Exeter G.F.W.C. Woman's Club Art Show on Display at Exeter Library

 Various artwork by Exeter-Milligan students.

 Fort by Peytan Brandt

 Various Student Artwork on Display at the library.

 Various Student Artwork

 Artwork, Crafts and Photography by Woman's Club members

 Photo by Judy Dinneen

 Art by Mariah Ruhl, Senior

Artwork by Cayden Hartmann - Third Grade

Exeter-Milligan Participates in County Government Day

The Exeter-Milligan American Government class attended
Fillmore County Government Day on February 24, 2011 in
Geneva.  Students had the opportunity to learn about the
various functions of the County offices.  The students
participated in the Annual County Government Jeopardy
contest.  Fifty questions about state and county government
were asked to random participants from all schools using the
Jeopardy format.  The final jeopardy question was "The year
the Courthouse was built."  All three schools answered the
final question correctly and Exeter-Milligan won the contest
by scoring 1050 points, Fillmore Central finished second
with 1040 points, and Shickley finished with 400 points.

The class also participated in the Mock Trial against
Fillmore Central.  The court case was State of
Nebraska(Exeter-Milligan) v.s. George Stevens(Fillmore
Central).  Exeter-Milligan had to prove George Stevens was
guilty of Stalking on six different elements.  Fillmore
Central came out on top as the jury found George Stevens,
not guilty.  Students who participated in Mock Trial were:
Claire White(lawyer and witness), Becca Vossler(lawyer),
Quinten Loontjer(lawyer), Jalen Maxson(lawyer), Blake
Mark(lawyer), Michael Schoop(witness), and Brady
Bristol(witness).

County government day was a excellent learning opportunity
for the students.  Fillmore County does a great job hosting
this event.  We would like to thank all of the County
Government officials and the American Legion for all the
work they put in to this event.





Exeter-Milligan County Government Day Participants.  Back
row:  Brady Bristol, Nate Bigelow, Coleen Colson, Britni
Kotas, Lana Kennedy, Quinten Loontjer.  Front Row:  Nolan
Beatham, Michael Schoop, Claire White, Blake Mark, Jalen
Maxson, Becca Vossler, Trevor Rainey.


Chris Lewandowski
7-12 Social Science/Technology Coordinator
Exeter-Milligan Public Schools

Obituary Lori Lea Becker

  Lori Lea (Neemann) Becker was born January 20th, 1962 to Roger (Gator) and Dorothy Faye Neemann in Lincoln, Nebraska. She lost her battle with cancer February 20th, 2011. She was the oldest of four girls. Lori was baptized March 25th, 1962 at St. Johns Lutheran Church in Cordova, Nebraska.

         Lori attended Clinton, Riley and General Arnold schools in Lincoln and later graduated from Lincoln High in 1981. After graduation she moved to Exeter to work with her parents at Gator's Pub.

         On June 19th, 1986 she married Stephen Daniel Becker in Geneva, Nebraska and to this union four children were born, Roger Gerald, Connor Leo, Crystal Ann and James Daniel.

         While her children were at home Lori ran a daycare and balloon business. Lori then worked for the Exeter-Milligan schools until the time of her illness.

         Lori loved collecting tins and found a lot of them at auctions and garage sales. Lori made several videos for birthdays, anniversaries and special occasions. She loved hanging out with her girlfriends.

         She is survived by her husband Steve of 24 years. Her children: Roger, Lincoln, Connor, Crystal and James, Exeter; mother Faye Neemann, Exeter; Sisters and Brothers-in-law Angie (Jeff) Hansen, Cordova, Shellie (Kent) Olsen, Beaver Crossing and Sherri (Travis) Due of Cordova Brothers-in-law and wives Tim (Sharon) Becker, Turpin, OK and Dave (Denese) Becker, York. Sister-in-law and husband Geri Lynn (Ken) Kerby, Bellevue. Grandmother Esther Deterding; Aunts and Uncles, Annabelle Neemann, Ruth Ekeler, Dale and Kay Miller, Miles Snell, Bob and Marty Mitchell, Jay and Jo Woodward, Ron Hughes and Ernestine and Gene Felton. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews and cousins.

