It was the community's time to celebrate at the Blue Ribbon Bash, held at Heart of the Lakes Elementary on the evening of November 14.
Proud parents, students, and area residents packed the gymnasium to celebrate the school's recent Blue Ribbon School award.
Starting off the evening was a welcome by David Tomporowski, a junior at Perham High School. "I was sent over here as a sort of a scout," he joked with the audience, continuing on to explain that he wants to see what the school is doing that makes it so great.
Tomporowski was not the only one during the evening who expressed his awe of the school's accomplishments. While addressing the crowd, Perham's Mayor Vince Pankonin said that of the many awards received during his tenure as mayor, none have made him more proud.
"With these children performing so well at such a young age, I believe the future of the Perham community looks very bright," said Pankonin.
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Heart of the Lakes Elementary school's principal Kim Grengs introduced each member of the HOTL staff, recognizing and honoring them for their tireless dedication to education that has helped to make the school the success that it is.
Teacher Rach honored
Grengs also presented the WEM Teacher Achievement Award to Lance Rach, commending him on his outstanding approach to teaching. When the award was presented to him, the entire audience voiced their appreciation for Rach with a standing ovation.
In addition to the staff, all of the parents, students, and community members were also thanked for their part in making HOTL a school worthy of Blue Ribbon recognition.
Karvonen thanked for
reading trust fund
A special thank you was given to Harley Karvonen and his wife who have provided a generous trust fund for the school to establish special reading classes for students who need additional assistance.
The $50,000 Karvonen Trust provides $3,500 annually for reading programs in the Perham schools. A similar trust was established in New York Mills. A Karvonen Trust Fund was also established for the Perham Park Board.
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Trip to Washington D.C.
Teacher Tracy Hein, who went with Grengs to accept the Blue Ribbon School award in Washington D.C., said how lucky she felt to be able to represent the school at the capitol.
"I felt very honored to be among people who appreciated what we did," she shared.
Slides were shown from their trip to Washington, D.C., including a humorous, photoshopped picture of Hein with President Bush. Following their presentation, the Enrichment Students performed a special celebration skit.
With the evening's events concluded, everyone was invited to enjoy some delicious refreshments. Cupcakes with blue frosting topped off the Blue Ribbon Bash, delectably completing the exciting celebration.
