Falls High Ink

Max Dremmel and Bailey Herberg

Mrs. Boelk is the current band teacher at FHS and plans to retire at the end of the 2023 school year. Mrs. Boelk has been the band director at Falls High School for about 12 years and has been teaching for over 28 years. She started her teaching career at the Littlefork Public school, as a music teacher. After spending time at the Littlefork school, she took some time off of teaching to start a family. She then became a stay at home mom and her teaching license expired, but she still taught private music lessons on the side. Once her kids were old enough, she then re-entered the public school system as a FHS para with hopes to teach private music lessons through community education. Mrs. Boelk decided to apply for band director position because Mrs. Belanger, who current band teacher at the time, told Mrs. Boelk that she was leaving and that she should apply for the position. Mrs. Boelk thought about it and decided to get her teaching license back online so she could then apply for the position. “I thought that teaching and directing a bigger band would be fun to try.” When asked how teaching at FHS differed from anywhere else, Mrs. Boelk responded by saying, “I got to teach just band. At Liffefork I taught K-12. This included elementary music, choir, and band. You could never really work on being good at anything. You had to be mediocre at everything to survive.” By teaching just band, “I could pursue excellence by pushing kids to become better musicians.” Mrs. Boelk also said that by teaching band classes, she was able to teach kids that were committed on a level that helped sustain the band. One of Mrs. Boelk’s favorite parts of teaching is “watching kids succeed.” Another favorite part about her job is watching the 5th graders learn how to play their first song. “Watching the 5th graders take an inanimate object and make music out of it is just the coolest thing.” When asked what was rewarding about teaching she responded saying, “When the kids get excited about music, that is what is so rewarding about teaching. Watching them find joy in making music.” Mrs. Boelk is going to miss playing in pep band, jazz band, drumline, making music in the band room and especially “watching kids excel and find joy in music.” After retirement, Mrs. Boelk plans on staying in the community to teach private lessons in piano and guitar and hopefully become an event coordinator at the Backus Community Center. Mrs. Boelk will retire at the end of this school year and will be greatly missed. If you know of anyone who is interested in applying for the band director position, please contact the Falls High School Office.

It’s a crucial time of year at Falls High, as students must choose classes for the next school year by the end of this week. This is even more important for upcoming juniors and seniors, who have more than just high school classes available to them. There are two options for students to obtain college credit on top of their high school credit: Concurrent Enrollment and PSEO. A lot of information is flying around about each and it can become overwhelming and confusing to figure out what is actually best for you.

Let’s start with the facts. Let’s say you are a current 10th or 11th grader interested in taking the most challenging classes within your abilities. Concurrent Enrollment classes for math, english, social studies, nursing, and business/accounting are offered, primarily through BSU. These college-level courses are taught by familiar, qualified Falls High teachers, right in the high school.

Students can also consider going PSEO, which means taking courses through Minnesota North, primarily on the Rainy River Campus as well as online. Courses are facilitated through the online platform D2L by the Minnesota North instructors. Full-time PSEO students would no longer attend classes at Falls High School and will essentially be college students pursuing their AA, although they will still be receiving credit towards their high school diploma and can participate in Falls High activities.

There are some misconceptions about PSEO compared to CE. Many believe that going PSEO will save money and students will be able to knock out their first two years of college for free. This is not always the case, as specifically getting an AA degree is not automatically worth this reduction. Instead, it will be an individualized process for each student who continues on to obtain their Bachelor’s degree, depending on the institution they attend and the major they choose. For example, a 2021 Falls High graduate who obtained her AA in high school and currently attends the University of Minnesota entered college with many Gen. Ed. credits accepted, however, she still needs to attend for four full years to meet all of her major requirements.

Principal Tim Everson would argue that this acceleration of students' education and careers is not beneficial for every student. They “double up” their junior/senior years of high school with their freshmen/sophomore years of college. Rather than having four years to develop writing, comprehension, and problem-solving skills, they instead only have two. Some students may struggle as a result of missing out on these two years of development.

Now, CE classes also “double up” a high schoolers education. The difference is that students can’t get their AA strictly through the college classes offered at Falls High. Again, Everson would argue that the degree itself may not be as beneficial as anticipated. “You can do very little with only an AA,” he explained, and because Minnesota North classes are not standardized across the nation, there is no guarantee all of a student’s credits would be accepted by another institution.

