Dedication Ceremony

It will be held on Monday 5-24-2021 at 3:00 PM at the Gym at the Middle/High School at 18997 Hwy 59, Oakland, IA.  A reception will follow the ceremony in the Commons Area Sponsored by the Booster Club.

Event Protocol

• Public is Welcome
• If you currently have any COVID-19 Symptoms or have been in contact with anyone with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis in the last 14 days—Please access the Live Stream to view the event

• You are encouraged to maintain social distancing (Three-Six Feet) with others in the building.
• You are NOT required to wear a face covering-Personal Choice
• The event will be Live Streamed

CLARK CHRISTENSEN ACADEMIC WING

Riverside Middle/High School

Clark Christensen served in various finance leadership roles in his 25-year career at The Coca-Cola Company.  He held the leading Senior Finance role for the Company’s Global Technology Organization; Senior Finance Leader for Global Procurement; Chief Financial Officer of the Moscow based bottling operations; European Division Finance Planning Leader in London; and International Internal Auditor where Clark had the opportunity to live and work in 17 countries.  He also has served as Chief Financial Officer for three other privately held companies. Clark was inducted into the Riverside Hall of Fame – Class of 2018 – as a Distinguished Graduate – Oakland Class of 1981.

Mr. Christensen joined the Deloitte accounting firm in Houston, Texas, following his graduation from The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) in May 1985, where he gave the Student Address at the Graduation Ceremony.   He is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Texas and has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting from UNI.

Clark graduated from Oakland High School in 1981.  While in Oakland, Clark was a lifeguard at the Oakland Swimming Pool for six years and Pool Manager for four of those years.  He was born in Council Bluffs and began living in Oakland’s, ‘Eckels Addition’, then moved to a farm, and finally back into Oakland at 309 Hill Street. Clark is the oldest of three brothers (Dana & Chad) and son to Dr Walter Christensen (deceased) and Maureen Oster and his second Dad, Larry Oster.  Clark and his wife Tamsen live in Atlanta, Georgia and they enjoy travelling, having visited well over 60 countries.

Clark has never lost sight of his roots and continues to give freely of his time, interest, support, and resources to the Riverside School District and to the communities. It has always been important to give back and to pay forward for him.  Clark frequently credits his learning experiences at school and in the communities as the bedrock of his successes.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. If you needed help, would you know where to turn? According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one in five adults experience mental illness each year. Demi Johnson, behavioral health program specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, says there are warning signs you may notice in yourself or others that indicate a need to seek help. Those signs include a drastic change in mood, behavior or personality; an increase in substance use; or ongoing difficulty in sleeping. Moreover, someone may be overwhelmed with intense worries or concerns that get in the way of daily activities.

For more information from Demi Johnson, visit Help a Friend or Yourself through a Mental Health Challenge/ News (iastate.edu)

Iowa Concern Hotline

Iowa Concern is a program of the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. The program began in 1985 as a toll-free number serving the agricultural community. Today, Iowa Concern serves both urban and rural Iowans. Iowa Concern services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days per week at no cost.

Iowa Concern has access to an attorney for legal education, stress counselors and information and referral services for a wide variety of topics.

Contact the Hotline-toll free at 1-800-447-1985

(Radio Iowa_ One of the bills to clear the Iowa legislature in its final week raises the penalty for rioting to a felony. Representative Jarad Klein, a Republican from Keota, says the bill sends a clear message. “Peaceful protesting is a great and wonderful thing, so many positive results have happened in our country as a result of peaceful protesting, but violence cannot and will not be tolerated in the state of Iowa.”

The bill also provides police qualified immunity to shield them from being held personally liable for most on-duty actions. Governor Reynolds had recommended including a ban on racial profiling in the package, too. Representative Ros Smith, a Democrat from Waterloo, says Republican lawmakers have abandoned the criminal justice effort that started a year ago.  “Just because you’ve chosen to turn your back on the hard work doesn’t mean that I will,” Smith said. “I’m naïve enough to keep pushing forward. I’m so afraid to become a Drew Edwards or a George Floyd moment that I cannot conceive stopping.”

Drew Edwards died in Maquoketa nearly two years ago after two officers knelt and sat on Edwards for about 10 minutes during an arrest. In 2020, the City of Maquoketa and Jackson County agreed to pay his family four-and-a-half MILLION dollar to settle a lawsuit alleging police used excessive force. The officers involved were cleared of criminal wrongdoing.

(Radio Iowa) – The U-S Environmental Protection Agency says the chemicals on the freight train that derailed in northwest Iowa earlier this week did -not- harm the environment. Nearly four-dozen cars of the Union Pacific train jumped the tracks on Sunday in the town of Sibley, prompting evacuations of homes and businesses. E-P-A officials now say the chemicals were captured on-site and secured before any damage could be done.

The railroad confirmed the train was carrying hydrochloric acid, potassium hydroxide, asphalt and highly-explosive ammonium nitrate. Some of the acid was spilled and E-P-A officials say any impacted soils will be sampled and cleaned up in remediation efforts. Some land was also burned by the diesel fire caused in the derailment.

DES MOINES, Iowa (May 20, 2021) — Officials from Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield and Grand Blue Mile announced their Iowa 2021 Wellmark Set the Pace Challenge $10,000 award winner: Stanton, Iowa. The challenge encourages Iowans to develop sustainable, healthy habits, highlighted by participation in the annual Grand Blue Mile.

“We are so thankful and excited to be the recipients of the Wellmark Set the Pace Challenge $10,000 award,” said Jenny Gettler, Stanton Trail Committee Chair. “We look forward to putting this award toward continuing our trail expansion project and creating a safe and fun way to promote healthy lifestyles in the Stanton community.

Stanton had the highest percentage of its residents participating in the 2021 virtual Grand Blue Mile presented by Wellmark — measured by the number of registrants for a given ZIP code against the community’s total population.

“We had a record number of communities — more than 140 Iowa ZIP codes — represented this year as part of the Wellmark Set the Pace Challenge,” said Chris Verlengia, Wellmark’s senior brand marketing manager and Grand Blue Mile co-race director. “Since this year’s event was fully virtual, we saw interest in the challenge spread far beyond greater Des Moines, to communities of all sizes. We’re heartened by the way Stanton and so many others rallied their residents to make a positive, long-lasting impact on the health of future generations.”

The 13^th annual Grand Blue Mile presented by Wellmark is scheduled for April 26, 2022. For more information, visit GrandBlueMile.com