The Lone Tree gym was filled with excitement last Wednesday as the crowd waited to hear that one of its own, Jessica Howard, had been named the 2027 Iowa Teacher of the Year. Howard was also recently named the Grant Wood Regional Teacher of the Year. During last week’s ceremony, Howard was joined by Iowa Department of Education Director McKenzie Snow and Lt. Gov. Chris Cournoyer, who attended on behalf of Gov. Kim Reynolds. The 2025 and 2026 Iowa Teachers of the Year, Melanie Bloom and Stephanie Pritts, also attended... more

The Lone Tree school board interviewed its top two Construction Manager candidates for the HVAC project that will face voters in the form of a bond referendum this November. City Construction, based out of Iowa City, and Miron Construction, based out of Wisconsin with a regional office in Cedar Rapids, each sent teams to Wednesday night’s board meeting hoping to be selected to manage the project, should voters approve it this fall... more

Lone Tree middle school and high school business and computer science teacher Jessica Howard was recently named the Grant Wood Regional Teacher of the Year. Howard said she was thrilled and honored to receive the recognition... more

The Lone Tree school board received construction bids for the H-VAC project that district voters will decide on in November. The board received four bids for the construction. They were as follows: City Construction, $486,425.00; Miron Construction $648,468.00; Merit Construction $777,807.00; DCI Group $903,822.00... more

Highland's Boom Night Homecoming celebration was held Sept. 2 at Highland High School. Click through the photos ... more

Now that the special election is over, the Lone Tree school board elected a new president and vice president. Alex Ogren, who had served as acting president since former president Jennifer Eden resigned in late May, was elected president. Ogren is serving his second term, which expires in 2027. more

Following the recent Lone Tree Community School District special election, incumbents Vida Wollrab and Alex Lorack retained their seats on the school board... more

Lone Tree Community School District (1 three-year seat, 1 one year seat, 3 candidates)   Vida Wollrab – 302 votes (72.1%) Alex Lorack   – 299 votes (71.4%)  Jamie Lorack – 152 … more

“You know that day of, take your kid to work day? That has been every day for the last 19 years,” Amber Jacque says when we meet in her office at Lone Tree School one morning in July. “Because … more

Head down into the underbelly of Lone Tree School, and you’ll discover two giant boilers, one installed in 1960 when most of the school was rebuilt following the 1956 Christmas fire, and the other … more

SCHOOL BOARD SPECIAL ELECTION We asked school board candidates the following questions: What motivated you to run for the Lone Tree School Board? If elected, how would you make sure students, parents, staff, and community members have a voice in the district's decisions? What do you hope to accomplish during your time on the school board, both personally and for the district as a whole? more

HVAC improvements have been under discussion in the Lone Tree Community School District for a while. The district's goal is to place an HVAC bond referendum on the ballot this fall. During a recent special session, the board approved bond language for the HVAC project, which is expected to appear on the November ballot. If approved by voters, construction is expected to begin in 2027... more

The Lone Tree Community School District has undergone significant changes over the past year. A few months ago, two school board members, including the board president, resigned from their positions. According to sources familiar with the situation, criticism from some community members over one board member's decision to open enroll their child into another school district contributed to the resignations. Sources also said the two board members were close, and the second resignation followed in support of the first... more

RIVERSIDE Highland and Lone Tree schools are already combining for varsity and junior high football in the fall. Add football cheerleading. And dining. The Highland School Board, … more

Over the last several regular meetings, the Lone Tree school board has continued discussing the condition of the roof on the north side of the building. Built in 2002, the roof has reached the end of its expected lifespan and is in need of replacement. A representative inspected the roof earlier this year and recommended replacing it... more

The Lone Tree and Highland school districts recently received donations through the Hills Bank Classroom Cash program... more

Following a valid petition challenging the board's recent appointments, the Lone Tree School District will hold a special election to fill two vacant school board seats. Candidates interested in running have until 5 p.m. Friday to file the necessary paperwork. Each candidate must submit at least 17 valid signatures to qualify for the ballot... more

Highland, Lone Tree and Keota high schools have once again earned the prestigious Carrie Chapman Catt Award. Presented by the Iowa Secretary of State, the award recognizes Iowa high schools that register at least 90% of their eligible senior students to vote... more

With the recent resignations of school board president Jennifer Eden and board member Carrie Ronan, the Lone Tree School Board has spent the past several meetings working to fill the two vacancies... more

If you live in Lone Tree, chances are you know the name Tom Dickey. A lifelong resident of the community, Dickey spent more than 30 years serving the Lone Tree School District as both a teacher and coach... more