The PSEO option has created challenges for the high school. The school loses about $10,000 for every student that fully leaves the high school and that money is instead directed towards the post-secondary institution. Along with the monetary loss is a decreased upperclassmen culture within Falls High. It varies by year, but overall there are less juniors and seniors within the school, which literally brings down the average age and maturity. Concurrent Enrollment has been a way for the high school to compete with the offerings of PSEO and keeping upperclassmen in the high school also helps to keep electives and teachers.

Still, there is a reason students choose PSEO over CE, and it's largely a social one. PSEO students are ready for greater academic rigor, but also a more mature environment. Many Minnesota North classmates will be new faces to PSEO students, as well as the instructors. CE still follows the high school schedule but PSEO students are more independent and have greater responsibility to manage their own coursework and schedule.

The AA itself (that is, the actual degree, not just obtaining college credit) is probably only the very best option for students who have an exact plan that it fits within. Otherwise, the degree does not have any clear benefits over simply taking college courses, either through Falls High or Minnesota North. It will likely accelerate your college education, which can be an economic positive, but you need to consider what you would like your post-graduate education to look like. If you are motivated and know the exact direction you want to go in, then moving at a faster pace can be a great thing! If you are not entirely certain of your future, know that zooming through your last years at high school and first years of college is not automatically your best choice.

This decision can still be very difficult to make, even with more information, but the most important thing to remember is that you should choose whichever option works best for you. Think of your future plans and your current abilities and know that regardless of where you attend class these last two years of high school, you will receive a good quality education brought by people that do in fact care about teaching you.

A reminder to parents who may be looking for their students to take the most challenging courses they can: the college is not automatically more rigorous than classes taught at the high school, so students should primarily consider what is best for their abilities and future! Students invested in their own education will be able to thrive anywhere!

If you know you want to take more challenging classes but are unsure if CE or PSEO will be best for you, consider the following:

Reasons Concurrent Enrollment May Be the Best Option for YOU

Do you love your Falls High teachers, or even just one in particular that you would like to have again before graduating?

Concurrent Enrollment teachers are familiar faces: Mr. Sandberg, Mrs. Hamers, Mrs. Rudolph, Mr. Anderson, Mrs. Mannausau, Mr. Boyle, and Mr. Olson. Current CE students have generally loved their teachers, many of whom they have had before and thus already have personal relationships with. For Senior Emma Saxton, her experience in Mrs. Mannausau's CE math classes was so positive that she now intends to minor in Math in college next year.

Do you prefer interactive and hands-on learning? Do you like constant communication with your teachers and the ability to ask as many questions as needed?

CE classes are structured slightly differently than their high school counterparts - again, the workload and responsibilities of the students are increased. These classes still have reliability involved and collaborative dynamics. Back to the previous reason, many of these teachers are already well-known by CE students, which makes asking questions throughout the class period even easier. Junior Mitchell Erickson pointed out that during open hours, it’s very easy to find your teachers and ask them any questions on assignments. Mr. Sandberg, who teaches CE social studies, is in the hallway every single day, which makes it incredibly easy to stop in between classes and discuss a question that you’re struggling with.

Do you enjoy having the exact same classes as your friends? Do you prefer having others in the class that you can readily work with on assignments, comparing answers or asking questions? Do you have a strong social sphere at the high school, perhaps outside of your own grade level?

With Concurrent Enrollment, students can earn college credit without losing any current social aspects of the high school that they enjoy. It’s in a comfortable setting with peers and most CE students have very similar schedules, which creates a strong cohort for handling the work and any questions that arise. Compared to PSEO, there is not a new social environment that you would need to adjust to, which can be a benefit that allows you to focus more fully on your classes.

Are you most productive when working in class/at the school? Do you struggle to get your work done at home or without reminders from classmates and the teacher? Do you ever have missing assignments or poor attendance?

You will need to become more responsible to handle the CE classes but there is not the same level of required independence as PSEO. You are expected to be in class at the high school each day, which can be helpful for getting your work done in a timely manner. The greater workload is combined with a faster pace but most of the CE classes meet less than five periods a week, which gives some extra time to complete any assignments. Even on those days off, the teachers' classrooms are open to students who need any help. It’s easy to run up to Mrs. Hamers room during fourth period on a Wednesday, when there is technically no class, and get any needed assistance.

Do you have a strong attachment to certain electives, like band/choir, metals, or journalism?

