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– 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

May 27, 2009

Newton High School Chess Tournament

Newton High School Chess Club has announced the winners of the end-of-year student chess tournament. The top three finishers in each class are as follows. Freshmen: Kyle Wiens, Ryan Hutton, and Alex Fryhover. Sophomores: Tim Regier, Mason Brickman, and Zach Schale. Juniors: Freddy Negrete, Curtis Fischer, and Joey Young. Seniors: Tyler Kreier-Branning, Tyler Brown, and Alex Navarro. Chess Club sponsors are Scott McCloud and Jerry Epp.

May 26, 2009

South Breeze celebrates Circle of Friends with special entertainer

South Breeze circle of Friends group held a year-end celebration May 15, and welcomed a special musical guest. Corky Seibert, a blind-from-birth musician, entertained students and staff with his phenomenal piano skills and infectious personality.

A twin, born two months prematurely, Corky and his brother had multiple birth defects and as a result, his brother did not survive and Corky was born without eyes. One day, his mother had put three-year-old Corky down for a nap and was cleaning house when she heard the radio playing in the living room. When she went to turn it off, she found it was not the radio at all but Corky playing the piano. Somehow he had found it and discovered that he could duplicate the music he heard on the radio on the piano.

Corky has been playing music ever since and can play seven different musical instruments, including piano, drums, organ and autoharp, to name a few.

Now Corky plays his music everywhere and at every opportunity. Corky’s dream since childhood has been to have a job and home of his own, and to be independent and self-supporting. With help from his friends at the ARC of Wichita, his dream has become a reality. The same friends who helped Corky are part of the Circle of Friends program. Circle of Friends was created to help those with physical and mental challenges by building a circle of friends around them to support and encourage them.

Corky was at South Breeze to help share in the school’s end-of-year Circle of Friends celebration. Circle of Friends operates in all three levels of Newton Public Schools. This is the second year for the program in Newton schools, and the effects of the program have been positive and life-changing for all of the participants.

Photo: Corky Siebert sings “I Get by With a Little Help From My Friends” during the Circle of Friends end-of-year celebration at South Breeze Elementary School.

May 20, 2009

Newton students receive Duke TIP Recognition

Several USD 373 7th grade students received state recognition in the Duke University Talent Identification Program (TIP) this year. The Duke Talent Search identifies academically talented 7th graders based on standardized test scores achieved while attending elementary or middle school. Candidates are identified and invited to complete either the SAT Reasoning Test or the ACT Assessment college entrance examination. Duke TIP then provides the participants with comparative information concerning their academic abilities and resources for unique educational opportunities. Students are provided with information about their abilities and introduced to a network of services and programs. Marcia Neal is the Duke TIP Program Coordinator for Newton Public Schools.

Top Photo: Santa Fe students recognized in the Duke TIP are shown, left to right: Ashlynn Hamm, Hannah Carlgren, Kate Jolliff, Josh Carlgren.

Bottom Photo: Chisholm students recognized in the Duke TIP are shown, back row, left to right: Erika Westhoff, Trevor Duerksen, Colton Aarstad, Caitlin Conner. Front row: Elizabeth Epp, Matt Miller, Madison Goerend.

May 20, 2009

Special Ed Paras Honored

The Harvey County Special Education Cooperative honored their paraprofessionals during a recognition ceremony on Thursday, May 14, 2009, at the McKinley Administrative Center. During the ceremony, paras who have served the cooperative for 5 years or more were honored at five year milestones.

Shown are the paras who were recognized. Back row, left to right: Sue Elder, 10 years; Gala Myer, 10 years; Sherry Schmidt, 5 years; Rita Hawkins, 5 years; Rosemary Reimer, 10 years; Janene Mabrey, 10 years: Brenda Learned, 5 years; Rita Tafolla, 5 years; Irene Barger, 10 years; Traci Thiesen, 5 years. Front row seated: Gewn Janzen, 15 years; Joyce DuBois, 25 years.

