Latest news with #MitchellTechnicalCollege
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mitchell Tech hazing policy set for review by Mitchell school board
Jun. 8—MITCHELL — The Mitchell Board of Education will get a look at a proposed Mitchell Technical College policy meant to address hazing at the school. The board will review the policy at its next regular meeting on Monday, June 9. The meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in Room 10 at the Mitchell Career and Technical Education Academy. According to the agenda notes for the meeting, Mitchell Technical College Policy 120 would help bring the school into compliance with national law. The new policy will address requirements of the Stop Campus Hazing Act, and it must be adopted by the board by June 23 for the school to remain in compliance. "The Stop Campus Hazing signed into law by President Biden on Dec. 23, 2024 and mandates that institutions of higher education participating in federal student aid must report hazing incidents in their Annual Security Reports, implement hazing policies and publish information related to hazing incidents in a Campus Hazing Transparency Report," Joe Childs, superintendent for the Mitchell School District, wrote in his agenda notes on the subject. The policy will undergo a first reading at the June 9 meeting. It must gain approval over two readings to become official policy. The full text of the proposed policy can be found in the agenda for the June 9 meeting. Also at the meeting, the board is expected to consider the following personnel items: * The new certified hire of Sydney Pike, 2nd grade teacher at Gertie Belle Rogers Elementary, $53,260, effective 2025-26 school year. * The new classified hires of Rachela Dirksen, Title VI tutor, ISS monitor, $19 per hour, 8 hours daily, effective Aug. 13 and Abigail Guenthner, begindergarten teaching assistant at L.B. Williams Elementary, $19 per hour, 7.75 hours daily, effective Aug. 13. * The new Mitchell Technical College summer adjunct hires of Annika Russel-Manke, ACCT 221 Quickbooks, 3 credits, $2,700; Annika Russell-Manke, BUS 122 E-Commerce, 3 credits, $2,700; Ashley Alarcon, RAD 156 Intro to CT, 2 credits, $1,800; Julie Gross, ENGL 110 Workplace Communications, 3 credits, $2,700; Crystal Freund, SOC 150 Social Problems, 3 credits, $2,700; Crystal Freund, SPCM 101 Fundamentals of Speech, 3 credits, $2,700; Nathaniel Raak, MATH 103 Mathematical Reasoning, 3 credits, $2,700; Ryan Van Zee, BUS 170 Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management, 3 credits, $2,700; Shirlyce Weisser, MOP 212 Elecronic Medical Records, 3 credits, $2,700 and Shirlyce Weisser, MOP 230 Medical Office Administration, 3 credits, $2,700. All adjunct hires are effective for the 2025 summer semester. * The new Mitchell Technical College Summer Internships of Jim Mahoney, BC 290 Commercial Internship, 6 credits, $5,000 (20 students); Tim Goldammer, CA 290 Internship, 6 credits, $3,250 (13 students); Noah Munsen, DPT 290 Internship, 6 credits, $5,500 (22 students); Wade Brozik, HV 290 Internship, 6 credits, $3,000 (12 students); Chris Degen, OPRV 190 Internship, 6 credits, $1,750 (7 students); Lynn Smith, ML 234 Practical Clinical Chemistry, 6 credits, (2 students) and Michael Benjamin, WBT 290 Internship, 6 credits, $500 (2 students). All are effective for the 2025 summer semester. The board is also expected to consider the following agenda items at the June 9 meeting: * Consideration to hold a public hearing on a waiver to allow high school credit for Algebra I and Spanish I and to approve both waivers. * Consideration to approve a resolution to declare elected members of the school board. * Consideration to approve the South Dakota High School Activities Association Board of Directors. * Review of the 2025-26 K-12 budget. * Hear board member reports. * Hear the superintendent report. * Hear public commentary. The meeting is open to the public. The Mitchell Republic will livestream the meeting on its website.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mitchell Tech hazing policy set for review by Mitchell school board
Jun. 8—MITCHELL — The Mitchell Board of Education will get a look at a proposed Mitchell Technical College policy meant to address hazing at the school. The board will review the policy at its next regular meeting on Monday, June 9. The meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in Room 10 at the Mitchell Career and Technical Education Academy. According to the agenda notes for the meeting, Mitchell Technical College Policy 120 would help bring the school into compliance with national law. The new policy will address requirements of the Stop Campus Hazing Act, and it must be adopted by the board by June 23 for the school to remain in compliance. "The Stop Campus Hazing signed into law by President Biden on Dec. 23, 2024 and mandates that institutions of higher education participating in federal student aid must report hazing incidents in their Annual Security Reports, implement hazing policies and publish information related to hazing incidents in a Campus Hazing Transparency Report," Joe Childs, superintendent for the Mitchell School District, wrote in his agenda notes on the subject. The policy will undergo a first reading at the June 9 meeting. It must gain approval over two readings to become official policy. The full text of the proposed policy can be found in the agenda for the June 9 meeting. Also at the meeting, the board is expected to consider the following personnel items: * The new certified hire of Sydney Pike, 2nd grade teacher at Gertie Belle Rogers Elementary, $53,260, effective 2025-26 school