Bre Drees

The Fort Dodge Community School District will move forward with Bre Drees as its athletic trainer, putting an end to questions surrounding those services after UnityPoint Health closed its orthopedic clinic in November.

Drees had been employed by the clinic to provide athletic training services to the school.

But that role came into question after the closure.

Drees was formally hired as a school employee Wednesday by the FDCSD board.

Her salary for 2018-19 is prorated at $19,471 based on an annual salary of $52,035.

Drees’ appointment is effective Dec. 29 through June 30, 2019.

FDCSD Superintendent Jesse Ulrich said during a meeting in November that the district going without an athletic trainer would not be an option.

He announced at the board’s Dec. 10 meeting that Drees had been offered the athletic trainer position.

“I am very excited about this opportunity for our kids to have a full-time athletic trainer on staff,” Ulrich said during that meeting. “We worked with several different health partners and we looked at options, but in reality the best option for our kids was to have an independent athletic trainer.”

Drees was born and raised in Webster City. She graduated from Webster City High School in 2005.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in athletic training from Luther College in Decorah in 2009.

In 2011, she graduated from Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois, with a master’s degree in kinesiology.

She was hired by UnityPoint Health two days after her graduation as a full-time athletic trainer.

In 2012, she began teaching at Fort Dodge Senior High.

She teaches two classes a day in the subjects of athletic training, health care and coaching.