Michael Appel has been named the new head varsity boys basketball coach at Marshalltown High School.

The current MHS special education teacher is a 2009 MHS graduate, where he was a two-time all-conference CIML selection in basketball and part of the 2008 Bobcat state basketball qualifying team.

He played basketball at Marshalltown Community College and Southwest Minnesota State University, where he was a 2014 graduate. He has coached as an assistant at MCC and MHS.

“This is kind of my dream job here as I’ve got a lot of passion for Marshalltown High School sports,” Appel said. “I’m excited to get things rolling here. I think there’s a lot of kids in the community that have a passion for the game.”

Meeting open to public to learn more
about job opportunities in transportation
with Marshalltown Schools

The Marshalltown Community School District will hold an informational meeting for those wanting to learn more about becoming a bus driver with the district from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 28 at the Marshalltown Public Library.

The meeting will be held in cafe room and will be an informal way to learn more about bus driver and bus monitor opportunities. Visitors can meet with our new transportation director, Rex Kozak, at this come-and-go event.

Starting wage for bus drivers is $20.96 an hour while bus monitors start at $9.90 an hour in the district. The district has continued openings for both bus drivers and monitors.

These are perfect jobs for those who are retired or those looking to earn some extra money. The Marshalltown Public Library is located at 105 West Boone Street.

For more information on bus driving opportunities call Rex Kozak at the Marshalltown Schools transportation department at 641-754-1195.

Kobe Sandoval, a 2017 Marshalltown High School graduate, is participating in a summer dance program in Los Angeles known as LA Cultural Exchange.

Story written by Samantha Edwards, volunteer writer

Kobe Sandoval is a Marshalltown High School graduate doing a dance program in Los Angeles as part of the LA Cultural Exchange program.

She participated in the summer program in 2017 and will be heading back to LA this summer as a dance captain. She will be guiding dance students around the LA area along with taking dance classes while she is out there. Her goal is to get to LA full time to dance. She will have room and board, airfare and dance classes included in the dance experience for this summer.

“I will be going to Los Angeles and essentially dancing the entire time I am there,” she said. “I’m going specifically as their dance captain, so I will be showing the kids around and taking classes with them.”

There are a wide range of classes from ballet to hip-hop. Kobe enthusiastically said hip hop classes are her favorite by far and said taking dance classes “is the best feeling in the world.”

Kobe Sandoval

Kobe graduated from MHS in 2017. She will be attending an online college in Colorado named Front Range this fall.  MHS helped her get ready for college by “giving me the opportunity to experience and try different classes, like electives,” she said. “It was a variety of different areas and classes just to see and get a feel for what different career paths there are.”

She said her favorite class was AP psychology at MHS.  Psychology will be her major at her online college, then she plans to double major in psychology and dance at a university.

When asked what she would tell future students at MHS, she said, “take as many college classes as you can. Take advantage of that opportunity (since) those classes are free.”

Her aspirations for the future are to become a well-known professional dancer or be a psychologist. Kobe knows that those are two different areas but explains those are the main goals. She currently lives in West Des Moines, but if given the opportunity to teach dance, she would like to be in LA.

It all started for her in Marshalltown. Kobe proudly said, “there was a lot of support [at MHS], teachers were great help and were not willing to give up on their students, which was great because teachers were there for you.”

Samantha Edwards

Volunteer writer Samantha Edwards is a 2006 graduate of Marshalltown High School.

Receiving the Friend of the School award from MHS Activities Director Rollie Ackerman, right, on July 3 were Tim and Angie Kuehner (top photo) and Kraig Lageschulte, accepting on behalf of his dad Kevin Lageschulte. (Photos by Anne Vance)

Three big supporters of Marshalltown athletics were honored with the Iowa High School Athletic Association Friend of the School award on July 3.

Marshalltown High School Activities Director Rollie Ackerman presented the awards to Tim and Angie Kuehner and Kevin Lageschulte (accepted by his son, Kraig Lageschulte).

The IHSAA provides the Friend of the School award to allow schools to honor individuals who support school activities in their respective district and enjoys working on behalf of students.

Kevin Lageschulte

Kevin Lageschulte

Kevin is a longtime Bobcat supporter of track, wrestling and cross country. He has volunteered for over 25 years as a finish line clerk, home wrestling meet announcer and cross country course manager.

According to Bobcat wrestling coach Mike Mann, one would be hard pressed to find someone more truly dedicated to Bobcat athletics.

“For someone to serve voluntarily like that for more than 25 years – that is true dedication to the sport – he is doing something that he loves to do,” Mann said. “Kevin is especially appreciated by Bobcat wrestling nation.”