It’s not impossible to be a part of these while also going PSEO, as long as it works in your schedule, however staying in the high school, with the CE classes, makes it easy to stay in all of your favorite electives! One negative of older students going PSEO is that it often hurts the electives at the high school, who have less students to fill them, so if you care about a specific program, you may be helping it stay alive by choosing CE.

If you agree with the following, you will likely be a successful PSEO student:

Are you a driven student and motivated to direct your own education? Have you ever sought out additional information on content, without being required to by the teacher?

As a PSEO student, there is definitely less hand-holding and direction. Instructors are certainly helpful, available, and invested in your education, however, you will be required to take more responsibility. They will provide you with the information but you will need to take the time to actually learn it and study what you don’t understand. Tests and assignments may not be as straightforward, like fill-in-the-blanks or multiple choice. You can’t rely on always having a study guide or sitting back and only taking in exactly what the instructor tells you. A bonus is that you may become more excited about your content. It is no longer strictly following requirements, but instead inviting you to interact with text, articles, and assignments more consciously.

Do you enjoy lectures? Do you prefer completing assignments alone, outside of the classroom, and feel you don’t need constant help from peers or instructors?

PSEO classes generally do not have dedicated work time. It depends on the course and instructor, but many of the class periods will consist only of lectures and any assigned work or reading is expected to be done outside of class. It’ll be your responsibility to make sure it gets done, on the timeline set forth by your instructor. If you are someone who finishes your work at the high school quickly and feels bored or stagnant for the rest of the period, you will likely enjoy this model. You will need to be more organized about due dates, as most assignments have longer deadlines and fewer reminders from instructors, and you will not succeed if you procrastinate too much.

Do you find the social aspect of high school to be a negative? Perhaps draining or painful and thus detrimental to your enjoyment of your classes?

As a PSEO student, you will be in an entirely new environment. Classes will be structured uniquely from the high school and your schedule will be less monotonous. There is no guarantee that you will have friends or acquaintances in every class, although you will definitely see the familiar faces of other PSEO and former Falls High students around campus. A good chunk of your classmates will be strangers, at least initially, along with your new instructors. High School is not a positive environment for everyone, so moving outside of it could improve your educational experience, although you will have to be willing to work through that transition and adapt to the differences of the college.

If you are still unsure, maybe seeing the benefits and negatives of both options, there is a third option! You could elect to take college courses through both the high school and PSEO.

Are you nervous about leaving the high school and know you will miss being around your friends? Do you also have a desire to bump up your education and get as much as you can out of your last high school years? Do you perhaps have a specific field you would like to pursue or learn more about, but no high school class pertaining to it is offered?

Meet with our guidance counselor, Mr. Grewatz, and discuss doing both. You can also meet with an Advisor at Minnesota North, who can show you the available PSEO courses and help you figure out how to add them into your schedule at Falls High. The two institutions' timing do not match perfectly, so it can be more difficult to plan your schedule. Online classes through Minnesota North can also be a great option, especially since they never interfere with your current high school schedule. This can be a wonderful way of supplementing your education, gaining some experience with the independence of PSEO while still staying with your high school peers. It can make PSEO courses less intimidating or stressful, as the amount of credits you are taking through the college are fewer and you are still mostly within the comfortable setting of the high school.

Again, the best option will be different for every student. You should consider your own plans and abilities over all else. Mr. Everson would be more than happy to meet with any students/parents to discuss the available options and contact other colleges to determine what they would accept as college credits.

The FHS Speech Team competed in the "Hibbing Heartbreaker" Speech Meet on Saturday, February 11th. Overall, the team placed 14th.

Individual Results:
Discussion: Karlyann Bennett 5, 5, 5
Duo: Alaina Gates and Hannah McGonigle 3,3,4 9th Place overall
Humorous: Mitchell Erickson 2, 1, 1 2nd place - 2,2,4 in the final round, Joe Sullivan 5, 4, 3, Max Youso 2, 5, 5, Kourtney Talley 2, 5, 5

Prose: Leah Boe 4, 2, 5

The next speech meet will take place on this Saturday, February 18th at Northeast Range.

