Saturday, November 27, 2021

Exeter-Milligan Update: Transition Plans for Students

 

Transition Plans for Students

By Anita Mueller, Exeter-Milligan Special Education teacher

 

With the big push to include more transition activities in students' IEPs, Exeter-Milligan special education teacher Anita Mueller took a few students to Central Community College in Hastings for the Industry and Career Exploration Day.  These students were able to choose three of the following careers to explore from the Skilled and Technical program areas: Advanced Manufacturing Design Technology, Auto Body Technology, Automotive Technology, Construction Technology, Diesel Technology, Drafting Technology, Drafting and Design Technology, Electrical Technology, Energy Technology, Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration, Heavy Equipment Operator Technician and Welding Technology.  Students were able to observe and/or some even allowed them to participate in "hands-on" activities.  




 This picture is a mini excavator ran by a high school student who just learned to use it to pick up a ball from a construction cone and place it in a trash can.



This is a picture of high school students listening to the college students talking about a career in welding who were already out working about 32 hours a week at part-time jobs while attending college. 

Thursday, November 25, 2021

Happy Thanksgiving


 

Throwback Thursday: November 20, 2011

 

11/20/2011

 

he Exeter-Milligan sixth grade class has been busy preparing for this year's program called "This Is Your Life, Santa Claus!"  The concert will be held on Tuesday, December 6, at 7:00 p.m. in the Exeter site gymnasium.  All elementary students will be performing during the concert, beginning with the fifth and sixth grade bands.  They will be followed by the kindergarten, first, and second grade classes.  The musical will end the evening. It will feature the third, fourth, and fifth grade classes each on their own song.  The sixth grade students have all of the character parts and even a few solos.  Many sixth grade students also have additional duties in the production of the show. 

 

Hannah Beethe, Macy Due, Janey Erdkamp, Josie Hulse, Tara Mueller, and Kailtlyn Vavra, the Girl Scouts in Troop 390, in Exeter, NE completed the requirements for a Junior Girl Scout’s highest award, the Girl Scout Bronze Award in June of 2011.  A recognition ceremony was held for them on October 23, 2011 at the Exeter Fire Hall with their families, principal, and teachers invited to help them celebrate.

 

Volleyball team honors:

Crossroads Conference Honors:

First Team: Claire White, Taylor Erdkamp and Jackie Luzum,
Honorable Mention: Megan Zwickl and Jennifer Pribyl

 

The Exeter United Methodist Women held their annual Cookie Walk and Dried Fruit and Nut Sale last week.

 

 

Exeter-Milligan football players were honored as members of D2-3 District Team

1st Team Offense

QB Nolan White
RB James Sluka
OL Garrett Pribyl
E  Blake Mark

1st Team Defense

DL Blake Papik
LB/DB  Nolan White
             Robbie Androyna
             James Sluka

2nd Team Offense

RB   Robbie Androyna
OL   Blake Papik

2nd Team Defense

DL   Blake Mark

1st Team Special Teams
Returner   James Sluka

2nd Team Special Teams
Punter  Nolan White

Honorable Mention offense

Nathan Bigelow

Honorable Mention defense

Kyle Jensen

 

 

As a fall project, Mr. Dean Filipi’s Industrial Arts classes at Exeter-Milligan have been working on a storage shed.  Sam Zeleny, Spencer Papik,  Johnathon Mounce, and Jack Dinneen  mix cement for the floor, which is then transported by wheel barrel to be poured.  Spencer Papik dumped cement while Jesse Hall, Huntington Trauger and Robert Harre spread the cement to form the floor.

Wednesday, November 24, 2021

Exeter-Milligan School Board Discusses Cooping Sports with Friend

 

Exeter-Milligan school board met on Monday, November 15th in Exeter with twelve audience members.

Once the board worked through the consensus agenda they heard a curricular update from social studies department Brian Murphy and Jordan Marr.  The teachers noted that they are covering the topics required from LB399. (first required in the 2019-20 school year).

Many holidays are required to be covered by the district including Martin Luther King Jr. day, Veteran’s Day, and Memorial Day.