year. * The new classified hires of Rachela Dirksen, Title VI tutor, ISS monitor, $19 per hour, 8 hours daily, effective Aug. 13 and Abigail Guenthner, begindergarten teaching assistant at L.B. Williams Elementary, $19 per hour, 7.75 hours daily, effective Aug. 13. * The new Mitchell Technical College summer adjunct hires of Annika Russel-Manke, ACCT 221 Quickbooks, 3 credits, $2,700; Annika Russell-Manke, BUS 122 E-Commerce, 3 credits, $2,700; Ashley Alarcon, RAD 156 Intro to CT, 2 credits, $1,800; Julie Gross, ENGL 110 Workplace Communications, 3 credits, $2,700; Crystal Freund, SOC 150 Social Problems, 3 credits, $2,700; Crystal Freund, SPCM 101 Fundamentals of Speech, 3 credits, $2,700; Nathaniel Raak, MATH 103 Mathematical Reasoning, 3 credits, $2,700; Ryan Van Zee, BUS 170 Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management, 3 credits, $2,700; Shirlyce Weisser, MOP 212 Elecronic Medical Records, 3 credits, $2,700 and Shirlyce Weisser, MOP 230 Medical Office Administration, 3 credits, $2,700. All adjunct hires are effective for the 2025 summer semester. * The new Mitchell Technical College Summer Internships of Jim Mahoney, BC 290 Commercial Internship, 6 credits, $5,000 (20 students); Tim Goldammer, CA 290 Internship, 6 credits, $3,250 (13 students); Noah Munsen, DPT 290 Internship, 6 credits, $5,500 (22 students); Wade Brozik, HV 290 Internship, 6 credits, $3,000 (12 students); Chris Degen, OPRV 190 Internship, 6 credits, $1,750 (7 students); Lynn Smith, ML 234 Practical Clinical Chemistry, 6 credits, (2 students) and Michael Benjamin, WBT 290 Internship, 6 credits, $500 (2 students). All are effective for the 2025 summer semester. The board is also expected to consider the following agenda items at the June 9 meeting: * Consideration to hold a public hearing on a waiver to allow high school credit for Algebra I and Spanish I and to approve both waivers. * Consideration to approve a resolution to declare elected members of the school board. * Consideration to approve the South Dakota High School Activities Association Board of Directors. * Review of the 2025-26 K-12 budget. * Hear board member reports. * Hear the superintendent report. * Hear public commentary. The meeting is open to the public. The Mitchell Republic will livestream the meeting on its website.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Hospital hallway becomes graduation stage for Letcher native battling rare illness
May 16—MITCHELL — As the Class of 2025 at Mitchell Technical College crossed the stage on May 9, receiving handshakes, cheers and diplomas, one seat remained empty. That seat belonged to Brady Larson, a 20-year-old agriculture business student from Letcher. Instead of celebrating with his classmates, Larson was 300 miles away at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, undergoing intensive treatment for severe aplastic anemia — rare, life-threatening condition in which the body stops producing enough new blood cells. Despite being far from campus, Larson didn't miss out on his milestone. The staff at Mayo Clinic surprised him with his own graduation ceremony, hospital-style. "It wasn't a traditional way to celebrate, but it did make me feel special," Larson said. "I missed being able to graduate with my friends, but it was really meaningful to me that they did this." The surprise ceremony was organized by one of the licensed practical nurses on Larson's care team, who had learned about his upcoming graduation and took it upon herself to make it happen. Doctors, nurses and other staff lined the hallway, playing "Pomp and Circumstance," and cheering as Larson walked in a makeshift robe — a white coat draped over his shoulders — and carried a decorated graduation cap that was too big for him. Larson's dad, aunt and mom were also there. Green cupcakes, matching Mitchell Tech's school colors, rounded out the celebration. "He hadn't eaten a lot in the days before, so I was thrilled to see him eat two cupcakes," said Roxann, Brady Larson's mom. Larson's health journey began in December with a routine wellness check. Friends noticed his pale complexion, and Larson experienced shortness of breath while working cattle. "I remember the doctor called me at work and said, 'Mrs. Larson, I wish I had better news for you today,'" Roxann recalled. Larson's blood counts were dangerously low — white cells, red cells and platelets were all significantly depleted. After an emergency transfusion and further testing, he was diagnosed with severe aplastic anemia, an immunodeficiency disorder that causes the body to attack its own bone marrow. The family soon found themselves at Mayo Clinic, searching for a bone marrow donor. The best possible match? Larson's 15-year-old sister, Brooklyn. Siblings have a 25 percent chance of being a perfect match, but Brooklyn was a 10/10 — exactly what Larson needed. Although there were concerns about her smaller size and ability to donate, the medical team determined that the match was too good to pass up. Rather than undergo the more invasive bone marrow procedure, Brooklyn donated stem cells through a process involving growth injections and blood collection. "They take your blood out and return it back to you several times. It's about a five-hour donation each day," Roxann said. "She ended up donating over 6 million cells in just two days. It's really a magnificent process." Despite the diagnosis and ongoing treatments, Larson remained committed to finishing his degree. With the support of Mitchell Tech's faculty and staff, he was able to complete his classes and even finish his internship at Artesian Seed. "His teachers were phenomenal at making it happen the way it