st. cloud schools

The St. Cloud area school board approved a Tech and Apollo boys hockey co-op on Thursday night. The combination of the teams will be in place for at least two years. Apollo and Tech boys hockey will be combined into one class AA team.

The St. Cloud area school district approved a two year salary increase for school bus drivers on Wednesday night. The settlement calls for a 2.9 percent salary increase in the first year and a new starting rate of pay of $14.00 an hour.

District officials are sifting through ideas after receiving over 50 suggestions for a future Tech High School activities logo. The goal is to create one that will give the school a consistent brand.

Graduation numbers are up for St. Cloud area schools, according to numbers released by the Minnesota Department of Education. Despite the good news, the district is still behind statewide numbers. The District 742 aggregate graduation rate is 72.03 percent.

Last week we told you about students at a St. Paul elementary school who won't be exchanging valentines or candy this year. Locally, St. Cloud area schools still allow students to exchange cards on Valentine's Day. However, District spokeswoman Tami DeLand says the card giving is not focused on the holiday in an effort to include students of all cultures.

Discovery Elementary principal Tammy Wilson was shocked last year while searching through the school media center. She couldn't find any book with a main character her Somali students could fully relate to. This realization sparked Wilson to write "Through My Eyes".

There was over $8,600 in student school lunch debt in the St. Cloud area school district last year. School lunch debt was brought into state news headlines earlier this month when it was revealed that the Anoka-Hennepin school district was resorting to debt collectors to recover $160,000 worth of overdue lunch money.

The District 742 Local Education and Activities Foundation (LEAF) is awarding $24,667 during it's fall activity funds granting cycle. Every year, LEAF awards supplemental money to academic, activities, arts and athletic programs.

A new principal has taken over at Madison Elementary in St. Cloud. Jean Clark is now principal and replaces Travis Okerlund, who has been reassigned as assistant principal at North Junior High in St. Cloud.

A pair of St. Cloud hip-hop artists have created a powerful music video to raise awareness about the growing problem of bullying. The hip hop group Cloud City Boyz and singer Janey Neal created the song for bullying awareness month in October. Students from South Junior High in St. Cloud sing the chorus in the song as well as participate in the music video.