A new school year always brings change for students and staff, but this year proves to be a big one for a few locations.
    
TCU High School
    TCU’s school board chose Dr. Melissa Cournia as the replacement for Alan Fitterer as the high school principal, a role that Fitterer fulfilled for 20 years in the district.

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Kicking off the main portion of Kolacky Days every year is the Queen's Pageant. This year six young ladies competed on Friday, July 25 and for many weeks prior to win one of the crowns and sashes but most notably to be the 2026 Kolacky Days Queen.

These are some of the scenes of this year's pageant.

    Tri-City United High School will be losing a few excellent clay target shooters going into next season after competing at the USA Clay Target League’s 2026 National Championship in Mason, Mich., July 8-12. A total of 1,800 shooters between individual and teams participated at the event.
    The TCU squad — consisting of Levi Hohrman, Martin Bongers, Jacob Jones, Dylan Carston, and Branko Schoenbauer —  ended up placing 26th out of the 234 teams at nationals.

    In the wake of the USA Clay Target League’s Minnesota State High School Clay Target League state tournament in Alexandria, the Tri-City United High School’s trap team and three individuals qualified for the Minnesota State High School League’s (MSHSL) Clay Target State Championship on Friday, June 24.

    Tri-City United Baseball ended up placing fourth in the Big South Conference for big schools, Marshall took the top spot for big schools but Fairmont won over them from the small schools section of the conference.
    Brendan Frederick and Keegan O’Meara were named BLACK All-Conference. 
    TCU Softball also placed fourth for big schools in the Big South Conference, with St. Peter taking the top spot for big schools. Like baseball, St. Peter was beat out for top placement in the conference by Jackson County Central.

    Friday’s performances of the junior version of Footloose by Child’s Play Theatre was a fantastic one parents and friends could be proud of.
    The two performances on June 5 were filled with minimalistic set and lighting and it really let the talent the mostly kindergarten through eighth graders in the show shine.
    Grayson Wood, who played Ren McCormack, led the troupes of young adults in their dancing mischief. Cailyn Meadows, who played Ariel Moore — the preacher’s daughter, also tried to lead her posse of girls into the same mischief.

Titans 7 – Randolph 2
    Backed by a pair of home runs and a complete-game pitching performance from Parker O’Malley, TCU kept their postseason alive with a 7-2 victory over the Randolph Rockets on Tuesday evening in Waterville in the Section 2AA consolation bracket.
    The Titans combined a relentless 10-hit attack with flawless defensive play, committing zero errors to lock down the season-saving victory. 

    Tri-City United High School graduate Jules Rotter received one of three Robert E. Meeks $3,000 scholarships from the Minnesota School Boards Association (MSBA) at the Tuesday, May 26, school board meeting.
    Jocelyn Brown, of Waterville-Elysian-Morristown, and Obioma Osuji, of Prior Lake, were the other two recipients of this scholarship. 

    Tri-City United High School track team members set a record at the Minnesota State High School League’s Class AA State Track and Field Tournament today at St. Michael-Albertville High School.
    The 4x200 meter relay team of Jillian Houn, Carly Hartwig, Cami Hartwig, and Kaitlyn Hartwig ran a 1:37.90, beating the previous Class AA record was 1:39.43 — set by a Monticello team in 2024. They are the 2026 state champs.

    Tri-City United High School’s graduation ceremony on Friday, May 29, was a send off for both graduates and some staff.

    A number of Tri-City United High School track members qualified for state tournament this week. Eric Borchardt (200 meter dash), Kaitlyn Hartwig (200 meter dash), Carly Hartwig (200 meter dash); Kaitlyn Hartwig, Cami Hartwig, Carly Hartwig, and Jill Houn (4x200 meter and 4x100 meter), Cami Hartwig (long jump), Nyadak Ruei (high jump), and Corday Freeman (shot put). 

    The Tri-City United (TCU) boys golf team finished in the upper half of the Big South Conference standings following a solid performance during the conference meet Tuesday, May 12 at Dacotah Ridge Golf Course.
    The Titans carded an 18-hole team score of 381 in placing 6th among the 14 teams.

    It was a bad day for clay pigeons and a great day for the Tri-City United High School trap shooting squads. 
    A total of 22 five-person squads from 12 area schools participated in the 4th Annual Montgomery Sportsmen’s Club High School Trap Shoot Invitational on Saturday, May 16, at the Montgomery range on the south end of town. The weather was very pleasant with sunshine and the breeze behind shooters’ backs.

    Needed rain entered the Montgomery area late Thursday afternoon and ended up stopping the Tri-City-United (TCU) golf meet approximately halfway through the event.
    Both the boys and girls teams were in 6th place in the meet which was suspended for most golfers after nine, 10, or 11 holes completed.
    Senior Lily Kaplan and junior Varon Klokonos were tied for 12th at the time of suspension. Junior Cora Crow was 18th, junior Emma Mason 35th, Cailyn Christensen 36th, and Elise Fashant 39th.

Be sure to pick up a copy of the May 14, 2026, Montgomery Messenger at a newsstand to find within the 2025-2026 Tri-City United High School Arts and Activities Section within and to check out all the local advertisers that help support these types of sections. Without them, local journalism and featuring these students wouldn't be possible! 

    Tri-City United High School Principal Alan Fitterer announced his retirement at January’s with a letter to the board and superintendent. The principal has spent the last 20 years with the district, starting in 2006 when it was Montgomery-Lonsdale High School.
    Fitterer graduated from Mankato East High School in 1985, where he participated in football (wide receiver/tight end), basketball (captain), baseball (centerfielder), student council (president), and National Honor Society, and was a class officer and took part in the Minnesota Male Teen Competition.