needed to be," Roxann said. "He'd go to class when he could, rest when needed, and try to avoid sickness." In April, a health setback briefly delayed the transplant process. That pause gave Larson a window to return home and complete his internship — one last chapter in his college journey. "I finished college and started chemo all in the same day," Larson said. As his health deteriorated leading up to the transplant, Larson required more frequent blood transfusions and his white blood cell counts began to drop. Chemo treatment began in early May, with his stem cell transplant scheduled for Friday, May 16. Following the transplant, Larson and Roxann will spend 100 days in Rochester under close watch for any signs of complications like graft-versus-host disease. "The care team wants to keep him close to make sure any issues can be addressed quickly," Roxann explained. "Being five hours away just wouldn't work." Post-transplant, Larson will need about six months before he's strong enough to return to work. But he already has a job lined up at Artesian Seed — the same place he interned during school. Throughout the family's medical journey, their community has rallied around them. A Letcher fundraiser alone raised over $125,000, with additional support coming from a separate benefit held in Wessington Springs. This weekend the family faces another emotional moment. The day after Larson's transplant, Roxann will miss two important events back home — her son Bryce's high school graduation and her daughter Brooklyn's eighth-grade ceremony. "My husband is holding down the fort back home, and thank goodness for technology — we'll be able to participate in those graduations from here," Roxann said. As the Larsons balance events at home and recovery in Rochester, they hope their story will inspire others to consider becoming bone marrow donors. Aplastic anemia is rare, affecting between 300 and 900 people in the U.S. each year. "Hopefully if somebody hasn't heard of being a donor maybe it'll encourage one person to look at what it takes to become a donor," Roxann said.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mitchell Tech resumes work on ongoing $5.8 million drainage project
Mar. 31—MITCHELL — Mitchell Technical College has seen its fair share of construction work on campus over the past several years. Just about a year ago the school dedicated its new Ag Power Diesel Lab building, a 36,000-square foot facility that expanded the available for the ag diesel program and free up space for other programs. Now with springlike weather arriving, the school is resuming another large-scale campus project. Excavators and workers on site are working on the second phase of a three-year drainage enhancement project. "We had ARPA funding to address drainage issues on campus, and this is Phase 2," Theresa Kriese, interim president of Mitchell Technical College, told the Mitchell Republic. Using American Rescue Plan Act funds from the State of South Dakota, Mitchell Tech is working on a three-phase drainage improvement project to protect campus buildings and equipment from catastrophic water events. Phase 1, enclosing the drainage ditch between the Nordby Trade Center and the energy field, was started in 2023. The project is now in Phase 2, which will reroute drainage from the Muth Electric Technology Center and the Campus Tech Apartments to the retention pond on the north side of campus. Work will focus on the retention pond, where excavators and crews can be seen working from Interstate 90. The work is necessary in part because of the many changes that have taken place on campus since the school moved from its original location across the street from the current Mitchell High School building to its current location just south of Interstate 90 in 2001. Since more buildings and facilities have been built in the past two-and-half-decades, the campus runoff needs to be redesigned to keep up with new flow patterns. "They will be draining and cleaning out the retention pond, as well as elongating it and deepening it," Kriese said. "They will also be working to get better drainage on the part of campus that goes under the interstate into the Jim River, which needs a little work. When the pond was developed, we didn't have as much real estate developed, and there are a lot more hard surfaces for runoff instead of absorption." The school has been using ARPA funds for the project. About $5.8 million of those funds is expected to be used across the entire three-year drainage project, with about $2.3 million to be used during the current Phase 2 part of the project, which is expected to continue through the fall of 2025. The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) is a $1.9 trillion economic stimulus bill that provided $350 billion for state, local, tribal, and territorial governments in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. With dry conditions and relatively little snow falling during the winter of 2024-25, Kriese said the work has progressed nicely. "It's been really good. One of the benefits of the dry and moderate weather this past winter is we've been able to get in earlier than expected," Kriese said. Work is also expected to be done on sidewalks around campus and to MTI Drive, for which the school recently petitioned to have the name changed to Mitchell Tech Drive, to improve drainage along the main eastside entrance into campus. That work will entail resurfacing the street and making sure the slope is appropriate to handle water moving alongside it. The work may not be as exciting as seeing a new diesel building rising on campus, but the work is crucial, Kriese said. As new buildings