Category Archives: Academics

Cookies! Everyone loves cookies! The biology 1 class decorated cookie dough to look like cells. Each student was given a ball of cookie dough. They used sprinkles of different colors and shapes, tiny candies, chocolate pieces, etc. to represent the organelles in cells. Then cookies were refrigerated until Mrs. Raymer baked them.

The cookies were a hands-on activity to reinforce the placement and identity of the organelles. The function of the organelles was reviewed the next day, while everyone enjoyed eating his/her cell cookie. Students said they would like to have edible activities every day and that they enjoyed the treat.

On Monday, Nov. 5, 2012 the Hay Springs art class attended the CSC Art Department’s annual “Art Day” for area high school students. High school students from Alliance, Bridgeport, Chadron, Crawford, Gordon/Rushville, Hay Springs, Hemingford, Mitchell, Morrill, and Sioux County, Nebraska as well as Douglas and Oelrichs, South Dakota came to participate in the workshops.

Art department faculty, along with CSC art student assistants, provided hands-on workshops and demonstrations from nine different categories: mixed media, pastel drawing, watercolor, wire sculpture, graphic design, ceramics, printmaking, glassblowing, and photography. They informed students of art scholarships available at CSC also.

Each student has the opportunity to experience and create art with three different mediums or methods unavailable to them here at Hay Springs, while meeting other art students. During the day students viewed two art galleries, the Marie Sandoz museum, and Cabela’s animal display on campus, also. This year we had time to visit the Earth Science museum plus other exhibits in the CSC Science building.

Students agreed they were glad they were able to attend, learned new things, and will enjoy the “Art- It’s Serious Stuff” T-shirts they received.

Here are pictures of the students “in action”.

This year’s High Ability Learner group has five members, Sam Hindman, Jace Langford, Hunter Letcher, Jake Roberts, and Hannah Wohl.  This group’s goal is to extend, challenge, and apply the things they are learning during the school day as well as work on new things at a higher level of thinking.   In October, the group did the “Diet Coke and Mentos” experiment.  They saw the reaction between the coating on the candy and the contents of a pop bottle.  The students further extended the experiment with different sized bottles and amounts.    Currently the group is researching rare animals and will eventually create a dichotomous key.  Overall, the group is high energy and eager to extend and connect the concepts they are learning!

The 8th grade class recently added some holiday decor to the school’s front lawn. This beginning wood project gave students the opportunity to use drills, sawzall, and hand tools. Each reindeer was made by an individual 8th grader. Students in the 8th grade class are: Chris Adams, Tanna Badje, Kobe Encinia, Drew Letcher, Alexis Olson, Kristen Rathe, Brandy Running Hawk, Sydney Tlustos, Nathan Tobiasson, and Garrett Weyers.

The Upper Niobrara White Natural Resources District is pleased to announce the winners of the 2012 NRD Poster Contest.

Focusing on the theme “Soil to Spoon: Where Does Our Food Come From?” the poster contest highlights the educational outreach efforts of the UNWNRD, Nebraska’s Natural Resources Districts (NRDs), as well as the state and national conservation associations and agencies. The contest is part of National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) Stewardship Week, the longest running celebration of conservation in the country.

UNWNRD Winners are as follows:

Grades 2-3:

1^st Place = Jacie Coupens, Chadron Intermediate School

2^nd Place = Wade Sanders, St. Agnes Academy

Grades 4-6:

1^st Place = Kennady Stack, Chadron Intermediate School

2^nd Place = Madeline Pelton, Chadron Intermediate School

Grades 7-9:

1^st Place = Ciara McCance, Hay Springs Middle School

2^nd Pace = Brenna Hawthorn, Chadron Middle School

Grades 10-12:

1^st Place = Destini Fusselman, Alliance High School

2^nd Place = Connor Wright, Alliance High School

Coupens, Stack, McCance and Fusselman’s artwork advanced to the state competition and each took first place which earns the artists a $25 gift card.  First place posters at the state competition are entered into the NACD contest which will be judged at the NACD annual meeting in January.

