June 24, 2009

Murrell places in All-Kansas Write-Off

Newton High School sophomore Ashley Murrell recently placed second in the sports story category of the All-Kansas Write-Off competition. The contest is sponsored by the Kansas Scholastic Press Association and the Kansas Professional Communicators. Murrell is the sports editor for Newton High School’s student-produced newspaper, The Newtonian.

June 24, 2009

NHS literary, art magazine now available for purchase online

For the first time in its 29 volumes of publication, Newton High School’s literary and art magazine, “Connections,” is now available for purchase online. Copies of the publication are available for $4.80 plus the cost of shipping at connections.magcloud.com.

“This allows us to make the publication available to a much larger audience without the hassle,” journalism adviser Erica Rickard said. “This eliminated the need for us to solicit donations from patrons and apply for endowment funding, and, yet, the price is very comparable with what we’ve sold single copies for in the past.”

June 24, 2009

Entire United States visible from Northridge

Students at Northridge Elementary School can now see the whole United States from the school playground—a map of the United States, that is. Thanks to Newton Rotary club members, the schoolyard is sporting a new, not-quite-life-size, US map.

The 40’ by 25’ map was painted on a concrete pad near the entry doors to the newly finished classroom addition by several Rotary members and friends on June 5th. This is the third US map Rotary has painted at a Newton School. They have also created them at Sunset Elementary and St. Mary’s.

The map at Northridge took just over three hours to complete, with 21 people helping. There is still a bit of detail work to do. Recent rainy weather has kept the ground too damp to work on and final touches will be added once the map area dries out.

Along with the gift of the map, the rotary Club will provide the school with workbooks, caulk, games, and DVDs that explain the purpose of the map and give the students fun, entertaining lessons to use with the map. The games ask students to identify geographical landmarks, such as the Rocky Mountains, Great Lakes, Major Rivers, etc. Students use the caulk, which cleans off easily, to identify where these items are located.

Rotarians who helped with the painting of the map were: Gerald Greene, David A. Nygaard, Project Chairman Leroy Koehn, Kent Erb, Tom Williams, Gary Hill, John Hosford, Dr. Richard Siemans, Peggy Ziser, Bud Ziser, Paul Blythe, Kim Manring, Bart Regier, David Yoder, John Balthrop, Newton Rotary President Steve Johnson, Art Delmez, and Jan Franz. Others who helped with the project were: Northridge Principal Arthur Willock, Laylie Franz (granddaughter of Jan Franz), and Larry McVey.

Top Photo: Newton Rotary club members use a large plastic template to mark the outline of the United States map on the Northridge Elementary playground.

Middle Photo: Newton Rotary club members paint the outline of the US map on the Northridge Elementary School playground.

Bottom Photo: Newton Rotary club members paint the states different colors on the US map at Northridge Elementary School.

June 16, 2009

Newton High School students visit France

Students studying French at Newton High School got the perfect chance to practice their speaking skills on a recent trip to France. Teacher Nora Kelting and six of her students visited the country May 26 through June 4, 2009.

While in Europe, the students visited Paris, Normandy, Loire Valley, Nice, and Monaco. A highlight of the trip was visiting the American Cemetery in Normandy, where many U. S. soldiers are buried. The cemetery was the site of a special commemoration ceremony On June 6, in honor of the 65th Anniversary of the D-Day invasion at Normandy, which turned the tide of World War II. While at the cemetery, the students visited the grave of Teddy Roosevelt’s son, Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., among others, and read a dedication written for the occasion by Kelting’s husband, Michael Kelting.

The students received a pleasant surprise on their second night of the trip, when Newton High School social studies teacher Grant Scott walked into the Paris restaurant where they were dining. Kelting had arranged the surprise with Scott upon discovering he would be visiting France at the same time as their group.

Kelting's group was forced to return a day later than planned, when a passenger on the transatlantic leg of their flight home suffered a heart attack and the plane had to land in Iceland to get him to a hospital quickly.

Kelting offers her students the opportunity to visit France every other year, but rising costs to Europe have her considering another option for future trips. Quebec, Canada is another French speaking destination that is a favorite of the teacher’s. “I adore Quebec and it would be a great experience, but it isn’t 2000 years of history and culture [like France].” says Kelting.

Photo: Newton High School French students pose for a photo in front of the famous Moulin Rouge night club in Paris. Shown left to right are Megan Mata, Hannah Vogt, Nathan Darrow, Monica Voth, Andrew Walker, and Ingrid Romero.

June 16, 2009

Newton teachers honored for excellence in teaching

Newton High School teachers Greg Lehr and Scott McCloud were named the 2009 Excellence in Teaching award winners for USD 373 at the end of year celebration for district staff on May 22. Lehr teaches social studies at the high school and McCloud teaches English.