         Proceeded in death by her father, Grandparents Edwin and Emma Neemann-Kasl, Step Grandfathers Joe Deterding and Leo Kasl. Uncles Arwin and Don Neemann, Raymond Snell and Willy Ekeler. Aunt Arlene Snell. Cousin LuAnne Neemann Bosley. Father and Mother-in-Law Gerald and Margaret Becker. Sister-in-law Teddy Becker. 

Funeral services were conducted from the St. Stephen’s Catholic Church on Wednesday, February 23, 2011 with Father Tom Kuffel, Father Robert Barnhill and Father Kenneth Borowiak officiating.  Shirley Milton accompanied the congregation who sang “Amazing Grace”, “You Are Mine”, “One Bread One Body”, “Song of Farewell” and “How Great Thou Art”, and Jessica Ruhl who sang “Only A Shadow.”  Casket bearers were Kent Olsen, Ty Becker, Travis Becker, AJ Hansen, Chevy Hansen and Steve Briske.  Honorary bearers were Brayden Olsen, Eric Olsen, Emma Olsen, Macy Due and Tyler Due.  Interment was in the Exeter Cemetery with Farmer Funeral Home incharge of the arrangements.  Memorials are directed to the family for later designation.

Fillmore County Extension Update: Grassland Days

Views from VanDeWalle

Brandy VanDeWalle, UNL Extension Educator in Fillmore County

February 23, 2011

62^nd Annual Milligan Grassland Day – Entrepreneurship Topics

Tuesday, March 1^st will be the 62nd annual Milligan Grassland Day with registration at 9:30 A.M. and the morning program beginning at 10 A.M. at the Milligan Auditorium. This year’s program features a look at rural entrepreneurship in southeastern Nebraska. Vaughn Hammond, UNL Extension Educator will provide a look at how various small business owners in southeastern Nebraska are turning their talents into success. A panel of local entrepreneurs will follow including but not limited to the following: Kim Slezak, Everlasting Light Images; Dave Welsch, direct marketing of poultry and beef; Carey Potter, Pour House Tasting Room; Chloe Diegel & Alex McKiernan, Robinette Farms; Sharon Auld, Awesome Pretzels; and Reid Ely, Ely Farms. Lyndsey Pohlmeier, UNL Extension Assistant in Fillmore County, will give a brief overview of the 4-H project ESI which is a project focusing on developing entrepreneurship skills for youth.

In the afternoon prepare to laugh along with our speaker, Susan Brown, retired UNL Extension Educator, as we learn the importance of laughter in our lives. We finish up the afternoon with highlights of the LEAD International Study Travel Seminar to Nicaragua, Panama, and Costa Rica provided by Deanna Karmazin, UNL Extension Associate in Lancaster County. Contact our office for more details at 402-759-3712.

Soybean Population On Farm Research Study Results

With rising input costs, producers were interested in looking for ways to reduce input costs. The objective of the soybean population study was to look as the effect of lowering soybean seeding rates and its effect on yields and economic return. Two replicated plots were conducted in 2006 and 5 in 2007 and 2008 for a total of 12 field length replicated plots in York, Seward, Hamilton, Fillmore and Clay Counties. These trials were on 30 or 36” row in no-till, ridge-till or conventional tilled fields with planting time seeding rates of 90,000, 120,000, 150,000 and 180,000.

Observations we saw were that typically most plantings resulted in about 90% of the stand that was seeded. The lower populations had more branching and as the populations went up we had less pods per plant, but in most cases we had somewhere between 5 and 6 million pods per plant. The thicker the populations, the less pods per plant and the thinner the population, the larger plants with more pods.

Over the 3 three year 2006-2008, the 90,000 population yielded 64 bu./acre; 120,000 population yielded 64.8 bu./acre; 150,000 population yielded 65.0 bu./acre; and the 180,000 population yielded 65.4 bu./acre. That’s less than a bushel and a half difference in yield as a result of doubling the seeding rates and costs!