“We give them the citizenship test at the end of their seventh grade year and want them to be able to pass it by the end of their senior year,” explained Marr.  “After they have had a full year of civics we give the test again.”

Murphy  also shared with the board some of the changes that were made to social studies requirements.  “We are seeing a lot of critical thinking skills,” explained Murphy. 

He is finishing his master’s degree in history and will be able to offer dual credit in history through Concordia University.

Marr gave an indepth curriculum report on his classes including sixth and seventh grade history, and American Government.

After thanking the teachers for their report the board reviewed several policies with no comments.

The board invited public comment and Murphy opened up about the topic of cooping all sports and activities with Friend. “I still  believe this is a good option, the best option.  At the very minimum we need to consider fall sports.”

He talked about the advantages of having junior varsity games and stronger teams.  He emphasized the fact that “Competition is good for kids, it helps raise your talent.”

The only negative he saw was the challenge of travelling for practices, “I feel the positives outweigh them.”

Assistant Volleyball Coach Lisa Kanode agreed with Murphy and added that there are low numbers of junior high students.  She also emphasized the importance that competition can play both on the court and as a life skill in the future for students 

Several students in attendance were also receptive to cooping.  Jozie Kanode noted that as a varsity player she often had to play on junior varsity risking an injury.  “Other activities would be great as well like one act. . .we would have more plays and with more people we would have to learn less lines.”

Olivea Swanson didn’t think that travelling would be a hardship as she plays softball on the FC/E-M/F team and travels to Geneva for practice during the season.

The board moved on to their agenda noting that Eric Milton is the chairman of the negotiations committee for 2022-23 and will contact the teacher representative Laura Steuben to start the process.

 

The board then responded to the sports cooperative opportunities.  Superintendent Paul Sheffield explained, “I asked to put it on the agenda again to keep it on the forefront. I did inform the Friend administration that we were going to talk about it but I didn’t hear anything back from them.”

Chairman Adam Erdkamp opened the discussion, “I think we have got to start looking at this.”

Board member Alan Vavra understood that “basketball was a solid no from them – at least that is my take on it.”

Board member Kendra Jansky agreed, “I don’t know that our basketball numbers are at a spot where we need to do that.”

“If we are going to talk about it we need to talk about all activities,” added Board Member Paul Jurgensen.

Principal Laura Kroll added that the district didn’t have one act this year, “because the kids are just spread so thin. . .having more numbers would allow us to have those things for those kids that fit that niche.”

Erdkamp added, “I guess it sounds like to me we are willing to talk about it.”

Vavra again reiterated his concerns about basketball, “I don’t see it.  I’m not saying I’m against it.  But there is only one way to find it out – if we could get volleyball that would be great.  I wouldn’t make basketball a deal breaker.”

Several board members expressed a concern that basketball might be a sticking point for both districts.

Erdkamp noted that Superintendent evaluations  are due by December 1 and board members also received the 20-21 audit report for their review.

After hold a brief discussion on using the separation incentive program to their advantage in improving the district the board reviewed the playground replacement project.

Sheffield explained that a committee met with two companies who presented several options  “This is meeting a need with visual impaired students we have.”

The bid also included some fence work, removal of the old playground and cement work.  The Creative Sites bid was $265,000 and will eliminate the gravel on the playground which will also “elimate issues for the visually impaired students who fall in the holes,” added committee member Shelli Mueller.

After a discussion on funding for the project the board accepted the bid from Creative Sites and also approved the Little Blue Natural Resources District and Lower Big Blue Natural Resources District Hazard Mitigation Plan.

In their final action for the evening the board approved a contract for Brandi Perez as the Language Arts instructor.

The next meeting was scheduled for December 15, 2021 at 7 p.m. in Milligan.

 

Monday, November 22, 2021

Exeter-Milligan Update: First Graders See the Light

E-M First Graders See the Light

 

Haley Johnson’s first grade students at Exeter-Milligan are learning about light. They tested what happened when light was shone on different objects. Students were given a variety of materials like wood, plastic, mirrors, etc. to see how light affected each and recorded their findings to share.  

 

Pictured above are Karen Benitez, Madison Hopkins, and Kolsen Kahlandt

 

 

Kolsen Kahlandt