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

 

Sisters Open Boutique in Downtown Exeter

 

Tara Due (left) and Tysha Smith (right) stand in their new boutique in downtown Exeter.
 

Exeter has a new shopping spot in town as T-Squared as officially opened downtown at the corner of South Exeter Avenue and East Seneca Street.

Sisters Tara Due of Exeter and Tysha Smith of Seward opened their clothing and jewelry boutique downtown after almost three years in business.

The sisters started making earrings separately in March of 2018 and were doing craft shows along with wholesaling their earrings to about 20 boutiques.

In July of 2019 thy added graphic tees and their storeroom (also known as Smith’s basement) started to look like a warehouse.  “We thought there was no way we will ever have a store front,” explained Smith.

Prior to opening the boutique the majority of their sales were from their website.  They post new arrivals each Thursday and have a special $12 T-shirt on their VIP on Facebook each Tuesday.

With their recent purchase of a DTG (Direct To Garmet) machine they now are offering wholesale tee shirt orders.

The duo splits up all the duties.  Smith does the ordering, posting on social media and manages their website while Due claims she does the “fun” stuff, like taxes, wholesale orders and graphic tee’s. Both still make earrings to sell.

The started the business because “we wanted to feel like we were contributing financially as both of our husbands are in the military,” according to Smith with Due nodding her agreement.

They have eight kids between the two of them, five of which are not in school.  Their mom often helps fill in the gaps, especially with local orders picking them up from Smith in Seward and meeting Due in Beaver Crossing.

The sisters, already close, have grown closer through the venture, “I don’t think I would be able to do this business for three years without an argument with anyone else.  Our personalities work well together,” explained Due.

“It’s like another baby,” added Smith.

One of their biggest challenges has been time management, especially having young children.  Smith’s daughter, Taegen, likes to help out where she can (she also claims your name has to start with a T to work in the business).

They sometimes work late in the night fulfilling orders but “We’re stay at home moms so that comes first,” explained Tysha.

They still plan to do pop up shops and are at James Arthur Vineyards the last Saturday of the month May through September.  The new boutique will be open some hours every week with the hours posted each Monday on their Facebook page.