This past year a producer in Hamilton County seeded soybeans at 60,000, 90,000, 120,000 and 150,000 with yield results of 69.5 bu./acre, 71.8 bu./acre, 73.6 bu./acre and 72.7 bu./acre. We’re not recommending going to 60,000, but that 120,000 seeding rate gave us both optimum yield and economic yield. I hope you’ll consider giving it a try on some fields or at least conduct your own on farm trial! For more detail information about the results go to http://cropwatch.unl.edu, then under related resources click on the farm research tab on the left hand side of the page. It will be the top article on that page.

Upcoming Events:

Feb. 23^rd - Pesticide Safety Ed. Program, 1:30 p.m., Ag Hall – Fillmore Co. Fairgrounds,

Geneva AND 6:00 P.M.

Feb. 24^th – Farmers & Ranchers College (Economics Mgmt & Outlook Conf.), 9-2:30 – Fillmore

Co. Fairgrounds, Geneva

Mar. 1^st – Milligan Grassland Day, Milligan Auditorium, 9:30 registration, 10-3:30 p.m.

Mar. 10^th - Pesticide Safety Ed. Program, 9:00 a.m., Shickley High School Gym (Free water

testing from Shickley FFA; bring your samples)

Local Photograph Featured in Statewide Show

photo by Mary Schlegelmilch                    Burress Moon

 photo by Mary Schlegelmilch                Hromodka Welcome

Mary Schlegelmilch of Exeter was recently chosen to show her photographs as part of an exhibit at more than a dozen different locations throughout Lincoln.

“Written in Lights and Shadows” is part of 2011 Lincoln PhotoFest which is a city wide event celebrating photography with exhibitions in both galleries and other spaces throughout Lincoln. Schlegelmilch’s work is displayed at A to Z Printing in southwest Lincoln along with the work of five other artists all from Nebraska.

Schlegelmilch started taking photos in her childhood. She inherited a castoff camera from her older sister and photography quickly became a hobby for her.

After graduating from Exeter High School Schlegelmilch attended Southeast Community College in AgriBusiness and joined the family feedlot business.  She realized then that photographer meant more to her than a hobby.

Taking a break from the feedlot, she pursued a degree in Commercial Photography at Metropolitan Community College in Omaha. Returning home to Exeter, Schlegelmilch specializes in “subjects that don’t talk back: rural landscapes, animals, weather and the sky.”

However, Schlegelmilch does do simple people photographs including senior portraits, babies, families and casual weddings.  She enjoys combing her other primary interest, landscapes and history with portraits. She also enjoys restoring old family photos and photographing old farmsteads, abandoned houses and farmyards.

Being chosen for the Lincoln Photofest was an honor for Schlegelmilch, “It was great to meet the other photographers in the show and hear their stories of the photography business and see everyone's different styles. It's crazy to think that I have work that is good enough to hang beside theirs.”

Most of her photos displayed at the show are rural scenery, a still life or two and one of her dogs. The photos at the show are also for sale, along with all her other photography which is available for viewing and purchase on her website at www.marysimages.zenfolio.com

Although Schlegelmilch isn’t actively looking for more shows she is “constantly looking for new inspiration. I'll just keep my camera by my side as often as I can and hope to keep capturing photographs that people, and I, like to look at.”

Lincoln PhotoFest will only be on display for the rest of February with Schlegmilch’s work available for viewing at A to Z Printing during their business hours, Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m.  - 5:00 p.m. Also displayed at A to Z printing are the photographs of Geneva resident H A Waring Johnson.


Photo by Mary Schlegelmilch                   Hunter Silhouette

Death Notice Lori Becker

Court of Honor Recognizes Eagle Scouts from Troop 359

 

Two young men, Landon Rhodes and Cody Soukup, were honored on Sunday afternoon by the Scouting community surrounding Cordova. They were presented their Eagle Scout Rank at a Court of Honor at the Cordova Community Center.

 

Assistant Scoutmaster Lance Larsen served as the master of ceremonies of the event.  After the First Class Scouts in the troop led the opening ceremonies with a flag salute and information about the flag the Troop Committee Chair, Robert Rhodes led the group in an invocation.

 

Larsen shared several interesting facts about the scouting program and the small percentage of young men who join scouting and the even smaller percentage that reach the rank of Eagle Scout. He commended Landon and Cody on the many hours of work spent achieving this goal along with the commitment of their parents and leaders.