Lehr was cited in his nomination for being “passionate and excited” about education and teaching, as well as highly innovative. In an age where many teachers and administrators consider cell phones to be the bane of academic performance, Lehr not only allows cell phones in his classroom, but incorporates them into the learning process. He encourages and assists other teachers in integrating technology into their classes, as well.

McCloud is known for being a friend to students and fellow staff at the high school. He is credited with having a passion for ensuring all students succeed, regardless of level of ability; and for taking a genuine interest in each one. McCloud’s nomination listed many examples of his befriending and showing interest in his students by attending or sponsoring numerous high school sports and extra-curricular activities. He is likewise known for supporting fellow teachers individually, and through his willingness to lead professional development opportunities on a variety of topics.

Lehr and McCloud each received a framed certificate and a $1000 award for classroom use.

Photo: Scott McCloud (left) and Greg Lehr were named the USD 373 Excellence in Teaching award winners for 2009.

June 16, 2009

USD 373-CKCF endowment grants awarded

Five Newton USD 373 teachers were awarded classroom grants by the district’s education endowment at the USD 373 end-of-year staff celebration on May 22. Teachers who received awards to enhance technology in their classrooms were: April Imler, $420; Debbe Jantz, $150.00; Carolin Moore, $450; Melinda Rangel, $455; and Connie Rickard, $610. Funding for the grants is provided through the USD 373-Central Kansas Community Foundation Education Endowment

June 16, 2009

Crawley, Smith graduate from Eby

Two students, Bradley Crawley and Dakota Smith, have graduated from Eby Learning Center. Smith received his high school diploma during a ceremony on May 7, 2009 and Crawley was honored during a graduation ceremony on June 8, 2009. The students' accomplishments were celebrated during separate receptions for each, attended by fellow students, family members, Eby teachers and staff members.

Top Photo: Bradley Crawley receives congratulations upon graduating from Eby Learning Center by Principal Vicki Rivero.

Bottom Photo: Dakota Smith is congratulated during a graduation ceremony in his honor by Eby Principal Vicki Rivero.

June 16, 2009

French students do well on Grand Concours exam

Four Newton High School French Language students garnered top honors in the State of Kansas for their scores on the National Grand Concours French language exam.

The students, who are shown in the photo, from left to right, are: Laurel Woodward, 1st in the state of Kansas for French level V; Emma Regier, 8th in the state for French Level IV; Andrew Walker, 8th in the state for French Level III; and Guadalupe Gonzalez, 11th in the state for French Level III.

Nora Kelting, the Newton High School French instructor, encouraged the students to sit for the exam. This is the first time Newton students have completed the National Grand Concours French language exam since Kelting began teaching at the high school eight years ago. The Grand Concours is comprised of sixty questions with 20 minutes of listening comprehension and 40 minutes of structure (grammar) and reading comprehension.

June 9, 2009

Seger receives national Spanish scholarship

The American Association of Spanish and Portuguese has awarded a $1000.00 scholarship to Lydia Seger, on recognition of her achievements in Spanish at Newton High School. The scholarship is one of 32 scholarships given in the United States to students with superior Spanish language skills. Seger was also named the 2008-2009 Premio de Honor (Prize of Honor) recipient at the Newton High School Senior Awards Assembly on April 28, 2009. The distinction is given to the most outstanding Spanish student based on highest academic performance and standing, and special contributions to the Spanish program at Newton High School. Seger is a student of Spanish teacher Evelyn Gregg.

photo: Newton High School Spanish teacher Evelyn Gregg, left, and student Lydia Seger.

June 9, 2009

Spanish students receive national recognition

Several Newton High School Spanish students received national and state recognition for their achievements on the National Spanish Examination 2009.

Students who were recognized include: Phillip Bradshaw, Spanish Level V, Bronze level national recognition; Mollie Emerson, Spanish Level V, national honorable mention; Lydia Seger, Spanish Level IV, 1st place in the State of Kansas and Gold level national recognition. Jenae Janzen, Spanish Level IV, 3rd in the State of Kansas and Bronze level national recognition; Milissa Crawford, Spanish Level IV, national honorable mention; Maria Jantz, Spanish Level III, 3rd in the State of Kansas and Silver level national recognition; Megan Leary, Spanish Level III, 9th in the State of Kansas and Silver level national recognition; John Bergen, national honorable mention; Francisco Fields, national honorable mention; Jacob Skala, national honorable mention; John Stucky, Spanish Two, national honorable mention; and Hugh McConnell, Spanish One, 7th in the State of Kansas and national honorable mention.

