Spring has finally arrived in Exeter

Spring has finally arrived in Exeter and the park downtown next to Generations Bank is displaying the wonders of nature.  We thought it might never come but it has.  Next week's temp may spike to the 90's.  I think it really might stick around this time. Enjoy the sunshine and the warmth.

Exeter-Milligan Update: Biology II Students

Lorie Sliefert's Biology II students at Exeter-Milligan have recently been studying the Nervous System.  They dissected sheep brains to learn the major parts of the brain.  Pictured are Toni Bossaller and Erica Yound performing their disection.

Exeter-Milligan Second Graders Experience Pioneer School Day

– Exeter-Milligan and Friend students watch as Eric Stehlik sheers a sheep.

2013 pioneer school day -Exeter-Milligan second grade students invited their pen pals, the Friend second grade class to come and enjoy a Pioneer School Day together on April 25^th at Saline County Museum. They are pictured in front of the one room schoolhouse front row from the left: Emily Brahstedt, Cece Murphy, Morgan White, Colby Martin, Gabe Jindra, Taylor Weber, Abby Gilmore, Shelby Steyer, Braden Benjamin, and Miss Baumert. Second row from the left Leah Rummery Mrs. Weber, Shelby Lawver, Jack Baptista, Chase Vnoucek, Chase Svehla, Timothy Weber, Olivea Swanson Zoe Brogman, Austin Banks, Cade Kresak, Connor Troyer, and Marcus Krupicka.  

It felt like time turned backwards at the Saline County Historical Society Museum in Dorchester as their one room schoolhouse was full of students on Thursday, April 25^th.

Exeter-Milligan second graders decided to invite their Friend second grade pen pals to their pioneer school day event this year. The seven Exeter-Milligan students were joined by 16 Friend students and their teacher Miss Baumert.

The students, teachers and helpers dressed up in pioneer clothing and started their day in the one room school house.  Exeter-Milligan second grade teacher Marla Weber explained “small groups of students did reading lessons at the recitation bench while others practiced handwriting on slates and memorizing poems.”

Weber, has held the event for a number of years using the grounds at the museum as her setting.  Museum board members have begun to add more experiences to the day to help the children understand their forefathers’ lifestyles more completely.

Prior to the event the students studied the pioneer life and learned what it would have been like for children growing up in the frontier.

Each student was given a pioneer name which was used as they were called forward to recite. They also learned to stand when they asked a question along with the protocol for entering and leaving the classroom.

For recess they played some of the games that were played in the days of the one room schoolhouse such as drop the three-legged race and the wheelbarrow race. When it was time for lunch the students along with teachers and helpers brought out their baskets and lunch pails to each lunches that were similar to those eaten by children long ago.  They brought bread, cheese and fruit or cookies to eat with lemonade to drink out of pint glass jars.

Throughout the day the children had the opportunity to explore the museum grounds, seeing some of the special exhibits including an original log cabin home as well as an entire building of farm machinery and equipment.

Students also had the opportunity to make a jump rope with Les Vilda of Wilber who also spoke to the students about his experiences living and traveling like an early pioneer.

In the afternoon students were divided into groups and experienced different pioneer life sustaining essentials like washing clothes by hand, sewing with a foot pump machine, making butter, carving soap hanging clothes on the line and beating a rug.

In the machinery building the students learned how to use a corn sheller and then took the corn and planted in using a hand planter.  They also got to run the siren on an old fire engine and explore the other pieces of machinery in the building.

Eric Stehlik stopped by the museum and showed them how to sheer sheep and taught them about how the wool was used in pioneer days.

Volunteers with the Saline County Historical Society were board members Judy and Roger Rada, Gene and Mary Ann Placek, and Eric Placek.  Helpers with the students were Dianna Krupicka and Krista Hitchcock.

Weber thanked the Saline County Historical Society Board, "The Saline County Historical Society Board has been very supported of our annual Pioneer Day and have helped make the event successful."

 

Death Notice: Wilma Murphy

Funeral services for WIlma Murphy (August 5, 1916 - May 4, 2013) will be held at 10:30 a.m., Tuesday at the St. Stephen's Catholic Church in Exeter. Rosary services Monday, at 7:30 p.m. at the Farmer Funeral Home in Exeter,NE. Visitation Monday, from 1 p.m. until rosary at the Farmer Funeral Home in Exeter. Memorials are in care of the family. Interment will be in the Exeter Cemetery.

Exeter-Milligan Alum Active in York College Theatre

Jameson Trauger as George Little, the younger brother of Stuart Little in the York College Children's Theatre

Exeter-Milligan 2011 graduate Jameson Trauger has definitely made his presence known in the York College Theatre Department.

Just a sophomore this year, Trauger has already participated in four York College productions along with a production at the Yorkshire playhouse.

One of his gigs, the Children’s Theatre brought him back to familiar territory this week for a performance at the Exeter-Milligan gym on Tuesday, April 30th.

Trauger participated in theatre at Exeter-Milligan; he recalled “doing theatre at Exeter-Milligan helped me come out of my bubble.  I was able to get out there and try different things, experimenting with different voices.  Mrs. Tauriella was pretty good about letting me have free range creating crazy characters.”

His favorite character at Exeter-Milligan was “the Professor.  I got to make him an eccentric guy.  I also got to do crazy walking things I picked up from “Monty Python.” 

The history education major at York College is thinking about doing a minor in theatre along with a coaching endorsement before heading out to look for a job teaching at the high school level.

Last year Trauger participated in three of the four York College shows including, “Send Me No Flowers,” the One Act plays with emerging directors, “Dinner with the McGuffins,” and the spring drama, “Anatomy of Gray.”

This year Trauger has performed in “Inspector General,” the One Act, “Check Please, Take Two,” the drama, “Wit,” and the Children’s Theatre performance of “Stuart Little.”  He is also in the current Yorkshire Playhouse production of “Bus Stop.”

Trauger finds the Children’s theatre production a challenge, “Children’s theatre requires quick changes, scrambling to remember everything in addition to loading and unloading the set on Tuesday and Thursday morning.  Travelling around makes it a little stressful, too.”

In “Stuart Little” Trauger plays four characters, George Little who is Stuart’s older brother, Mr. Clydesdale, Angie the gangster cat and the school child with a dunce cap.

So far Trauger has found “everything in the theatre department fun.  We all have a great time in the theatre department, we have a lot of fun and put on great shows.”

He has also enjoyed his time at York College, “It’s nice to be close enough to home to get laundry done but far enough away to do my own thing.  Mostly I have enjoyed that York College is a pretty small campus made up of very diverse people from all walks of life and all over the place.  Everybody is really close and they care about each other.  When going through tough times, everyone rallies around.”

In the Children’s Theatre production Trauger has also been joined by other local students including Patrick Clark and John Baker from York and Bethany Miller from Milford.