Kids love walking the halls of Lincoln Elementary School for a chance to say “Hi” to Mr. Mike. Mike Tollefson is the head engineer at Lincoln and he loves greeting every student. Yet, if a student is not paying attention when passing by and forgets to say hello, Tollefson stops and quizzes the student with either a math question or a spelling challenge.
“It’s all about the kids,” says Tollefson. “They are the main reason we’re here.”
He believes the best part of his job is the interaction he has with the students. In fact, Lincoln has a rewards program for positive behavior and one of the rewards is a chance to work with Mr. Mike.
“The doodlebug is by far the favorite,” explains Tollefson. “The kids help sweep, dust and so forth, but they love the doodlebug.”
The doodlebug is a split tennis ball on the end of a stick. It is used to rub off the black scuff marks on the floor from shoes.
Before coming to District 742, Tollefson was a custodian for Sauk Rapids/Rice School District and Elk River School District. He’s been doing custodial work for 22 years and is also an Army retired Staff Sergeant.
In his spare time, Tollefson is a Freemason with Northstar Lodge #23 and an Osman Shriner. His time is spent driving the Shriner go-carts during local parades and performing as one of the Shrine Circus clowns.
He enjoys his time with these groups because of the community involvement and fundraising which go directly to the Shriners Hospital for Children and the Masonic Cancer Center.
When he isn’t driving go-carts or “clowning around,” he loves going on adventures with his wife, Kim Melby-Tollefson, executive assistant for student services at the District Administrative Office. He believes staying young at heart is the key to a happy life.
Tollefson’s days as an engineer are different every day depending on the needs of the building, but one thing is consistent, Tollefson says hello to every student that walks by. And, if a student misses the greeting, he or she will get an impromptu math or spelling question. But, Lincoln kids wouldn’t have it any other way.
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