Fat Boy vs. the Cheerleaders (18 page)

The preceding document was submitted to Minnesota's Seventh District Court as part of a successful lawsuit against the Minnekota Lake Area School Board, which led to the reinstatement of the high school's band program and a pending review of the release of its director, Barry Shaver.

Regarding the vending machine break-in, no charges were ever filed against Robert Carter, Chandra Wettlinger, Kailey Kaus, or Gabriel Johnson. Rick Kaus, the CEO of the Kaus Company, submitted that Kailey was simply doing her job by collecting the money. Because Robert Carter had a key to the school and no district policy exists against athletes using the school after hours, no charges of trespassing were leveled.

Regarding other items related to the so-called Spunk River War, Seth Sellers and Janessa Rogers received fines for disorderly conduct. Mike Timlin and Raj Weigel pled guilty to a variety of misdemeanor charges, including petty theft and possession of illegal fireworks. Sentencing is pending. Camille Gardener and Justin Cornell received fines for trespassing and vandalism. They drove two sheep to the MLA High School in the backseat of Justin's car. Justin is paying for repairs to said car in a private settlement with his parents.

Katherine Kaus, who chaired the school board during its ruling on vending proceeds, its decision to fire band director Barry Shaver, and its ruling that suspended the MLAHS band program, resigned from her post in the week following the upheaval. Although the Kaus Company continues operations in Minnekota, Katherine Kaus, her husband, Rick, and her daughter, Kailey, have since relocated to another state in order to refocus on the marriage and the family.

Brian Deevers wrote a letter of apology to the community and remains the principal of MLA High School.

Because of Gabriel Johnson's activism, the offending pop machine has been removed from the high school cafeteria. A tenth of a percent increase in county property taxes will be on the ballot in the fall. The increase is intended to fund summer marching camp, a dance team, and, most importantly, a healthy breakfast program for all school-aged members of the district. According to a poll published in MLJournal.com, the increase has support from 77 percent of likely voters.

Note:

When Gabriel said during his follow-up interview that he was experiencing fifteen minutes of fame, he was correct. The
Fat
Boy
vs. the Cheerleaders
story faded quickly. I doubt very much that he's bothered by this fact.

The last time I saw Gabriel, walking the Lakeshore Path during Minnekota's July Water Sports Festival, he looked healthy and content. He wore shorts. He held hands with a very tall girl in all black. He smiled at me, nodded, and then strolled away into the fading light.

I thought,
We
did
good
work.

—Henry P. Rodriguez, Attorney at Law

Thanks so much to my fantastic agent, Jim McCarthy. He's guided me through so many projects now. One day, we'll be old, Jim. This book couldn't have happened without the guidance of Leah Hultenschmidt (I miss you!) and Todd Stocke. I'm so thankful to all the support and encouragement I receive from so many great people at Sourcebooks. On the home front, Stephanie Wilbur Ash is the best to hang with. I'm so lucky. She fires my imagination and makes me cry laughing. Leo, Mira, Christian, and Charlie, you are smart and hilarious and a source of unending inspiration. Speaking of inspiration, thank you to the kids of the Hillsboro School District, Hillsboro, Wisconsin, for the great messages of support you sent during the writing of this book. (Hillsboro is excellent and hilly.) Finally, thank you to the students and faculty of Minnesota State University, Mankato. I so appreciate your curiosity, energy, and kindness.

Growing up, Geoff Herbach was both dork and jock. Sports calmed him. People caused him anxiety. Offseason, Geoff was prone to
kummerspeck
, which is a German word meaning weight gain due to nervous eating. Its literal translation is grief bacon. Geoff teaches writing at Minnesota State, Mankato. Visit him at
geoffherbach.com
.