2019 in News

2019 has provided a collection of memories for students to cherish. As students take a look back at this year’s wild ride, the transformation of this past year is recognized.

The past year was undoubtedly one of extremes, beginning with one of the worst winters in history. After five late starts, seven snow days and numerous early outs, the infamous polar vortex finally left in March. It also matched the record for Iowa’s record low temperature of -47 degrees Fahrenheit on Jan. 12.

To reschedule the missed school days, administrators got creative by cancelling three early outs, using a make-up day and adding five minutes to each class period for three weeks in March. In addition to the longer school days, a new bell system was put into place for students with slightly different sounds than the previous one.

Amidst the sporadic school schedule, students still managed to excel academically. The science and history bowl teams both won state competitions and qualified for nationals. And, for high achieving students taking a foreign language, a new opportunity was offered: the Seal of Biliteracy. Students could take this world language based test and upon passing, would receive a Seal of Biliteracy on their transcript.

With May came the graduation of the class of 2019 on Memorial Day weekend. While the rest of the school continued class until June 7, their official last day. 

After such a cold winter, it was not long before the extreme heat kicked in. July was officially the hottest month on record, with an average worldwide temperature of 62 degrees. Students found ways to beat the heat over the summer by traveling on vacations, such as the PV volunteer groups that traveled to a Peruvian school run by PV alumni, Daniel Klopp.

Over the summer, changes were made in the administration and teaching departments. Mike Zimmer, former high school principal, was named the new Director of Secondary Education. Darren Erickson filled the role of the new high school principal. Brian Strusz became the new superintendent in place of retired Jim Spelhaug. Three counselors were added to the staff, in place of two that had retired. Additionally, many new teachers were hired as a result of replacing retired positions. 

As students returned to school for the new school year, a district-wide phone policy was enacted, forcing students to ‘park’ their phones in classroom garages during class or keep them in their lockers.

Another policy change came with an improved early out schedule, which included an eighth period and 25 minute class periods. For those without an eighth period class, 11:35 a.m. was the new dismissal time.

The twenty-fifth annual Run with Carl was held in September, in honor of Carl Schillig, a former PV student. Many students attended the event, as runners, volunteers or spectators.

As the trees turned colors, fall brought awards and accolades to the PV district. Senior John Mendelin won IHSPA On-the-Spot writing contest at the fall journalism conference and Catilin Crome took third in the same contest. The Spartan Shield staff won Iowa News Team of the Year for the first time. Finally, Niche and MSN both ranked PVCSD as the top public school district in Iowa.

To contrast the honors Pleasant Valley students received this year, they gave back to their community in various ways. NHS’s annual fundraiser, PV Palooza, raised over one thousand dollars for QC Children’s Therapy Center in April. And in November, PV won the Student Hunger Drive for the third year in a row with 65,000 pounds of food donated. 

During the fall, students probably remember the Iowa vs. Iowa State football game where Iowa State student, Carson King ask for beer money, a sign which quickly turned into a fundraiser of 3 million dollars for the Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. This children’s hospital holds a special place in PV’s heart, as it is the hospital where children of PV faculty have been treated at: Will Kohn (son of Chris Kohn) and Olivia Lux (daughter of Tracy Lux).

Finally, the year came to an end with celebrations of Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah and other numerous holiday traditions. Students were able to enjoy their winter break more, as it was a full two weeks this year, instead of the one and a half weeks that students have had in past years.

2019 was surely an unforgettable year, for both students and staff at PV. Everyone is looking forward to the memories 2020 will bring, as they approach the end of this impactful year.