GFW Schools
| GFW Schools | |
|---|---|
|
Fostering Lifelong Learners in a Caring Environment | |
| Location | |
|
Gibbon, MN (district office) US-MN Gibbon, Minnesota, Sibley, 55335 United States | |
| District information | |
| Type | Public |
| Grades | PK – 12 |
| Established | 1987 |
| Superintendent | Tami Martin |
| Schools |
Elementary (1), Middle (1), High (1) |
| District ID | 2712580 |
| Students and staff | |
| Students | 788 |
| Teachers | 58.56 |
| Staff | 49.23 |
| Student-teacher ratio | 13.46 |
| Athletic conference |
Tomahawk (most sports), Gopher Valley AA (football) |
| District mascot | Thunderbirds |
| Colors |
Red, black, and gold |
| Other information | |
| District Song | Notre Dame Victory March |
| MDE ID | 2365 |
| MSHSL ID | 520 |
| Website | http://www.gfw.k12.mn.us |
GFW Schools is an independent public school district in south central Minnesota. Originally formed to serve the communities of Gibbon, Fairfax and Winthrop, the district has expanded over time to encompasses large portions of other surrounding communities, including:
- Lafayette: GFW sponsors the Lafayette Charter School.[1]
- Brownton and Stewart: GFW absorbed much of the former McLeod County West school district.[2]
Schools
The district consists of three schools (one in each of the original three communities).
| School | Grades | Address | Principal |
|---|---|---|---|
| GFW Elementary School (also the district office) |
K-4 | 323 E. 11th Street Gibbon, MN 55335 |
Jennifer Thompson |
| GFW Middle School | 5–8 | 300 S.E. 2nd Street Fairfax, MN 55332 |
Ralph Fairchils |
| GFW High School | 9–12 | 1001 N. Cottonwood Street Winthrop, MN 55396 |
Bernie Sauter |
School Board
The district's school board consists of six members (two from each of the three communities). The term of office is four years.
Elementary School
The elementary school is located in Gibbon, Minnesota. The district office is also located at the Gibbon site.
Middle School
The middle school is located in Fairfax, Minnesota.
Athletics
At the middle school, the following sports are offered (grades 7 & 8 only):
|
Activities
At the middle school, the following activities are offered:
|
The middle school also periodically produces videos using the name "KGFW".
High School
The high school is located in Winthrop, Minnesota.
Academics
At the high school, the following areas of study are offered:
Note: The numbers in parenthesis show the required credits in each subject. There are a total 15.5 of these "predetermined" credits. |
Four advanced placement courses are offered (Government, Calculus, Literature, and Biology). At the end of these courses students take an exam, and depending on their score they may earn college credits.
School Day
There are 7 periods in a day. Students are required to take classes for 6 of these periods. For the remaining period, students may choose between taking another class, being a teacher's assistant, or taking a study hall.
School Year
There are 2 semesters in a year. Students are awarded 0.5 credits per class, per semester (thus 1 credit is awarded per class, per year).
Graduation Requirements
A total of 24.0 credits are required for graduation. Given that 15.5 credits are already predetermined (per the above table), this leaves 8.5 credits of required electives.
Example schedules that would meet or exceed the graduation requirements include:
- 6 classes per day x 4 years of high school = 24 credits (min possible to graduate)
- 7 classes per day x 4 years of high school = 28 credits (max possible)
Athletics
At the high school, the following sports are offered:
GFW is a member of the Tomahawk conference for all sports except football (which the conference doesn't offer). For football, GFW is a member of the Gopher Valley AA conference.
Activities
At the high school, the following activities are offered:
|
Technology Initiatives
GFW has a rich history of embracing cutting edge technology for the purpose of providing students with the best educational experience possible.
Interactive Cable TV (ICTV) System
Launched in 1985, the Sibley County Interactive Cable TV System was a groundbreaking form of distance education using interactive television that drew national media attention. [4] [5]
iPad Initiative
Launched in 2010, the iPad Initiative made GFW one of the first schools in the nation to provide all of its high school students with iPads. Because of this, it became known as a pioneer in making the switch from physical textbooks to electronic textbooks, and consequently gained local and national press coverage. [6] [7] [8] [9]
For its trailblazing efforts, GFW was awarded the Apple Distinguished School award by Apple for the 2010-2011 school year. [10]
History
GFW was established in 1987 when the towns of Gibbon, Fairfax, and Winthrop agreed to consolidate their school districts due to shrinking enrollments. However, even before the consolidation all three towns were already having to resort to a variety of sharing and pairing agreements to continue to provide services to decreasing numbers of students:
- Gibbon and Winthrop were sharing several classes (mostly math and science related). The F.F.A. chapter was also shared.
- Gibbon, Winthrop, Gaylord, and Arlington were sharing several classes using an ICTV system (see below for details).
- Gibbon and Fairfax were sharing several sports activities, including football, wrestling, and track.
- Winthrop and Gaylord were sharing several sports activities, including football, wrestling, and track.
When they agreed to consolidate, it was decided that:
- The elementary school would be in Gibbon (due to its central location).
- The high school would be in Winthrop (due to its bigger campus).
- The middle school would be in Fairfax.
The existing buildings were retrofitted for their new roles, Winthrop's sports pairing agreement with Gaylord was dissolved, and the ICTV system was phased out. Students at all three schools voted on a new mascot, with the "Thunderbirds" being chosen.
References
- ↑ http://www.nujournal.com/page/content.detail/id/503447/Lafayette-Charter-School.html
- ↑ http://minnesota.publicradio.org/standard/display/project_display.php?proj_identifier=2009/06/08/mcleodschools
- ↑ http://www.nujournal.com/page/content.detail/id/521440.html
- ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/1989/11/05/education/blackboard-just-the-fax.html
- ↑ http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Fax+and+TV+team+up+in+remote+classroom+learning+program.-a010577461
- ↑ http://mankatofreepress.com/local/x993495148/GFW-students-to-get-iPads
- ↑ http://www.nujournal.com/page/content.detail/id/512977.html
- ↑ http://mankatofreepress.com/local/x213892911/At-GFW-its-iPads-for-all
- ↑ http://www.nujournal.com/page/content.detail/id/523011.html
- ↑ http://wth.stparchive.com/Archive/WTH/WTH03022011P09.php