huge supporter for technology and education from the time she came. She has also been a great mentor for me and many others. THANK YOU Sharon for your dedication to Madison Central School District.

    Bud Postma – When I first started teaching at Madison, Bud scared the living crap out of me. I was so intimidated by him. But he was my classroom neighbor. But I remember the day after my dad died, Bud came to my room and said lets go grab a drink. We talked and I made a really good friend that has also mentored me and I am glad that I have had the chance to work with him and I am glad that his hardwork on this project will pay off now. THANK YOU Bud!

    Vince Schaefer – What a great friend and mentor. I know that I can always go in and talk with Vince about any issue. His mellow manner is so inviting. Many times he reminds me of my father and I welcome any advice that he gives me. We are truly lucky to have such a knowledgeable educator who truly cares about kids be our superintendent.

    Mitch Brooks – From a Cub, to a Highlander, to a BULLDOG. Everyday Mitch amazes me with his calm demeanor and his knowledge. Out of now where he can tell you a law or a restriction as it comes to financing. Mitch thank you for all your hardwork on this project.

    Brad Franken and Crew (Deb, Ricky, Wade, Bob, ReBob, Terry, Jean) – Thank you for all the work you do around the district. There is a reason why the current building has held up so long, this crew does it day in and day out. They are probably one of the least notice parts of the school, but their work does not go unnoticed. Brad will have his work cut out with this new renovation, but he has the skill and knowledge to do it.

    Charla, Diane, Rhonda, Peggy, Tonya, Joanne – If you are a member of this district stop in and thank these ladies. They are the first people you see when you enter a school and they are the ones that do so much for the students and staff. Although the administration is fabulous, the school would not run without these ladies.

    Tom Farrell, Mark Hawkes, Jay Niedert, current and past board members – Thank you so much. You are a wonderful school board and have been so nice to work with. The ideas that come out of the MCSD school board are great. They have been challenged with some hard tasks the last few years but I truly believe they have the education community of Madison in their thoughts in every decision.

    Dr. Koch and the Middle school staff – Thank you for inspiring the young minds of middle school kids. I watch your enthusiasm and the work you and I thank you. Thank you for all the students you inspire, including my son that you have to put up with for 2 more years.

    MHS Staff – I am so happy that your environment will now be almost as good as what you are. I have been a part of MCSD for 10 years and I think of the students you have produced. A MIT graduate that works for VMware, a programmer at Microsoft, multiple teachers, medical professionals, and so much more. You have inspired more people that you will ever know and you have produced outstanding individuals and for that the community thanks you.

    Mr. Walsh and Elementary Staff – Bless you heart and the noses you wipe. Even though my son is no longer in elementary school I think of what teachers have done to inspire him and work with him. My little girl is around the corner and I can’t wait for her to be inspired by such great teachers as well.

    For all those that helped on Vote Yes and looking at the plan. You were in the shadows and you were working hard and for that I thank you. Being able to look at the work ahead and what you did it is huge.

    But most of all a special thanks to the voters of Madison. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for the opportunity you have given the current and future students of Madison. As I think about next week being National Education Week I think wow what a great way to start it off. We are truly blessed to have a supportive community, great teachers, great administrators, great support staff, and great students. For everyone I listed and those I forgot I remind you…..” There are people in your life whom you unknowingly inspire simply by being you!”

    IT IS A GREAT DAY TO BE A BULLDOG!!!

Comments are closed.