From a distance — learning shifts to homes

RTR Superintendent David Marlette spoke with the Tribute by video chat from his home on Friday.

Beginning on Monday of this week, distance learning has commenced for Russell-Tyler-Ruthton students and all across the state, and will continue to at least until Monday, May 4. RTR Superintendent Marlette spoke with the Tribute on Friday by video chat from his home.
“I’ve sent out a letter to all the parents outlining everything the governor has laid out about schools,” Marlette revealed. “We’re serving and delivering food to our students and we’re providing daycare to our essential workers and to our staff. With our staff working mostly from home, going forward it will be mostly for essential workers’ children.”
Marlette said staff workers will be manning the daycare centers.

For the full story, read this week’s Tyler Tribute.

Site workers still on the job

By Mark Wilmes
tributeeditor@gmail.com

 
Among the employees considered essential by the State of Minnesota are construction workers. R.A. Morton Site Manager Michael Beach said he has been in touch with all the contractors working on the new RTR pre-K-12 building.
“With the COVID-19 is¬sue in front of us, we’ve reached out to each con¬tractor and shared with them the executive order from Governor Walz,” Beach said on Friday. “It specifically identifies our assigned workers as critical workers, so we are planning to work. I’ve reached out to all of the contractors and I’ve shared that with them and got their commitments to be on site.”
Beach said that workers would follow the usual protocol on site.

For the full story, read this week’s Tyler Tribute.

Workers inside the new school building on Monday.

Camden Conference announces All-Conference teams

By Jim Kopel
Tribute Sports

The Camden Conference has revealed its confer­ence selections for 2019-20 for both the girls and boys teams. There were 12 players selected on both the south and north squads for both the girls and boys. Number of selections from each team was based on position the team finished in the conference.
The RTR girls and boys teams each placed one player from their team. Kalleigh Carr and Payton Hess were the representa­tives for the RTR teams.

For the full story, read this week’s Tyler Tribute.

Russell-Tyler-Ruthton Academic all-stars in conference

Pictured are RTR basketball players named to the 2020 Winter Sports Camden Conference Academic All Conference team. Clockwise from top left are Maddison Wendland, Skylar Borresen, Kalleigh Carr, Allie Christianson, Hailey Muenchow, Ashley Owen, McKinley Schruers, Shawna Thomsen, Cade Jorgensen and Manager Cody Gifford.

Left speechless…

The RTR Speech Team competed at Redwood Falls on Feb. 29, in what may be the final speech meet of the year. RTR finished fourth overall out of 23 teams. Finishing first was Minneota with 43 points; second was Windom with 34 points; finishing third was Luverne with 33 points; RTR was fourth with 26 points; and fifth was MCC with 24 points. Pictured left to right in front are Kyle Kallemeyn, Natalie Nielsen and Brianna Pattison (fifth in Duo), Brynn Petersen (third in Storytelling), Dajza Gilmore and Madison Witte (second in Duo) and Andrew Harper (seventh in Storytelling). In the middle row are Cari Baune (seventh in Duo), Julia Nilles (fifth in Discussion), Kathy Grajeda, Hailey Wigton, David Cauwels (eighth in Humor), Brooke Struthers, Amber Bakker, Kylie Kerkaert and Zoey Williams. In the back row are Grace Klumper (fourth in Humor), Katelynn Behnke (seventh in Duo), Caleb Witte, Lily Klumper, Caleb Harper (third in Great Speeches), Colton Appel, Alex Duus (first in Humor), Desiree Breems, Jenna Lingen and Sophie Blagdon (tied for eighth in Duo), Joe Dagel and Melissa Barber.

Handshakes on hold

Photo courtesy of Tanya Thomsen
Assistant Coach Kent Mikkelsen and Knight Skylar Borresen do the COVID-19 elbow bump at Friday evening’s awards banquet, which will be the last school event in the foreseeable future.

RTR district makes plans for new reality

RTR Superintendent David Marlette.

By Mark Wilmes
tributeeditor@gmail.com

 
RTR Superintendent David Marlette laid out the path forward for the district in a rapidly evolving situation with hopes to mitigate as many hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic as possible. The district will carry out a mandatory shutdown from March 18-27 that was handed down on Sunday by the State of Minnesota. All staff will report as usual but no students will be in the building, with no distance learning program implemented during that period.
All staff in the RTR district will get paid for the duration of the shutdown.
“[Monday and Tuesday was] all about getting our students the materials and the technology and the books to take home so we can do distance learning if we have an extended absence from school,” Marlette said. “Which is probably going to happen.”

For the full story, read this week’s Tyler Tribute.

RTR awards banquet

Photo courtesy of Tanya Thomsen
RTR Knights letter winners, pictured left to right in front, are Kalleigh Carr, Maddison Wendland, Skylar Borresen, Faith Thomsen and Lexi Schreurs; in back are Hailey Muenchow, McKinley Schreurs, Shawna Thomsen, Ashley Owen and Allie Christianson.

By Mark Wilmes
tributeeditor@gmail.com

The RTR girls’ basket­ball awards banquet was held Friday evening at the high school. The following awards were presented to Coach Steve Krause’s team—
Statisticians: Cody Gif­ford, Mason Brust and Madison Wells. Captains: Ashley Owen, Shawna Thomsen and Skylar Bor­resen…

For the full story and more photos, read this week’s Tyler Tribute.

RTR School Board accepts foundation-offered enhancements

R.A. Morton school building Site Manager Michael Beach updated the RTR School Board at last week’s regular monthly meeting.

By Mark Wilmes
tributeeditor@gmail.com

After a two-month ab­sence, the RTR School Board met last Wednes­day for the first time since January after the Febru­ary meeting was lost to a snowstorm. Board mem­ber Tony Dybdahl was not present at the meeting.
R.A. Morton Site Manager Michel Beach was on hand to update the board on the new school construction. Beach told the board that approximately 250 of the wall panels were set, out of a total of 265.

For the full story, read this week’s Tyler Tribute.

RTR Scholarship Foundation donations approach $300K

By Mark Wilmes
tributeeditor@gmail.com

Eighteen years ago the local chapter of RTR Dollars for Scholars was launched. Those involved in organizing the group saw a need to help the RTR students with the cost of post-secondary education and got this off the ground. Ryck Jorgens­en of Tyler, president of the board of directors for the foundation, said the group ran under the Dol­lars for Scholars flag for over 10 years.
“In 2013, the national Dollars for Scholars or­ganization began requir­ing more specific items of each individual chapter that were going to cost quite a bit of money to both set up and to main­tain as well as additional time demands of the committee members,” Jorgensen said…

For the full story, read this week’s Tyler Tribute.