Philip Kirkpatrick, a seventh-grader and member of the Hutchinson Middle School robotics team, stands next to a pair of 3D printers and sports a face shield. He and a group of other robotics students, coaches, mentors and parents have teamed up to create the 3D-printed shields and donate them to health care facilities in the area.
Tyler Drey, left, and Carter Drey, right, deliver face shields.
Bri-Ann Drey, center, and her father Brian deliver face shields.
Together, we rise.
That was the theme of this year’s First Robotics Competition in which high school teams competed. Although their season was cut short by coronavirus, a group of six Hutchinson Tigerbots students, coaches, mentors and parents have teamed up to demonstrate the true spirit of that motto.
As health care facilities around the country prepared for the pandemic, a shortage of personal protection equipment, or PPE, has been a critical factor. In support of local health care workers, the Tigerbots are using their drafting, design and communication skills to create 3D-printed face shields. To date, the group has built about 300 of the shields and donated them to about a dozen facilities in the area such as hospitals, clinics and congregate housing.
“I think it’s just a really cool idea, and it’s a way to help more than just sitting at home,” said Teagan Young, a Hutchinson High School freshman working on the project. “It feels really good and it’s rewarding. Especially with the robotics season being cut short, it’s a way to use those skills.”
Brian Drey, a coach and mentor for the middle school and high school robotics teams, first had the idea while reading about other groups around the state making the face shields. He put out a feeler on social media to ask if robotics students were interested, and then they went to work.
“We got a circle of coaches and mentors and other parents, along with a few of the kids, and we started looking into different designs,” Brian said. “The design we are using is one that is similar to another design out there, but we decided to go through and redesign it for a more comfortable fit, flexibility and cleanability. One of the big things is … you have to be able to clean them. So we went through and looked at the materials others were using and started designing some stuff up.”
Brian’s son Carter, a freshman at Hutchinson High School, was part of the group that helped with the design phase.
“Some of the keys are having it be comfortable and not hurting the nurses or doctors that would be wearing it, or the patients,” Carter said.
Philip Kirkpatrick, a Hutchinson seventh-grader, is also part of the team that designed the the shields.
“I’m the main drafter,” he said, “so I design most of the 3D parts that we print. I’ve actually prototyped a strap design that we can use on the face shields.”
During the process, the group tested different designs among themselves. All the while, of course, their meetings and discussion were happening digitally to maintain social distancing.
Along with providing a valuable service, another rewarding part of the project for students has been applying the skills they learned in robotics to a real-world problem.
“One of the main (skills), communication, was a challenge during this project because we couldn’t meet face-to-face,” Young said. “Trying to bounce ideas off each other and express what we were thinking while social distancing was hard at times, but being able to practice those skills in robotics and build on them has been fun to see.”
Once they had a design for the masks, they had to get them in the hands of the people who need them. To do that, Dan Scheele, another Tigerbots coach and mentor, and Young work on the organizational side of the project, contacting facilities and gathering order information on a spreadsheet to show how many shields each facility wants, how urgently they are needed and any other important information.
Teagan Young, left, a Hutchinson High School freshman, delivers an order of face shields to Laura Ranieri and Melanie Schunk at Harmony River Living Center in Hutchinson.
Although the requests started slow, they’ve since picked up and Brian said the group now receives new orders every two to three days or so. Anyone interested in the shields may email teaganyoung3@gmail.com or dan.w.scheele@gmail.com for more information.
All together, members of the group have six 3D printers. Each printer is capable of creating two face shields in about five and a half hours. The group’s largest order was about 100 masks for Glencoe Regional Health, which would have taken approximately 41 hours to print. But the final product has been greatly appreciated by the health care workers receiving the shields.
Kiersten Hinze, a nurse at Glencoe Regional Health, gives a thumbs up of approval for the face shield she’s wearing, which was created by Hutchinson robotics students in an effort to help facilities stockpile personal protective equipment. Time to gather PPE was one way the stay-at-home order has helped Minnesota prepare.
“We’ve not only been touched by the generosity of community members like the Hutchinson Tigerbots, but we’ve been impressed by their ingenuity,” said Mandy Sturges, GRH emergency services director. “Because the face shields are made of plastic, they’re easily sanitized and cleaned so we can safely use them again after cleaning them. It was a thoughtful design and donation all around.”