The National Spanish Examination is the most widely used standardized assessment, given voluntarily by over 3000 teachers throughout the United States to measure proficiency and achievement of students who are studying Spanish as a second language. Evelyn Gregg, Cheryl Loeffler and Crystlal Sanhueza are the Spanish faculty at Newton High School and the test was facilitated by Evelyn Gregg and Carla Histand.

photo: Nationally recognized Newton High School Spanish students are (left to right): Megan Leary, national Silver level recognition; Janae Janzen, national Silver level recognition; Lydia Seger, national Gold level recognition; Phillip Bradshaw, national Bronze level recognition and, not pictured, Maria Jantz, national Silver level recognition

June 9, 2009

Sunset poets published

Members of the Sunset Writers Club had their poems selected for inclusion in the 2009 Anthology of Poetry by Young Americans. The students whose works were accepted were Andrew Adamson, Emily Adamson, Kaylin Brlackmore, Malachi Caastillo, Keila Chavez, Henry Friesen-Guhr, Gracie Hammond, Xander Imler, Morgan Jones, Dawsyn Long, Juliana Loyd, Ryan McDermed, Linzee McGruder, Sarah McFarlane, Leah McManus, Aubrie Nichols, Joanna Ortiz, Ashleigh Pulaski, Emily Regier, Lysett Salcedo, Yasmin Salcedo, Kaitlyn Serrano, Anna Tuszynski, Diana Unruh, Brittany Wedd, Elizabeth Groote, Maria McGonigal, Emma Pulaski.

The Anthology of Poetry by Young Americans provides a forum through which selected young authors from across the United States can have their work published in a book. Students in grades kindergarten through 12 may submit poems to be selected for publication. Works are selected for the anthology based upon their originality, rhythmic sounds, rhymes and audience appeal. The Sunset Writers Club sponsor is Pamela Trussell.

June 9, 2009

Wingnuts' Spinner visits Slate Creek to promote good sportsmanship

Slate Creek students received a special surprise when Spinner, the mascot of the Wichita Wingnuts baseball team, visited their school during an end of the year Character Building assembly. Students had been learning about positive character traits like honesty and being considerate to others, throughout the year. The final assembly stressed the characteristic of good sportsmanship. After being shown examples of good and bad sportsmanship with an entertaining skit put on by several Slate Creek staff, several students were selected to give their interpretation of good sportsmanship. Following this, the furry, 7-foot squirrel burst into the gym to the thunderous applause of the surprised students. After giving out lots of hugs and high-fives, Spinner encouraged the students to be good sports and gave them all Wingnuts game coupons.

Photo: Wichita Wingnuts mascot, Spinner, greets students and teachers during a surprise visit to a school Character Building assembly on good sportsmanship.

June 9, 2009

Walton Students Sell Produce and More at Farmer's Markets.

This coming Thursday, June 11 students will again be selling student-grown produce and a variety of home-made products including jellies and pickles. The market is located at the former Ampride Station on the corner of Main & Hgwy. 50 in Walton.

photo: Walton Rural Life Center students prepare to bag a bunch of radishes for a customer at the school’s farmer’s market last Thursday.

June 3, 2009

Newton High School Journalists Recognized

Nine Newton High School Journalism students have been inducted into Quill and Scroll, the International Honor Society for High School Journalism.

Students who qualify for induction have served one year on a publication staff and are in the top one-third in class rank. This year’s inductees were: Caroline Blaufuss, Erin Bradley, Joanna Epp, Feilisha Kutilike, Ashley Murrell, Erin Regier, Jennifer Scott, Elizabeth Tallman, Lacie Fiedler.

Several journalism students also won awards from the Kansas Scholastic Press Association, in a contest held May 2 at the University of Kansas. One hundred eighteen Kansas high schools participated, with a total of 1,056 entries.

Students qualified for the state contest by placing at one of six regional contests in February. At the state contest, students participated in 18 categories. Newton High School placed 5 students in the 5A classification. Sophomore Erin Regier placed second in feature writing. The broadcasting team of senior Matt Tuszynski and sophomores Lexi Coffey and Kyle Fiedler placed second in broadcasting, and sophomore Carly Blaufuss was honorable mention in newspaper sports writing.

Other state qualifiers from Newton were senior Lizzy Tallman, junior Erin Bradley and sophomores Brandon Hanchet, Ashley Murrell and Tyler Prochazka.

June 2, 2009

Walton Rural Life Center Hold Ag Fair

Students at Walton Rural Center recently held an “Ag Fair” to showcase some of the ag-based projects they’ve worked on over the school year. The school’s emphasis on project-based learning and hand-on activities was evident in the variety of projects the students presented. On display was information on everything from salsa making to composting to the care and feeding of “Petey” the resident goat. Students presented further information through prepared speeches about their projects. The ag fair was part of the student-led parent conferences for the school year.

first Photo: Jacob Franco shows Alisa Romero his project during the Ag Fair held at Walton Rural Life Center.

second photo (click on thumbnail for full picture)– Jillian Kelley & Anna Harder explain the process of making flower pots from recycled newspaper to John Esau.

third photo: Chris Hiebert invites Megan Stahl to smell the food pellets of “Petey” the goat as Bentley Hiebert and Abbi Jackson look on.

fourth photo; Scott Eckert listens to Adonis Taylor explain about salsa production as Josh Spragg and Amber Cotton display the types of tomatoes used in their project