Exeter-Milligan Update: Sixth Grade News

 

by Treven Cerveny, Exeter-Milligan 6th grade Instructor

 

            The 6th graders at Exeter-Milligan are doing so many great things in the classroom this year! More specifically, the students have excelled in using technology. In our school, each child in the elementary is equipped with an iPad to use in the classroom. As a result, we spend time every day using these iPads to increase the level of student engagement. One specific app that the students are using in the classroom is the Canvas app. This is something that they will be using on a regular basis next year, so becoming more familiar with the app will help prepare them for the upcoming years. Another tool we use on our iPads is Kahoot. This website allows students to compete against each other while reviewing the content that we have recently learned in the classroom. Technology has been a fun and engaging tool for our classroom!

            The sixth grade class has also accomplished many great things in the classroom! In math, most students have mastered the multiplication facts from 0-12, which has really helped them to become more successful mathematicians. The students are also becoming more effective writers, as they have learned how to write complete sentences, create topic sentences and conclusions, organize their paragraphs, edit their work, and more. They are currently learning how to write opinion paragraphs, which have been a joy to read. Additionally, both group and individual projects have been an enjoyable experience for students. This has been a great way for students to learn more about the content being taught, use their creativity, organize information, and present their knowledge in front of an audience. Students are ready to finish their elementary days on a positive note and move on to the next level in their educational careers!

 

 

Throwback Thursday: April 8, 2011

 

4/3/2011

 

Exeter-Milligan band students participated in CRC Honor Band & Choir on March 15, 2011. There were 5 students from Choir & 7 students from Band that took part in the event. Second, we had the Bruning-Davenport Junior High Music Contest which took place on March 19, 2011. There were 22 student in grades 5-8 that took part in the contest and we had a total of 18 superior (1's) ratings given to the students of Exeter-Milligan. Congratulations to all students who participated. Third, we had the MUDECAS Music Contest on March 22, 2011. Kelsey Moore, Mariah Ruhl, & Meredith Emshoff all received Superior rankings on their solos.
Fourth, we had 6 students take part in the Class D All-State Band. Class D All-State consists of students only from Class D size schools. Congratulations to Jennifer Pribyl and Kelsey Moore for their acceptance into the Jazz Band, Becca Vossler for her acceptance into the Wind Ensemble, and Jalen
Maxson, Devin Sheffield, and Linsey Klemm for their acceptance into the Symphonic Band. Fifth and finally, please congratulate Jordyn Brandt for being accepted into the Meridian Junior High Honor Band. Jordyn is the only student from Exeter-Milligan to have been accepted.

 

A wellness program was started at Exeter-Milligan school. The program is open to teams of two to ten people. The school offered to pay the entry to the program and offer a few small incentives for the participants. Thirty of the 48 Exeter-Milligan faculty and staff members chosen to participate this year starting in January.

All of the participants can log into the Live Healthy Nebraska to record their goals and progress. Each week they enter any weight loss and their exercise minute totals in the LHN website on a private site. The site then combines the teams total weight loss and exercise time so that the teams can compare their progress.
So far the three Exeter-Milligan teams have recorded, “152 lbs lost and have charted 591 hours and 55 minutes of activity which equates to 2,367 miles,” according to Reading specialist Laura Kroll.

 

Congratulations to the following Exeter-Milligan students were named to the York News Times All-Area basketball teams:

9th grader Nolan White - named a Co-captain (The YNT states "It's rare for a freshman to be named co-captain on the News Times All-Area Team but the numbers put up by Exeter-Milligan's Nolan White are just too impressive to overlook.")

Seniors Zach Jensen and Brady Bristol were both on the Honorable Mention List.

Senior Heather Pribyl was named a co-captain for the girls team and Kelsey Moore was named to the team as well.

Sophomore Jennifer Pribyl was named on the Honorable Mention List.

The Exeter Chamber of Commerce Easter Egg Hunt was held outside at the Exeter school building.

Over 50 kids fourth grade and under arrived and registered, eager to start hunting for over 1000 candy filled eggs on the school grounds.The eggs were filled and hidden by members of the Exeter-Milligan FCCLA and Cheerleaders. They led the kids to their hunting areas and let them loose.

 After all the eggs were found names were drawn for the door prizes. Caitlin Murphy and Hunter Ostrand were winners in the third and fourth grade division, Emma Olsen and Johnathen Ostrand won in the first and second grade category.  Savannah Horne and Troy Kallhoff won the prize in the preschool and kindergarten division and Layla Whitford and Brett Kallhoff were the three and under winners.

 The Fillmore County Hospital Replacement project reached a milestone this week, placing the final exterior wall piece in place.  The project is an estimated two months ahead of schedule expecting to open much earlier than the June 2012 scheduled opening.

Another Successful Family Art Night

Exeter-Milligan elementary students got to experience the art of a variety of artists in multiple mediums on Thursday evening at the art department’s annual Family Art Night.

Art teacher Lisa Kanode introduced the event in 2015 and it has grown in attendance each year since.  Kanode explained, “Family art night is a special event that many can benefit from.  Starting with the volunteers and helpers as they get an opportunity to teach and interact with kids.  Families benefit as they have the opportunity to spend quality time with their kiddos in an unique way.”