“Some places that have already received their visors have gotten back to us and requested even more,” Young said, “which is exciting and good to see. Hopefully that means they’re working well.”
The group’s goal is to donate 1,000 shields. Making that many masks requires materials. While the Tigerbots started out paying for the project from their own pockets, they’ve since received a grant from the Burich Foundation, and many of the facilities using the shields have offered to provide financial backing.
To top it off, each delivery of shields comes with written assembly instructions, and Kirkpatrick stars in a YouTube tutorial video that also demonstrates how to assemble the shields.
“I’ve had to do a lot of upfront speaking,” Kirkpatrick said. “I was in the musical as well, so doing the video wasn’t that hard. I also present with the robotics team when we have to do presentations.”
While it may be a small group, with their diverse skills they’re doing big things for area health care workers and the people who depend on them. And at the end of the day, that’s what school activities are really about — teaching students how to come together and rise to the occasion.
“We build a robot, but there’s a lot more to it than building a robot,” Brian said. “There’s learning design process, there’s how to use tools and communicate with people. How to get out there and talk to groups about what we can do to help. … It’s great life skills that we’re teaching, rather than just how to build a machine.
“We’re hoping to build better people, along with better technology.”
Former Hutchinson football player Nate Swift leads the Tigers in several offensive and defensive school records, but he’s not the only former player whose name repeats in the record book.
Former Tiger Tim Thode is one of the Hutchinson's top receivers in school history, and he has the records to show for it. He's also a coach for the current team.
Hutchinson graduate Robbie Grimsley is a former Minnesota Mr. Hutchinson and the Tigers’ single-season rushing touchdowns leader.
Former Hutchinson passer Scott Kirchoff is one of the top passers in school history.
Andy Rostberg has been around the Hutchinson Tigers football team for basically his whole life. Rostberg has coached the team for the last 21 years, but he also grew up watching the Tigers as his father, Grady Rostberg, coached, and then he played under his father to help the team win state titles in 1983 and 1984.
He saw the program rise to prominence in the 1970s and 80s with players such as Stan Sytsma, Jeff Kosek and the Lenz family that had brothers Paul, Brian and Craig. Rostberg admitted that he left off some names, but those teams in the 1970s and early 1980s were trailblazers and put Hutch football on the map.
“Then from ’90 on, they carried on that tradition,” Rostberg said.
“There was a lot of great ones that I watched play in the '70s and early '80s,” Rostberg also said. “A lot of really good players that could play today. They were that good.”
In the past 50 years, that tradition has led to 23 section titles, seven state final appearances and five championships. During all that time, school records have been set and then broken again as each new generation works to leave its mark. The Leader took a look back at the players and seasons that made Hutchinson football history.
Davis, Swift lead rushers
As most Tigers football fans know, smash-mouth, run-first football is at the core of Hutchinson’s tradition, and the program has seen some stellar rushers through the years. But leading them all with 4,001 career yards is Chris Davis, who played from 1996 to 1998 and helped the team win its third state title in 1998. He also ranks second in career touchdowns with 59 and is fifth all-time with 26 touchdowns in a single season.
“He was something,” Rostberg said.
Davis was a pure tailback for the Tigers during his time, but another player who shows up often on the records list is Nathan Swift.
Swift is the leader in career rushing touchdowns with 63, and he’s second in career rushing with 3,675 yards. He’s also the team’s single-season rushing leader with 2,410 yards in 2003, his senior year when the team took second in state. He played wideout as a sophomore and split time between wideout and tailback as a junior. As a senior, Swift was a full-time back and went on to score 30 touchdowns that season to be named Minnesota’s Mr. Football.
“With Nathan, set aside his speed and athletic ability, which was second to none,” Rostberg said. “He was extremely competitive, and he's one of the most durable players we've ever had here. Then you take competitiveness and durability and then you put great athlete in there, you get something special.”
He signed with the Nebraska Cornhuskers to play wide receiver, where he broke the school record for career receptions and was second in school history in receiving yards. He then signed with the Denver Broncos practice squad and later with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Although he never made it big in the NFL, he is still one of the greatest players in Hutchinson history.
Peterson, Thode had hands
While passing is not the focal point of Hutchinson’s offense, the Tigers have had some talented receivers go through the program. Among them is recent graduate Maguire Peterson, who set records for career receptions (74), receiving yards (1,705) and touchdowns (24) from 2015 to 2017.
