progress: SPORTS & EDUCATION
C2
CHARLES CITY PRESS | WWW.CHARLESCITYPRESS.COM | TUESDAY, MARCH 25, 2025
ness and service. Kids are also painting kindness rocks and adding them to the garden. “It was a very nice ges- ture and we appreciate it very much,” Field said. Another project being worked on outside the school is the addition of a new play- ground to replace the current K-6 playground. “We’d like to raise money to do that. That’s a big, big long term goal,” said Field. “We’d like to have that up, not just for the kids but for the community, so we’re really, really trying to push to get that done.” FIELD SAID SHE HOPE s the playground will feature slides, a zip line, balance beams and a jungle gym. A padding founda- tion is expected to replace the wood chips the current play- ground uses. Field also wants the playground to have some lighting features. From an administrative per- spective, things are looking good, with attendance staying strong throughout the year and the state’s Education Savings Account Program focused on providing extra support for teacher pay, she said. “Attendance has been pretty good. We’ve had some tardies, but attendance has overall been
pretty good,” said Field. There have also been several additions to the staff. “We’ve hired a full-time so- cial worker, Sherry Hadley. We shared one with St. Joseph’s in New Hampton and had her two days a week, and now we have one every day,” said Field. “We had a receptionist hired so our current secretary can move into an administrative assistant role. The receptionist will be bi-lingual, so that’s a big plus for us.” Field also said that Brenda Burnight was brought on to teach fi fth and sixth grade as well as math and science, and Jenna Dotzler was hired as an aide for fi rst and second grade. On the whole, Field said she was happy with the direction the school is going and with Immaculate Conception’s posi- tive relationship with the com- munity, and hopes to continue helping her students to succeed. “I hope that all children feel valued and that the community of Charles City works togeth- er to be thriving,” said Field. “I think we have a really good working relationship with the community and I want that to continue, and I want our kids to excel and go out and do won- derful things in service, faith, kindness and scholarship.”
The kids will have another op- portunity to make Field’s life dif fi cult if they meet their sec- ond reading milestone. “They had a second goal of getting us to camp out in the school. Not the kids, the staff,” said Field. “So I would camp out and any staff member that wanted and we’d have a paja- ma day the next day. We hav- en’t quite met that goal, either.” Something else the chil- dren had an opportunity to get involved in was the Kindness Garden outside the school. Originally a memorial garden for Thomas Mayer, an Immac- ulate Conception student who passed away from cancer in 2006, it was restored by Duane and Mary Tresch and their kids Travis Tresch and Kristy Wilde. The Tresch family re-rocked the area turned it into a Kind- ness Garden, said Field. “The kids are painting kind- ness rocks and they put them out there periodically and it’s in memory of Thomas Mayer. The Tresch family put rocks in the garden that have the school’s core values etched on them – faith, scholarship, kind- I.C. Continued from page C1
Young Comets endured growing pains in 2024 Press photo by John Burbridge Charles City catcher Carter Cajthaml takes a relay throw during a play at the plate involving New Hampton’s Ben Gilbert last season. During his freshman season, Cajthaml led the Comets in multiple offensive categories but has since transferred to NH.
Tap • Ballet Jazz • Lyrical Production 3 years and older “Where Tutu’s Twirl and Toes are Tapping!”
By John Burbridge sports@charlescitypress.com
He even pitched a fi ve-inning no-hitter against Crestwood while nursing a broken thumb on his glove hand, which forced him to yield his starting catch- ing duties to McInroy and soph- omore Deontae Roe, the latter of whom threw out a team-high fi ve base runners from behind the plate. Unfortunately for the young Comets, who experienced some growing pains last season at the varsity level and fi nished with an overall record of 3-23, Ca- jthaml has transferred to New Hampton. But Charles City hasn’t lost all of its talented freshmen from
last season. Noah White, who threw his share of strikes with the Com- et bowling team his freshman year while placing runner-up at the Class 1A State Bowling Individual Tournament, contin- ued to fi nd the strike zone on the mound as he led the Comet pitching staff in strikeouts (47) in 37 2/3 innings pitched. Then eighth-grader Mathi- as O’Brien was the Comets’ co-leader in runs batted in (10) with McInroy. McInroy also led the Com- ets in stolen bases as he was successful in all nine of his at- tempts.
As the late, great Al McGuire would often say, “The best thing about freshmen is that they be- come sophomores.” But that’s only if they return to your team for their sopho- more seasons. Last baseball season, then freshman Carter Cajthaml led the Charles City Comets in a bevy of categories including batting average (.297), on-base percentage (.477), runs scored (12) and bases on balls (20), and was the team’s co-leader in hits (19) with then sophomore Hold- en McInroy.
Registration opens April 1st TIFFANY PERRY, INSTRUCTOR 20 YEARS EXPERIENCE - “CERTIFIED BY TEST TO TEACH” www.dacdance.com danceartscentre@outlook.com 506 Clark St., Charles City, IA Serving you for 33 years!
Our staff of professionals utilize the very latest in therapeutic techniques to create a customized plan of care to either prevent a condition from occurring or get you back to doing the things you like to do. Focused One on One Care. From Professionals You Know!
! "
!
!
$
In our ever-changing world, we know how many options you have, and we want to express our sincere gratitude for your patronage. We will continue to strive for excellence in service and quality to offer you an exceptional shopping experience. The relationships we have built with customers like you over the past 30 years is priceless. We look forward to continuing the tradition of dressing men and women well for many more years to come. Scott & Susan Moorman Stay Safe & God Bless!
Men’s, Women’s, Big & Tall & Tuxedos Expert On-site Tailoring
"
#
Now Carrying Downtown Mason City 1 South Federal Ave. 641-423-5222
Downtown Ames 226 Main St. 515-232-3261
Floyd County Medical Center 800 11th Street, Charles City, IA 641.228.6344 • Hours: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Only Men’s & Women’s Store You Will Ever Need
Mon., Tues., Wed., Fri. 9:00-5:30 Thurs. 9:00-7:00 • Sat. 9:00-4:00
www.CharlesCityPhysicalTherapy.com Veteran, and Locally Owned for over 50 Years
info@moormanclothiers.com
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator