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ARTS IN COMMUNITY: Heart 4 Art reminds community of the power of art PAGE 10
Teacher of the Year: ‘Greatest profession in the world’
Remembering the tornado 15 years later
BY SHANNON GRANHOLM MANAGING EDITOR
Out of 540 nominations, one has risen to the top. Mark Domschot, a social studies and Advancement via Individual Determination (AVID) teacher at North Campus, is the 2023-2024 White Bear Lake Area Educators (WBLAE) Teacher of the Year. “I’m unbelievably humbled … It’s the greatest profession in the world. I couldn’t be more proud to be a teacher,” Domschot said. “There are so many great teachers in White Bear.” Domschot always knew he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps by becoming a teacher. He has been a teacher for 28 years. He has been in the district for five years. Prior to that, he was at Centennial Schools. In addition to his teaching role at North Campus, he is also the assistant girls hockey coach and assistant football coach. Hannah Hensley, who works with Domschot at North Campus, described him as a B.E.A.R, which stands for brave, energetic, advocate and real. “In Mark’s classes his students know him as a real person, as a dad, a coach, a brother and a person they can trust and who cares about them,” Hensley explained. “Mark builds and promotes community through relationship building, engaging in his students’ relevant lives and promoting action. He builds relationships beyond the classroom by being present and involved within our community in White Bear Lake,” said Mae Haley, the 2022-2023 WBLAE Teacher of the Year. “Mark also makes history relevant to today’s learners by learning from all perspectives, all while supporting students who are called to action.” “I live in White Bear, I coach in White Bear, I have
FILE
May 25 will mark 15 years since an EF-3 tornado hit Hugo, destroying houses, businesses, trees, barns and silos. In addition to the damage, the tornado took a life. Two-year-old Nathaniel, son of Hugo residents Gerard and Christina Prindle, was killed and his 5-year-old sister Annika also suffered severe brain damage. See more on page 2.
Former gambling manager plays discrimination card ST. PAUL — The White Bear Lake Area Hockey Association’s ex-gambling manager has filed a countersuit in district court against her former employer. Among the counterclaims in a complaint filed exactly a month after Christine Olson, 54, was sued by the hockey association: She claims she was bullied and
harassed as a result of her gender and age; that she was forced to resign because the association was not following its own bylaws and not following the Minnesota Gambling Control Board’s rules, statutes and regulations; and that the association “constructively discharged” Olson. In fact, the actions of the White Bear Lake Area Hockey Association (WBLAHA) against her became so severe, Olson
alleged, that “they altered the terms of her employment and created a hostile work environment,” forcing her to quit. These allegations come from an employee making $129,000 at the time she resigned March 28, 2023. The White Bear nonprofit filed a lawsuit April 3 against Olson (“White Bear hockey association sues former gambling manager,” SEE COUNTERSUIT, PAGE 7
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