Stoughton
Thursday, February 6, 2020 • Vol. 138, No. 29 • Stoughton, WI • ConnectStoughton.com • $1.25
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More than 100 hear plans for whitewater park
Stoughton Area School District
Part of discussion involves plan to remove dam RENEE HICKMAN Unified Newspaper Group
Of the more than 100 people who showed up to hear about the Stoughton’s planned $2.2 million whitewater park, some said they saw a lot of potential for the attraction.
Photos by Mackenzie Krumme
Julia Schaefer and computer art teacher Cassie Bonde look over the story for the second edition of the River Bluff Courier. The team line edits and designs the pages for the newspaper.
Read all about it
New River Bluff newspaper lets students tell their stories SCOTT DE LARUELLE Unified Newspaper Group
Artwork, short stories, photos, movie reviews, recipes, teacher features and articles on everything from mental health to the use of cell phones in class – all are in the latest issues of the River Bluff Courier. The newspaper is created by students, for students – just make sure your assignment is in by deadline. The River Bluff Courier debuted
in fall, and is produced through computer art teacher Cassie Bonde’s yearbook and newspaper design class. Students learn skills in writing, editing, interviewing, photography and basic graphic design and layout from Bonde, a University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate who worked as a sports reporter for the Wisconsin State Journal and as a news producer at WKOW 27 before joining the district in 2015. “I made the leap to teaching because teaching is my true passion, but there’s still a little bit of that journalistic itch,” she told the Hub last week. The class is now in its second year,
On the Web Check out latest issue of the River Bluff Courier at
Rbmscourier.weebly.com after only a half-dozen students signed up for it when initially offered three years ago. The following year, more than two dozen signed up, and it’s been off and running since, she said. “I’m like, ‘Whoa, that’s great,’” Bonde said. “Yearbook used to be an afterschool club that would meet once or twice a month, but it was
Turn to Newspaper/Page 12
Stoughton native takes stage at Super Bowl Haley Fitzgerald is backup dancer for Jennifer Lopez MACKENZIE KRUMME Unified Newspaper Group
A Stoughton native took the stage in front of an estimated 102 million people on Sunday, Feb. 2. Haley Fitzgerald, a 2012
Stoughton High School graduate living in the Los Angeles area, danced at the Super Bowl halftime show with Jennifer Fitzgerald Lopez. The entire performance at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium lasted roughly 14 minutes. Lopez’s set
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followed an opening piece with Shakira and featured a display of support from L o p e z ’s n a t ive P u e r t o Rico, and a controversial pole dance in a sparkling bodysuit. “A moment and energy I will never forget,” Fitzgerald posted on her Twitter account. According to posts on Fitzgerald’s Instagram, she practiced the routine
for months and performed with more than 50 dancers on stage. Her Clear Time Talent profile states she has been a backup dancer for Lopez for the past four years and has worked with other well-known artists Nick Jonas and Derek and Julianne Hough. Contact Mackenzie Krumme at mackenzie. krumme@wcinet.com.
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“It would definitely bring people to the area,” said Anita James Amundson, who attended the Jan. 29 event. Amundson, who previously lived in Colorado, said she had seen the popularity of water parks like this one firsthand while living in the state. Dan Glynn, director of the city’s parks and recreation department, and Gary
Turn to Whitewater/Page 12
Stoughton Area School District
Board still won’t appoint new member Coughlin’s resignation leaves board shorthanded until election SCOTT DE LARUELLE Unified Newspaper Group
With the recent resignation of Jon Coughlin, who moved out of the district, the Stoughton School Board will operate with eight members through the April 7 election. Incumbents Tim B u b o n a n d Coughlin Steve Jackson, and newcomers Holly Telander and Jessica Royko, are competing for three open seats on the board, including Coughlin’s, who was not seeking re-election. After consulting with legal counsel, district superintendent Tim Onsager told board members at Monday night’s meeting they had some “flexibility,” with the election so close and the fact that Coughlin isn’t on the ballot.
He said the board could appoint someone, but according to district bylaws, the position would need to be posted in the Hub for two weeks, which essentially meant the new member would only be available for one or two meetings. “You are well within your statutory time to leave it open until the election and then it will be filled naturally by the voters,” Onsager said. Board president Frank Sullivan said his “strong inclination” was to leave it open, and no one had any objections, though Joe Freye pointed out the board would need to elect a new treasurer to succeed Coughlin. Sullivan said the board will do that at its next meeting. Going from a nine- to an eight-member board will slightly alter the math needed to pass motions, as Onsager pointed out a 4-4 tie would result in a failed motion. It’s a small difference that at least theoretically could be significant, as four members could block motions when previously five would be needed.
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