go up and other changes are made to the appearance of the school property, drainage needs have changed in tandem. Kriese said that water had not caused any significant issues on campus outside inconvenience, but doing work now is important to making sure problems don't become worse. Without staying in front of the problem, the campus could experience water in its buildings, or even just standing on campus, Kriese said. "If it hadn't been addressed (we could experience) building water penetration, and standing water is not a good situation on any campus. It was definitely necessary. Each (previous) project that we've done has impacted the campus, and now it's time to address the entire thing to make sure we have it addressed," Kriese said. Work will continue into the summer and next year, Kriese said, but it won't be the end of ground work at Mitchell Tech. Kriese said that in the next few days the state will be releasing a notification for bids to the school's planned underground energy training facility. That new facility will encompass about 23,000 feet and is associated with the Powerline Program at Mitchell Tech. It will give a boost of about 75 jobs in the region. In addition to the benefits to the programs at Mitchell Tech and the addition of new jobs to the market, students in the Powerline Program will gain the advantage of a modern educational environment for their studies that will be accessible year-round, including during frosty South Dakota winters when the ground is frozen.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Marshall Mitchell: Mitchell mayoral state of the city outlines city's past, and upcoming, water rates hikes
Mar. 26—MITCHELL — Water, water everywhere. City leaders talk about water rates daily. Mitchell Mayor Jordan Hanson sought to explain why the city's water rates continue to rise during his state of the city address Tuesday night at Mitchell Technical College's Muth Electric Technology Center Amphitheater. It was a question that Hanson said residents have asked him repeatedly throughout his term. At the Jan. 21 city council meeting, the council voted unanimously to raise rates from the current rate set in Oct. 2024 of $16.75 per 750 gallons to $18.62 per 750 gallons, effective on April 1, and there is another scheduled increase of $20.50 per 750 gallons, effective on Oct. 1. A graph during Hanson's presentation of Mitchell water consumption between 2014 and 2019 showed that the city exceeded daily capacity each year. The city's maximum daily capacity from B-Y Water is 2.6 million gallons per day. "We're millions of gallons over, often every single day," Hanson said. "So that's the reason behind why water rates are rising." At one point, the city didn't raise water rates for 20 years, according to Hanson. The city has raised water rates multiple times over the past two years. The city passes the costs of water projects on to residents through resident's water bills. In other words, the increase of water improvement projects in Mitchell has resulted in higher water and sewer bills for Mitchell residents. The city of Mitchell has various State Revolving Fund loans for water projects, which require that the city prove that it has revenue to pay back the loan. This revenue comes from resident's water bills. The Randall Water Community District's $100 million plus Connecting Neighbors Regional Waterline Project is to bring 72 miles of piped water from the Missouri River to Mitchell to expand the city's water capacity. The water starts at a pump house on the Missouri River, with pumps made by Mitchell-based company Dakota Pump . The estimated time of pipeline completion is 2027, according to Hanson. Hanson acknowledged City Administrator Stephanie Ellwein, City Attorney Justin Johnson, and Public Works Director Joe Schroeder for making the new agreement with Randall Water Community District that will save the city about $34,000 per month once the pipeline is completed and water reaches Mitchell. The agreement went from $283,000 per month to $249,000 per month. The new agreement will result in saving $12 million over 30 years. The $249,000 does not count as debt on the city's books. "Very large number, but how many of you guys need water to live? It's all of us, right?" Hanson said. Water from the pipeline will end up at the city's 2.5-million gallon ground storage tank south of town. Water from BY-Water and Randall will be mixed at the ground storage tank. "We would use that twice on a summer's day," Hanson said. Water through Mitchell goes through a series of pump stations. Other city projects included the West Harmon Drive water main loop for $422,000, the North Harmon Drive sanitary sewer for $3.7 million, and the 23rd and Ohlman Street lift station replacement for $1.65 million. "(The West Harmon water main loop) actually eliminates a water main that goes under Lake Mitchell, so now we can shut that off, and we have really no way of repairing that water main if it ever broke," Hanson said. The city has a series of pumps that bring the water down to the city's $15.3 million North Wasterwater Treatment Facility to be treated properly to remove solid waste. After this, water is pumped two miles to the South Wastewater Treatment Facility. The city has a $17 million grant for the $39.1 million project, according to Hanson. Hanson called the infrastructure upgrades investments. "We can essentially grow our town two times the population and still be able to handle all the water and sewer needs," Hanson said. The slideshow from the presentation can be viewed on the city's website and the video of the presentation can be seen on the Mitchell Republic's facebook page.