May 14, 2009

Newton Machining and Welding Students excel at Kansas Skills Competition

Three Newton High School Career and Technology students recently took top places at the Kansas Skills Competition in Wichita. Tyler Roach placed first in Precision Machining, Andrew Kepley placed second in Precision Machining and Brock Weaver placed third in Welding. Pictured are the three students (left to right): Andrew Kepley, Tyler Roach, and Brock Weaver. Shawn Taylor is the Newton machining program instructor and Mike McConnell is the Newton welding program instructor.

May 14, 2009

Newton Auto Tech Students perform well at Ford AAA Competition

Two pairs of Newton Auto-Technology students posted scores high enough to secure second and third places at the Ford AAA Auto Skills team trouble-shooting competition, held May 7 at the Kansas Speedway. Shown are three of the four team members. The team of James Goerzen (left) and Nathan Williams (center) placed second, and Derek Dean (right) and Brad Slayden (not pictured) placed third. Conklin Cars provided a 2009 Ford Focus, the same model of car used in the competition, for the students to practice on for three weeks prior to the event. Cory Unruh is the Newton auto-tech program instructor.

May 11, 2009

Chisholm Read-In

Chisholm Middle School 8th graders, Tatiana Britton (left) and Megan Bradley, kick back and enjoy a good book during the school's annual Read In, held Friday, May 8. Started in 1995 by school librarian Beverley Buller, the Read In is a fun tradition that Buller says fosters a "culture of reading" at the school. It's no surprise that Chisholm students consistently perform well on state reading assessments.

May 8, 2009

Howie selected for prestigious honor

Congratulations to Adrian Howie, 4th grade teacher at South Breeze Elementary School, for his selection into the prestigious 2009 Mickelson Exxon Mobile Math and Science Academy. Howie was one of 100 selected from over 6400 applicants and the only teacher selected from the state of Kansas.

Howie was recognized for his seamless integration of educational technology in teaching math and science effectively. A shining example of excellence in teaching, Howie engages his students through high-interest, challenging, technology-rich lessons, and his students respond with excellent achievement.

The Mickelson Exxon Mobile Academy is a joint venture between PGA golfer, Phil Mickelson and his wife, Cindy, and the corporate foundation of Exxon Mobile. Teachers from across the country are screened through a competitive process and the winning teachers are then hosted at no expense to them or their school district for a week in New York City. While there, Howie will study and attend seminars at the world recognized Liberty Science Center in Newark, New Jersey, and upon completion of the academy, will be linked with resources and professionals throughout the country.

May 6, 2009

2009 Newton High School Alumni Lifetime Achievement Awards

Five Newton High School Alumni will be inducted into the Lifetime Achievement Hall of Fame during a reception at Santa Fe Middle School on Saturday, May 16, at 10:00 a.m. The public is invited to attend. This year’s recipients include four men and one woman, and span five separate decades: the 1930’s, 50’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s.

The 2009 Newton High School Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients are Shelly (Dicken) Chenowith, class of 1983; Jeremy Hubbard, class of 1991; Dr. Robert R. Rich, class of 1958; the late Dr. William Staerkel, class of 1938; and Dr. Matthew Stagner, class of 1977.
2009 Recipient Profiles

May 6, 2009

Neufeld named President-Elect of Kansas Staff Development Council

Janet Neufeld, Director of Instruction and Professional Development for Newton Public Schools, was elected President-Elect at the Kansas Staff Development Council (KSDC) Leadership Conference, February 11-12, 2009, in Wichita. She has served as a member of the KSDC Board of Directors for the past three years.

Neufeld is also a member of the National Staff Development Council Academy Class of 2010. The national academy is a select group of professionals from across the nation who are a part of a three-year action research project, based on the participants' work in their home district.

photo: Shown are the newly elected Kansas Staff Development Council's board members. From left to right: Barb Engler, Teacher A Rep; Bonnie Dieter, Rep A West of 281; Kathy Boyer, Secretary; Janet Neufeld, President-Elect; Holly Francis, Rep A East of 281; and Penny Schuckman, Central Office Rep. Not Pictured: Gina Marx, Higher Education Rep. and Donna McCullough, Classified Rep.

May 6, 2009

Newton students perform well at State Music Festivals

Newton High School music students performed well at two state music festivals in April. The State Large Group Music Festival was held at Wichita East High School on April 15. Groups from Newton High School earning Division I (Outstanding) ratings were the Wind Ensemble, Orchestra, and 9th Grade Orchestra. Receiving Division II (Excellent) ratings were the Concert Band and Choraleers.