 

The guest speaker for the evening was invited by the scouts, Eagle Scout Shane Whitford is the music instructor at Exeter-Milligan School. Whitford shared some of his scouting background and challenges to the new Eagle Scouts.

 

The Scouts were given their Eagle honors by Scoutmaster Warren Thomsen and the patches were pinned on by their mothers. The boys also gave their mothers and fathers eagle parent pins.  Their Eagle awards were both very special as they earned them in 2010, the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America.They carry a special notation on the award that will not be used again.

 

Both Eagle Scouts entered their signatures in the Troop 359 Book of Honor and Troop Committee Members Don Due, Laurence Jensen, Robert Rhodes and Stanley Rhodes also certified the entry with their signatures.

 

The new Eagle Scouts shared about their journey and their projects, earning 21 merit badges, attending scout camp and planning and conducting an Eagle Scout Project. They also took the opportunity to thank the Cordova American Legion for supporting Troop 359 for the last 62 years.

 

After singing "God Bless America" together, the colors were retired and the guests were treated to a meal. Those attending were invited to look at the display of letters the Scouts received from the President, military officials, senators and other dignitaries.  The fathers of the Eagle Scouts presented them with flags flown over the White House in their honor.

FIllmore County Development Corporation Planning Meeting

Exeter-Milligan Update: Rewriting Shakespeare

Rewriting Shakespeare

By Jami Ellis

The Exeter-Milligan High School senior English class recently studied the well-known soliloquy that appears in act III, scene I of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Some may recognize the often quoted first words, “To be, or not to be: that is the question.” In the famous lines the main character, Hamlet, speaks thoughtfully and agonizingly to himself about the question of whether to commit suicide to end the pain of experience. He says that the miseries of life are such that no one would willingly bear them, except that they are afraid of “something after death.” Because we do not know what to expect in the afterlife, we would rather “bear those ills we have,” Hamlet says, “than fly to others that we know not of.”

The senior students, after discussing the passage, were asked to rewrite the famous lines, pose a different question, and weigh the consequences and benefits of each outcome as Hamlet did in his soliloquy. A few examples of student work are below.

To Forgive or Not to Forgive

by Jacob W.

To forgive or not to forgive: that is the question.

I try to find anything

To stop the thought of your embrace

But nothing can help me cope with this disaster.

Should I live with the knowledge?

What is broken here can never be fixed again

But I can also face the truth and forget

Because I cannot face this mess alone.

These thoughts constantly run though my head,

So potent that they make sleep a bitter oblivion.

You said forever over and over

But is it possible this deceit can be ignored?

The truth is, I can do neither

Because not even the strongest of heart

Could forget or forgive this.

I thought our coalition was strong enough to withstand anything

But it seems we have found the cancer that can shatter the fortress.

I wish I had one more chance to put heart in fragile hands.

To Sleep or Not to Sleep

By Kelsey M.

To sleep or not to sleep—that is the question.

Whether it is more wise to stay up and cram

or to sleep and take the risk.

The extra hour of studies

and lost hour of dreams,

will it help to remember

those facts that seem useless?

Will it help to memorize

the order of events

Or the formula to the equation?

Or the extra hour of sleep

That experts say everyone needs.

Will it help to remember

the notes taken days ago

or answers from that pop quiz?

Maybe instead finding the wisest choice,

I should’ve studied long ago.

To Tell or Not Tell: A View of Hannah Montana

by Linsey K.

To tell or not to tell—that is the question.

Whether it is smarter to let it out

or keep the secret inside.

Of course there are pros and cons to both decisions.

You may be followed in everyday life

by paparazzi who know now your true identity.

You may lose friends that feel betrayed

by secrets they know not of.

However, if you choose not to tell,

you keep the life you now have.

The secrets, the double life,

the normalcy of people not knowing who you truly are.

Would it be better to keep life how it is at the moment

or tell and not know what the consequences might be?

It is a huge step with unknown results,

but I now know what I must do.

I am older and more mature than when I first started.
I will tell and hope that it will be alright.