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RHS Earns Best High School Designation

by Gary Wigdahl

For the second year in a row the Rothsay Secondary School has been honored by U.S. News & World Report magazine as being one of the best secondary schools in the country, quite an honor to be chosen among more than 21,000 high schools in the country.

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Va., earned the designation as being the best high school in the country, according to the magazine.

This is the third year U.S. News & World Report has selected schools for this ranking. Underwood High School has made the magazine's listing all three years. Battle Lake and New York Mills high schools were also selected for the honor this year.

"It's always great to get an award," Mary Donohue Stetz, Rothsay superintendent, told the Fergus Falls Daily Journal, adding, "We strive to be excellent in everything we do."

Donohue Stetz told the Journal Rothsay's small class sizes provide an opportunity for students to connect with their teachers, resulting in a well-rounded education.

"Being small, being personalized allows us to meet the needs of each kid," Donohue Stetz emphasized.

In all, 39 high schools in Minnesota were honored by the designation compared with 48 high schools in the state a year ago.

Rothsay was also one of the smaller high schools in the nation to earn the designation as well, being the 68th smallest high school on the list. Bridgewater High School in Bridgewater, S.D., with an enrollment of 47 was the smallest high school in the nation to earn the coveted ranking. A vast majority of the high schools smaller than Rothsay who made the rankings around the nation are located west of the Mississippi River. Only one smaller Minnesota high school than Rothsay made the rankings--that being Goodridge High School in Goodridge with a secondary enrollment of 90, tied for 50th with smallest enrollment. Rothsay's secondary enrollment was listed as 98.

Another high school earning U.S. News & World Report honors of interest to Rothsay area residents was Granton High School in Granton, Wis., where former Rothsay High School English teacher Lorraine Stokka went to teach after enjoying an extended teaching career here in Rothsay. Lorraine was married to the Rev. Maynard E. Stokka, pastor of the Hamar-Hedemarken Lutheran Parish here from 1962 to 1978. The Rev. Stokka took over a pastorate at Granton after his dedicated service here at Hamar-Hedemarken.

Gary Wigdahl bio
Currently a member of the Rothsay, Carlisle, Foxhome area PARTNERS board and a volunteer at the Rothsay Library Link, Gary Wigdahl is a former award-winning newspaper editor with the "Grant County Herald" at Elbow Lake, Minnesota, and the "Cambridge Star" at Cambridge, Minnesota. He is the author of the centennial history of Rothsay, "Twixt Hill and Prairie: A Century of Challenge in the Rothsay, Minnesota, Area" published in 1982.

Check out the Rothsay Public School website for more information.