The State Solo and Small Ensemble Music Festival was hosted by Newton High School on April 25. Newton band members received the following ratings: Paul Voran, Saxophone Solo, I (Outstanding); Brass Quartet: Andrew Zehr, Christian Penner, Tim Regier, Rebecca Trumble, I; KaeCee Terry, bass clarinet solo, II (Excellent); Woodwind Quintet: Celeste Thompson, Megan Leary, Arin McMullen, Liz Schrag, Tim Regier, II; Celeste Thompson, Flute Solo, III (Good); Rebecca Trumble, Trombone Solo, II; Megan Leary, Oboe Solo, II; Tim Regier, Horn Solo, I.

photo 1: Pictured are the band members who qualified for the State Solo and Small Ensemble Music Festival, which was held at Newton High School April 25. They earned Division I (Outstanding) ratings at the Regional Solo & Ensemble Music Festival on April 4. Shown (left to right) are: KaeCee Terry, Liz Schrag, Megan Leary, Arin McMullen, Paul Voran, Celeste Thompson, Andrew Zehr, Rebecca Trumble, Christian Penner, and Tim Regier.

photo 2: Pictured are NHS seniors from Wind Ensemble. The group, conducted by Greg Bergman, earned Division I (Outstanding) ratings from all three judges at the State Large Group Music Festival on April 15. Bach row, left to right: Christoph Mueller, Stephan Horsch, Sam Cheyney, Paul Voran, Austin Thompson. Front row: Chloe Brackeen, KaeCee Terry, April Webb, Abi Epp, Lauren Dunn.

photo 3: The Freshman Orchestra, directed by Steve Luttrell, received a Division I (Outstanding) rating at the State Large Group Music Festival on April 15.

photo 4: Senior class members of the NHS Orchestra are shown with their Division I (Outstanding) award from the State Large Group Music Festival held on April 15. The group is conducted by Steve Luttrell. Back row, left to right: Emma Regier, Landon Bartel, Michael Stauffer, Katie Lewis, Martin Knudsen, Lizzy Tallman, Ashley Newingham Front row: Kayla Bush, Laurel Woodward, Lydia Seger, Lynn Le, Charlotte McKellip, Alisha Schale.

photo 5: Shown are NHS orchestra members who qualified for the State Solo & Ensemble Music Festival held April 25 at Newton High School. Back row, left to right: Steven Garcia, John Bergen, Chris Wagoner, Laurel Woodward, Landon Bartel, Sam Smucker. Front row: Kayla Bush, Liann Meyer, Emma Regier.

photo 6:Newton High School vocal soloists who qualified to compete in the State Solo and Small Ensemble Music Festival, held April 25 at Newton High School were (left to right): Marissa Bontrager, April Webb, Michael Stauffer, Abigail Epp, Olivia Henning.

photo 7: Members of Les Chantes performed at the State Solo and Small Ensemble Music Festival on April 25, at Newton High School. Back row, left to right: Kylie Sturgeon, Brianna Ross, Abigail Epp, Lynsey Sholders, Amanda Young. Middle row: Toria Griswold, Olivia Miller, Brandi Regier, Roxanne Goertz, Tiffany Erb, Mollie Schwabauer. Front row, Maisie Pryce, Carly Blaufuss, Cassidy Ashcraft, Sara Bradley, Ana Jaso, Kayla Stukey.

photo 8: Newton High School Railaires performed at the State Solo and Small Ensemble Music Festival on April 25, at Newton High School. Back row: Dustyn Stevenson, Hannah Reber, Richard Schmidt, Alisha Schale, Willie Howell, Kylie Miller. Third row: Cequinda Confer-Anderson, Kristie Stroud, Tyler Jones, Malee Koerner, Tyler Brown, Erica Roach. Second row: Adam Chamberlain, Stephanie Clardy, Matthew Malo, Kallie Attebery, Jared Link, Michael Stauffer, Ashley Klein. Front row: Lydia Fitzgerald, Robert Howell, Aerielle Regier, April Webb, Christian McNolty, Lauren Kemph.