The International Falls Figure Skating Club has had a great season, with many events happening for the skaters. Two exhibitions were put on this winter for parents and the community to watch the girls perform their free skate and artistic programs. These were fun events to show what the girls have been working hard on all season for competition. Some of the junior high skaters competed in the local Ice Box Competition on January 8th, 2023. The club also traveled to compete at the Annual Red River Valley International Classic February 9th-12th, in Moorehead, MN, where all of the girls skated and placed well. The club will finish off the season with their annual ice show March 25th-26th, with the theme “Viva Las Vegas”. This is a much anticipated event for all the skaters and coaches as the season comes to a close. The coaches are extremely proud of all the hard work and dedication all of the skaters put into the season.

The Falls High School Senior High Knowledge Bowl Team competed in Mountain Iron Buhl on Tuesday, February 14th. The senior team, IFalls Team 2, took first place overall and were neck in neck with Cook County 1 during the first three oral rounds. Team 2 finished the written round with 45 points and were tied with Rock Ridge 2 for second place going into the first oral round. After the first oral round IFalls Team 2 was placed 3rd overall. During the second oral round Team 2 got 15 points and was bumped up to second place for the third round. In the third oral round Team 2 only received 9 points, but in the final oral round they took home the gold with a score of 17 points.

The younger team, IFalls Team 1, were short three players and had a team of two this meet, but still managed to get 18 points in their first oral round. They placed 12th overall, and held their own in spite of the circumstances. The knowledge bowl team will be back in action for their last regular season meet on Wednesday February 22nd.

Falls High School Prom is only two months away! With that we have some vital information. It is 11-12th grade and Prom will be held on April 15th.Grand March will be in the FHS gym from 7pm-8:30pm .Prom will be at the Elks from 9pm-12am, and Post Prom will be in the FHS Arena from 12:30am to 3:30am with food, drink, and games. Cost for tickets will be $25 for a single and $40 for a couple. The theme for prom this year will be disco. The prom committee will be delivering envelopes to local businesses in hopes to receive donations to make it all happen. We need $11,000 more to help prom be magical. We hope to see you there!

The boys varsity hockey team played LOW thursday night and won 10-2, the goals were scored by Julius Maish, Cody Joslyn, Braden Skifstad, Noah Shikowsky, Matt Wherley, Cooper Crandall, and Colin Kostuik. Tyrel Shoberg played in net and stopped 15 out of 17 shots. The team is now on a 5-game winning streak, finishing the regular season with a record of 12-13. The Todd Lepper Award was awarded to Braden Skifstad. The Broncos have secured the 7th seed in Section 7A for playoffs and will face off against Moose Lake Area at 1:30 on Saturday, February 18th!

Thursday February 16:

Boys Hockey @ HOME vs Lake of the Woods

Friday February 17:

Girls Basketball @ Little Fork

Boys Basketball @ Duluth Marshal

Saturday February 18:

Boys Swimming & Diving @ HOME

FHS Speech Team @ Northeast Range

Wednesday February 22:

FHS Varsity Knowledge Bowl Meet

Thursday February 23:

Boys Swimming Sectionals @ Hibbing

Girls Basketball @ Deer River

Friday February 24:

Boys Basketball @ Deer River

Saturday February 25:

Boys Swimming Section Finals @ Hibbing

FHS Speech Team @ Bemidji OR Mesabi East

Tuesday February 28:

Girls Basketball Varsity Play Off Game

School Event Calendar:

February 20th - NO SCHOOL (Presidents Day)

February 21st - Regular Schoo Board Meeting @ 5:15pm

February 22nd - Quarter 3 Mid Term

February 23rd - 2024 FES Kindergarten Registration (All Day)

February 23rd - FES Parent/Teacher Conferences

February 1st- Mrs. Maria Cowman

February 11th- Mrs. Michelle Hopkins

February 12th- Mrs. Michele McDonald

February 23rd- Mrs. Heidi Thompson

Dr. Suess Week is February 27-March 3 at FES.

Monday - The Cat in the Hat day - wear your favorite hat

Tuesday - Fox in Socks day - wear crazy socks

Wednesday - Wacky Wednesday - dress wacky

Thursday - If I Ran the Zoo - dress up like an animal

Friday - “We 2 Read” day - wear a shirt with a fun or

inspiring message on it that everyone else can read!

We are always looking for content for our weekly newsletter! Please reach out to us at fallshighink@isd361.org if you have any ideas on content for us!

Email: fallshighink@isd361.org
Website: isd361.k12.mn.us
Location: 1515 11th Street, International Falls, MN, USA
Phone: (218)-283-2571