Dorchester Times: Superintendent Plans To Grow DPS Student Enrollment; Asks For Community Help

Friday, August 11, 2017

Superintendent Plans To Grow DPS Student Enrollment; Asks For Community Help

Today, we feature another editorial from Daryl Schrunk, who gives his thoughts on Dorchester and its school after a year on the job. Mr. Schrunk took over as superintendent of Dorchester's K-12 school at the start of the 2016-2017 school year.

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I feel honored and blessed to be in my second year serving Dorchester Public School as superintendent. I want to thank all the students, parents, staff, board and patrons for all your support. I look forward to another year committed to offering a quality education with many opportunities for our students in grades PK-12.

The district hired Spencer Kotas as 7th and 8th grade math/science teacher; Alison Nickel as preschool teacher; Leanne Josoff as preschool para; and Kim Petrzilka as head cook. I would encourage everyone to take some time to introduce yourself and welcome them to the district.

K-12 enrollment for 2017-18 is projected to mirror 2016-17 (approximately 170 students). It is good to at least maintain similar numbers as last year. However, we are still down quite a few students from just a few years ago (185-190 students). Although, I am encouraged by the projected future enrollment from our Census report, I believe we must continue to seek ways to increase enrollment.

One of my goals last year was to start a school-based preschool. As you know, we were fortunate to get a three-year grant from Nebraska Department of Education. I am very excited for this opportunity for our community. However, it is just a piece of the puzzle to increase and maintain enrollment.

Like I have stated before (in previous articles), my goal is to average 15-16 students per grade level, which would give us a K-12 enrollment of 195-208 students. One of my superintendent goals that I have presented to the board of education is to increase enrollment with these plans:

Seek option enrollment students (explore marketing opportunities).
Not losing students opting into other districts.
Students who have opted out return to district.
Lots of conversations have been taking place around the community. I sense movement in housing development taking place, which is good for the school and community.

Lastly, I would like to take this opportunity to thank and recognize the Dorchester Board of Education. They are very committed to providing Dorchester children with a quality education, yet being mindful and prudent with taxpayer’s money.

A huge goal of their's is to "maintain clean, safe, attractive facilities that foster a positive learning environment." We are fortunate to have such a beautiful facility, but we must continue to replace and repair things in a timely manner. The board has also recently approved the purchase of more technology for the students using various grant funds.

This year's DPS Board of Education is comprised of the following individuals: Matt Hansen, Carol Schnell, Mike Hatfield, Kelli Schweitzer, Neal Pavlish and Steve Vyhnalek.

Here’s to a successful, safe school year for our students and staff!

Daryl Schrunk

Superintendent
(402) 946-2781

dschrunk@dorchesterschool.org

Dorchester offers a quality education, supportive staff, new facilities, advanced technology and many opportunities for students in grades pre-Kindergarten through grade 12. At Dorchester, every student truly matters.

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Dorchester: A Good Little Family Town

Dorchester, Nebraska (est. population 630) is located in northern Saline county. Close in proximity to Interstate 80, Dorchester is only 25 minutes from the state capital of Lincoln (est. population 250,000) and about 55 minutes from Omaha (metro population 725,000).

Dorchester's median resident age is 37 years. In 2005, Dorchester had a median family income of approximately $35,600. The median house value was about $63,000. About 95 percent of Dorchester residents commute to work via Interstate and highways.

The village has a quality public school, which received a $4.1 million expansion and modernization in 2008; it offers a small classrooms and individualized attention. Total enrollment of grades K-12 is around 230-250 students.

Ancestries of the Dorchester area are primarily German (42.4%), Czech (24.9%), Irish (12.5%), English (5.4%), and Dutch (4.9%).

Dorchester Historical Facts

* On July 4, 1871, the railroad reached Dorchester.
* Incorporated in 1881, Dorchester's population grew from 200 to 500 by 1882.
* In 1882, Dorchester had 90 buildings, 35 of which were businesses or public facilities. Brick buildings lined both sides of Washington Avenue for two blocks.
* Dorchester's longest-running newspaper was The Dorchester Star, which was published until the late 1940s.
* By 1889, Dorchester's population is said to have reached 800, while the town housed an opera house, a two-story brick schoolhouse with a bell tower, and four churches.
* By the 1910s, Dorchester had electricity, a water tower and a fire department.
* Dorchester's main arteries, Highways 6 and 33, were graveled in the 1940s.
* Dorchester's first irrigation well was drilled on Chris Weber's farm and rural electrification was finished following WWII.

A Village with History

Dorchester is one of the "alphabet towns" on the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad line built west from Lincoln. The town site was selected for its pleasant location in the northern part of Saline County, about eight miles west of Crete. This situation is an attractive one, being on the level prairie land, midway between the West Blue River and Turkey Creek. The first named stream is three miles north, and the latter about the same distance south from the town. Dorchester was platted in 1870 and incorporated in 1881. The name "Dorchester" came from either for a suburb of Boston by that name or a town in England. No one is sure. Two of the very first settlers were James Seely and Edward McIntyre, who both made Dorchester their permanent home.

Dorchester: In The Beginning

Here is a look at Dorchester around 1890, less than a decade after its official incorporation, as documented by Andreas' History of the State of Nebraska:
* POPULATION: "About 300, and is made up of a substantial and progressive class of citizens, who are moral and industrious. ... The town grew but very little until the year 1879, for the reason that Pleasant Hill, on Turkey Creek, a short distance south, was the county seat and naturally drew a trade for quite a large scope of country."
* BUSINESS: "The business and professional interests of the town are represented by three general merchandise stores, two drug, one grocery, one furniture, two hardware, and two millinery stores, one bank, two restaurants, two hotels, three livery stables, a post office, one newspaper office, two elevators, two lumber yards, two coal yards, two blacksmith shops, two lawyers and four physicians."
* SCHOOL: "The schoolhouse is a good one. The schoolhouse was built in 1872, since which time the public schools have been continually kept up. The present schoolhouse is 24' x 40' in size, two stories high. The school is graded and consists of three departments. The house is found too small, and arrangements will soon be made to increase its size."
* CHURCHES: "There are three substantial churches."
* HOMES: "The residence portion of the village is made up of neat houses of different styles of architecture, but none of them very large."
* NEWSPAPER: "The Dorchester Star, which was established August 21, 1881, by H. C. Bittenbender, who edited it until January 19, 1882, when he sold it to Ryerson & Bullock, the present proprietors. The Star is a bright weekly paper, five-column quarto, in size, and is Republican in politics."