ABOVE: Fairmont students in grades 6-8 on stage Monday evening during rehearsal for “Stone Dragon Stew” which will show this week at the Performing Arts Center at Fairmont High School. There are 21 students in the junior high production.

FAIRMONT– On Tuesday evening the Fairmont School Board heard about the upcoming Junior High Play, “Stone Dragon Stew,” which is being directed by teachers Sara Gudahl and Molly Bleess.

Gudahl said that for the second year in a row, they are combining elementary and middle school students with junior high students, making it a 6th-8th grade production. There are 21 students in the play.

“I teach high school mostly so I don’t get to be around 6th, 7th or 8th graders during the day so this has been the delight of my winter. I can’t even tell you how much fun this has been,” Gudahl said.

She talked about how excited the students have been to work on the production and pointed out that it’s 100 percent student-produced.

“These kids are fully running the show. The amount of learning that has happened over the last six weeks has been truly impressive,” Gudahl said.

The show is a retelling of a classic children story and lasts about 30 minutes. There will be a performance today at 9 a.m. for Fairmont elementary students grades K through 2 and the show will be open to the public at 7 p.m. on Thursday and Friday in the Performing Arts Center at Fairmont High School. There is no cost to see the show.

Superintendent Andy Traetow said, “It’s great to see a theater program for our performing arts. We started it a handful of years ago, to have a junior high play. All of our sports have junior high activities. Our band, choir and orchestra have always started in 5th grade so now for our performers on stage to have this in their junior high years is huge for our program,” Traetow said.

In his report to the board, Traetow touched on some buildings and grounds projects and noted that the softball field house along Prairie Avenue is coming along and is expected to be complete in March.

“Our gymnasium floor resurfacing project is estimated just under budget, which is always good news. A final floor plan is currently being decided on,” Traetow said.

Lastly, he said that final quotes for the Fairmont Elementary School east playground have been gathered and that the district will be using some remaining ESSER funds for the project.

Traetow also gave a brief activities update and said that two more school districts will be added to the Big South Conference so beginning in the 2024-25 school year there will be 15 member school districts.

In other news, the board:

— Accepted a grant from the Youth Foundation in the amount of $584 for the high school weightlifting program.

— Approved the retirement of Judy Kopischke, long-time superintendent’s administrative assistant, effective June 30, 2024.

— Approved the employment of Mary Cole as a student accounting technician and Stacy Bailey as a long-term substitute teacher.

— Approved a two-year contract for Education Minnesota Fairmont for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years.

— Approved a two-year contract for the CER Director for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years.

— Approved a two-year contract for the Community Outreach Liaison for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years.

— Was recognized for School Board Member Appreciation Month and each member was given a magnet in the shape of the state of Minnesota made by members of the high school arts department and cards made by 6th grade art students