This year, students in Kanode’s art classes chose and studied an artist and created a reproduction or recreation of their work.  Then they created eight stations that helped attendees explore artists and their works.  Each station also has the supplies for the families of all ages to create art in keeping with the style and the medium of the artist.

Kanode added, “The get to know the artist posters are resources for the art room and one of the sources the kids can site  for their slide show presentations that they do as a class requirement.”

This year they ranged from the pop art of Roy Lichtenstein to the abstract watercolor of Paul Klee.

The event not only introduces artists to the younger students, but it also gives the 7^th -12^th graders enrolled in Kanode’s art classes the chance to interact and teach.

This year they estimated they had 80-100 in attendance.  The most popular stations were soak stain on fabric, string painting and plaster art.

With COVID-19 restricts everyone wore a mask and there were two different sessions that families could attend.  Instead of exploring on their own, the small groups rotated through the stations on a schedule.

Most of the supplies are from the art department and donations.  A new addition this year was the easels used for the art posters which were donated by the Exeter-Milligan booster club.

Once Kanode’s students have participated in the event they are very hands on with the planning  and execution of the event, “One of my students said, next year we can have an Art therapy theme.  I said, ‘if you think about it, that is exactly what it is, art can put a smile on your face when you are least expecting it, creating art is therapy.’  It makes my day when I find an unmotivated student just going through the motions of their day and I get them to really create something and they say, wow, this is fun.”

Those in attendance Thursday evening would vouch for the smiles on their faces from another fantastic family art night. 

 

 

Exeter-Milligan School Board holds joint meeting with Fillmore Central School Board

 

The Exeter-Milligan and Fillmore Central School Boards held a joint meeting in the Exeter site gym on Tuesday, March 30. 

Close to 60 guests attended the meeting that was intended for the boards to discuss the recent feasibility study conducted by First National Capital Markets.

After the respective board presidents opened the meeting (Adam Erdkamp –EM and Sean Farmer – FC) Exeter-Milligan Superintendent Paul Sheffield stated that the “intent of tonight’s meeting was informational in nature” and “there would be not public comment.”

Matt Fisher with First National was introduced and briefly outlined the findings of the feasibility of the study.  He reviewed the options their report gave the two boards which included:

Option 1 – Do nothing, remain as two separate districts

Option 2 – Merge districts and maintain four buildings (Exeter, Fairmont and two in Geneva)(estimated savings in staff, operation and repairs- $17 Million)

Option 3 – Merge districts and build a new elementary/middle school (cost $25 Million Bond with estimated savings in staff, operation, and repairs- $25 Million)

After discussing the financial impacts of each option, Fisher talked about the educational impact.  He noted that both secondary schools are “well rounded in the curriculum you are offering” but noted Exeter-Milligan students might have more schedule flexibility if the districts combined.

According to Fisher, another educational benefit in merging districts would be having multiple teachers at each grade in the elementary which would allow for more professional growth in the faculty.

After Fisher spoke Farmer asked Erdkamp “What’s the pulse of your board and your district?”

Adam responded, “I don’t know if we know what the pulse of our board is because we need to know how your board feels about the contents of the study.”

Exeter-Milligan board member Eric Milton asked about the decreased need in teachers the study showed, “where do you see the split on employees?”

Farmer answered, “Obviously both districts. We’re not coming to the table saying we need to have a RIF plan in place before we decide. . .through natural attrition we could get our staffing level down.”

Fillmore Central board member Christin Lovegrove added, “I don’t think any district comes to the table saying that we will keep all of our teachers.  It’s a great opportunity to keep the best of the best. . . It’s important to say I have a lot of faith in our administrators to identify who will work together the best.”

Farmer added, “We’re not looking at this as a 10 year solution, we’re looking at a long term situation.  We’re willing to take some time.  We’re not looking to save all that money right away. We’re looking at retaining all of our staff that first year.”

Farmer also noted they were open to maintain a K-4 site in Exeter with the possibility of current FC districts moved to the Exeter site.

The FC board stated that they had no plans to build a new K-8 building.

Before closing Erdkamp stated that the Exeter-Milligan board and administration “will need to take a look at the study again.  As a board and a district we will have to decide if this is something we will want to go forward with.”

Farmer responded that the understood, “Our door is always open. Whatever decision we do make needs to be a long term decision for our kids and our taxpayers.”

 

Exeter-Milligan Students Chosen for CRC Band and Choir

Exeter-Milligan had eleven students participate in the CRC Honor Band on March 22. Their conductor was Dr. Joshua Kearney, from UNO.  Pictured above are row 1 - Liberty Johnson, Briana Capek, Jaiden Papik, Rebecca Krupicka, Kierra Papik, and Selah Petersen; row 2 - Clint Oldehoeft, Troy Kallhoff, Kole Svec, Draven Payne, and Braden Capek. Several students earned medals by placing first on their part:  Kole Svec, 2nd clarinet; Selah Petersen, 1st alto saxophone; Briana Capek, tenor saxophone; Jaiden Papik, 1st trumpet; Troy Kallhoff, 4th French horn; Clint Oldehoeft, 2nd trombone; and Braden Capek, timpani.

 

Blake Meyer, Morgan White, and Dravin Birkes were the Exeter-Milligan students selected to the CRC Honor Choir, held on March 22. Their choir was conducted by Mr. Jason Stevens.  Morgan was awarded a medal for placing in the top 5 of all of the altos who auditioned