The contest is co-sponsored by Nebraska’s Natural Resources Districts, National Association of Conservation Districts and the NACD Auxiliary and provides an opportunity for students in Kindergarten through Grade 12 to illustrate their thoughts about soil, water and other natural resources.  The 2013 Stewardship Week will be celebrated in April with a new theme of “Where does your water shed?”

Each year, the poster contest starts at the local Natural Resources District level. UNWNRD first place winners received a check for $20, while second place was awarded $10 and more than 70 students submitted entries to the local level.  Individuals and teachers from within the Upper Niobrara White NRD which includes Box Butte, Dawes, Sheridan and Northern Sioux Counties may direct questions regarding the local contest to Sheri Daniels 308.432.6190 or daniels@unwnrd.org.

The 4th Grade class has been working on WRITING!!! What creative minds we have in our classroom. Each student is working on writing in the Narrative form and being as descriptive with their adjectives as possible. Please ask your children about the stories they are writing. I think you will enjoy reading them or hearing about them. This past two weeks we have been working on a story about a wish that went wrong…and how they had to make it right again. Your children will be doing many more stories and writing is a big focus in the 4th grade classroom this year.

Fourth graders are learning to play recorders. Recorders are a basic beginning into a world of instrumental music. Ways parents can help:  Students should be practicing at least 30 minutes a week, they need to have their parents sign their practice records at the end of the week. I’’ve had a lot of questions regarding practice time and I want to pass along some suggestions that may be helpful!

• 1. Schedule a specific time that is always set aside for practicing! -if a student knows that as soon as they get home after school they are to get their instrument practiced BEFORE the TV/computer/video games come on, then they are much more likely to get it done!
• 2. Spread the practice time throughout the week. -Did you know your mouth has muscles? Just like your body doesn’’t want to have one massive workout a week, your mouth doesn’’t want to be abused once a week either! Break down you practice into smaller moments throughout the week and see how your sound improves!
• 3. Encourage your student to play for you! -Your student is SO proud of their accomplishments, encourage them to put on a performance for the family so you can tell them how proud YOU are of them!
• 4. Use positive feedback! -Yes, I know the recorder isn’’t the most pleasing instrument to listen to; but a sure fire way to get your student to stop playing is for you to make negative comments about their hard work! I promise it will get better and your words of encouragement will only help move along their progress!

On Saturday, Nov. 3, students in Business and Marketing attended the “Super Business Saturday” at Chadron State College. Laurin Bronson, Zoe Schneider, Michaela Metcalf, and Mrs. Efta participated in workshops about starting and marketing a successful business, doing eCommerce business on the Web, marketing business using Facebook, Twitter, and other social media, and involving young people in business. Our students mingled with Chadron State College Business students, local business leaders, and people interested in starting new businesses. The event was hosted by CSC’s Nebraska Business Development Center and included leaders from Security First Bank, Chamber of Commerce, and Nebraska Northwest Development Cooperation. It was an inspiring, fun day out in the “real world” of business and marketing!

The purpose of this project is to: Design, construct and finish a personalized scroll saw box.

• Sketch preliminary design

• Technical drawing with dimensions, bill of materials

• Rough cut stock

• Prepare surface thickness

• Join and construct

• Scroll saw application

• Sand and finish

With some new additions to our shop lab, beginning wood students were given the chance to experiment on these keepsake boxes. Though small, the 8^th grade went through all the problem solving processes that one would on any level of production.

Surface planing, lamination, shaping, and detail scrollwork were just some of the processes they encountered. Sanding and finishing remained the least popular chore, but its significance was made evident as some of the projects that came to me for final inspection were returned to start the finish process back to the beginning! All in all the kids did a great job and the satisfaction of seeing the boxes take shape from paper to reality showed in the pride on their faces. Here are just a few examples.