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December 23, 2016OWATONNA — The mission to recognize the builders of the Minnesota State Capitol, and the six workers who died in its construction, has returned to right where it began: the sixth grade classrooms of Owatonna.
Rep. John Petersburg, R-Waseca, visited St. Mary’s School and Willow Creek Intermediate School on Wednesday to share the news that two local students had submitted the winning designs for a plaque to be installed at the state capitol. The final plaque will incorporate features proposed by Kalina Boubin, a sixth grader at St. Mary’s, and Riley Kalbach, a sixth grader at Willow Creek.
“We had nine people go up to the capitol and judge all the entries from across the state of Minnesota,” said Petersburg, who served as one of the judges. “It came down to two, and they decided they liked both of them so well, they’re going to incorporate the drawing from one, and the design from another.”
The overall design of the plaque will largely follow the plan proposed by Riley, featuring the names of the six workers killed on site around a picture of the capitol dome, with a short text commemorating all the workers underneath. Petersburg said the judges loved the simplicity and coherency of the design.
“What people liked about it was, it didn’t specially say a lot about the individuals, but they were very prominent, and it was very simple,” he said. “They wanted it to be quickly read, because a lot of people don’t spend a lot of time reading a lot of words, so it was very impressive.”
Riley’s parents, Keith and Stephanie Kalbach, were on hand when Petersburg announced her design had won, and said she had put much stress and work into perfecting her design.
“We know she worked very hard on this, she worked on it three days straight, and the finished product looked nothing like what she started with,” Keith Kalbach said. “There were many drafts and a lot of printer paper and ink.”
Riley, whose older brother Jordan was a sixth-grader two years ago and took part in the letter-writing campaign that led to the state law passed this year to create the plaque competition, said it took a lot of iteration to find a design she liked.
“I went through a lot of paper to do the final one. I actually did a state of Minnesota [outline] first, and then I did it with nothing on it, but I think the last one I did was the best one.”
Her design will have one major change, though. While Riley’s design was centered around a profile view of the capitol dome, the judges decided to incorporate an even more elaborate perspective drawing of the dome submitted as part of Kalina’s design.
“It’s very odd for me that out of everyone that entered, I would be the one,” Kalina said. “I’m very surprised … I’m truly honored.”
Petersburg said the judges were impressed with the fidelity of Kalina’s drawing, which she said took several days from a photo reference.
“I had to do something different,” she said. “I had to figure out what other people would do, and do something creative.”
Petersburg thanked both students and their classmates for submitting designs or other support for the project, and said they can be proud of their role in a change that will last, probably, as long as the capitol building stands.
“When you’re grandparents my age, it’ll still be there, so it’s a very important piece,” he said.
