Student Happenings

I wanted to share a couple of things that have been happening around our school district. I know that there are many things that happen in our buildings on a daily basis that many never hear about.
In particular, in the past month I have been fortunate enough to have been part of the "Shark Tank" for Mrs. Schlechter's Business &Technology JH wheel course. Part of this quarter long course is to research and develop a new product. Then the team of students has to get "investors" for their product.  It is very encouraging to see so many of these students take pride in developing a product that can be very real some day.
Along the same lines, I was on the interview panel for Mrs. Melius' Employability/Personal Finance course. These students spend the semester learning about skills that will help them gain employment at any point in their life. At the conclusion of the semester the students have to create a resume and interview for a position in front of current business people. This is a great learning experience for many students. Being in a small town, they do not always get to experience the pressure of having to interview in front of a panel.
Back in November, Mrs. Geditz's 4th grade course took their field trip to Bill Melius' buffalo ranch. While there the students get to see a working buffalo ranch, learn about the buffalo, and even learn about life on prairie. Here are a few pictures from their trip.

I also wanted to share about a project that Mrs. Montonye does with her students at Blumengard colony. Studentreasures is an on-line program free of charge to educators.  Educators can create a book with a whole class, or individual students can write their own.  The company sends out all materials necessary to create the books, except for markers in the coloring of the pictures.  The students work very hard to create a book that they are proud of. Here are a few pictures of the finished product. 

 Thank you for taking the time to hear about some of the awesome things happening in our schools! It's always great to see things like this to give you a boost during the year. Thank you to ALL of our staff who work so hard to provide great opportunities for our students. 

Yours in Education,

Derek Barrios

Superintendent/Elementary Principal