Most of the students in the Hampton-Dumont High School Carpentry Fundamentals class can tie their interest in construction to their childhood.
For senior Michael Sosa, it’s memories of watching his father, a mechanic, work on vehicles and seeing construction progress on new hotels and buildings.

Michelle Giddings’ 32 years in the Franklin County Auditor’s Office prepared her for one of her toughest – and last – challenges.

A new round of COVID-19 related suggestions and recommendations passed down by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds last Monday have led to spectator restrictions at Hampton-Dumont-CAL High School events.
Per the Governor’s mandate, crowds at sporting events are limited to two spectators per athlete participating in the event.

The recently released certified enrollment numbers reflect a significant decline in students at Hampton-Dumont schools.
Certified enrollment, used to calculate funding for each district with the Iowa School Finance Formula, shows both the number of school eligible students living in a community and the amount of those students who attend that community’s school.

Weather watching in hopes of a snow day this year may not be the same for students at Hampton-Dumont and CAL schools.
The districts this year announced that classes will be conducted via distance learning should inclement weather prevent in-person learning.
Superintendent Todd Lettow said that the decision was made, in part, to not add to the interruptions already made the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fuzzy friends give CAL students lovable lessons in responsibility.
Earlier this year, three CAL classes welcomed guinea pigs to the classroom as a reward for meeting Positive Behavioral and Intervention Supports (PBIS) goals. PBIS challenges students in a number of areas, including respect and responsibility, in order to make school a friendlier environment for staff and fellow students.

Speaking to a mostly online audience last Wednesday, Hampton-Dumont Superintendent Todd Lettow reflected on stories he was told as a child.
Stories such as his uncle’s service in Vietnam and his great uncle’s experience as a paratrooper, Lettow said, are why Veterans Day is an important holiday to not only those who served in the United States Military, but the friends and family members of those who battled at home and overseas.

After nearly two months of onsite learning, Hampton-Dumont and CAL schools will switch back to a hybrid model until further notice.
Last Friday, the districts announced the change from onsite learning to the hybrid model, which was used at the beginning of the school year for the first few weeks.

Franklin County voters took to the mail and polls in record numbers in the Tuesday, Nov. 3 General Election.
Michelle Giddings, Franklin County Auditor, said voter turnout for the 2020 election hit 77.43 percent of registered voters in Franklin County, eclipsing the 2016 mark of 70.12 percent.

New faces were chosen last Tuesday to take over positions long held by incumbents.

The Hampton-Dumont and CAL Community School Districts will remain fully on-site but school officials are keeping an eye on rising COVID-19 cases in the area.
Superintendent Todd Lettow said cases within the buildings have remained low enough and without proven spread where administration felt comfortable to remain in the on-site model.

This year’s Hampton-Dumont-CAL fall production combines the stage and screen into one night.
This weekend, the H-D-CAL drama department will present a live performance of Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest,” a comedy set in Victorian London.
Prior to the live play will be two recorded Carol Barnett comedy sketches.

Construction on three bridges in the Rockwell area is drawing to an end.
Pete Hjelmstad, field services coordinator with the Iowa Department of Transportation, said the three bridge replacement projects on Highway 65 through Rockwell “remain on schedule” for later this month.
“We’re still looking at mid- to late-November,” he said, regarding a completion date.

Local agricultural professionals recently gave area students a look into the ins-and-outs of the industry.
In celebration of American Education Week last month, Franklin County Farm Bureau and North Central Iowa Ag in the Classroom sponsored a series of Farm-Chats, which brought area farmers into the classroom via livestream.

Local 4-H chapters are teaming together to collect food for those in need and are asking for the public’s help.
Throughout the state, chapters in all 99 counties are working to raise 10,000 non-perishable food items to donate to food banks in communities across Iowa.