The big thing about Peterson was his consistency. During his three years as a starter, Peterson piled up 616, 594 and 495 yards. Targets like that are always a quarterback’s best friend, and he did so while also playing out of the backfield at times.
“You know it'd be hard pressed not to say that Maguire is the best receiver that we've ever had,” Rostberg said. “Like Chris Davis, (Peterson) was a pure wide receiver.”
Although Peterson is the career leader in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns, he never cracked the top three for season leaders. The receiver with the most yards in a season was Tim Thode, who is also a member of the coaching staff today. He caught 38 balls for 730 yards in the 1998 season to help the Tigers win a state title.
Rostberg had a difficult time deciding who had the best hands between Peterson and Thode.
“I can't ever remember Tim dropping a ball,” Rostberg said. “Before practice, during practice, after practice, during the game. I can never remember him dropping a ball.”
There have been other great wideouts such as Brian Brinkmeier, who holds the record for single-season touchdowns with 12, and also Curt Wagner who is the single-season leader in receptions with 45 back in 1994. Ryan Kaping also appears in the top five of every receiving category, while Swift also makes more appearances in the records.
Another recent addition to the record books is Russell Corrigan, whose name can be found in several of the receiving categories. He is graduating this year and has signed to play at Boise State University as a tight end for the Broncos.
Throwing to the end zone
Throughout the years of Hutchinson football, there have been many different types of quarterbacks. Some were pure passers, while others were more adept at running the ball, and some were a mix of both. The only passer records Hutchinson has kept track of over the years were career and single season touchdowns. Names such as Ryan Dolder, Cory Sauter, Scott Kirchoff and Marcus Hahn are at the top of those lists, along with Rostberg himself.
Dolder was quarterback from 1992 through 1994 and holds the record for most career touchdowns with 34. He’s also second and fourth in single-season touchdowns with 18 in 1994 and 16 in 1993.
“Ryan was one of the most accurate passers that we've had here,” Rostberg said. “Great accuracy, had some good receivers around him, had a good running game. He could throw on the run, he could throw setup. I think his big thing was he was extremely accurate.”
The biggest thing for Rostberg when looking back at the quarterback list was how great of leaders they were for their teams.
The top single-season passers are Scott Kirchoff and Cory Sauter, who each threw 19 touchdowns 1998 and 1991, respectively. Sauter went on to a solid career at the University of Minnesota and spent time in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears. He currently coaches at Southwest Minnesota State University.
Hands-on defense
Finally we come to defense, where career interceptions are the only records that have been kept. And once again, Swift left his mark as the leader with 16 picks.
But, tied for sixth in school history was also a former stud and Mr. Football award winner, Robbie Grimsley. He finished his career with eight interceptions and was a force on both sides of the ball. His name is scattered among the records, including as the all-time single-season rushing touchdowns leader with 33 in 2014.
“He was a vicious tackler,” Rostberg said. “He intercepted a lot of balls for us. … He is up there with a lot of players. By just being present, he affected the game. He made everybody feel comfortable out there. You know, that's what leadership is. … (Teammates) look over there and they see Robbie Grimsley or Stan Sytsma or Russell Corrigan, and you go, 'Ah, everything is going to be OK.’”
Gov. Tim Walz announced a two-week extension on Minnesota’s stay-at-home order Thursday.
At a Thursday afternoon news conference, Walz extended the order, which was set to expire Monday, until May 18.
Walz also announced that starting Monday, May 4, retail businesses and other non-critical businesses can resume some operations by allowing curbside pick-up and deliveries.
The plan, which could allow at least 30,000 employees to return to work, he said, is intended to apply to any good that can be safely picked up outside an establishment. However, patrons will not be allowed to enter the business or have prolonged close contact with employees. The phased-in approach to reopening has the support of several major retail associations, Walz said.
For example, barbershops and salons will be allowed to sell hair products in this manner, but haircuts themselves will not be allowed, said Steve Grove, commissioner for the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.
Businesses will be required to develop a plan and screen employees for potential signs of illness.
Walz also said he’s hoping to lift the ban on non-lifesaving surgeries and medical procedures “soon.”
“There should be an announcement in the coming days,” he said, noting that the final decisions will be made by hospitals. The Minnesota Hospital Association initially asked Walz to ban non-lifesaving procedures so they could conserve personal protective equipment, such as masks, gowns and gloves.
