Our Communities |
|
 |
|
|
Administrators |
On the banks of the Mississippi River there is a place called St. Cloud, Minnesota. It's a place where education is a top priority, a place where families and educators work together to give children Old Society values and New Economy skills. Family is the glue that binds our nine communities. Working hand-in-hand with families is St. Cloud Area School District 742, Central Minnesota's biggest and best public school district. Our caring and committed staff provides learning for a lifetime to a diverse population of students. Our licensed staff -- 67 percent of whom hold advanced degrees --proudly shares the gift of education to more than 9,000 students each school day. Greater St. Cloud is the fastest-growing metropolitan area in Minnesota and serves as the commercial hub for more than 190,000 people. Industry is dominated by printing, granite fabrication and lens manufacturing. The retail sector, which serves Central and West Central Minnesota, is highlighted by a 119-store shopping center. Minnesota's dairy belt is centered in Stearns and Benton counties, where milk flows from 240-acre farms to massive cheese plants. St. Cloud Hospital provides a complete range of services to a 12-county region. St. Cloud State University, with an enrollment of nearly 15,000 students, is the largest of five local colleges. District 742 residents enjoy the best of three worlds: metropolitan services, small-town conveniences and rural resources. An hour southeast of St. Cloud is Minneapolis-St. Paul, which offers world-class cultural, medical, educational, sporting and shopping opportunities. Just outside St. Cloud there are eight small communities, each with something unique to offer -- an historic church, a special restaurant, a renowned community festival. Between our communities lie fields, woods, lakes and marshes. Outdoor activities, including fishing, hunting, boating, swimming and skiing, begin in our backyard and extend north to the Canadian border. It's the very setting described by Minnesota author Garrison Keillor in the December 2000 issue of National Geographic magazine. Like Keillor's fictional Lake Wobegon, District 742 is as warm and welcoming as the wood-burning stove in our turn-of-the-century Meyer School House. At the same time, District 742 is as progressive as the satellite dishes atop our Media Services building and the distance-learning ITV rooms in our high schools. Blending Old Society values and New Economy skills isn't easy. But we've done it. Our focus on teaching and learning insures that the magical dialogue between students and teachers informs every decision we make. That's how we do it in a place called St. Cloud. |
 |
|
|
|