Tim and Angie Kuehner
Tim Kuehner has been a long time baseball advocate for this community and has orchestrated very successful city youth and little league programs. Angie Kuehner just finished her term as president of the Bobcat Booster Club and in her final year of service generated more than $50,000 for the MHS athletic programs and student support.

“It’s impossible to calculate the number of young people in our community that the Kuehners have helped,” said MHS varsity baseball coach Steve Hanson. “Their efforts have directly impacted high school programs and made the baseball experience at MHS a better one for anyone who has had the privilege of putting on a Bobcat uniform.”

Tim and Angie’s son Tate is a current Bobcat baseball player and daughter Chloe is a 2014 MHS graduate currently attending the School of Law at Creighton University.

“My parents are very humble and would downplay what they do in the community, but I’m so proud of the work they do,” Tate said. “They try to make a difference in the numerous organizations they are involved in, and are great role models for me and my sister.”

Marshalltown High School staff who instructed during the extended semester in June include, from left, Rob Griffin, Mary Borton, Lynne Diggins, Nancy Sills, Laurie Rink, Peter Nieland, Rebecca Erickson and Scott Johannes. The staff would tally semester credits earned by students, with a final figure expected to be more than 200.

The three-week extended semester summer program at Marshalltown High School has been a success with more than 200 semester credits earned by students.

The summer program is a way for students to catch up on credits. More than 170 MHS students from every grade level took advantage of the opportunity as several staff kept the instruction going from June 11 to 29.

“It’s just really rewarding to know that we are helping students,” said MHS teacher and program facilitator Laurie Rink. “It could be the difference between graduating and not graduating for some.”

Those students who were able to earn their diploma through this program will graduate in a special ceremony at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, June 29 at the Orpheum Theater.

Chloe Kuehner, a 2014 Marshalltown High School graduate, recently graduated from the University of Nebraska Omaha. Next up is law school at Creighton University.

2014 MHS graduate enrolls at Creighton University

Chloe Kuehner doesn’t back away from a challenge.

After graduating from the University of Nebraska Omaha with a 3.99 grade point average and a degree in Communication and Media Studies this past May, she now plans to attend the School of Law at Creighton University, also in Omaha.

The daughter of Tim and Angie Kuehner graduated from Marshalltown High School in 2014.

She has yet to pinpoint what job she wants to zero in on after receiving that law degree, but hopes to somehow be able to help people in her career.

“I want to find something I’m passionate about and keep an open mind,” Kuehner said. “I think a law degree can be useful in quite a few different jobs.”

Chloe with a conference swimming team runner-up plaque.

She received the 2018 School of Communication Outstanding Communications Studies Undergraduate Award while at UNO, while also participating on the UNO swim team for four years. She was a four-time state meet qualifier while swimming at Marshalltown High School before becoming a collegiate athlete in the pool.

MHS girls swimming coach Angie Nelson remembers Chloe as a talented swimmer who had a great attitude.

“She was extremely dedicated to the sport and was a very hard worker,” Nelson said. “She spent many hours training and learning all she could about how to improve, how to gain an edge and how to excel –  just as she has in her young life with her other endeavors. She was a pleasure to coach, fun to watch develop as an athlete and a great example of hard work and desire equals success.”

Chloe also had a passion for writing at MHS, which was spurred on by writing for the student newspaper “Pebbles” and her English teachers at the school.

“It was a good foundation,” she said.

Kuehner also is very appreciative of being exposed to the diverse student population in Marshalltown.

“I think that really prepared me for what the world is really like,” Kuehner said. “It really expands your world.”

Chloe said she loves to come back to Marshalltown and attend her brother Tate’s baseball games and visit with the MHS staff who helped her along the way.

“They truly do care about you,” she said of the MHS staff.

She starts law school in mid-August and she is ready to keep learning.

“I’m excited for that next step,” Kuehner said.

Amanda Noriega, right, provided two days of training for dual language staff at Marshalltown Schools on June 12 and 13.

Marshalltown Schools dual language teaching staff participated in two days of training on June 12 and 13.

The training, conducted completely in Spanish, was presented by Amanda Noriega from the Center for Applied Linguistics based in Washington DC. The training focused on literacy instruction.

“She has a lot of experience with dual language, specifically with teaching Spanish,” said Woodbury Elementary School Principal Anel Garza.

Also participating in the training were staff from the West Liberty School District.

Marshalltown is a state leader in providing dual language programs for students, starting with the kindergarten level at Woodbury Elementary School.