Congratulations to Claire Zika and LinnaeaYount!

'Tis the Season to Celebrate! The holiday cheer is spreading as classrooms, walls and doors around the building are decked out in festive flair! Mrs. Shermoen is hosting a door decorating contest, sparking creativity and friendly competition in the true spirit of the season. Let the decorating magic begin! Tune in next week for more photos!🎄✨

The PBIS team is excited to continue rolling out Bronco POWER! From teachers and paras to cooks, custodians, and bus drivers, everyone is coming together to help students embrace, model, and celebrate the values of Bronco POWER: Proud, Optimistic, Welcoming, Engaged, and Respectful. These values are being reinforced everywhere—classrooms, hallways, cafeterias, gyms, buses, and beyond. Staff members are also rewarded by being entered in various drawings for their participation and efforts to support our students.

As we gear up to officially open the Bronco Store, we kicked things off with a soft launch: a cozy hot chocolate station during all three lunches! Students exchanged a Bronco POWER ticket—earned for demonstrating our values—and shared what brings them JOY in exchange for a warm cup of hot chocolate. It was a heartwarming way to start spreading the Bronco POWER spirit!

Mr. Tyson Whitbeck, International Falls Mill Manager, came to visit Ms. Staples's English 12 Class. He discussed the importance of PCA in our community. He educated students in the different areas of the mill and let them know about job opportunities that the mill has to offer. Some current job openings are:

Production Laborer – Laborers can be placed anywhere in the Mill. They could be unloading logging trucks at the Process Center, working on one of our paper machines, driving a fork truck in Finishing/Shipping, the possibilities are vast! **Post High School education is not needed for these roles. All training is received on the job.

Millwright – Some of the tasks our Millwrights do include aligning motors, installing bearings, repairing pumps, and welding.

Mechanic – Our mechanics troubleshoot, repair, modify, and maintain all mobile industrial equipment for the mill. This includes trucks, front end loaders, fork trucks, and much more.

Pipefitter – Our Pipefitters install valves and gaskets. They troubleshoot hydraulic systems, along with performing ARC welding and TIG welding.

Machinist – Our Machinists use precision equipment to fabricate and machine components. They operate machining equipment such as lathes, radial drill presses, grinding equipment, and more.

Engineering – We have engineers in every department at PCA. Our engineers develop scopes and plans for projects, provide technical and operating support, manage project costs, schedules, and construction, and much more.

Leadership – Our Leadership Teams support the Mill as a whole. They provide opportunities and encouragement for employee development. They define expectations and accountability for department/mill performance. They are the primary contact and leaders of communication for the department/mill.

After the presentation, students also received a gift bag from PCA. ISD 361 seniors appreciated this visit and are thankful for having such a great company in our community.

**We have an Engineering as well as a Trades Scholarship available, see Mr. Grewatz for more information.

To register please visit: https://www.alworthscholarship.org/alworth/register/

*Friendly tip, when applying and registering for scholarships I would suggest using a personal email address rather than your school email address.

It can be challenging to know what the future holds. Thinking about the career pathways, combined with interests and lifestyle goals can help!

Try the following LINKS to help you think about your future!

Falls High School was privileged to welcome Patty Salo Downs, Executive Director of the Alworth Memorial Fund, for an insightful session with students focused on the significance of applying for scholarships and strategies for crafting outstanding applications. She highlighted the prestigious Alworth Scholarship, providing students with a deeper understanding of this valuable opportunity.

Addressing an attentive audience in the media center, Ms. Salo Downs shared a great deal of practical advice and invaluable insights to guide students through the scholarship application process.

We are deeply grateful to Ms. Salo Downs for her expertise and for inspiring our students to pursue their educational aspirations with confidence and determination!

Shop online or in-person! Every dollar earned helps our school!

Here's how:

Mrs. Line recently gave a shoutout to Mrs. Sandberg. Mrs. Line wrote:

"Mr. Sandberg wears a different tie to school almost every day! He’s not just an amazing teacher, but also a role model for so many kids. A few days ago, my child asked to borrow a fun tie, and today, Mr. Sandberg took the time to help him tie the new one we just bought. It’s the little things like this that make such a big difference.

Thank you, Mr. Sandberg, for your kindness and for being someone kids can look up to!"

Mr. Sandberg will be taking a group to Hibbing for this event! If interested, please sign up in the Counseling Office by Friday, Dec. 21. Don't wait! This fills up quickly and space is limited!

This week at Falls High, the staff decided to shake things up and have a little fun! Each day, we secretly dressed up according to a different theme, leaving students to figure out what was going on. It took them a while, but when the lightbulbs finally went off, the reactions were priceless! The hallway buzzed with laughter as they pieced it all together. Who knew a little mystery could make the week so memorable?

Falls High School Teachers will now be available for Homework Help. Some of the help is during the day if students have open hours or if finished with work they may request a pass to see one of these teachers. Some of sessions are being offered outside of the school day. Please continue to watch for changes/additions to these sessions. Feel free to reach out to teachers with questions!

