ODEGEO Leadership Class Holds First Session

 Picture-Steve McLeish, Mary Johnson, Jill Swartzendruber, Kristina Knocke

 

Odegeo…Leadership for Fillmore County Class Holds Its First Session

The 2012-2013 Odegeo. . . Leadership for Fillmore County class met for its first introductory session on September 18th in Ohiowa at St. John’s Lutheran Church.  This year’s participants are: Shannon Drudik, Kimberlee Gewecke, Dayle Harlow, Amanda Haumont, Ashley Hughes, Craig Hughes, Karla Jacobson, Ann Jansky, Conley Kennel, Steven McLeish, Kristina Knoche, Shawn Nolt, Twila Rocole, Jill Swartzendruber, Lucas Swartzendruber and Amber Taylor.

Bryce Kassik, a member of the Fillmore County Development Corporation (FCDC) Leadership Committee gave opening remarks to the class and explained that the Odegeo Project is a leadership class organized by the Leadership Development Committee of the FCDC and history of the program. The sessions give the participants an opportunity to see many business, cultural and political aspects of Fillmore County as well as a chance to improve their leadership skills.  This is the 15^th Odegeo leadership class.

Rhonda Stokebrand, a member of the FCDC Leadership Committee had class members introduce themselves and then did an activity where everyone had an opportunity to learn more about their classmates.  The group  “Followed the Leader”  to the Ohiowa Auditorium where Carol Kapperman spoke to the class about the history of the auditorium and the community leadership involved in  several Ohiowa projects.

Megan Hinrichs, Thayer County Healthy Communities Coalition, was the speaker for the session.  She used “Real Colors” and hands on learning tools to help the class identify their personal characteristics.   Recognizing that people have different personal characteristics can help a person be a better leader and work with a group.

The class members and FCDC Leadership Development Committee members had time for getting acquainted while they enjoyed dinner prepared by the St. John’s Lutheran Church ladies.  Geneva State Bank sponsored the dinner. 

The next session of the Odegeo…Leadership for Fillmore County will be held in October and concentrate on the history and tourism of the County.

New Library Director at Exeter Public Library

“The library is like the information super highway with a soul and a smile,”  described Jessica Votipka, the new Exeter Public Library Director.

Votipka began working as assistant library director in November of 2009 with Library Director Nina Bartu showing her the ropes.  The job is a perfect fit for someone who not only  ”loves literature and loves to socialize,” Votipka explained.

After graduating from Exeter High School in 1999, Votipka headed to Doane College where she earned a degree in English with a minor in Speech Communication.  At Exeter High, Votipka was active in Speech, One Act, Band, Vocal, and Yearbook.

Eyeing her upcoming retirement, Bartu encouraged Votipka to enroll in certification courses mid 2011.  “Nina has not only been an incredible mentor, but a great friend,” explained Votipka.

Library Board President Patty Demoss has been working with Nina for the past six years and “absolutely loved working with Nina.  She is afantastic librarian who went so far beyond the call of duty.  I feel like she was such a support a good teacher to Jessica and so glad the switch worked out when it did.  Jessica will be great to work with and we [the library board] look forward to guiding her as she navigates this new path.”

After completing coursework Votipka is currently a Level 3 Provisional Library Director in the state of Nebraska.  Classes from the Nebraska Library Commission she has taken have included a class in community and the library, a library governance class along with a library outreach class. 

Keeping in mind the opportunity to expand the services in the library Votipka also took a course form the University of Wisconsin in Madison on grant writing specifically for libraries.

Votipka has some goals for the library, “I plan to buy the standard popular books but I want to get some of the patrons off the beaten path and send people in new directions.”

In keeping with that goal, Votipka has chosen some award winning books by different authors with “Salvage the Bones” by Jesmyn Ward as an example.  “I picked this out after a lot of research.  I enjoyed reading it but not everyone might.  There's always the risk of ordering a flop.”

Votipka plans to keep many of the special events that are familiar to library patrons.  Plans are already in the works for a Halloween Story Hour and Summer Reading Program.  But Votipka hopes to add more programming and more activities for all age groups, especially the kids.  She is looking to start a story hour for the younger set.

The services at the library will stay the same with the standard, books, computer use, books on tape, movies and reference books although Votipka is investigating the possibility of offering e-books for check-out.

When Votipka isn’t working at the library she often works for her aunt in her Nurse Practicioners office in Grand Island.  Her free time is spent on some of her favorite hobbies, reading, knitting, selling vintage craft items on etsy and cooking.  She also enjoys her weekend time with her boyfriend Mark, who lives in Omaha. 

Exeter-Milligan Update: High School English

pictured is Meredith Emshoff

Found: Poetry in Literature and Life

by Rhoda Wahl, E-M English Instructor

While students at Exeter-Milligan School are reading good stories, they are also discovering that poetry is often disguised as prose. Those seemingly endless rows of sentences, and pages of paragraphs, are bursting with poems just waiting to be found.  Found Poems, in fact, are poems created from words and phrases taken from text.

While reading Alas Babylon, by Pat Frank, American Literature students discovered that the description of the setting (Fort Repose, FL) could also be described poetically.

Fort Repose

By Meredith Emshoff

A river town

in Central Florida

Riverfront estates

with boats tied to docks

idyllic life

for Lt. Randolph Rowzee Peyton

Ordered to protect river from Indians

shot game

caught fish

instead.

Freshmen English students are currently studying the elements of poetry, and experimented with rhyme schemes by writing parallel poems.  Parallel poems are written in the same style, and sometimes the same theme, as other poems that interest us.  The poem they paralleled is “Sick”  by Shel Silverstein.

Sick

By Jack Dinneen & Janey Due

“I cannot go to school today,”

Said little Peggy Ann McKay.

“I am too tired to get up.

I think I’m going to throw up.

My skin is very itchy;

My eye is really twitchy.

My joints won’t even bend.

I think it may be the end.

There’s a clot in my bloodstream;

This is very extreme.

I have a very fast heartbeat,

And I have very cold feet.

I just got out of the shower,

But I still don’t have any power.

WAIT! Today is Saturday.

I feel well enough to play!”

All students in Mrs. Wahl’s English classes are reading books, and journaling about the elements of fiction. This quarter, they are describing the character traits of the protagonist in a biographical poem. Maybe you’ve read one of these books, and will recognize these characters.

Berry

by Kaitlyn Clift

I am Berry

Son of Mumma

Who needs help

Who loves his family

Who sees darkness around

Who hates deceivers

Who fears losing the trust of the Mallard

Who dreams of having a better life.

Who has found poems of depression and sadness

Resident of the planet Earth.

From Black Juice by Margo Lanagan

Ty Lewis

by Sam Zeleny

I am Ty

Brother of Thane

Who needs Thane to get better

Who loves his life, living with his brother

Who sees Thane playing on Jet’s Field

Who hates how the FBI watches

Who fears that Thane won’t be able to play again

Who dreams of making the Raptor’s football team

Who has found poems of laughter

Resident of New York

Lewis

From Deep Zone by Tim Green