Walz said he hoped to loosen other restrictions on commerce and personal conduct, such as allowing small family gatherings, soon — possibly before May 18.
Key to continuing to open up is dependent, Walz said, on continued social distancing, including wearing masks or face coverings when in public spaces where keeping your distance is difficult.
Stability was a theme in the Hutchinson Police Services 2019 annual report presented to City Council Tuesday night.
How stable were things? Well, in 2019 there were just 74 fewer calls than in 2018. There were also 458 arrests in 2019, only 23 less than the prior year.
“It's been pretty consistent,” Police Chief Tom Gifferson said. “We've gone up in calls for service over the last four years. We went down a little bit from 2018, but the minimum amount that we went down is … such a close number.”
Calls for service were defined as more than calls to the dispatch center and included people walking up to the dispatch window, officers initiating traffic stops or any other type of incident that occurred during the year.
Thefts were another area that remained consistent as there were only two more reported in 2019 than in 2018, but Gifferson sees it differently.
“The thing that strikes me is that we still have 223 thefts last year, and a lot of those I think are crimes of opportunity,” Gifferson said. “I think if community members would just take a little bit more time and lock their cars for instance, or lock their garage if they're in a detached garage, they could just do some things to help … us prevent those crimes from happening. I don't want that to be construed that I think it's their fault that they're being burglarized, because that's not the case. I'm just asking for a little bit of help from the community to protect their own property.”
When it came to calls for service in 2019, the numbers remained largely consistent but there tended to be fewer calls January through June than there were July through December. Police received the fewest calls by far in February (1,474) and the most in October (1,814). Weekly, police received the fewest number of calls for service on weekends, with 2,661 on Saturdays and 2,253 on Sundays, while Fridays (3,099) and Tuesdays (3,079) were the busiest days. The busiest call time was 7 p.m., while the slowest times were 3-5 a.m.
While calls were down overall, police saw increases in domestics, from 41 in 2018 to more than twice that with 85 in 2019. There was also a jump in burglaries from 17 in 2018 to 32 in 2019. Despite the one-year increase in burglaries, Gifferson pointed out that 2019 remained consistent with the previous five-year statistics. As for domestics, he attributed the increase to better reporting and advocacy services rather than more actual instances of domestic violence.
“We have victims who are reporting more often and giving us the opportunity to investigate those,” he said. “Unfortunately, domestic violence cases aren’t one of those things we can proactively enforce. We have to be reactionary to those, and that really relies on the victim or an advocate of the victim reporting it to us so we can investigate it.”
Another area that saw an increase was the number of citations issued with 892 in 2019, 47 more than in 2018.
Part 1 crimes, defined as more serious crimes such as homicide, forcible rape, robbery, theft and burglary, continued an overall six-year downward pattern from a high of 401 in 2014 to 306 last year, a 23 percent decrease. There was still a slight increase from 2018 when there were only 278 Part 1 crimes reported.
Part 2 crimes, defined as less serious crimes such as disturbance, controlled substance, criminal damage and other assault, took a dip after two straight years of increases. It went from a six-year low of 579 in 2016 to 687 in 2017, then a six-year high of 832 in 2018, and then down to 744 in 2019.
Traffic crashes also went down slightly from 310 in 2018 to 305 in 2019. That continues another positive trend after a five-year high of 357 crashes in 2017. It was also the fourth straight year without a fatal crash in the city.
Another area of stability was in child protection. Police had 299 child protection intakes in 2019, a slight increase from 289 in 2018. Of those 2019 intakes, police worked with Social Services on 50 investigations, which resulted in six health and welfare holds placed and 11 children removed from their residence. At schools, there was a 20 percent increase in calls to the resource officer, from 341 in 2018 to 410 in 2019. The two most popular types of calls related to citations and suspicious behavior.
Among the accomplishments in 2019, Gifferson highlighted the department’s new Facebook page as an asset.
“We've had a couple cases where we've been able to receive a lot of information by crowdsourcing through Facebook.” he said. “We've certainly been able to get a lot of information from it from the community, so that helps. It also helps us get our message out there regarding certain things, and then at times we've used it to help dispel rumors as well.”
Hutchinson police also upgraded body cameras and safety equipment, started using new scheduling software and implemented a new physical fitness assessment as well as promoting total officer wellness, including psychological, spiritual and financial wellness.
“If an officer is well in all those areas, when they come to work they’re going to be more alert and do a better job,” Gifferson said.