• 1st Hour Daily~ Mrs. Staples Room 204 (English)
• 1st Hour Daily~ Mr. Sandberg Room 113 (Social Studies)
• 2nd Hour Daily~ Mrs. Boyle Room 203 (English/Writing 6th Graders)
• 2nd Hour Daily~ Mrs. Mannausau Room 212 (Math)
• 3rd Hour Daily~ Mr. Dowty Room 108 (Math)
• 4th Hour Daily~ Mr. Awe Room 210 (Math)
• 5th Hour Daily~ Mr. Kaviuk Room 104 (Social Studies)

After School Homework Help (any subject) ~ Mr. Hemstad Room 115 M-Th

After School Homework Help (any subject) ~ Ms. Groom (Library) Mondays 3:20-4:20

Before School Extra Credit/Science ~ Ms. Jaksa Room 121 Fridays

Watch for changes and/or additions as the year goes on!

Please talk to a trusted adult if you or a friend are struggling with conflict, bullying. We have attached some resources below as a guide. When we bring a community together, conflicts inevitably arise. If the conflict persists into bullying or harassment it is imperative that students and adults work together to make it stop. At FHS we take this seriously and will thoughtfully and carefully investigate each incidence, help resolve conflict, and address bullying. Everyone deserves to feel safe at school!

Conflict and bullying are issues that need adult intervention and support. Please see the following resources!

Hi! My name is Sarah Staples. I earned my BA from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and my M.Ed. from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities: College of Education and Human Development. I have been with ISD 361 for 9 years. While at ISD 361, I have taught English 6, 7, 8, and 12. I have also had the opportunity to teach college level classes through Bemidji State. On occasion, I am a homebound teacher for students who are not able to be in school for a variety of reasons. On designated weekends, I am the SAT and ACT Weekend Test Coordinator and Proctor at the high school. In total, I have been teaching English Language Arts for 18 years. Throughout this time, I have had a variety of teaching and learning experiences. I have taught every grade level from 5th-12th.

There are a lot of things that I love about being a teacher at ISD 361. However, the most important part of my job is building positive relationships with my students. I believe that positive relationships inspire students to grow, gain confidence, stay motivated and persevere. I also love helping out at the ISD 361 Bronco athletic events. I have been working at the football games and hockey games for 9 years. I have also been the Bronco Swim Team Announcer for 9 years. I am also always willing to fill in for any sport my fellow teachers who do the same, cannot. Go Broncos!

During my free time, I enjoy being outside, and spending time with my pets. I am part of the Minnesota State Parks Hiking Club, and am on my way to completing every Hiking Club Trail at our excellent Minnesota State Parks. I also enjoy gardening and landscaping my property. I have a 250 gallon tank with Glo Tetras, Plecostomuses and snails. I love all animals but especially enjoy spoiling my once feral cats, Boopy and White Sox. International Falls is the best place to be a teacher, pursue my passions and be the person I was meant to be.

My name is John Sandberg and Lori is my wife. We moved here in 1996 from Waconia where I had my first teaching job at a St. Joseph's Catholic School. I taught there for six years before landing the job in International Falls. We both grew up in Hibbing, MN and graduated in 1982. We then attended Hibbing Community College and then on to the University of MN-Duluth. We both graduated with teaching degrees. My wifes in English and mine in Social Studies. We do not have any children or pets but we have 15 nieces and nephews and 19 great nieces and nephews who keep us very busy.

At FHS I have taught classes that include U.S. History, Civics, American Government, Macro Economics, and European History. The years at FHS have been very rewarding as I have met many great students, staff and community members who have welcomed me and my wife to International Falls.

During the summer we spend a majority of our time at our camper on Pelican Lake. Here we spend time with friends and family boating, fishing and relaxing.

My hobbies include fishing, hunting, reading about history and spending as much time outside as I can. My main passion is bowling and traveling to tournaments to compete against other bowlers in MN and other states.

Hi! I'm Mrs. Boyle and this is my 10th year teaching at ISD 361! I am originally from Hibbing, and before moving to the Falls I attended Bemidji State University to major in Elementary Education. Later I obtained my license to teach Grades 5-8 Communication Arts and Literature, as well as earning my Masters in Education through St. Mary’s University in 2019. This year I am teaching many different 6th Grade classes, in addition to 7th Grade English.

My favorite class to teach is Reading. Reading can take you on so many fun adventures and help you learn so many new things! I am really excited about the 6th Grade Book Club that I recently started. The students are enjoying getting together to read self-selected books and discuss them with their friends “just for fun”.

My husband is Mr. Boyle, who teaches Math at FHS. We have been married for six years and have two daughters, Rowan and Leighton, who are 3.5 and 1 year old. They keep us pretty busy! We love spending time together as a family, whether it’s boating on Rainy Lake in the summer or playing out in the snow in the winter. We have three golden retrievers, Star, Rainy, and Banner, who love our romps around our large, beautiful yard. We have competed in many dog agility and rally obedience trials as a hobby, but in the last few years we’ve enjoyed practicing on our own equipment and courses at home.

Fun Facts: When I was in high school I participated in Figure Skating, Downhill Ski Racing, and Choir. I also volunteered a lot with Key Club and was in the National Honor Society.

Please watch for more LINKS to be added in the future!