Goldenvale Middle School serves grades 6 through 8 — about 270 students, four sections to a grade, everyone knowing everyone by the second week of September. First bell is at 8:05.
Sixth grade keeps one main classroom teacher for most subjects, which makes the landing from elementary a little softer. Seventh and eighth rotate through their core subjects as a section — same twenty-two faces all day, different rooms.
The Office
| Principal | Mr. Arne Haugen — thirty-one years in the district and counting |
|---|---|
| Vice Principal | Ms. Diane Mercer |
| Front Office | Ms. Farrow — who knows every student by name and does not need to check the file |
The office handles attendance, visitors, forgotten lunches, and forgotten trombones. Please call through the district line or stop in — the door is the one under the clock.
Faculty
| English / Language Arts | Ms. Koski |
|---|---|
| Mathematics | Mr. Rask |
| Science | Mr. Garrett |
| Social Studies & Local History | Mr. Aune |
| Physical Education & Health | Mr. Wirtanen |
| Band | Mr. Bauer (shared with the high school — if you pass him on the road mid-morning, that is why) |
| Art | Ms. Zimmer (Mon / Wed / Fri; the art room is open at lunch) |
| Industrial Tech | Mr. Ness |
And Mr. Bemis, head custodian, who has kept the building running for thirty years and knows it better than the blueprints do.
Heritage Day
Every year Mr. Aune’s social studies classes put on Heritage Day — projects on Cass County and Goldenvale history, displayed in the gym for the whole town. Mr. Harold Thompson attends every year, as he has for as long as anyone can remember, and stays until the last student has walked him through their project. If your family has old photographs, letters, or stories of the town, the school would love to borrow them (carefully) in the spring.
Lunch
The menu runs on a four-week cycle posted outside the cafeteria. Thursday is hotdish Thursday. It has been hotdish Thursday for a very long time, and the one year they tried to change it is remembered.
School announcements run in the Goldenvale Dispatch and on the News & Notices page.