Dodge Center
Education
Building relationships, individualized learning key topics at Owatonna School Board candidate forum
With no shortage of interest in multiple races this year, the highly anticipated candidate forum for the Owatonna School Board kicked off local forum season. Hosted by the People’s Press, Owatonna Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism and Owatonna Noon Rotary Club, nearly every seat was filled Monday at the Owatonna Country Club to hear from six of the eight candidates for School Board: Nikki Gieseke, Mike Herman, Tim Jensen (incumbent), Ron Kubicek, April St. Martin and Andrea Van Gelder. ...
COFFEE AND CONVERSATION: Superintendent talks teen mental health in social media era
The adoption of new cell phone restrictions in schools took center stage during a recent meeting between Superintendent Jeff Elstad and community members. Sitting down with a gathering of retired educators, school board members and candidates and other constituents Friday morning, Elstad discussed how the district is working to reduce students’ dependence on their phones and stressed the need for a community-wide effort to curb the impact of social media on teens’ mental health. ...
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.